by Shane Kruger, Principal

Farewell Class of 2022

We have recently farewelled our Year 12 students as they completed their final classes at Lilydale Heights College. It was a moment of celebration and excitement, as well as some sadness as our students came to the end of 13 years of schooling. We all celebrated in style, with some fun pranks, a great breakfast, a farewell assembly, costumes, morning tea, awards and plenty of photos. Our Year 12 students were exceptional on their final day, demonstrating to our whole community how to have fun and be respectful and thankful at the same time.

This remarkable group of young people have been through an experience unlike many other students. I would like to congratulate them on their resilience that they have shown during the last three years. They have faced some unprecedented times and should all be proud of what they have achieved. At our final assembly, I thanked our Year 12’s for the respect that they have shown to themselves and others, for their commitment to excellence, for the support that they have shown each other, for their positivity and care, for their leadership and for making the most of their time at the College.

It is important to recognise and acknowledge that our Year 12 students did not get to this point on their own. Thank you to all of our parents, carers and families whose ongoing love, patience and support has helped our students get to this moment. Thank you to all of the staff at Lilydale Heights College who have been with these students from Year 7, watching them grow into young adults, seeing them through the fun times and the challenging times and have dedicated themselves to supporting our students learning and growth. I would also like to thank Ms Steeper and Mr McGown for their ongoing support and commitment to our Year 12 students. I see on a regular basis the positive relationships that have formed between our senior leaders and our Year 12’s, and how they go above and beyond to make sure that our students have a positive learning experience at the College. Over the next few weeks, I encourage our Year 12’s to continue to stay focused on their learning and prepare for their exams. Seek help and advice if you need it. Continue to be resilient and strive for excellence by doing the very best that you can.

I hope that our Year 12’s have some very fond memories of the College and the staff, and that the friendships that they have formed continue into the future. I wish the Class of 2022 all the best for their exams and the next steps in their journey.

Events

So far this term, we have been fortunate to have a range of exciting events that showcase the wonderful talents of our students. This began with the Year 12 Theatre Studies Performance where our students presented their monologue performance in preparation for their exam. This task required students to select a prescribed script and develop an interpretation, either through acting and directing or design, for an external panel of assessors. Sitting in the audience, I was very impressed by the talent and achievements of this class.

On Monday Oct 17 I, along with students, families and staff, attended the End of Year Music Showcase. Our various bands performed a variety of songs to highlight their musical talents and to entertain the audience. It was fantastic to be able to experience live concerts once again and to see our students perform. I look forward to seeing many more in the future.

Our Art and Design Expo took place in our new E-Wing and displayed a range of art works from different art and design subjects. I was blown away by both the artistic talent of our students and the deep thinking that went into the planning and design of the pieces.

Congratulations to all our students and staff on these wonderful events.

School Review

Lilydale Heights College is currently in the process of conducting our School Review. This is a very thorough process, with the school review panel completing learning walks, visiting classes, hosting multiple student focus groups, staff focus groups, parent focus groups and looking at data. This has been a wonderful opportunity for us all to collectively celebrate the highlights of the previous four years and to plan for the next steps in our improvement journey. At the completion of the review, we will have a new strategic plan which will set the school direction for the next five years.

Building Works

It has been fantastic to see students and staff move into our new, modern E-Wing which opened for teaching and learning at the beginning of this term. With E-Wing opening, we have moved onto our next building project – B-Wing. B-Wing has been cleared out and closed, with the demolition of the building starting this week. Having multiple building projects happening whilst a school is in operation presents its challenges, however, we have a great team at the school who are constantly working together and communicating to ensure that this process is as smooth as possible. I would particularly like to thank Tim Wright, Tracey Green, Doug Standen and Serena van den Brink for all of the work that they have done recently in moving from B-Wing to E-Wing in such a short time frame. We look forward to watching the progress of our new B-Wing over the coming months.