Weekly Wrap

Dear all,

Welcome to Week 7 and the end of Covid restrictions!!

This week the Premier announced a lifting of most restrictions. Students, visitors and staff are no longer required to wear masks in school settings, effective 11:59pm this Thursday.

Density limits do not apply to vaccinated events. This also means the locker bays will re open, change rooms will re open and all students are required in full school uniform in all classes. PE and Academy clothing can no longer be worn in class on days when students have PE or Academy, as they can get changed in change rooms. Mobile phones are required to be kept in lockers from the start of the day to the end of the day, every day, as of Friday 19 December.

Throughout the pandemic the College has worked on refurbishments and improvements to our facilities and grounds. One of the improvements has been the installation of new gates across the pipeline and at the back of the bike shed. This has been done to enhance student safety. These gates block the entry to College grounds of strangers and will be shut at the commencement of period one each day. They will also be opened by the end of the school day, enabling student pedestrian access and entry to the College before and after school. We will be beginning this routine on Monday 22 November.

Monday next week marks the beginning of the 2022 school year. Our staff have worked really hard to build a curriculum that will enable a sense of recovery to take place, following the impact of two years of covid on student learning. We leave behind the challenges of covid, with, however, a clear understanding that for many there are gaps in their learning, where remote and flexible learning was not as good as the face to face product. Despite everyone’s best efforts in the online platform, the reality is teaching and learning is best delivered face to face. The reality is there are areas in students development that have not progressed as they would in a normal two year period of face to face learning. Year 12 students begin the actual VCAL/ VCE 2022 curriculum, whilst everyone else has a hybrid version of 2022 and 2020/21 catch up, with a strong focus on closing any gaps in learning, identified by the teacher student conferencing we have been doing over the last month.

This is an exciting time for all of us, as we really do return to FHC as we knew it. A great school with great opportunities in and beyond the classroom. We are very excited to leave the covid years behind us.

Today , following the release of restrictions we were able to run a full College Assembly for our Year 12 Valedictorians. The students proudly presented themselves to collect their VCAL and VCE certificates, in front of parents and the entire student body. Fourteen students, representing the broad diversity of our College spoke on behalf of this wonderful cohort. Connect teachers presented each student, as they walked towards the stage to mark the completion of their Secondary schooling and Mr Blowers spoke from the heart about this incredible cohort.

 

I have worked in schools since 1989. I have never seen a period of disruption and loss like the time this cohort have spent across their final two VCAL/ VCE years. These students make me feel so proud of our school. So many of them have genuine stories of hardship and challenge, that they overcame and conquered. They present now as proud FHC alumni, having completed their formal secondary schooling, having achieved a Year 12 certificate of completion. No one can ever take that away from them. Not everyone can say they have achieved that.

To the class of 21, you leave us better for knowing you. You leave behind you, a strong legacy of effort, application dedication and resilience for the class of 22 to live up to.

You leave us ready to tackle the next chapters in your lives, with the confidence and skills behind you to go out into the world and make a difference. We believe in you and we look forward to hearing of your great successes. You are always welcome back. Thank you and good luck.

David Rogers

College Principal