What a week! We have had celebrations in Years 9 and 10 to recognise all the great work students have accomplished this term.   Many of our girls participated in a Gala Football Competition on Thursday in the last week and we all celebrated our own Footy Colours Day and BBQ today.  Our Year 10 students have participated in the Polish Program, run by the Beacon Foundation.  This is a practical program that helps students feel more confident about their transition into the world of work. The program gives students an awareness of global trends including the rise of automation and the value of transferable skills.    

I would also like to congratulate all participants in Brooks has Talent which was so capably run by our student leaders.  It was a very entertaining event with a great atmosphere and lots of talent on show from staff and students alike.  Congratulations to our worthy winners, Heath and Blake.   I would also like to congratulate our students who travel to Newstead College twice weekly to undertake the Maths Methods Foundation course. Your mid-year reports were fantastic.   

All our students have participated in a wellbeing survey.  While wellbeing and happiness are related, they are not the same thing.    The capacity to deal with problems as they arise, knowing and valuing strengths and a focus on the positive when faced with challenges are some indicators of wellbeing.  Clear and consistent rules also support wellbeing as does a healthy lifestyle with a balance of activity, screen time and rest.  A caring family and a small group of supportive friends also sustains wellbeing. At school we support emotional, social and physical health in a variety of ways such as implementing our phone policy, providing counselling and health information.  Explicitly promoting positive student relationships through our bystander education program and Love Bites program are further examples of how we support student wellbeing.    I will be sharing the outcomes of the survey in
mid-term 4.

We temporarily farewell Ms Bel Mackrill who will commence maternity leave at the end of this week. We wish you well and look forward to meeting the new arrival in the coming weeks.   We welcome back Mrs Lauren Cooper from maternity leave.   Mrs Cooper will be taking some of Ms Mackrill’s classes, including child studies. 

I wish all our school community a safe and relaxing holiday.