Yesterday it was fantastic to be able to participate in the Year 11 VCAL market day in the courtyard and witness our Applied Learning team selling their wares in time for Christmas. I collected a nice little armful of gifts but was impressed by the effort and imagination that students had brought to their productions. I acquired a T-shirt, keychain, muffin mix, and terrarium. There were pet products, chopping boards, scrunchies (I didn’t have a need for them), mobile phone protectors, wine racks and fold up garden chairs produced by the Hands on Learning Team… There was a vast arrangement of items. Students were organised and had electronic payment options, and they were compelling sellers. It was a great day, and I congratulate all within the VCAL team.

Today, our Year 12 students conclude their final exams – Drama, French and Indonesian are the final exams within the College's offerings. We are delighted that they have been able to progress through the exam period without the disruption of further COVID cases within our community. All our Year 12 students have been remarkable young people, and their graduation event tomorrow evening will be a very special occasion given all they have been through over this past 18 months. The link for the graduation will be shared with Year 12 families later today, and I thank and congratulate all those families for their support of their student and Damascus College over their time here at school, particularly those families who conclude their time at Damascus College. Year 12 families are reminded that the student device is due to be returned by Friday 19^th November. School emails will remain active until Sunday 16^th January 2022, when tertiary offers are completed.

Tomorrow we commence our 2022 Early Start Program, where students progress from one year level to the next. Timetables have been made available this morning within SIMON, and students have received instructions in their emails regarding how to access these. Tomorrow is Day 4 within the timetable, so please encourage your student to see if they have PE and if they need to wear their PE uniform.

The starting of anything new can be a time of nervous anticipation, and it is very natural for students to feel challenged by the change that new groupings and experiences bring. I encourage families to support students by looking positively at the opportunities that change brings. This is the rich space for learning and growth – of course, if you feel that your student is excessively anxious, please talk to us to look at mechanisms for support.

The work covered in these classes over the next ten days will be assessable as part of Semester One work of 2022. I touched last week on the goals of the program, but it is ultimately about optimising learning opportunities and helping students to prepare for the new school year.

There are always some challenges with staffing at this time of year, as a proportion of staff finish their time at Damascus and before new staff commence. Where staff are not available to commence for Early Start, we will have qualified and experienced staff fulfil the teaching load, and they will hand over to new staff ahead of the new school year.

I congratulate all those students who took part in the Year 9 camp last week. The reports were of an enjoyable time despite some lousy weather. I thank Assistant Principal Andrew Robertson for his work getting the camp up and going in this current climate, Xavier House Leader Hannah Keating for her facilitation at the campsite and all the staff who came away from their families to attend.

Our intermediate female rowers have the season's first regatta on Saturday, so we wish them and their coaching team well for this first event on the Barwon.

As a school community, we have been working hard to ensure a supportive environment as students return to school from remote learning. I do ask that families please ensure that their young person attends school in the correct uniform. This is a frustration and leads to diminished relationships between students and staff when students do not comply. I ask that families please ensure your student is in the correct uniform, including correct socks.

As we move into the final weeks of teaching, I acknowledge the following staff who will conclude their time at Damascus at the end of the year.

Angela Hoban commenced at Damascus College in 1996 and for the last 25 years, has been a committed and hard-working member of the Damascus staff team. Angela has taught PE and Science predominately, and more recently, Food Technology. Angela also assumed different leadership roles, such as the inaugural TA Leader, and she fulfilled the Sports Coordinator’s role for a period of time. Angela has always enjoyed a great rapport and engagement with students, particularly those in Rice 5, and I thank her for her great work as she enters this exciting next stage of life.

David Neate commenced at Damascus College in May of 2004 and has been a committed member of the Science and Mathematics team over the last 18 years. David has developed a thriving Horticulture program, and he has been an extraordinary advocate for the natural assets; the native flora and fauna, of the Damascus College site. David was the instigator of the Murrnong Trail and the College’s Sustainability and Environment Management Plan during his time leading sustainability at the College. We have all grown in our knowledge and understanding of the Murrnong as a symbol of the diversity of the local bush. David is a wonderful TA to Xavier 2, and we applaud his work in our community.

Nick Yandell has been a wonderful contributor to our community for the past 11 years – he has been willing to assume a broad range of different roles, including Assistant Principal of Learning and Teaching, Arts Coordinator and Sustainability Coordinator. He has extended the opportunities for young people in the study of Media and has been a key member of the English team. Nick is a valued TA of St Martin 15, and we wish him well for his exciting next stage of life on the coast!!

The Damascus community is grateful for Brett Stone’s leadership of Health and PE since the commencement of the 2019 school year. Brett has progressed the learning and teaching agenda of the College and developed excellent working relationships with students and colleagues. He has had an active role in coaching, and students have appreciated this. He has been a fun and respected TA of Xavier 10. We wish Brett well in his new role in 2022.

Beth Carroll also finished up recently from her IT helpdesk role. Beth has been a bright, friendly and helpful IT support, and we wish Beth well as she relocates.

Jamison Thomas, a former student, returned to Damascus College as part of his tertiary degree in 2020. He has been invaluable within our marketing and development team the last two years, particularly in his contribution to videography. We wish him well as he pursues a role within his professional field.

Chiara Angeli, our 2016 School Captain, has also returned to Damascus College in 2021 as a Performing Arts Administrative Assistant. Chiara is relocating for exciting opportunities in 2021, and we wish her well.

We also extend our best wishes to Jaz Beaumont, who will commence her new role as a Mum early next year!! We thank Jaz for her support in the role of Learning Support Officer.

Min Myers came out of retirement to support Damascus languages this year, and we are very grateful. Min hopes to return to retirement in the new year.

Damascus is fortunate to have a committed and hard-working staff team, and we wish these staff well as they move on from Damascus College, and we will work with students and the broader staff team to celebrate their contribution over the coming weeks. We have recruited a great team of staff to join the Damascus community, and I will share their professional details as we commence the new year.

We pray for our graduates and those moving on from Damascus this week that they may live extraordinary lives in the light of Christ. May God bless our exiting students and their families always. We make this prayer of our loving God.

Finally we pray for Dane (Year 11) and Aida (Year 8) Carter’s family as they grieve the passing of their paternal grandmother recently.

AMEN

Until next week…

MATT