A note from the Principal
The beginning of Term Four is a time of celebration tinged with sadness as we farewell our departing Year 12 students.
During Week 1, following the Interhouse Cross-Country Carnival, our Year 12’s, dressed in a wide array of fancy dress, were joined by our youngest students from the Junior School for our traditional Helena Walk. It is always a pleasure to see the joy in the eyes of both our youngest and oldest students as they connect and share this moment together.
After a series of farewell activities over the last two weeks for our senior students, we honoured their time at the College at our Graduation Ceremony last Friday evening. This event was a wonderful celebration with family and friends to recognise this end of an era. I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of all at Helena College to thank our departing students for all that they have brought to our community. I wish those who will be completing ATAR exams later this month along with those who have now completed their secondary school studies all the very best wishes for their lives beyond the College.
Strategic Plan 2021-23
As we head towards the end of this year, it is important also that we continue to look forward. While Helena College is an excellent school we always have a view to improvement and our roadmap for this has been our school-wide Strategic Plan. There have been a number of positive initiatives across the College through the implementation of the current Strategic Plan which include the introduction of Auslan in the Junior School, the addition of a second school psychologist, the addition of a school nurse, the introduction of an improved teacher growth and appraisal process, adding subjects to our Year 11 and 12 offerings, improved communication with students and parents about assessment results in the Senior School and a greater focus on explicit teaching practices, which has resulted in improved student achievement on ATAR and NAPLAN assessments.
In order to allow these initiatives to become embedded in our program and knowing that there are other actions that we are interested in pursuing, recently I sought approval from the College Council to extend the timeframe of the current Strategic Plan to the end of 2024. Being aware that the College is also preparing for a Department of Education Re-Registration visit in the middle of next year, the Council approved the extension at the most recent College Council meeting.
What this does means is that during the course of the new school year, we will be seeking feedback from the Helena community about areas that we should be considering for a new strategic plan beginning in 2025. We will keep you apprised of our progress, and will notify families in due course about how they can provide input to the College.
Regards
