I hope all of our Newhaven families have had a smooth start to second semester.
Over the break I had the opportunity to travel with twelve Year 10 and 11 students, along with Prep teacher Fiona Smart, on a service trip to Cambodia. It was a thoroughly rewarding experience. The students worked very hard at Vihear Sour Primary School in Phnom Phen where they taught English and renovated classrooms. As well as this we had the opportunity to take in many sites and cultural experiences. Based on the success of this trip we plan to offer this opportunity to senior students in 2025 during the mid-year holidays. More information regarding this will be provided towards the end of this term.
As you will read throughout this newsletter there has been a lot happening in the first few weeks of school this semester.
One of those events was our very successful Colour Run on Friday 2 August. I would like to thank our Parents & Friends Association for all of the organising of this event. It could not take place without the generous support of our parent volunteers. Our students thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to participate.
Last Saturday I had the privilege of attending the Year 12 Formal at the RACV Club in Inverloch. Our Year 12s looked resplendent in their evening attire and a thoroughly enjoyable night was had by all. An occasion such as this makes you realise how grown up our students have become as they prepare for their exams and the world beyond school. The formal is one of a number of important milestones that our Year 12s experience as they enter their final few months of secondary schooling.
This week we farewell our visiting staff and students from Ibaraki Christian Junior High School. The Japanese students have been wonderful guests at our school, enthusiastically participating in classes and school life. My special thanks to our Newhaven families who have hosted a Japanese student and made this cultural experience possible. We look forward to our Newhaven students travelling to Japan in September. Go to the College News section of this newsletter for more on the Ibaraki visit.
The start of term three also has a number of 2025 information nights for students and parents at different stages of secondary school. Many students are now in the process of subject selection as we begin our planning for 2025. A reminder that for those families whose children may be moving on from Newhaven at the end of this year that a term’s notice to the school in writing is required. This is to ensure we have sufficient time for any vacant spot to be reallocated for next year.
At the start of this term we have a number of camps running for different year levels. As a school we value outdoor experiences for the students. We are very proud of the fact we have camp experiences each year beginning at Year 2 all the way to Year 10 – a point of difference from other school offerings. These camps are devised in a sequential way to provide age appropriate challenges for students in different year levels.
Camps are a compulsory part of a Newhaven College education. Parent support in encouraging those students who may be reluctant to attend is greatly appreciated.
Finally, I have enjoyed many of our students enthusiastic interest in the Olympics. There are always wonderful human stories behind many of the competitors. For young people there are lessons in resilience, determination and effort that are rewarded in these competitions. These are qualities we encourage in our students at school and it is always good to see these attributes celebrated and promoted on a global stage.
In Quietness and Confidence Shall Be Your Strength
Tony Corr
Principal