Acting Deputy Principal | Ms Zoe Morgan

Welcome to the new term to all in the Terrace Family. I hope that the holiday break allowed families to rest and recharge ahead of what will likely be another busy term. The unexpected lockdown and ongoing restrictions have no doubt continued to affect families. I hope that you have been able to navigate these without too significant an impact.

The holiday period saw students engage in a range of co-curricular tours, clinics and workshops. I thank the many staff who give their time and expertise to allow these activities to occur. My particular thanks to the Basketball program staff, whose tour in North Queensland was cut short by the lockdown. Their professionalism and quick thinking ensured that boys could return safely to families for the lockdown period. While boys will be disappointed to have not completed the tour, we are grateful to have kept everyone safe.

We again commenced the term with a student free day and online Parent/Teacher Interviews. As always, the interviews have been very well attended, and I thank our dedicated teachers for the way they have prepared for interviews and provided feedback and strategies for improvement. I also thank parents and caregivers for entering into these interviews in a spirit of respectful partnership. We are a relationship-based organisation, and good relationships are based on respectful interactions. Sometimes, results don’t go the way we want them to, but the focus in the interviews needs to be on strategies for consolidation or improvement. Next week, our Pastoral Care Mentors will continue these improvement discussions alongside goal setting with boys as part of our Academic Mentoring Week.

Following the feedback we received earlier in the year, and consistent with the easing of restrictions later this week, next Wednesday’s interviews will be held on campus at the College. If you are attending interviews next week, I would ask that you be mindful of our neighbours when parking in the surrounding streets. We will continue to monitor the pattern across schools, follow external advice and survey staff and parents/caregivers to determine how we will conduct interviews in the future.

In staff news, we welcome back Mrs Louise Underwood and Ms Genevieve Claffey from periods of long service leave, and we also welcome back Ms Cassie Bampton from her maternity leave. While it is never ideal to have class teaching changes, we are grateful to welcome Ms Marcelle Lam, Ms Melanie Mons Wolff and Mr Jordan McDonald for Semester 2 positions. A familiar face to some, Mrs Lorraine O’Sullivan also returns to our teaching staff for the next six weeks. I am sure that the Terrace Family will make them all feel welcome.

My best wishes to the entire Terrace Family for the term ahead.