Josie Millard
Principal

As 2021 comes to a conclusion and we reflect back upon the year, my overwhelming feeling is pride. I am so proud of our school this year. The students have engaged in their learning program with resilience and tenacity, despite the many uncertainties of the year. The teaching staff have been so incredibly flexible, moving the program on and offline, re-writing curriculum overnight, and making extraordinary commitments to keep our students learning in classrooms. The educational support staff have been the backbone of our school. Many of the support staff continued onsite through each lockdown, providing a program to those students who were most vulnerable. And throughout the year, we have all continued to be innovative, working and planning for the continued improvement of our school. We have achieved so much throughout the year, despite the interrupted learning environment.

The new School Strategic Plan may be found on the Kew High School website. You may notice that the website has been completely updated over the past year. Our school team who has driven the website to be an accurate reflection of our innovative, future focussed school has been exceptional. I thank everyone who has contributed to the development of the new website and the School Strategic Plan.

The STEM Centre is finally looking like a school building. Its completion has been delayed by the pandemic but it is now taking shape very rapidly. It is likely that the building will be completed and handed over to the school in March 2022. The team of teachers who are involved in the planning for the building have been meeting regularly, and preparing for the learning and teaching programs that will take place in this amazing learning environment. As we talk about the requirements for Virtual Reality, Engineering, Textiles and the 3D Print Workshop, amongst other things, I feel so excited about what our students will be able to do and to learn in STEM from next year.

I would particularly like to thank the staff and students who have contributed to the compilation of this Newsletter. The school is always so very busy that it is sometimes difficult to find the time to capture the true essence of the school day. Thank you to everyone who has made this a ‘bumper’ edition of the Kew High School Newsletter.

Finally, I would like to state how much I am looking forward to 2022. I know that, as a school, we will prepare for the unknown and we will do so knowing that, if the unknown occurs, we will be ready for it. We know that we are able to do so because of the quality of the people who make up this community. The capacity and resilience in our students were exemplified in the interviews for the 2022 Student Leadership applicants. Students undertook a group interview where they were asked to discuss the school values. Anyone who witnessed the following conversations would know that we are indeed going to have an inspirational and exciting 2022. It will be founded in values that are truly reflective of a wonderful school community.

I wish every member of our school community all the very best for a happy and healthy holiday break – and I look forward to seeing those who return and those who join us for the first time in the new year.

Happy holidays!