Jesus said to His disciples, “Your light must shine in the sight of people so that seeing your good works they may give praise to your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16
I recently read an article that described the meaning of light at Christmas time. In summary, the symbolism of the candles of the Advent wreath and light during this time of year is to remind us that God brings love, hope, joy and peace into the world. As members of a Faith community, we are also reminded that through our hope and service to others we are called to shine our light into the world.
With this in mind and drawing inspiration from our College motto ‘They Will Shine’, I wish all members of our Community a safe and Merry Christmas. May we all continue to shine our light into the world and may the New Year be filled with hope, joy, love and peace.
A Day to Shine – Academic Awards
To conclude the Advent Term, the College’s annual awards ceremony, A Day to Shine was held on Tuesday 21 November. This event was an opportunity for us to gather as a Community to celebrate the many achievements of our students.
Various College awards were announced at this event, and I would like to congratulate all the award recipients for their contribution to the College and acknowledge the many students who received Academic Awards for excellence at each year level. This extends to those students who excelled as part of the College’s Magis and Vocational Major programs.
To further celebrate the wonderful achievements of our students, the Pursuit of Excellence Award was awarded to students at each year level who achieved the highest results for their studies across more than one subject, and who have demonstrated a positive attitude to their studies contributing to a culture of excellence in all that they do.
Pursuit of Excellence Award Recipients
Year 7: Gracelyn D’Costa and Aarna Tewari
Year 8: Trisha Desai and Liam Hickey
Year 9: Arianne Espinosa and William La
Year 10: Deborah Htoosaw and Rohil Prasad
Year 11: Nadja Probst and Pavani Salat
Year 12: Raul Sapkota
In addition to these awards, nominated students also received Academic Encouragement Awards during their Pastoral and Learning Mentor (PaLM) final day celebrations. These awards recognised students across all the subjects at each year level who continually applied themselves to the best of their ability throughout this year.
It was pleasing to see the number of students who received these awards across each year level, and it highlights the strong culture of learning that exists amongst our students. To all these students, congratulations and well done.
Headstart Program
Throughout the past two weeks all students have been involved in our Headstart program.
All students are to be commended for their positive approach to the Headstart program and the way they have ended this year. This extends to the way students have embraced the opportunity to begin their new classes for next year and have started to establish their pathway to a successful 2024.
I would also like to acknowledge the work of our teachers in transitioning from the end of Semester Two into a new academic year. It is a credit to all teachers and staff that the students have responded so positively to the Headstart program, and I applaud their commitment and effort in ensuring your child has had a valuable learning experience throughout this week.
New Teaching Staff
We would like to welcome the following new staff members who have recently started teaching at Thomas Carr College:
Ms Anne Englebretsen (English Teacher)
Ms Gabby Dillon (English Teacher)
Each of the above new staff members bring great knowledge and expertise to the College. We wish them the very best and every success in 2024 as they join our dynamic learning community.
Further new staff announcements will be shared at the start of next year.
Semester Two Reports
Semester Two Reports will be available for parents to access via PAM as on Friday 8 December. Parents will receive a SMS and a notification via Operoo with the details in how to access your child’s report.
If there are any difficulties in accessing these reports, please contact the College.
2023 VCAA and ATAR Results
2023 VCE results including the Study scores for Year 11 and 12 students who completed Unit 3/4 subjects will be available on Monday 11 December.
Further details are available on the VCAA Website and students have received information outlining these key dates and how to access support from the College’s Careers Team during this time.
If you have any questions in how to access these results, please contact Ms Cheryl-Anne White (Careers Team Leader). General questions relating to your final VCE results can be directed to Mr Tony Muller (Director of Students – Senior School) or Ms Lucy Angelico (Deputy Principal – Strategic Development & Curriculum).
We wish all students waiting for their results all the best and congratulate them in advance for their work and effort throughout this year.
Andrew Bryson
Deputy Principal – Staff and Learning Operations