Many who entered the College as 5 year olds in Kindergarten and have grown into amazing young adults. The Year 12 Graduation is a time of celebration of the achievements of the Class of 2018, reminiscing with parents about where the years have gone, saying farewell to some long term supporters of the College and praying for the path ahead for each of our students. One of the joys of my role is watching our students go through their journey, see how they develop and change, talking with them about their hopes and dreams and looking at the impact the College has had on who they have become. It certainly has been a privilege to get to know our current Year 12 students and I wish them well from the Junior School.

All students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 should have received their NAPLAN results this week. This was the first year that NAPLAN was both on line and a written paper so it has taken much longer for the results to be released. Our results across all areas are outstanding with above state average results in every area. Year 3 had over 50% of all students attaining the top 2 bands in every area with exceptional growth in Spelling and Reading. Year 5 results were also outstanding, the results have improved across all domains and are well above the performance of the rest of the state. We have achieved our highest result ever in Grammar and Punctuation, Reading and Spelling. Year 7 also achieved excellent results, again receiving our highest results ever in every area. Year 9 results are also very positive with above average results in all areas, and exceptional growth in Grammar and Punctuation and Numeracy. Well done to all students and staff!

At Thomas Hassall, we have a focus on giving and serving others. Our aim is to model this to our students and this is why we are showing our support for our farming community as they struggle with drought conditions. Our ‘Dress as a Farmer day’ will support the Bush Church Aid society support rural communities in a practical way. Thank you for participating and supporting our fundraising.

It would be good for all our families and staff to take time these holidays to slow down, spend some quality family time, relax and get refreshed for a very busy term ahead.