Dear Parklands Community, 

With the end of our 64th school year at Parklands upon us, it is time for our final newsletter of the year. This gives us the opportunity to reflect on our achievements and thank those who have made this year such a success.  

Thankyou – it can take a village to raise a child 

Firstly, congratulations to all our students. Adolescence is as challenging as ever before and navigating a school year has several challenges. It has been pleasing to see our students display our school core values and continue to learn and grow. It was exciting to see many of our students being recognised for their efforts at our Presentation Assembly on Tuesday – a list of major award winners is below.  

Last week many staff attended the Year 10 Celebration Dinner, marking the end of four fantastic years with our departing Year 10s. The students were a credit to the school community, and we thank the families of the leavers for supporting them to have such a wonderful evening. I would also like to thank the team of staff and students, led by Mr Allan Frankcombe, who made the night so memorable. This event is another example of staff going above and beyond normal duties for our students. Our community is lucky to have such a hardworking staff. 

Whilst reflecting on the year, I hope our parents and caregivers create space to reflect on your efforts supporting your child this year. Every day at Parklands, we see parents and caregivers who love their children and want them to be successful. We understand that teenagers can bring a level of anxiety to adults as they grow up, and they are lucky to have your support. 

A big shoutout must go to our School Association, which includes Belinda Young (Chairperson), Bill Johngschaap (Deputy Chairperson), Chris Swain (Secretary), Ivan Markota (member), Emma– Jo Hennessy (member) and Giovanna Simpson (member) who continually give up their time to support our school. For anyone thinking of joining the association in future years, I encourage you to do so. Working with this group of people is both purposeful, rewarding and fun. 

School Improvement Summary 

Schools of Parklands size have so many exciting things going on, so to make sure we are focussing on what matters most we identify school improvement priorities. Below I would like to share with you our progress towards our three improvement priorities: 

Priority 1 – Literacy - A whole school commitment to developing student reading skills and confidence to participate successfully in lifelong learning 

This year Parklands has made strong progress with Priority 1, achieving our best results for PAT – Reading since this process started in 2017. This achievement is due to our hardworking students and staff, the implementation of our school’s literacy program (Year 7 & 8) and teachers gaining confidence in implementing reading comprehension strategies into their teaching. We have set a really strong foundation for this work to continue in 2023. 

 Priority 2 - Access, engagement, and achievement for all students - A tiered approach to learning that monitors and supports all students to access, participate, engage 

This year we achieved great success towards Priority 2, wirh the number of students achieving their individual learning plan goals for Literacy, Numeracy and Personal and Social Learning increasing by over 20% compared to 2021. Further to this, the number of students whose behaviour required disciplinary follow up in the form of a suspension decreased. This is evidence that our tiered approach to learning through offering a range of Alternate Learning Programs is supporting all students to access learning and achieve. 

Priority 3 Academic rigour and differentiation for all students - A culture of high-functioning PLCs to support student learning and promote academic rigour using evidence-based pedagogy, differentiation, and data literacy 

Pleasingly, we can share that the percentage of students achieving a C rating or higher in core subjects has increased this year. We believe a big factor contributing to this is the way our staff learn together and collaborate. This has been a big learning journey for everyone this year, reshaping the ways we learn and plan our teaching together. A quote I have stumbled across from Richard Bath illustrates this: “I’ve yet to see a school where the learning curves…of the adults were steep upward and those of the students were not. Teachers and students go hand in hand as learners – or they don’t go at all.” 

2023 Staffing update 

Schools are dynamic places. To add to the previous newsletter that acknowledged staff who were leaving (Mr Jon Lewis, Mrs Heidi Kerr and Mr Coen Smit), we also need to farewell some more fantastic staff members who have given our school community so much. 

Andrew Sushames   
Andrew joined out teaching team in February 2019, teaching in the catering and hospitality area for the past four years. Andrew has been a highly dedicated teacher working with students to achieve their best. Over the four years, Andrew has also been teaching at Hellyer college and will be returning there in a full-time capacity. We wish Andrew all the best.   

Jaz Johnson  
Jaz has been a highly valued member of our Teacher Assistant support term. Jaz had built positive relationships with the students she has worked with. Jaz has supported students in our support programs through providing a diverse range of learning opportunities both within the classroom and via our Alternate Learning Programs.  We would like to thank Jaz for her time with us and wish her all the best for the future.     

Ritchie Dona    
Ritchie began the year as a Teacher Assistant before moving into the role of Teacher. His flexibility and capacity to step in where and when needed demonstrate his high level of professionalism. Ritchie displayed a positive and encouraging approach to his teaching, challenging students to become critical and creative thinkers. We wish Ritchie all the best as he embarks on his teaching career.  

Welcoming new staff 

We are very happy to announce that next year Mrs Jo Stirat and Ms Courtney Millerwill be joining the Parklands High School Team. At the beginning of next year, we will share the roles of Jo and Courtney  

Holiday message, 

As families now embark on some long overdue family time, we ask that you make the most of the holidays together. Look out for each other, students help out with the housework, make time for your friends, be outside and enjoy the weather – but do it all safely. Rest up and recharge for a huge 2023. 

List of Major Award Winners

Sam Wells

Assistant Principal