UPPER SCHOOL
MR TIM RAYNER HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL
OPPORTUNITIES APLENTY AS WE JOYFULLY RETURN TO NORMAL
ENTHUSIASM AND POSITIVITY IN ABUNDANCE AS THE YEAR UNFOLDS
Welcome back ! If I could have bottled and sold the enthusiasm and positivity experienced during the first week of school this year , I would be a very rich man . I don ’ t remember a start to the year quite like the one we have had , and I hope this feeling continues .
Our new House spaces , for Eggleston , Field , Fleming and Littlejohn are splendid additions to the School and now complete the suite of rooms for all boys in Years 9 to 12 who look out onto Scotch Square .
The significance of these spaces cannot be understated . Standing with Ms Verity Scott , Head of Eggleston House , outside the Eggleston House Home Room one lunchtime , we viewed a group of boys playing chess , another group doing school work , another group standing and having lunch , while others were chatting . Ms Scott took a photograph , such was our delight in seeing how well it had worked out . The Principal ’ s vision of having a Home Room for each boy had finally come to pass .
For Heads of Houses , the opportunity to have their group together in one place is very welcome . Scotch Square is seeing a burst of life , and the vibrancy of the Upper School has shifted west . This will lead to the space being used more for musical events and other activities . It also connects us a little more with the Sir Zelman Cowen Centre for Science .
The Quad is now a quieter place , with the Middle School boys no longer having to squeeze through between the lockers and the giant-like Year 11 and 12 boys . Indeed , many lockers have been removed and spacious corridors make the place much more attractive .
Seeing Mr Stuart Powell hurrying around the School , going from one sports practice to another , waving to boys and parents , was another welcome scene . A full sports program has commenced and weekly training sessions and Saturday morning fixtures are now cemented into the program . The Friday twenty20 cricket matches against APS teams have
BOYS IN THEIR OWN HOME ROOMS
proven very popular with the boys as a spectator event , and are a good way to finish off the school day .
Perhaps not surprisingly , pre-season training is also occurring for some winter sports – no doubt an indication of just how keen some of the boys are to win those games and get involved .
Another positive step is that we are working on ensuring that camps and trips take place this year . Already we have had a number of excursions ; the History Department has been running group trips to the Jewish Holocaust Centre in Melbourne for Year 10 . Camps and hikes for some Year 9 and 10 boys will be occurring towards the end of Term 3 . Year 11 Immersion experiences will occur at the end of Term 3 , with boys visiting various charities and social justice centres over that time . Significantly , an Art trip to Italy is planned for this September , which will mark our first international foray for several years . How we have missed such opportunities !
The School is also starting to contact schools overseas with the aim of re-establishing the exchange program . Dr Scarlet Luk has been appointed the coordinator of this program , and she is very keen to engage new partners who offer different educational experiences to those found in Melbourne . This is one of the final pieces of the return to normal jigsaw , and I feel that once these international links are forged , we will be able to offer a very broad range of educational experiences to boys in Years 10 and 11 come 2023 .
www . scotch . vic . edu . au Great Scot 17