Aladdin Success
What a joy it was to be at Williamstown Town Hall last Thursday evening to watch 9 classes from our middle and senior school perform Aladdin on stage! Not one student hesitated to seize this opportunity, and for those who were present, it was certainly a privilege to watch them all shine on stage. When we consider that about two thirds of these students had never performed on stage at a venue previously, it was indeed a very impressive performance.
The level of detailed planning that went into the performance was instantly obvious; as guests stepped into the Town Hall foyer they were greeted with the rich splendours of Arabia and were able to download the program for the evening from the QR codes on display. As the curtains opened, everyone was immediately treated to the spectacle of the costuming, which could only be described as sublime. The props and background projections added further grandeur, transporting everyone to the vibrancy of Agrabah. And finally, there were the performances of the students! The months of rehearsing were clearly evident in their execution & precision, but more importantly, their excitement and joy in performing, was palpable.
Last Thursday’s performance was the school’s first steps back into the Performing Arts arena since 2019. It’s so exciting to be returning to these proud traditions of our wonderful school. On behalf of everyone who was present last Thursday evening, I would like to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate Michelle Barnes (Performing Arts Teacher) for being the driving force behind this production. The bar has certainly been set very high as we now eagerly anticipate returning to Agrabah again in November for our Semester 2 middle and senior classes.
Michelle was so enthusiastically supported by so many Willy North staff and parents; for those who were able to lend a hand in some way towards this production, we deeply thank you for your support over the last several months. At the risk of missing some names. we would however like to take this opportunity to express some individual thanks to the following people:
Acknowledgements
Production Manager, Director & Choreographer: Michell Barnes
Ticketing: Jim Cahill, Dean Pearce, Rachael Burgess
Costumes: Julie Papazisis, Finnia Gray, Judith Coleman, Felicity Hanrahan, Gael Howard, Sara Zanoni, Jan Reed, Nicola Chambers, Prue Florentine, Helen Dixon, Stacey Demery, Catherine Brennan, Melissa Herrmann, Kathryn Samyue, Ros Lawrence
Rehearsals: Michelle Barnes, Georgina Petty, Kylie Missen, Catherine Graham, Giorgia Moss, Anna Boulton, Stacy Szalay
Props/Set: Arlene Lawrence, Jamie Peters, Dale Evans, Bill Manoleras, Melanie Kennie, Simon Radford, Alice Walter, Crissy Samaras, Colette John, Helen Bugeja, Corey Bugeja, Sean Thompson, Alice Arablou
Hair & Makeup: Tahlia Giles, Stephanie Veljanoski
Program: Dale Evans, Luna Liu
Front of House: Helen Atkins
Photographer: Abeer Sadiq
Technical Director: Grant Simonds
Thanks also to: Tinh Nguyen, Bethany Johnstone, Stella Stamatakis, Bronwyn Murray, Belinda Gill, Tracy Carroll, Dianna Lane, Vicki Symons, Amy Brown, Narelle Rabbidge, Ruth Reed, Nadia Kettle, Dianne DiBlasi, Stephanie Veneziano, Kristy Bowles, Melissa Lindsay, Jackie Cooper, Simone Speakman, Van Pham, Marcus Cassidy-Anderson, Garth Sheridan
Thank you to all of the teachers of classes involved. Thank you to all staff, students and parents who have helped in any way to make this production possible.
Welcome Matt Naudi – Acting Principal
As a result of an Expression of Interest process through Department of Education’s Regional Office, I’m delighted to confirm that Matt Naudi has been successfully appointed to the school for next term as Acting Principal.
This year, Matt has been the Acting Principal at Point Cook P-9 College, with prior to this being the Acting Principal at Tarneit P-9 College, both very large schools.
Matt brings a range of experience from both here in Victoria and overseas in the UK.
He is very much looking forward to meeting and working alongside our students, staff, parents/carers and community, to build purposeful and positive relationships to impact on student outcomes.
As part of the transition process for the school, Matt is visiting Willy North today to meet with Wendy and myself and to be introduced to our staff. I know you will also be eager to extend a warm Willy North welcome to Matt when he officially starts on Monday 11th July.
Student Reports & P/T/S Conferences
If all goes according to plan, mid-year student reports will be available to access on Compass from 4pm next Thursday 23rd June. A newsfeed will be issued to confirm this availability . For Years 1 – 5, a proficiency scale will accompany this report to provide further curriculum depth about each child’s achievements. (Foundation and Year 6 proficiency scales will be distributed early next term.) We sincerely hope that these reports provide a clear and succinct summary of each child’s achievements during the first two terms of face to face learning this year.
In addition to the mid-year student reports, you will have the opportunity to book a P/T/S Conference for your child/ren next term.
Years 3 – 6 P/T/S Conferences are scheduled for Monday 18th July
Years F-2 P/T/S Conferences are scheduled for Wednesday 20th July
Guidelines for booking your P/T/S Conference/s will be distributed on Monday 11th July via Compass. Please mark these dates in your calendar to support your future planning for next term. We are pleased to confirm that these Conferences will be conducted face to face at school.
Please note that P/T/S Conferences for students in 4S will be held next Wednesday 22nd June, as Vicki Symons will be on long service leave next term. We are delighted to confirm that Lisa Caulfield has been engaged to replace Vicki for Term 3. This will be a very seamless transition for students in 4S as Lisa has worked at Willy North for many years and knows many of our students.
Alternative arrangements for P/T/S Conferences for FB (Tania Brown) & 6K (Patrick Kelly) will also be facilitated, as both of these teachers will be on leave early next term. Separate newsfeeds will be issued to these classes when next term resumes.
End of Term Arrangements
The last day of Term 2 is Friday 24th July.
Please be aware that students will be dismissed earlier than usual, at 2:30pm.
There will be a short assembly at 2:15pm in the Gymnasium to finish off the term. Students will be dismissed directly from the gymnasium.
School will resume on Monday 11th July for the start of Term 3.
Enjoy the rest of the week. Jim Cahill - Principal
