20 Dec 2022
On behalf of Plumpton High School, thank you to the incredible team of teaching, non-teaching staff, parents and our 40 plus business partners such as ABCN and their member companies who have supported our students’ success. I would like to make special mention of ABCN who provide our students access to corporate mentors, programs, opportunities, and networks that our students would have otherwise not known they existed. This in turn has and continues to open and build the world of possibility and future success of students in their chosen field as positively contributing global citizens and leaders.
Thank you and welcome to Special guests Ms Prabhjot Kaur our guest speaker – 2017 Alumni, School Captain and Mentor, Ms Samantha Tan - NSW State Manager ABCN and Ms Kathy Nguyen NSW Program Manager ABCN, staff and students, our special guests – Award recipients of 2022 to Plumpton High School’s Excellence Ceremony.
We recognised and celebrated a successful year of learning by students in Years 7,8,9 and 11 and I want to leave you with some thoughts as you go off to the world of 2023 to continue your pursuit of dreams and goals.
Thank you for your incredible work this year as we have continued the positive momentum to deliver high quality teaching, learning and leadership. This has been recognised nationally with us attaining the Australian Computer Science in Schools, 2022 School of the Year Award, NSW recognition of the work we undertake supporting Aboriginal student success across the curriculum and beyond school through our Career Path Planning process, 109 early entry offers to university from 80 students completing their HSC with our first Jackman Unit students completing their HSC, reaching NSW State average level in NAPLAN writing and reaching a milestone of having 124 SEC members undertaking authentic leadership – 10% of our school – Prabhjot was one of the Foundation members of the SEC working her 22 fellow Prefects to develop this framework in 2016 and 2017 – thank you Prabhjot and your SEC members. We have continued building a sense of belonging and school spirit that was no better demonstrated than by our House Olympics held last week.
We continue to ensure that there is a pathway for all students to succeed offering our 14 GAT Clubs and programs such as the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme where we have provided access to approximately 200 Year 9 students this year and have 41 students in years 10-12 completing their Silver Award and will commence our first Gold Award group in 2023 since implementing the program in 2015. Our school is the largest deliverer of the program in a NSW school – Congratulations Mr. Canning and Ms McKenzie our Coordinators and to the PDHPE Faculty.
Plumpton offers perhaps the most diverse curriculum of any school in NSW from Extension Mathematics, English to Physics, Chemistry, exploring Early Childhood, Sport, the Creative and Performing Arts and up to 10 VET courses – the largest school provider in NSW of Vocational Education. Based on this we should all be proud of our individual and collaborative accomplishments.
It is the hope that 2022 has prepared you well, in addition to the essential skills you continue building - Intellectual Capacity to solve complex problems individually and collaboratively – at the local, national and international level; strong personal and professional relationships, empathy, advocacy and efficacy; strong self-concept with courage, grit, resilience and determination; Leadership agency and voice; And an ability to reflect - learning from your past to improve in the future seeing failure as a necessary part of longer term success. Most importantly developing a love of learning and an ability to ask questions, querying the status quo to constantly seek a better solution in 2023 and beyond.
Adversity is inevitable, but difficulties or misfortunes don't have to keep you from achieving your intended goals and finding the happiness you seek in life. It's how you overcome these adversities that can make all the difference. Every challenge we successfully conquer serves to strengthen not only our will, but our confidence, and therefore our ability to confront future obstacles.
Hard work is the most important key to success. Without being willing to work hard and put everything into a venture, success is nearly impossible and as such I’d like to leave you with this quote by Roy T. Bennett as you enter 2023:
“When things do not go your way, remember that every challenge – every adversity – contains within it the seeds of opportunity and growth”.
Thank you,
Tim Lloyd, Principal