Hello everyone and welcome to Ferny Grove State High School for 2024!
We cannot wait to see everyone around school and help every individual discover their passion in their pathway of learning at Ferny Grove this year.
Firstly, we would like to extend a warm welcome to the Grade 7s joining our school community this year. We know the transition from primary school to high school can be an anxious time for many with so much going on. The first couple of months at school can be overwhelming, especially at a large school like Ferny Grove but don't worry, there are many opportunities available for everyone and lots of amazing memories to be made over the next six years of high school. We would also like to highlight the numerous support systems made available to students at Ferny Grove, and we highly encourage that if you need support, that you reach out and accept the help, so that you can make the most out of high school.
We would also like to welcome back returning students! We are delighted to be sharing another great year of learning with you here at Ferny Grove. We are looking forward to seeing what 2024 has to offer, and what wonderful experiences we will encounter this year.
Our main focus this year as the school captaincy team is Community, which we hope to improve through encouraging participation in school events;
Ferny Grove offers an extraordinary variety of activities and extracurriculars throughout the school year, there's something for everyone! There's the Instrumental and Choral Music program for the musically inclined students, with frequent performances throughout the year to eager audiences. There are debating teams for each year level, an Agriculture committee which concerns itself with all farm-related events, the Interact club for Year 11's which is supported by the Samford Rotary Club and runs several fundraisers, as well as things like Humanities week, Teacher vs Student games and regular sports events to name but a few.
As leaders, we work with both the students and staff to continually create and promote new events within the school that drive our school values and bring our community closer. These events aim to benefit the student body's high school experience and we urge people to participate in these events. Not only are these activities a great way to pursue different hobbies and passions, but also an excellent way to meet people interested in similar things to you and make new friends. And if nothing else, participating in these activities often teaches you something, about yourself, about others or about the world around you, so give something a go if you're interested in it, even if it's not something you usually do. While these six years in high school may seem inconsequential, in the grand scheme of one's life, that time is still precious, so we encourage you to take advantage of the time that you have at school and participate in all these activities.
With the new House structure being implemented in 2024, we hope this will also help to achieve a better sense of community and comradery within the school and your house. You will have new teams to swim, run, compete, and root for on carnival days, new House teachers to meet and a new community within the sporting section of the school.
Whilst we strive to build community, we are also focusing on inclusion in the school and ensuring everyone feels safe and involved within the greater school community. We want to provide an environment in which everyone feels safe at school and encourage the use of the many support systems in place to help people that don't feel safe or need help. We are also offering ourselves as a listening ear to any student concerns or questions, in addition to the established support services such as the guidance councillors.
Though everyone's experience at high school differs and everybody always has different things going on in their life, we hope we can provide some consistency throughout the year as we will always have your best interests at heart. If you have any questions, concerns, or just want to chat we will always listen. We look forward to seeing everyone at school in 2024 and here's to making it the best year yet!
Your 2024 Captaincy team,
Harrison, Harriet, Riley and Tahlia