We continue to grow and welcome families from across the Northern Gold Coast and also from around the country. We believe that our diversity is our strength and that we want everyone to feel that they truly belong at Foxwell.

Our SPIRIT values are an integral part of the fabric of our College, and tie us all together as we strive to achieve success for every one of our students.

The first week of school has started with a bang. The first day saw students engaging in in-school workshops from the Abbey Museum, with catapults and knights in armour enthralling our students in their study of history.

On Wednesday night we held our Annual Information Evening and Principal Tours for enrolling families. This saw over 350 people attend with our Principal Tours booking out with over 300 participants. I repeatedly heard, “I wish I could go back to school” from parents as we toured our amazing facilities and discussed the extensive range of opportunities on offer to our students.

Our enrolments have opened for the 2023 school year and applications for our four Programs of Excellence with trials, testing, and auditions processes to occur over the coming months. 

Today we held our moving ANZAC DAY service. I thank our special guests, President of the North Gold Coast RSL Sub Branch - Warrant Officer Class One, and Medal of the Order of Australia recipient, Ken Golden, Mr Graham Foxwell, our bugler, Marco Sassetto, and our P&C President, Mrs Roz Rowe for their contribution to this event. I also acknowledge our student Cadets, Cooper Hayden and Hayden Walker, who were presented with a book purchased from the Australian War Memorial in Canberra and an ANZAC plant that will be planted in our ANZAC garden to accompany our Lone Pine.

ANZAC Day has always been a very special commemoration day for me as we acknowledge the sacrifices of more than a hundred thousand Australian service men and women who have lost their lives in military operations carried out in our country’s name, and the mateship, loyalty and courage of the soldiers who fought at Gallipoli. 

Now, as my son is a soldier based at the Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane, I feel an even stronger connection to the Australian Defence Force and have broadened my understanding of the contributions these men and women make to our communities.

Their work in peacekeeping missions and their work in Australian and foreign countries is extraordinary. Their recent contributions to the Flood disaster recovery in NSW and QLD, and their work in restoring Tonga after the tsunami, are examples of their commitment to humanitarian projects, and their positive impact cannot be underestimated. They too show their SPIRIT values in all that they do.

The excitement then built as we held our annual Cross Country races. Congratulations to all of our competitors who have qualified for the Foxwell State Secondary College Cross Country Team for 2022. There certainly was a lot of competition as the students raced towards the finish line. Regardless of the place, we are proud of the perseverance of all students who participated today in either the competitive cross country or the fun run cross country.

We look forward to many other exciting events and opportunities over the coming weeks and months. I continue to encourage all of our student to take advantage of the multitude of opportunities available to them. You only get out of your education and schooling what you put into it. So I encourage our students to grab these with both hands and continue to make these the best years of their lives.

Until next time.