2021 - Alpha One’s Year in Review
What a year 2021 has been.
This rollercoaster ride of a year has taken the whole Alpha One community through many highs and lows, however we have made it to the end! Let’s take a look.
Changes to the Selective Test Format
2021 kicked off to a rocky start, with the changes to the Selective Test format creating high levels of stress amongst our Year 6 students, parents and tutors alike. This was the first exam to introduce the Thinking Skills section, major changes to the Reading and Mathematical Reasoning sections and the new scoring system where results are now out of 120 instead of 300. Despite these challenges, we got through it together and our students came out with amazing results which we could not be more proud of!
New Centres - Bella Vista, Burwood and Epping
The next few months were relatively calm at Alpha One. Our waitlists at the Castle Hill Centre were still as long as ever, so we decided to take the leap and move to a larger facility so more new students could join us. This would also provide our existing students better learning facilities as well as more space for our staff. We were able to find an amazing office space in Bella Vista just 5 minutes drive away - and after a couple months of hard work, we were able to transform it into the beautiful space it is now!
We were prepared to launch for our OC Test Holiday Program in July at the new space when we were unfortunately hit with the second lockdown. As some might remember, the lockdown was so sudden we had to cancel all classes for the rest of the day and move classes online due to restrictions and safety concerns.
We also can't wait to show everyone our new centres in Burwood and Epping which have just recently opened for the January Holiday Program! These branches are being run by our much loved staff members - Bruce Lo (Burwood), David Liu (Burwood) and Rebecca Gismondo (Epping). Both branches are now taking enrolments for Term 1 - contact us for more information.
Lockdown & Changes to the OC Test
This lockdown also pushed the OC Test from mid July to November which ran in a new format, both online and in person. We want to stress that this is not the end even though the timing and format may have been disappointing for many students and parents - your child still has so many chances to demonstrate their full potential such as in the Selective Test, or even later down the road in their HSC or University degree. We are so proud of how all our students performed and handled the unfortunate circumstances.
Growth & 2022 goals
At the start of 2021 we had 776 students and now we are approximately 1500 strong! Thank you to all parents for putting your trust in us - it is only with your continued support that we are able to continue creating the best learning experience for our students. We have received so many kind words and are very grateful for all the love our community has shown us.
No matter what 2022 brings, we continue to be committed to delivering the best learning experience for students, ensuring they are safe and helping them grow and reach their full potential. We’re also working on some exciting projects that we can’t wait to share with everyone - more news coming soon!
Here’s to 2022 being another amazing year!
