PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Mr Nicholas Adamou

Principal

Key Dates

Welcome to Term Four, the final term of this academic year. 

It has been an absolute pleasure to welcome back all students and staff to face-to-face onsite learning this week. The school was filled with smiling faces of students and staff, happy to see each other and happy to be in the school environment. I have mentioned this before and I will mention it again, that it has been an extraordinary year so far, full of challenges. However, we should all be proud of what we have achieved by working together in this outstanding school community. The NGSC community has risen to the many challenges faced and having our values in the forefront of everything we do, we have successfully continued our children’s education and kept the spark for learning well alive during the remote and flexible learning period.

On behalf of the NGSC school community, I once again, say a big thank you to all our students, parents and carers for your continued resilience and support. Term 4 is important for every Victorian student and our teachers will strive to deliver high quality learning for everyone. 

The school will continue to have strong measures in place, aiming to minimise COVID-19 risks and protect the health and safety of students, staff, families and the community. This includes:

• regular daily cleaning/disinfecting of all bathrooms, high traffic surfaces and high traffic spaces
• restricting parent access to school grounds
• all parent/visitors to school will be temperature checked
• continued emphasis on hand hygiene (soap, hand sanitiser, alcoholic wipes, gloves, Glen 20 will be provided by the school)
• face masks must be worn by all students and staff (A face mask that covers the nose and mouth is now the only permitted type of face covering. Face shields, scarves or bandanas do not meet these requirements)
• physical distancing where possible
• refillable water bottles to be provided by the students

All students and staff must stay at home when feeling unwell

The most important action school communities can take to reduce the risk of transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19), is to ensure that any unwell staff and students remain at home, even with the mildest of symptoms. 

For further information please see: Managing illness in schools and early childhood services during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Mental health and wellbeing of students

Our highest priority will be the wellbeing, particularly the mental health, of every student and member of staff. This means effectively mobilising all available resources to support our most vulnerable students and enabling staff to access the relevant support services.

Learning and excellence

Some of our students have thrived in the remote and flexible learning environment, others have maintained their learning progress, and some have fallen behind, despite their best efforts, and those of their families and teachers. Our priority will be supporting both those who need it to catch up and those who have progressed to continue to extend their learning.

Transitions 

We will make every effort to ensure successful transitions for students moving from Grade 6 into Year 7 and the Year 12 students moving into tertiary education, apprenticeships or sustainable employment.

Attendance

All students are expected to attend onsite. Exceptions may exist for medically vulnerable students. It is recommended that parents/carers of students with complex medical needs seek advice from the student’s medical practitioner to support decision-making about whether onsite education is suitable. 

Arrangements for VCE/VCAL assessments and exams 

The Victorian Chief Health Officer has endorsed on site delivery of VCE external assessments in 2020 and associated health and safety controls. At NGSC, we have in place, our COVID-19 Safety Plan, including detailed cleaning and disinfecting during the day to minimise any risks. Also the school has put together a Plan B and Plan C in the unfortunate event that we may have to relocate the VCAA exams.

Parent Opinion Survey 

WE WANT OUR PARENTS TO TELL US WHAT THEY THINK 

Our school is conducting the annual Parent Opinion Survey to find out what our parents/carers think of our school. The Parent Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education and Training (DET) that is conducted amongst all parents. It is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of parents’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, student engagement and experiences of this year’s remote and flexible learning. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies. All parents will be invited to participate in this year’s survey. All responses to the survey are anonymous. This year, the Parent Opinion Survey will be conducted from Monday, 2 November to Friday, 13 November.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete and can be accessed at any convenient time within the fieldwork period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in a range of languages other than English. These include: Arabic, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Chin (Hakha), Hindi, Japanese, Somali, Punjabi and Turkish.

Every year, the Parent Opinion Survey results are presented and discussed at School Council and used in a constructive manner to improve our school community.   Please speak to your child’s teacher if you would like more information and take the time to tell us what you think of our school.

School Review 

This is a review year for our school. All Victorian schools participate in a school review every four years to provide assurance of ongoing compliance with the minimum requirements for school registration, and to inform the development of their four year School Strategic Plan (SSP).

This is the time where the school reviews and evaluates the last four academic years against the School Strategic Plan (SSP), goals and targets. At the conclusion of the school review, the school will draft a new SSP, which will be the basis of new directions, goals and targets for the next four years.

North Geelong Secondary College is committed in providing the best educational, cutting edge programs to the wider community. The school is also committed to providing the best possible transition program from Primary to Secondary school.

Scholarships are awarded for two years, commencing in Year 7 and then reviewed in Year 9. The Scholarship Program promotes outstanding commitment of Primary School students who have displayed a strong involvement in their school Community. The College looks for outstanding young people who are exceptional in different areas and possess personal values that will contribute positively to the life of the College.

The Year 7 and 8 scholarships are to the value of $5000. The scholarships cover the following items:

• Full value of school fees in Years 7 and 8
• Lenovo 300E Chromebook
• Full school uniform including a school blazer and a tie
• Year 7 and Year 8 Camps and Excursions
• All books and materials for Years 7 and 8
• All excursions and extra–curricular activities for Years 7 and 8

Scholarships are available in the following areas:

Academic Excellence

The Academic Excellence Scholarship is available to students with an exemplary academic record, who have demonstrated outstanding application and achievement in one or more of English, Mathematics or Science, together with a strong performance in general studies. 

Student Leadership

The Student Leadership Scholarship is available to students who have demonstrated leadership skills. The successful applicant(s) will have excellent communication skills, display initiative, and have a passion to motivate, delegate, guide and direct fellow students.

Community (Good Citizenship)

The Community (Good Citizenship) Scholarship is available to students who have made a significant demonstrable contribution to their community. The successful applicant(s) will display a strong social conscience as well as an outstanding work ethic and behaviour. 

Sporting Excellence

The Sporting Excellence Scholarship is available to keen sportspersons who have shown outstanding aptitude and personal achievement in one or many sporting field(s). 

The Arts 

The Arts scholarship is available to students who have displayed excellence and shown commitment in one or more of the Arts (such as; Drama, Music, Dance, Visual Arts). Successful applicants should have a record of involvement in all aspects of Primary School life in addition to artistic talent. 

2021 Year 7 Scholarship Recipients

This year we had a large number and a very high calibre of scholarship applications, which made it very hard on the Scholarship Panel to make their final decisions. 

Congratulations to the following scholarship recipients joining North Geelong SC in Year 7 next year. Also, congratulations to their respective school communities. 

We are looking forward to welcoming these young leaders to our school community. 

A big thank you to Mrs Julie Andrews, Assistant Principal, Mr Stan Koullas, Transitions/Pathways Leader and Ms Tonia Tigani, Transitions/Pathways Assistant, for all their work processing and reviewing applications, arranging and conducting interviews and following up with all applicants. 

We are looking forward to welcoming these young leaders to NGSC in 2021, to continue their education journey.  

• Academic Excellence Scholarship: Molly Howlett D’Andrea, Teesdale Primary School
• Student Leadership Scholarship: Charlee Glazer-Harmsworth, Lethbridge Primary School
• The Community (Good Citizenship) Scholarship:  Cara Greville, Manifold Heights Primary School
• The Arts Scholarship: Ella Osborne, Bannockburn College
• Sporting Excellence Scholarship: Meyah Fursland, Rollins Primary School

North Geelong Secondary College

Scholarship Program   

 “Providing opportunities for excellence”