The captain of industry, Henry Ford, once observed that ‘Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success’. As a community, we are at our strongest when we come together with a sole focus: supporting our young people so that they are able to realise their dreams. At Woodmans Hill Secondary College we challenge our students to aim high and believe that they can achieve any goal that they set themselves.

In order for them to be able to do this, they need teachers who are prepared to learn and develop their practice. Our staff have chosen to push themselves out of their comfort zones and embrace the challenge of learning from and with each other so that they can help your child develop. This term our professional learning will focus on exploring how we can set high expectations for every student in order to ensure that they take an active role in their own learning. It is our aim to produce students who can set targets for their own improvement on an academic and social and emotional basis. At Woodmans Hill, we know that we can achieve the best results when we learn and work together and we also recognise how critical it is to have our students working with us and fully engaged in their own learning. Every minute of class time is precious and cannot be wasted as disruption to learning jeopardises the futures of every student in the classroom. I know, after speaking to so many parents over the course of the first term, that you share my high aspirations for your child’s future and I know that our students are hungry to learn. Our shared aim is to ensure that each student makes the most of every learning opportunity so that they can make a greater rate of growth than their peers in other state or private schools.

As principal, I hold high expectations for students both in and beyond the classroom because I have an unwavering belief in what each student can achieve if they work with their teachers to secure success. I also know that success looks different for each individual student and part of our role as a community is to unlock what that means for each student and then help them navigate a pathway towards success. In order to do this, we are developing our capacity to provide a wider range of options for students so that they can access a range of opportunities. Bart Turnbull-Gent is driving the ‘Head Start’ initiative to help connect Woodmans Hill Secondary College with the wider working community in Ballarat. Head Start is a new model for apprenticeships and traineeships for school students which allows students to spend more time doing important, paid, on-the-job training while completing their VCE or VCAL at school. This work sits firmly in my vision for Woodmans Hill alongside both the Art and Science academy and the extension opportunities that we provide our students via early entry VCE and VET courses: it is a further example of how we tailor the pathway to an individual student’s skills and dreams.

For we know that our students are exceptional! In every interaction I have at Woodmans Hill I encounter extraordinary young men and women who are keen to make a difference. Our students are our greatest asset and they have shown me, time and time again, how they live our college values of respect, determination and excellence. This can be seen in the team work and leadership of the Energy Breakthrough team who competed at Wonthaggi - the determination of staff and students to work together to develop this important aspect of our enrichment program is something that will benefit so many other students this year and in the future. When I see events organised by our senior student leaders such as last term’s ‘World’s Greatest Shave’ that saw our school community came together to make a difference in the lives of others, I know that we have a culture that cares. Over $530 was raised by students to support young people battling leukaemia and the day saw teachers dyeing their hair, male staff and students getting their legs waxed and one student shaving his below shoulder hair to donate. This sense of a Woodmans Hill community can be illustrated when our students took part in the college Athletics competition and they showed excellent support for one another, prepared to just have a crack and be part of something. It was also great to hear back from our primary partner schools how well our students lived out our values by umpiring their athletic competitions and the impact that they are making on their community.

Perhaps the greatest pride I felt so far as a principal was marching alongside our students as part of the Anzac Day ceremony. It is important that our students stand side by side with their peers as members of a community who recognise and honour the sacrifices that others have made in order to secure the freedom and opportunity for them to follow their dreams. As principal, I want our students to wear their full school uniforms with pride and, through their actions and impact on others, create a strong and lasting identity within the Ballarat community and beyond. Whilst we are only one term old, our identity is being forged by our young people who are ready to lead this school and work together towards a shared goal of making their school the best school it can be.

Perhaps, our most important collaboration is between the school and our parents and carers. This relationship must be based on mutual trust and a recognition that we are working towards the same goal: for every child to grow into the best version of themselves that they can be. I am indebted to the parents and carers who have contacted me and given support to the journey that we are on. If we are to truly be a student-centred community, then every interaction between school and home must be;

Respectful
Collaborative
Solutions focused

I have never met a parent or carer who did not want what’s best for their child and, as a school community we are united in that aim. There will be a range of opportunities for parents and the wider community to help shape our future that I will keep you informed of via the newsletter.

Thanks for your ongoing support and let’s keep working together to secure real success for your children.

Stephan Fields

Education Support Personnel Day

ANZAC Day Service