Principals Newsletter Report 3/6/22

Another fortnight has rolled by and start to roll into the end of a busy term 2. This week, on Monday and Tuesday, for the first time in 3 years, the Education State Principals Conference was conducted at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. This year’s theme for the conference was “stronger together: every student, every school”. It was a great opportunity to reconnect, face to face with other leaders from our system and to focus on the impact schools and education has on every young person. It was wonderful to hear from several fabulous presenters from across the globe, but what was truly powerful for me was the presentation from Toby Adams (Leading with Strength) and Zac Haddock (DET, Koorie Outcomes), timely during reconciliation week. As Principal at WHC, it was timely for me to reflect on the opportunity to listen, as a non-indigenous leader, and to enable platforms for truth telling of our WHC diverse community’s stories to support inclusion and education for reconciliation. For me, it was a chance to deeply reflect on how to lead these courageous conversations in our community and to really understand what it is we need to do to relate and inter-relate to our stories and identities. I now look forward to working with our community and to plan how we listen and hear these stories from within our WHC community.

Teacher Professional Practice Day

As previously detailed in term 1, for Term 2, 2022, the Department of Education and Training has advised schools to hold each teacher’s allocated professional practice day on the same day for all staff. This is to enable the most effective and efficient use of this day and takes into account the pressures on staffing arrangements that schools are experiencing with the challenging combination of COVID and flu related absences and challenge to hire Casual Relief Teachers.

As a result, we have scheduled our professional practice day for Friday 10 June. This decision was ratified at the School Council at the end of term. Students will therefore not be required to attend school on this day.

If circumstances arise that would require child supervision on this day, parents and carers can apply via an email to info@whc.vic.edu.au; with the reasons clearly outlined in this email. Any supervision applications must be received by Tuesday 7 June at 5pm.

High Ability Learning (VHAP Program)

This term we have been thrilled with the progress of several our Year 7 and 8 students who have been identified centrally via the department of education and invited to take place in the Victorian High Ability Program (VHAP Program).

VHAP consists of ten-week online courses in Mathematics and English. Students engage in synchronous Webex classes with their teachers. They can also engage with the course material on VSV Online outside of the class time. In the VHAP English course, students explore links between reality and fiction by observing the world around us and our journeys into fictional worlds. VHAP English empowers students through cultivating confidence and a willingness to take academic risks.

In the VHAP Maths course, students embrace the “why” of maths, not just the “what”. Students and teachers dive into the philosophical implications of mathematical topics.

There are opportunities for differentiation within the course. Students can choose to work at a pace comfortable for them or be extended.

VHAP promotes development of key skills such as teamwork, collaboration and resilience.

The program is a safe space for high-ability students to stretch their wings, encounter change and challenge, and confront fears around making “mistakes.”

Congratulations to all our students who are engaging with this learning during term 2 and we wish the group of students well in term 3 who will either be continuing with this learning or joining the program.

Year 10 Connection and Identity Day

Our year 10 cohort of students embraced on Tuesday a specially designed day for them to focus on inclusion and to acknowledge the journey of continuing to understand how to navigate and empower themselves to healthily express their identity. It was a great opportunity to pause for the day, focus on their self-care, health and well-being and connection to each other and our community. The students engaged in workshops, art therapy and fabulous opportunities to be proactive about their mental health, growth, and ability to connect with themselves and each other. A big thank-you to Roger Conron and the well-being term for driving this agenda and program for our Year 10’s.

Sporting Success

Congratulations to all students in the past fortnight who have represented our school in school sport. Our college was successful in cross country, AFL, netball, soccer, and basketball in the past 2 weeks. Most pleasing was the feedback from the community about how our students conducted themselves with humility, a sense of community and care for each other and others. The wonderful character our students are showing, was emphasised when our Year 7/8 boys stayed back to clean up the venue for 20 minutes at the conclusion of the day when every other school packed up and left. It was the right thing to do and driven by our students. Keep up the great work!

Queens Birthday Public Holiday

There will be no school on Monday 13 June as it is a public holiday for the Queen’s Birthday.

Graffitti and Vandalism on the school grounds

Unfortunately, on the weekend the suburbs of Hamlyn Heights and Herne Hill were targeted with tagging and graffiti. WHC unfortunately were victims of this tagging as well. We have worked hard at removing this graffiti across the course of the week and will continue to work with the relevant authorities to prevent this behaviour from occurring in our communities.

Have a great weekend and take care,

Fiona Taylor

Principal

Child Safety at WHC

Western Heights College is a child safe organisation committed to

protecting students from all forms of abuse.

Our College has stringent protocols in place and endeavours at all times to be fully compliant with the Child Safe Standards set out under Ministerial Order 870.

Our College has the following documents and policies in place to achieve compliance with the Standards. All of these documents are available for downloading on our website or contact the school for a copy.

1. Commitment to Child Safety

2. Child Safety Policy

3. Child Safety Code of Conduct

4. Child Protection Policy and Procedures

Annual privacy policy reminder for 2022

Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy.(found on the colleges webpage)

Please take time to remind yourself of our school’s collection notice, found on our website. For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents and carers on the webpage. This information is also available in nine community languages:

* Amharic

* Arabic

* Dari

* Gujarati

* Mandarin

* Somali

* Sudanese

* Turkish

* Urdu

* Vietnamese.

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