Student Engagement

&

Wellbeing

As we hit the half way mark of Term 3 and start to see hints of beautiful Spring weather coming our way, Horsham College has been busy preparing for 2025 with a number of events held this term. At Horsham College we know the importance of working with families and bringing the student, family and school together to create an effective partnership. A partnership that nourishes, supports and is child centred. We are always looking for ways to strengthen our partnerships and if you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s year level team. 

Year 10 into 11 Information Night

Earlier this term, we welcomed our Year 10 families to the college to open up the discussion around pathways for 2025 as our Year 10 students approach Year 11 and their VCE. This night was well attended by our families and we have received such wonderful feedback. We thank those that attended and for any family who was unable to attend, please make sure that you reach out to the Year 10 team to collect a Senior School Handbook. VCE is different in many ways to years 7-10 and it is important that our students and families understand the expectations. 

Subject Selection Days

Our two subject selection days that we have held this term were such fantastic days, full of wonderful conversations. These days are some of our favourite days, doing what we do best - supporting our students to be their best and make important decisions about their future pathways. If you were unable to attend this day, please ensure that you are working with your child’s year level team to complete selections for 2025 as we now have a tight timeline to work through subjects that will be offered in 2025 and starting to work through staffing. We really want your child’s selections to be considered instead of your child selecting subjects that have been blocked and have vacancies.

School Production

A huge congratulations to our many students involved in our 2024 Production of Snow White. Everyday we get to see the incredible talents of our young people and to be able to share this with our local community is something that we are incredibly passionate about. School Productions bring a sense of connectedness and we are proud of every student who played a role in this amazing show. The Production is not just about the stars on stage, it is also about the heroes that work their magic backstage and behind the scenes. We are lucky to have many students share their talents backstage and behind the scenes, as well as staff, parents and members of our community. To Emily, our Producer/Director and her committee, we thankyou for the work you do in this space to provide a spotlight on the Arts. An important spotlight to shine!

Grade 6 School Visits

It has been very exciting seeing our 2025 Year 7 cohort start their visits to our college. Our transition program supports the step from primary school into secondary school and allows students to start to meet staff and become familiar with their surroundings and our expectations. 

Study Days

Our Year 10 and 11 students who do not study a Wednesday VET subject or Wednesday School Based Apprenticeship are fortunate to have every second Wednesday as a study day. This day supports the health and wellbeing of students by allowing our students the time and freedom to complete school work at home. This day should be spent by students completing any homework they have, but also it is a day that should be used for studying - preparing for upcoming assessments, revising previous work that has been covered and reading. As parents/carers/guardians, your role in supporting your child is pivotal in their education and spending time discussing these days with your child are important. 

Koorie Careers Expo

Earlier this month, we took a group of our Koorie students to the Goolum Goolum Careers Pathway Expo. This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to start to investigate pathway options for their future. This day was an incredible day full of great opportunities and a day to continue to strengthen partnerships between schools and community.

School Uniform

As you could imagine, running a school is huge. Schools bring many people together and just like a workplace, we have expectations for our students. Expectations are important as we work with our young people to prepare them for their futures. Whilst uniform might seem trivial and something that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, this is an important expectation at our College. Uniforms bring a sense of connectedness, they promote equality and introduce students to expectations. Our School Uniform Policy was recently reviewed by students, staff and families that volunteered and our School Council adopted the changes that were presented: White/Navy Blue Long Sleeved tops, Rugby Jumper, Sports Pants, Non uni-sex shorts, a soft shell jacket, a polo top and the ability to wear sports pants/shorts daily. This means that we need your support in ensuring your child has plain black covered in shoes, no hoodie jumpers, no black long sleeves and that they are in full school uniform when they leave home. We know that sometimes things pop up and we are here to help. If a child is out of uniform for a particular reason, we ask that they wear clothing that is similar to our uniform and that they obtain a pass from their year level office after they provide a note from home. We can also help with purchasing school uniform items if this is a barrier for your family. Please contact the year level team of your child to discuss. Please support us with following through on our expectations.

Mobile Phones/Smart Watches

A couple of years ago, the Department of Education received a ministerial order on the ban of mobile phones and smart watches in schools during the school day. This was a huge change for our young people and their families, but a welcomed one from the perspective of schools. Phones/Smart Watches cause many disruptions to the school day, but are also problematic in the Senior School with protocols around assessments. The Minister for Education spoke last week at a Principal’s Conference and his team are working on ways to support parents in supporting this ban. An expectation at Horsham College is that students will not wear smart watches, nor access their mobile phones during the school day. Although you might not see the harmful effects of phones/smart watches at school during the day, please know that we need to work together in putting this policy into action. Although you might not agree with the policy, it is an important part of promoting the wellbeing of our students.