From the Principals Desk

Welcome to term three after what surely was a well-deserved and hopefully a relaxing, energising break. Through the holidays our Wellbeing Camp was held for Year 11 and 12 students at the Staughton Vale camp. The students were able to engage in workshops designed to develop mindset and positive coping strategies as they work through Year 11 and 12 as well as some team building and challenge-based activities. 

The WB camps have become such a fixture of our college program supporting over 200 students at our school from Year 5 - Year 12 over the past 3 years. It is an excellent example of the dedication, skill and passion of our WB team that we can continue to offer such a unique school experience for our students - for which we are most grateful.

Also, through the holidays a number of NBC students were recognised for their achievements. On Friday June 28 Roquay Husseini, Ali Agha Wali Zada, Saida Musavi and Heidi Tillson were all shortlisted for awards at the City of Greater Geelong Youth awards in categories including Citizenship, Volunteering, Cultural awareness and the Arts. 

Excitingly Heidi went on to win her category, Arts, another outstanding achievement in what has been such a successful 12 months for Heidi. A special mention to staff member Brandon Dellow who is a vibrant contributor to the Geelong Youth Team and along with being part of the organising team was the MC for this event.

Another award winner over the holidays was Thomas Vanderpoel who competed in the Aus TAFE Culinary Competition held at the Gordon. In a field of 18 Cert III Commercial Cookery students from across the state, Thomas's main course of Lamb rack and a selection of exquisitely prepared vegetables and sauces was awarded the Bronze medal. 

Construction and Building Works 

In term two, the college was extremely lucky to see the opening of our new facilities at the Goldsworthy Campus. I can't begin to describe the amount of work that was completed in a short period of time by NBC staff to ensure that classes could start in an orderly manner on the first day of term.

This was such an important part of this project - to ensure that students and the wider community symbolically felt that learning was indeed valued in the Corio and Norlane area and to hear these comments from our students certainly provides an initial sense that this investment has met this brief.

These sentiments were further underlined as we welcomed our community into the spaces for our Goldsworthy Open Night. Families and students alike really were so impressed with what is clearly a symbolic investment in this community and the sense of pride was again evident in the conversations taking place on the night. 

Thank you to the GW team for the work they did in preparing the Campus for the night and to the Year 7-8-9 SoL for their work in publicising the really impressive program in place for our students through these years of learning. Certainly, exciting times ahead.

If you couldn't make it along, take a look ay this short video made by Brandon Dellow showcasing the nights events! 

Growth | Collaboration | Persistence | Kindness

Growth 

Year 9/10 Impact 

Recently, witnessed our very first student performance in our Goldsworthy Theatre. Over the term the students worked with actor Dave Kelman who guided our students to brainstorm, write and perform their very own plays. From our very attentive Peacock Year 5/6 audience to our amazing performers, to see their growth over the term was amazing. Students who felt they did not have the courage to get up and perform, to achieve this performance was indeed a magical experience.

Year 10 - 11 Course Counselling

A heartfelt thank you to all staff involved in the Year 10 course counselling session held last term. Your commitment to guiding students through their pathway choices was evident in the impressive student, parent attendance and engagement. 

The strong student participation highlights their dedication to their future and their connection to our school community. These sessions are crucial for helping students align their ambitions and interests with their course selections. Your expertise and support play a vital role in this process. We appreciate your hard work in making these counselling sessions a success and fostering a connected, informed student body.

Student Sporting Success

We are thrilled to celebrate our students' outstanding achievements at the recent Senior Badminton and Table Tennis Sports Days. 

Our students showcased exceptional skills, teamwork, and most importantly excellent sportsmanship, resulting in numerous victories and four pennants. These events not only highlight our students' dedication and hard work but also their ability to excel in a competitive environment. Congratulations to all students and their coaches. 

Congratulations

This week we congratulate Kylie Armstrong who has been successfully appointed to the substantive role of college Assistant Principal Inclusion Leader. This is a role that Kylie has so wonderfully filled in an acting capacity where she has led the college inclusion team to deliver some outstanding innovation, increased rigger and further developed our collective capacity to support students at their point of need. I'm sure the college will join in congratulating Kylie who demonstrates all the great qualities we look for in our college leaders

Collaboration

Blue Connect

The Blue Connect program wrapped up for Term 2 with an exciting demonstration of the Police Drone followed by a Pancake Breakfast for all in attendance. 

In its third year now, the Blue Connect program brings local Corio and Special Services police into our school to enjoy a fun morning of fitness, breaky and conversation. The links being developed between our students and police are very special. We are so grateful to the Corio Village for their very generous sponsorship of the program and to the Corio Police who give their time and energy to the program every week.  A special shout-out to our wonderful cooks and to Jessie and Stoofa who coordinate a great program.

Bunnings BBQ Fundraiser

IMPACT held their Bunnings BBQ late last term, with a successful $3000 raised! A big shout out goes to Corio Village for their support with the donation of sausages and bread. 

Career Week

The last week of term two we held Careers Week at the Goldsworthy Campus and students across year 9 and 10 participated in an array of Career based activities wonderfully orchestrated by our Careers Coordinator Mel Whyte with close to 100 visitors coming into the school over three days. Mel is to be congratulated on what was such a positive week of learning and exposure for our students. Starting the week with ‘speed dating’ sessions for Year 9 and 10 students across Tuesday and Wednesday featuring NBC Alumni, allowing students to develop a deeper understanding of the careers they may wish to pursue in the future. This work supported students as they dig further into their Career Action Plans. 

The showpiece of the week was the Career Expo where the Gallery and Theatre was transformed into an exhibition centre allowing a huge variety of providers to share the opportunities available to our students. This really was a monumental effort in organisation, and we are so thankful for the work that was put into this event by Mel, Alison from our Alumni program and the group of supporters for this week's activities. 

CSIRO @ the SMT Club

We were delighted to host CSIRO scientists at our Science, Maths & Technology Club, where they led an engaging session on organism classification. The students in years 9 and 10 gained valuable insights into the intricacies of classifying various organisms, sparking curiosity and excitement. A special thanks to Mr. Aynikkal for his outstanding leadership of the club, which meets weekly and continually inspires our students. This visit was a fantastic opportunity for students to learn directly from experts in the field. 

Follow the Dream

We are extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to send two of our Follow the Dream students to Perth in July to partner and engage in careers conversations and connections with over 250 students across WA schools. This opportunity would not have been possible without the Polly Farmer Foundation. We continue to be so proud of our young people who lean into experiences with open eyes and hearts. 

A big thanks to Kylie Clarke and the college operations team.

VM BBQ

The VM Bunnings BBQ was a great success on the weekend bringing in over $2,000 with expenses sitting around the $600 mark. Some of the key players who helped out from the staff led by Bronte was Damian McMaster, Adrianna L and Magda SW. Plus the students, August, Hsar Kler Paw, Aiden C, Sher Nay, Dakota Bath, Kaleisha SP, Joyce Tapp. Thank you to all who supported this effort.

Persistence 

Western Chances

Congratulations to over 20 students from all five NBC campuses who received Western Chances scholarships this year! These scholarships, providing up to $1,000 per year, will help cover essential items like desks, computers, and tutoring. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Western Chances for their support in this inaugural year of our partnership. Special recognition goes to Ken Massari, who coordinated and supported all students through the process. The awards ceremony, held in  August, was a proud moment for parents and students alike, celebrating their hard-earned achievements.

Kindness

AFLW Photo Opportunity

One of the wonderful aspects of our school is the strong connection with a wide section of the greater Geelong Community. This is highly evident through our NBC Challenge Committee who act as a networking and philanthropic arm of the school. The Challenge has raised more than $250K in donations since its inception, this money sitting in a corpus at the Geelong Community Foundation to support programs such as our 7-8 Scholarships, our Alumni work and the wellbeing holiday camps. 

A member of this committee is former Geelong Mayor - Keith Fagg who last week donated 4 seats in an AFLW photo shoot to 4 SEED students. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for our students and just a further nod to the incredible kindness and support Keith and the committee demonstrate to our school.

Peacock Milestone

Last week we acknowledged and celebrated Sheryl, a passionate and committed community member, who has reached the incredible milestone of 5-years of voluntary service with the Peacock Campus Breakfast Program.  Sheryl's outstanding commitment to the NBC community is a clear demonstration of a desire to see growth in the student’s wellbeing and learning potential.  Thank you, Sheryl for your efforts!

Regards, 

Scott Diamond

College Principal