From the Principal 

This is our penultimate edition of the newsletter, as we approach the end of the year. I’m pleased to be able to highlight the wide range of activities our students have been enjoying over the past few weeks, especially those which enable us to to celebrate their achievements. 

Last week, our younger music students performed in the End of Year Music Celebration, it was a great evening that showcased the significant improvements that our ensembles and bands are making. 

Last fortnight, I had the pleasure of attending the Sports Breakfast, hosted by our sports team. We celebrated the exceptional achievements of our student athletes and the dedication of our students who have stepped up as coaches, mentoring younger teams in sports they enjoy. It was also a fantastic opportunity to recognize the commitment of our staff who have coached teams, often extending training sessions or giving up their own time to support students at out-of-hours events. 

We recently welcomed back our Year 9 Duke of Ed students from their outdoor education camps, and more camps are preparing to leave or are already underway. Our avid bike riders have been training to participate in the Great Victorian Bike Ride and headed off to Wodonga on the weekend to start their ride. Our senior players in the Volleyball team are also preparing to travel to Queensland to participate in the national competition. 

Northcote High School has made a conscious decision to maintain our full schedule of camps and activities, and we’ve run even more events this year than in previous years with the International trips. Our staff have been accruing their time in lieu from these events and are planning to take leave during week 12, following the Activities Program. While there will be fewer staff onsite that week, we will continue to offer supervision for families who require it. 

Our Year 11 and 12 students have now completed their exams, marking a significant milestone for them. With these assessments behind us, we are transitioning into the course confirmation period, followed by the Senior School Orientation Program for students entering Year 11 and 12 next year. 

I hope you can join us at our upcoming Art and Design Show, one of the last whole-school events for the year, where we’ll celebrate the creativity and hard work of our students. 

Chris Jones

Principal