Principal's Report
Student Achievement
2025 Victorian Youth Congress
Congratulations to Ava Kent (Year 8, Skipper House) who has been selected as a member of the 2025 Victorian Youth Congress (VYC).
The VYC is an advisory group of young people aged 12 - 25 who work with Government to identify and advocate for issues that matter to young people.
The VYC plays an important role in supporting the Minister for Youth and the Victorian Government. They help to embed a youth perspective and voice in policies, programs and decisions that affect Victorian young people. Each year a group of diverse young people are appointed from across metropolitan and regional Victoria.
Ava is excited about her position on the VYC and has a passion for LGBTQIA+ rights.
While part of the VYC, she hopes to talk about how we can make Victoria a safer place for young people, especially queer folk.
She has seen the power of providing young people with a safe and accepting space, and how much it helps their wellbeing. She wants everyone to feel safe to be themselves.
She is delighted and grateful to have been appointed and looks forward to sharing her perspective and thoughts with others.
We are proud of Ava’s selection but more proud of her commitment to effecting sustainable change.
It is heratening to see the connection between the importance that Ava places on young people feeling safe to be themselves with the Eltham High School mantra that we want each one of our young people to feel safe to be themselves without prejudice or fear.
Well done Ava. I know that you will represent our school and our community admirably!
The Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0)
The Victorian government alongside the Department of Education have provided a revised Victorian Teaching and Learning Model.
The VTLM 2.0 introduces an emphasis on the evidence about how students learn as the basis for effective teaching. It provides increased clarity for teachers about the elements of teaching that have the strongest evidence base. The VTLM 2.0 links to best practice approaches from existing frameworks.
The VTLM 2.0 2 sets of elements:
Elements of learning – the process of human learning, based on cognitive science, neuroscience and education psychology.
Elements of teaching – representing the evidence-based teaching practices that most effectively support learning: planning, enabling learning, explicit teaching and supported application.
The picture below demonstrates how the Elements of Learning (processes that lead to deep learning) align with the Elements of Teaching (what teachers do).The VTLM 2.0 p[rovides aaThe
The VTLM 2.0 provides a clear evidence-based model of what works to ensure that students are presented with the best learning experience possible.
At Eltham High School, we have a clearly documented Instructional Model which has been in place for some time. It aligns the work of teachers and provides an opportunity for student agency in learning.
The release of the VTLM 2.0 does not mean that we will be dispensing with our instructional model in place of the VTLM 2.0. What it does mean is that we have already begun the work to analyse our instructional model against the VTLM 2.0, to see where there is alignment and bringing any elements of the VTLM 2.0 that may be missing into our Instructional Model.
This is priority work but work that will be undertaken overtime. The government has set a timeline that all government schools will be in full implementation of the VTLM 2.0 by 2028.
Alongside the work, our teachers will be provided with arrange of professional learning experiences to support them to deliver the best learning possible in every class to every student.
This is exciting work and learning that we are passionate about. The primary aim has always been, is and will continue to be to support the best learning outcomes possible for every one of our young people.
Symphonic Band Tour
The Eltham High School Symphonic Band is currently on tour in Perth - a dual-purpose tour. The tour aims to share the talents of our young people with other Australian school bands programs and at the same time learn from the experience of visiting a range of other schools and a university to further develop our students' expertise as musicians and as a high performing ensemble.
From all accounts feedback has been extremely positive and it seems that alongside working very hard students and staff are having a great time. I would say that the tour is meeting its goals, and students will return to us more passionate about their music and their instrument and highly motivated to contribute in the best way possible to their ensemble.
A big thank you to all staff who were involved in organising the tour and who are on tour for providing this opportunity to our young people.
I am sure that they will have lots to narrate on their return.
VINCENT SICARI, Principal