From the Principal Team

I am delighted with the progress of our students during the term. You will all soon have access to the end of semester reports. This will be a great opportunity to consider your child’s progress and celebrate their successes. Please do not hesitate to contact the college if you wish to discuss any aspects of the reports or further support for your child.

Cybersafety

Glen Eira College is deeply committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all our students. As part of this commitment, we wish to address an important issue: cyberbullying. With the widespread use of digital devices and social media, cyberbullying has become a significant concern that requires our collective attention and action. Cyberbullying can be pervasive and relentless, impacting the mental health and academic performance of those affected. We want to ensure you are aware of how you can help your child navigate this challenge.

Please find attached below a document with the following information:

1. What is cyberbullying?
2. Forms of cyberbullying 
3. Signs your child may be being cyberbullied 
4. Aren’t these things normal? 
5. What can I do if my child is cyberbullied?
6. What if my child is the bully? 

To create a safe and supportive environment, we are implementing several measures to educate students about cyber bullying, including:

• Online safety workshops by staff and external experts
• Proactive police unit to educate students 
• Provision of resources and support for students who may be experiencing cyberbullying including the implementation of our bullying prevention policy

We are here to support you and work with you to tackle this issue. If you suspect that your child is a victim of cyberbullying, please do not hesitate to contact us. In addition, as noted in the attached document, seeking assistance from a general practitioner, counsellor, or psychologist may be beneficial.  If you have any concerns, please contact the following school leaders:

Jared Bandara (Head of Junior School): Jared.Bandara@education.vic.gov.au

Jeffrey Micallef (Head of Senior School): Jeffrey.Micallef@education.vic.gov.au

Nicholas Ford (Head of Wellbeing): Nicholas.Ford@education.vic.gov.au

Semester 1 Music Gala 29th July

The music staff at GEC are excited to announce our mid-year Gala Concert. This concert will feature our instrumental music students showcasing their talents as soloists and ensemble musicians. 

Music from a range of styles and eras will be performed and it's sure to be a wonderful night of music-making. Please come along to enjoy!

Date: Monday 29th July

Time: 5pm

Venue: GEC Performing Arts Centre Theatre

Free Entry* Gold coin donation greatly appreciated to help the Music Department purchase new equipment.

Book your tickets through Trybooking: https://www.trybooking.com/CSWVB

The GEC Music Gala offers our students a platform to showcase their musical talents and skills. The event features a diverse array of performances, including choir, string ensemble, drum group, guitar group, and solo performances such as vocal and piano.  

Murrumbeena Primary School Visit GEC

We recently had a group of Year 6 students from Murrumbeena Primary School visit GEC in preparation for their transition to secondary school next year. Below are some of their reflections on spending the day at the College.

I really enjoyed the experience of going to Glen Eira College for the day and understanding what a day is like as a Year 7 student. Although all the activities were lots of fun, my personal favourite was the Food Technology where we made delicious Kingston biscuits. As well as Food Tech, I also really enjoyed the Q and A with the Year 7 students and the science experiments that we conducted. Overall, it was a brilliant day that made everyone more confident and comfortable about the often difficult transition to Year 7. Thanks to Glen Eira College for putting on the exciting day.

- Harry 

I thought that the excursion to GEC was very interesting and helpful. It was helpful because we got a taste of how busy a high school student’s life is. All three subjects that we did were very engaging and had lots of hands-on activities! Overall, I think this excursion was a great way to explore high school life because many GEC students helped us understand that high school is fun and we should all look forward to transitioning when primary school ends. Thank you for letting us come to your school!

- Laura

Thank you to everyone at Glen Eira College that set up the transition morning, I had a wonderful day. It was fun learning how high school works. Thank you for putting time aside to set up and clean up for our visit. I really liked Food Tech, the biscuits were great! I’m definitely going to enjoy doing some more baking. 

- Rachel

I loved my visit to Glen Eira College due to the activities that we did that you wouldn’t find at our primary school. My favourite thing was looking at the library and baking the Kingston biscuits. It was very interesting learning how life works in year 7! My favourite thing in science was looking at the specimens in the microscope. I can’t wait for year 7!

- Eamon

The Glen Eira College excursion was a good experience. We got to learn some of the many daily activities that high school students do there. My favourite experience was the cooking class and making the Kingston cookies. I can’t wait to come to GEC and do PE there next year. 

- Elijah

Hosting a student from Ogaki, Japan 

Wednesday 21 August to Tuesday 27 August 2024

I am still looking for some families who would be able to host a student aged 12 – 15 years in August 2024. This is an excellent opportunity for students and families to learn more about Japan, its history, people and culture and to expand their Japanese language skills. 

The opportunity to host a student is a wonderful experience, a benefit to the entire family. Not only will you be sharing Australian Culture but you will be learning about another world, have fun and most of all make friendships which will last a life time.

If you would be willing to host a student, please contact the General Office as soon as possible.

PROPOSED ITINERARY FOR MELBOURNE 

Expectations of Host Families

• To provide a safe and comfortable place to stay.
• Homestay parents to participate in a briefing session on Tuesday 6th August at 5.00pm in the college library. This it to develop their knowledge and understanding of issues relating to the visiting students.
  • Cultural, linguistic and religious information about the country 

This will include:

• The needs of young people away from their home environment
• A flexible approach to matters of discipline, house rules and cooperative living
• What to do if a problem occurs (refer to school’s emergency management plan), including a 24 hour emergency contact number

• Report any critical or serious incidents involving a student to the Principal. My mobile number will be provided to families and is on 24/7.
• Working in partnership with the school by monitoring and supervising students. 
• To take the student to and from school and to provide other transport needs. 
• Ensure that students are provided with three meals a day, unless we make other arrangements.
• Ensure your host student is aware of the following:
  • Arrangements for travelling to and from school 
  • Meal times
  • Safety issues and assist them in developing awareness of risks and dangerous situations, such as traffic rules
  • Family’s emergency procedures, e.g. Emergency evacuation location etc.
  • General house rules 

Responsibilities of Visiting Students 

• Show courtesy to their homestay host
• Respect the home and belongings of their homestay host
• Abide by the homestay family rules
• Keep their room clean

Duty of Care

The visiting students’ overall welfare is the responsibility of their teachers (2 teachers and a Principal) – you will be provided with their telephone numbers.

We will provide homestay families and visiting students with 24 hour contact numbers for Glen Eira College staff and will be available to respond to emergencies or complex situations. We will ensure that the levels of supervision provided by the families are appropriate, including supervision to and from school and outside school hours. We will also ensure that the families have appropriate information.

All adults over 18 years old regularly in the household are required to have a cleared Working with Children Clearance (WWCC) before they are eligible to host a student.  Apply at: https://service.vic.gov.au/services/working-with-children

We will provide homestay families with a copy of visiting students’ personal information, medical information and signed student authority and medical release form.

Stay well this winter

Keeping our school community well 

Parents, carers and students are encouraged to practice prevention measures, including:

• washing and sanitising hands regularly
• avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
• covering nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing
• staying home if unwell and consulting a general practitioner (GP) or Nurse-on-call as required
• staying up to date with flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.

New Staff

I am delighted to welcome the following new staff next term:

Peipei Guan — Maths

Peipei is replacing Lauren Moon who will be taking maternity leave – we wish Lauren all the best and look forward to meeting the new arrival.

Svetlana Raab – Student Support Worker (Fridays)

I am also delighted to welcome back Julia Pound.

Finally

If you have any wonderings or feedback, please do not hesitate to call me at the school to talk or arrange a time to meet.

Sheereen Kindler

Principal