Need to Know

Chicago opens this Thursday night

It's that time of the year again when our talented students are ready to shine on stage! We are thrilled to announce our upcoming production of the classic musical "Chicago." Our dedicated cast and crew have been working tirelessly to bring this iconic show to life, and we can't wait for you to experience the magic. The energy, passion, and creativity they've poured into rehearsals are bound to make this a performance you won't want to miss.

Performance Dates:

Thursday 24th August - evening
Friday 25th August - evening
Saturday 26th August - matinee and evening
Thursday 31st August - VIP night
Friday 1st September
Saturday 2nd September - matinee and evening

Venue: Sue Dyet Theatre @ St Helena SC

Don't miss your chance to support our budding performers and enjoy an evening of unforgettable entertainment. Tickets are now available for purchase through our online platform. Bring your family, friends, and neighbors along to enjoy the show. We look forward to seeing you there! (Ticketing details at the end of this Bulletin)

Congratulations to Eden Beveridge Wood

We are immensely proud to announce that Eden Beveridge Wood, one of our exceptional students, has been honored as the Nillumbik Young Citizen of the Year at the inaugural Nillumbik Community Awards. This prestigious recognition highlights Eden's remarkable contributions to both our school and the community at large. Beyond her role as vice-captain, Eden also leads our Feminist Collective. Eden is an inspiring leader fostering inclusivity and positive community impact. Under her guidance, the Feminist Collective has thrived, challenging norms and empowering young women. Eden is recognised for her dedication to organising events, empowering others, promoting inclusion, challenging stereotypes, and fostering a positive school culture. Congratulations, Eden – we couldn't be prouder. Her dedication, leadership, and commitment to positive change serve as an inspiration to us all.

Eden's achievements remind us of the incredible potential within our student body. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to her and celebrate her accomplishments as a shining example of the values we uphold at St Helena.

Eden receiving her award from Cr Frances Eyre (Swipers Gully Ward)

Concussion protocols - your child's safety matters

At St Helena, the safety and well-being of our students are our top priorities. As we engage in various physical activities, it's important to address any potential risks. If your child sustains a concussion, we want to ensure a prompt and appropriate response to aid their recovery.

Please notify the school immediately if your child has experienced a concussion, whether it occurred within or outside of school premises. This information allows us to implement the necessary concussion protocols, if required, in the days and months following the incident. We now know that repeated concussions cause cumulative damage, and this is important information for us to have if we are responding to a potential concussion at school. Your timely communication plays a crucial role in helping us support your child's health and academic needs effectively.

If you suspect your child has a concussion, remember to:

Seek medical attention promptly.
Inform the school about the concussion as soon as possible.
Follow the guidance of medical professionals and adhere to recommended rest and recovery periods. Your child should not be participating in practical PE for a period of time after a confirmed concussion. Please discuss this with the treating medical practitioner.

If any knock to the head is experienced at school, it is Department of Education policy that we administer the Concussion Recognition Tool and contact parents. If your child does not exhibit any of the signs of concussion, they may remain at school with your consent. However, if any signs of concussion are apparent, you must collect your child, monitor and/or seek medical advice. I know it can seem overkill to send a child home when they do not appear to have a significant injury, but concussion is not always apparent and signs can appear hours after a seemingly insignificant knock to the head.

Toilet and out of class passes

I refer to my Compass post sent out at the end of last week:

Dear parents,

For the remainder of this term, you will receive an email alerting you if your child has had an out of class pass to use the toilet, go to their locker etc.

We understand that students will need to access the toilet outside of breaks at times, but there are currently large numbers of students asking for passes across the school which is quite disruptive to lessons.

We would like to ask you to assist us to monitor the frequency of your child's passes to leave class. Just ten minutes three times a day means your child misses out on significant instruction and learning time.

Unfortunately some students are missing significant learning time due to time out of class to go to their locker, the toilet, get their laptops charged etc. Quite a number are deliberately coming to class without the requisite materials. Numbers of students are also congregating in the toilets, vaping and causing vandalism during class time.

The email will advise you to please contact your child's year level manager if you would like to discuss further. While I appreciate a student who gets an out of class pass only a couple of times a week (or even daily for the toilet) is not an issue, Compass will send automated emails for EVERY time out of class and cannot distinguish between a one off event and a habit. So, my apologies if you receive an email and your child is obviously being legitimate in their reasons for requesting a pass.

I am hoping to gain support of parents in reigning in students who are continually interrupting classes and their own learning.

We have a duty of care to all of our students and need to know their whereabouts at all times during the school day. It has always been our practice to issue out of class and toilet passes; the only change is you are notified now.

I'm afraid I can't opt any single user out - Compass doesn't have that option. The emails are really only targeting parents of a group of students who are congregating in the toilets several times throughout the day, vaping and causing thousands of dollars of damage, and deterring access for students who simply want to go to the loo. The logging of the passes on Compass also enables us to identify which students were likely to be in a particular toilet block when damage occurred or a vape alarm was set off. This is also a student safety issue.

We have also completed the installation of glass panels in the exterior toilet doors so that teachers on yard duty can have some visibility of students congregating in there in large numbers, vaping and damaging property. Students still have total privacy in the cubicles. We have spent $30,000 this year alone on repairs to bathrooms . Apart from the wasted money, many students feel intimidated accessing the toilets for genuine reasons when they are confronted by large groups of students engaged in antisocial activity.

When we refurbished the toilets, we replaced the metal grills that formed the exterior doors with standard doors. I (perhaps incorrectly) assumed that our student body was mature enough and responsible enough to respect a comfortable, private bathroom space. And, most students are mature and responsible. However, the small number of students who are not are creating a significant impact on safety, access to toilets and the school budget. I do not want to go back to the hideous grills, but we simply cannot continue this way.

Students do need their Compass cards to access the toilets through the swipe system. Compass cards are also needed to release jobs from printers, and to borrow library books and sporting equipment. If your child has lost their Compass card, you will need to order a replacement card. Log into Compass, and go to the "wheel" on the top right corner. Select 'CompassIdentity Card' and there will be an option to order a new one.

Parent/teacher interviews

Parent/teacher interview bookings will open shortly for interviews on Thursday 14th September in the afternoon (face to face) and all day on Friday 15th September (online).

If your child is taught by a member of the principal class, they will be available for interview in person or online on the Thursday only, as there is a leadership planning day on the Friday.

Celebrating Book Week

This week we celebrated Book Week St Helena style. Thank you to our wonderful library coordinator Emily Churcher for the many activities on offer and to the students and staff who got into the spirit of dressing up! Check out the student photos on our socials.

St Helena Basketball Academy vs Diamond Valley College

On Thursday the 10th of August St Helena’s Basketball Academy competed in a friendly competition against DVC (Diamond Valley College). 8 matches were played in this competition, with St Helena winning 5 out of 8 matches.

The two intermediate teams (boys and girls) had 1 match each. The boys match was a close game that end in a 3-point win for St Helena while the girls intermediate match had a huge 30 point win against the DVC girls. The year 8 boy’s team, who won 1 out of 2 games.

The year 8 girls team lost their game by 12. The year 7 boys team won 2/3 games with the A team winning their first game but losing the second game while the B team won their game. The year 7 girls’ team was able to win their match. The games were fiercely competitive and played in high spirits, however, school pride was on the line. With all the training throughout the year, each St Helena year level delivered!

Thank you to Miss Milton for organising this tournament, as well as the support she has given all Basketball Academy students this year.

Harrison Parkhill

Our SHSC netball academy team had two netball games against DVC (Diamond Valley College) last Thursday. The first game was against their year seven team 22-27 - we won. The second game was 29-30 - we lost, in the first half it was 19-8, we were down but we made a comeback scoring 22 points in the second half. The second DVC team were all year eights so it was a challenge. The players ended up finding their groove in the second half of the last game. We worked cohesively and used lots of communication which helped us make such a great comeback. Overall it was a great experience and the team was amazing!!

Rachel Aden