Principal's Report

Vale Lorraine Vella

It is with sadness that I communicate to you the passing of our dear colleague Lorraine Vella.

Lorraine passed away on Sunday 26 October after a very short period of illness.

Lorraine’s family wanted us to know that Lorraine constantly spoke highly of our students, our school and her colleagues and often expressed how much she loved working at Eltham High School. 

Lorraine was one of our Tutors and her students were very sad to hear the news. She will be sadly missed by all.

Our condolences are extended to her family, friends and her colleagues here at Eltham High School.

Student Achievement: Year 7 Debating

I was privileged to witness our wonderful Year 7 debaters perform on Tuesday 11 November.

The Year 7 EHS Extend teams completed their final round of debates last night at Northside Christian College. This concludes a 6-week training program that students have engaged with through the Debaters Association of Victoria and here at school. Each week students have been working on learning the art of debating and then having the opportunity to apply their learning in debates against Parade College, Loyola College and Northside Christian College. 

Last night Eltham 2 and Eltham 4 came home with a win against Parade College with Owen Llewelyn (Year 7, Skipper House) from Eltham 2 being awarded Best Speaker. All teams have made fantastic progress over the term and each week they've developed new skills and greater confidence. They will be a force to be reckoned with in 2026!

The topic for last night's debate was 'That parents with children under 18 should get an extra vote in government elections.' Definitely not an easy topic to debate from either side; however, our wonderful students did an amazing job. 

We've had fantastic support from our families, attending each week and supporting their new debaters - we thank them for their time and enthusiasm.

Congratulations to them all as well as to their mentor, Melissa Hughes, who has done an amazing job throughout this year encouraging and supporting our talented students.

I am pleased to inform you that Tom Bell will be taking up the reins of the Debating Coordinator in 2026, and I am certain he will also do an amazing job.

Eltham High School Arts & Technology Exhibition

The 2025 Eltham High School Arts and Technology Exhibition will take place on Tuesday 18 November commencing at 6:00pm. This year’s exhibition will feature works of our senior students.

For further Information please refer to the Art/Technology section of this newsletter.

Parent Social Media Age Restriction Webinars

You will be aware that starting 10 December 2025, new regulations will prohibit certain social media platforms from allowing Australian children under the age of 16 to create or maintain accounts. These changes mark a significant shift in online safety standards, aiming to better protect young users from potential risks associated with digital platforms.  

Information on how to access upcoming webinars including eSafety Commissioner sessions is available in the Wellbeing section of this newsletter. 

I strongly encourage all parents/guardians/carers to engage with the webinars and become better informed of the new regulations. 

Recognising and Celebrating Trans Awareness Week

The Department of Education has a clear commitment to ensuring all Victorian Government schools are respectful, safe and inclusive places of learning and work for all students, staff and members of our school communities.

As part of this commitment, the department is supporting all schools to join other schools and workplaces across the country to recognise and celebrate Trans Awareness Week (Thursday 13 November to Wednesday 19 November 2025).

This is to support trans and gender diverse young people in our schools and the community. This is in accordance with obligations in the Child Safe Standards to uphold diversity and equity for everyone regardless of their background, characteristics or beliefs.

For more information about the day, refer to Minus18’s Trans Awareness Week resources.

What to talk about during Trans Awareness Week | Minus18

If you have any enquiries about this initiative, you can contact the Department by email: enquiries@education.vic.gov.au

Free Public Transport for People Aged Under 18

From 1 January 2026, people aged under 18 can travel free on all Victorian public transport services using a new youth myki card. This includes trams, trains, buses and coach services.

To access free travel, they must tap the myki card on and off each time they travel. For areas that do not use myki cards, they must show their myki card to travel free.

More information about the youth myki card will be available later in Term 4, 2025 – refer to the myki types webpage on the Transport Victoria website. 

myki types - Transport Victoria

For more information about other travel options to school, and support for eligible students, refer to the Travelling to school webpage on the Victorian Government website. 

Travelling to school | vic.gov.au

Exams

The Year 12 exams are progressing well.

Year 11 exams have been completed, and students are beginning their Year 12 Headstart Program on Wednesday 12 November.

Year 10 exams start on 24 November and at their completion the Year 11 Headstart Program will begin on 1 December.

A reminder to Year 12 parents that the Year 12 Valedictory evening will take place on Thursday 20 November. I look forward to seeing you all there.

VINCENT SICARI, Principal