Dear Viewbank Community,

For the next seven weeks, it’s my privilege to serve this community as Principal, and I want to be transparent that what happens beyond that is not yet known, as there is a formal application and recruitment process still to come.

What is certain is my commitment during this time: to lead with care, clarity and high expectations, and to strengthen the partnership between home and school in ways that support every student’s learning and wellbeing.

Parents and carers are a young person’s first and most enduring teachers, and the role you play in school success is both powerful and often quiet: the routines you hold, the encouragement you give, and the steady presence you provide when pressure rises. When students feel supported at home and known at school, they’re more likely to take healthy risks in learning, persist through setbacks, and ask for help early - skills that matter far beyond any single assessment.

Over these coming weeks, I will focus on making that partnership easier and stronger in practical ways. That means communicating clearly so expectations aren’t guesswork, listening carefully so we understand what families are seeing and experiencing, and working together when challenges arise so students receive consistent messages and support. We will continue to prioritise an environment where every student feels safe, included and able to learn - because wellbeing and learning are inseparable, and community is built through relationships.

A strong partnership also means keeping our focus on what we truly value. We want students to balance individual worth with responsibility to others - to know they matter, and to understand they contribute to the learning and wellbeing of those around them. That balance grows when adults celebrate effort as well as outcomes, treat mistakes as part of growth, and use feedback as a tool for improvement rather than a judgement of ability.

Here’s what that partnership can look like in day-to-day practice:

Keep routines steady: sleep, attendance, punctuality and device boundaries make learning easier to sustain.
Ask process questions: “What’s your next step?” and “What support do you need?” reinforce planning and follow-through.
Normalise productive struggle: difficulties are opportunities to grow, not proof of failure.
Encourage help-seeking early: reaching out before a problem escalates is a strength, not a weakness.
Stay aligned on values: respect, inclusion, resilience, equity and care for excellence should show up in how we speak, decide and respond—especially when things are hard.

And regardless of where the recruitment process lands after these seven weeks, I want our community to feel confident about the direction we’re heading. When we stay anchored to our shared values, we create stability for young people even when circumstances are changing. That’s how we help students grow: by modelling steadiness, optimism and purpose, and by continuing to show up for them—together.

Anesti Anestis

Study Hall

Study hall is available on a Tuesday from 3.20 to 5.00pm in the college library.

Please click the button below to see the study hall teachers and their subject specialities.

School Council Elections - Call for parent nominations - applications close 4pm Thursday 19th February, 2026

At this time of the year, we are required to call for nominations for places on the Viewbank College School Council.

This is quite a commitment of time, but an invaluable experience and opportunity to contribute to all aspects of the educational program at the College as well as its governance.

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) for College Council will take place on Wednesday 25th March, 2025 at 6.30pm. This is to celebrate the achievements of 2025 and to set our course for 2026.

However, before that date, the College needs to hold School Council elections as there are councillors who will be completing their elected two-year cycle.

I encourage any members of the community to nominate.

The School Councillors whose term is about to conclude are:

Parent Members:

Belinda Abbott
Nidhi Ashoka Rao
Swati Joglekar
Nelson Low
David Munday
Sam Ricardo
Graham Webb

Call for Nominations:

The School Council Election process began on Wednesday 4th February, 2026 with the Notice of Election and Call for Nominations for the period of March 2026 - March 2028.

Attached below are the relevant documents:

If you are interested in joining our School Council, please complete the relevant nomination form and prepare a simple candidate statement (no more than 150 words) and return to Deanne Ioannidis at the College, no later than 4pm, Thursday 19th February, 2026.

(Please note: late applications and applications without candidate statements will not be accepted).

Translations of these schedules in five community languages (Arabic, Dari, Traditional and Simplified Chinese and Vietnamese) can be found in the School Policy and Advisory Guide at: elections: translated documents and support materials.

Candidate Statement Information:

Candidates are to prepare a brief statement to be distributed in the case of a ballot.

This allows each electorate to gain some background about the people standing for election.

It is suggested that it be no more than 150 words.

A statement from a candidate may include information about their:

work experience, including voluntary work
academic and professional qualifications, if applicable
skills and abilities including those that may be useful to the council (e.g. accounting, contract management, fundraising, organising events, etc.)
previous and current involvement with the school, and school council including subcommittees of school council
reasons for standing for election
interests and hobbies.

Parents nominating for a role on school council are required to hold a Working with Children Clearance (WWCC) (either a volunteer WWCC, or employee WWCC if they already have this).

School Photos:

School Photo Catch-ups

School Photo Ordering

School photos were taken yesterday (Wednesday 11th February, 2026).

Any student who was absent yesterday - please be advised that there will be a photo catch up day tomorrow (Friday 13th February) from 12.30pm - 2.00pm.

School photos are now available for purchase via Compass.

Student accident insurance, ambulance cover arrangements and private property brought to the College

The Department does not provide personal accident insurance or ambulance cover for students.

Parents/carers of students, who do not have student accident insurance/ambulance cover, are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including the cost of ambulance attendance or transport as well as any other transport costs.

It is the responsibility of parents/carers to look into their preferred options in this regard. The Department cannot provide advice to parents/carers on the purchase of individual student accident policy or ambulance cover.

Private property brought to school by students, staff or visitors is not insured and the Department does not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage.

This can include mobile phones, calculators, toys, sporting equipment and cars parked on school premises. As the Department does not hold insurance for personal property brought to schools and has no capacity to pay for any loss or damage to such property, students and staff should be discouraged from bringing any unnecessary or particularly valuable items to school.

Please note:

Parents or guardians of students, who do not have student accident insurance, are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including the cost of ambulance attendance or transport as well as any other transport costs; and
Parents or guardians can purchase insurance policies from commercial insurers.

Annual privacy reminder for our school community

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ privacy policy and the Schools’ privacy collection notice.

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students policy , describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn.

We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use [Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education] safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using [Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education], please contact the school.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ privacy policy: information for parents. This information is also available in eleven community languages:

Amharic
Arabic
Chinese
Dari
Gujarati
Mandarin
Somali
Sudanese
Turkish
Urdu
Vietnamese

Anesti Anestis Acting Principal

Emma Ford, Assistant Principal

Rachael Smith, Assistant Principal

Anna Crosswhite, Assistant Principal

Penelope Cleghorn, Assistant Principal

Community News