Need to Know
It has been another busy and exciting few weeks here at St Helena, and I am delighted to share some of the highlights with you.
School Swimming Carnival – A Great Success!
Last week, our annual Swimming Carnival was held with fantastic participation across all year levels. It was wonderful to see our students diving into the spirit of the day, with House Stynes taking out the win! Congratulations to all the swimmers and supporters who made the event such a success. It’s always inspiring to witness our students coming together to compete, cheer, and enjoy the day.
Celebrating Our 40th Anniversary
On a beautiful summer’s evening, we marked a significant milestone in the history of our school – the 40th Anniversary of St Helena. The event was a vibrant celebration, complete with food trucks, live music, and an outdoor cinema that brought our community together in such a memorable way. It was fantastic to see so many familiar faces in attendance, including our founding principal, Ken Cunningham (pictured with KT), who joined us to reflect on our school’s incredible journey over the past four decades. Here’s to many more years of growth, success, and connection!
Debutante Balls – A Magical Evening
Our first of three Debutante Balls was held recently, and it was an evening to remember! Students and their families enjoyed a night of elegance, tradition, and celebration. It was heartening to see our young people step into this rite of passage with such poise and excitement. We look forward to the next two balls and the continued celebration of our students’ achievements.
Supporting Madison Bethune – Pauline Toner Prize Nominee
I was honoured to attend the annual Pauline Toner Prize evening at Montsalvat, where we celebrated the achievements of young female leaders in our community. I was especially proud to support our own nominee, Madison Bethune. While Madison didn’t win this year, I want to encourage her to continue her journey of leadership. Her dedication, vision, and commitment to making a difference are qualities we all admire. Madison, your journey has only just begun, and we are excited to see where it takes you!
I would also like to commend Year 12 student Siena (Ross) Laidler, who on the back of performing at the esteemed Top Acts in the city, was the entertainment at the Pauline Toner Prize evening. As always, Siena gave a moving and talented vocal performance.
International Women's Day – A Meaningful Reflection
This month, I also had the privilege of attending our Feminist Collective’s International Women’s Day lunch. I was deeply honoured to be invited to speak about the relevance of IWD today, and the important work we all must continue to do in supporting gender equality. It was a powerful reminder of the incredible women who have paved the way for future generations and the ongoing fight for equality that still needs our attention.
If you are interested in reading the speech, it is reproduced in another page in this newsletter.
Council Elections
I was thrilled to have so many parents nominate for positions on College Council, and I sincerely thank everyone who nominated.
A particular thank you to outgoing councillors Charles Charalambous, Gill de Cis and Koula Zougras (parents), Martina Charalambous and Niamh Coffey (students), Ian Mitchell (staff) who have been valuable contributors to the discourse around the Council table.
College Council for 2025:
Parents
Zoe Webster, Peter Travaskis, Natania Locke, Vera Soldini
Students
Molly McKeown, Zoe Maslin
Staff
Jamie Myers
Expressions of interest for 2026 Debutante Balls
are open to any current Year 10 student. One member of each pair must be a St Helena student; only one member of the pair needs to express interest; same sex couples are welcome. Note: students do not need to have identified a partner to express interest!!
Filling out the EOI puts students and families into our data base so that they receive an invitation to the Information Evening on May 28th @ 6.30 pm at the College.
Express your interest here: https://forms.office.com/r/NKJygTSWDC
The information booklet for the 2025 balls can be found here (prices may change for 2026):
Important: Hoodies at school
St Helena is a uniform school, and you and your child accepted our uniform policy when they enrolled at St Helena. "Uniform" means "the same", which is why we will implement our policy fully. Once we start "letting go" small things, students question what other rules or policies are negotiable. Students will have to follow uniform or dress codes when they go into the workforce, and school is a good training ground for them - being required to abide by a uniform code is not unreasonable. We also have one of the most flexible uniforms in any school I know, and students have plenty of choice.
Nonetheless, we have a small but persistent number of students who are pushing against wearing the St Helena tracksuit pants. Most prevalent are the 'Elite Eleven' pants which are NOT uniform. Your child will be given consequences if they persist in wearing the non-St Helena pants.
As we move into winter, we know that hoodies make an inevitable appearance. Hoodies are deliberately not a part of our uniform as the ability for students to hide their identity under a hood becomes a safety issue. There is no reason for students to wear hoodies - there are plenty of warm options in our uniform policy.
Year level managers and staff waste an enormous amount of time following up uniform breaches, that could be better spent supporting students.
Moving forward, students who wear hoodies to school will have their hoodies confiscated. The hoodie will only be released to a parent. If a parent does not collect it, it will be kept securely until the end of the term in which the hoodie was confiscated. At that point the student may collect it from the mini school.
Please discuss this with your child and support us to implement our fair and reasonable uniform policy.
We can support you if purchase of uniform is difficult currently. Please contact Angela Campbell ac@sthelena.vic.edu.au
Our uniform policy is on our website www.sthelena.vic.edu.au and only items that are listed here may be worn.
Nominations open for Vicki Ward's Youth Advisory Council
Nominations are open for aspiring leaders to be part of Vicki Ward's (Member for Eltham) Youth Advisory Council for 2025.
Registrations are now open and will close on Friday March 28, with short interviews taking place in the week of March 31 – additional information is in the attached letter.
Dare to be Excellent
Congratulations to Xavier Zemancheff (Year 11) who has been selected to play for Victoria in the U18 Lacrosse National Championships in Adelaide in April. It was highly competitive selection process, and there is a very high load to the training commitments. Xavier is super excited to wearing the “V”. We wish you all the best in the competition, and hope you enjoy the experience! Well done.
Student Achievement
We would love to feature your child in our Dare to be Excellent section! Please let us know of their achievements, inside and outside of school. Askleadership@sthelena.vic.edu.au
Staff Merits
Would you like to recognise a staff member who has gone above and beyond for you or your child? You can make their day with a Merit by clicking here and filling out a very short form: https://forms.office.com/r/m3D6a06TMN
Happy Iranian New Year
One of our wonderful Learning Support Officers, Sanaz Aghaei Pezhman would like to share one of her cultural celebrations with our community. I wish Sanaz and all members of our community who celebrate Nowruz, a Happy New Year.
If your family has a special cultural celebration, I would love to share its significance here. Please just send your contribution to AskLeadership@sthelena.vic.edu.au
Nowruz (Persian: نوروز ("New Day")) is the Iranian New Year or Persian New Year. Historically, it has been observed by Persians and other Iranian peoples, but is now celebrated by many ethnicities worldwide. It is a festival based on the Northern Hemisphere Spring equinox,which marks the first day of a new year on the Iranian calendars; it usually coincides with a date between 19 March and 22 March on the Gregorian calendar.
The roots of Nowruz lie in Zoroastrianism, and it has been celebrated by many peoples across West Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Black Sea Basin, the Balkans, and South Asia for over 3,000 years.In the modern era, while it is observed as a secular holiday by most celebrants, Nowruz remains a holy day for Zoroastrians, Baháʼís and Muslims.
For the Northern Hemisphere, Nowruz marks the beginning of spring.Customs for the festival include various fire and water rituals, celebratory dances, gift exchanges, and poetry recitations, among others; these observances differ between the cultures of the diverse communities that celebrate it.
Chaharshanbe Suri (Persian: چهارشنبهسوری, romanized: čahâr-šanbeh suri ( "Festive Wednesday") is a prelude to the New Year.In Iran, it is celebrated on the eve of the last Wednesday before Nowruz. It is usually celebrated in the evening by performing rituals such as jumping over bonfires and lighting off firecrackers and fireworks.This year it will be on Tuesday March 18th evening in Ruffey lake Park.
Sizda Bedar
Sizdah Bedar, the Nowruz holidays last thirteen days. On the thirteenth day of the New Year, Iranians leave their houses to enjoy nature and picnic outdoors, as part of the Sizdah Bedar ceremony. The greenery grown for the Haft-sin setting is thrown away, usually into running water. It is also customary for young single people, especially young girls, to tie the leaves of the greenery before discarding it, expressing a wish to find a partner. Another custom associated with Sizdah Bedar is the playing of jokes and pranks, similar to April Fools' Day
Haft-sin
The painting depicts Haft-seen symbols of Nowruz being related to elements of Fire, Earth, Air, Water, and the three life forms of Humans, Animals and Plants.
Haft Seen or Haft sin (Persian: هفتسین) is an arrangement of seven symbolic items which names start with the letter "S" (pronounced as "seen"), the 15th letter in the Persian alphabet; "haft" (هفت) is Persian for "seven". It is traditionally displayed at Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, which is celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, marking the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
Items of Haft-seen
Sabzeh (سبزه) – wheat, barley, mung bean, or lentil sprouts grown in a dish.
Samanu (سمنو) – wheat germ sweet pudding.
Senjed (سنجد) – oleaster.
Serkeh (سرکه) – vinegar.
Seeb (سیب) – apple.
Seer (سیر) – garlic.
Somagh (سماق) – sumac.