Need to Know
Exam season has officially hit! Last week we farewelled our Year 12 students with their final Celebration Day. Students were respectful in their celebrations and made a great parade in their costumes. Following their year level breakfast, they officially finished the year with a final assembly run by the Student Leaders before helping to clean up the flour and silly string from the Senior School courtyard! Exams commenced on Tuesday, and I wish all of our Class of 2023 the very best for the tests still to come.
Pupil free day
Please note that Cup Eve, Monday 6th November, is teacher Professional Practice Day and is a pupil free day. The office will also be closed.
Re-enrolment Survey
Yesterday I sent all families a link to a survey to notify us of your enrolment intentions for 2024. This survey will be open until Friday 3rd November. This information is vital for us in workforce planning, but also asks you to acknowledge our Responsible Use of Technology policy, update your child's medical information and, where relevant, make submissions regarding class placement (Year 8 and 9 students only). Please make this a priority to complete.
Covid-19 cases
We have seen a resurgence of Covid-19 in the school in the past week with 8 confirmed cases on the staff. Since student cases are no longer reported, we do not know how widespread it is amongst the student population. Can I ask that you please
a. keep your child home if they are unwell
b. administer a RAT if they have Covid symptoms, and if positive, keep them away from school for at least 5 days.
Get Active Kids Vouchers
The Get Active Kids Voucher Program is open! Get in quick as applications for a voucher will close when the allocation has been exhausted.
If your family or child has a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, you may be eligible for up to $200 to put towards the cost of your child’s registration and membership fees at your local sporting club.
Apply now at www.getactive.vic.gov.au/vouchers to have your voucher emailed to you. Let us know your voucher code when you pay your fees and we will take up to $200 off the registration and membership fee (as well as any included uniforms and/or equipment).
If you have already paid for your child’s activity, you can apply for a reimbursement. You can only apply for either one voucher or a reimbursement for each child in Round 7.
Special consideration applies for children residing in care services as well as temporary or provisional visa holders, undocumented migrants or international students.
To find out if you are eligible, how to apply, what costs are covered and more, visit www.getactive.vic.gov.au/vouchers
Expression of Interest - Friends of the College
Calling all parents, guardians, and school community members! 🏫 Are you interested in supporting our College in 2023/2024? We are seeking members of our community who may be interested in volunteering time to assist in the running of programs at our College i.e. BBQs, Fundraising, Performing Arts programs etc. If this sounds like you, please fill in our survey to express your interest. Please note, a valid Working With Children’s Check is mandatory.
Merit Emporium
As part of our SWPBS program, students are able to receive merits for displaying our College values of personal best, respect and responsibility whilst at school. Last week, we invited students who had received over 50+ merits to exchange their merits for a prize in our merit emporium, the most popular prize was chocolate! It was a great opportunity for our students to be rewarded for consistently daring to be excellent at school. Congratulations to Mason H (Year 8), our current leader with 84 merits so far in 2023!
World Teachers' Day
Today we recognisedour wonderful hard working teachers with a World Teachers' Day cake. Many students sent message and merits for our teachers too. You can also thank a teacher who has gone above and beyond for your child by sending me an email at AskLeadership@sthelena.vic.edu.au with the name of the teacher and the reason for the nomination.
State Athletics
Last Monday, we had a number of students in our College participate in State Athletics at Lakeside Stadium in Albert Park. We are incredibly proud of the students who represented our school, where we placed an impressive 14th out of 256 participating schools.
Special shoutout to our award winners:
- Vanessa Smith: 1st in Javelin
- Tara Smith: 2nd in Javelin and 3rd in Discus
- Toby Hamilton: 1st in Javelin
- Arianna Krebbs: 3rd in Discus
- Lucy Johns: 3rd in 1500m Walk
- Charlie Dixon: 3rd in 400m
A special shoutout goes to our dedicated Year 12 Relay team, consisting of Saxon Howkins, Kye Wassell, Callum James (Year 12 students), and Harley Gilbert Sumner (Year 11), for exemplifying true grit and sportsmanship as they competed after a full day of VCE classes.
Connections Program
This Monday, we had the privilege of welcoming more than 130 students who are set to embark on their Year 7 journey at St. Helena in 2024. These incoming students had the opportunity to engage in a program centred around their favourite subject, foster connections with their new peers, acquainting themselves with prospective teachers, and familiarising themselves with our school grounds. This program will continue for the next four weeks, and we eagerly anticipate the opportunity to continue to support our new students in their transition from primary school to secondary school.
