Eltham High School Community News

Assistant Principal

Reconciliation Action Plan

Eltham High School has been engaged in the process of developing a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) over the last 12 months through Narragunnawali and Reconciliation Australia. 

 

Made up of students, teachers, parents, and community members, the RAP Group has developed a Vision for Reconciliation and has also created goals in response to the 14 mandated areas. Our next steps are to do a final review of the goals before submitting them to Reconciliation Australia for feedback. 

 

We love getting additional perspectives. If anyone interested in becoming part of the RAP group can contact me at Lucinda.blackburne@education.vic.gov.au  

 

For more information about Reconciliation Action Plans please visit www.narragunnawali.org.au    

LUCINDA BLACKBURNE, Assistant Principal

 

Parent, Caregiver & Guardian Opinion Survey

WE WANT OUR PARENTS / CAREGIVERS / GUARDIANS TO TELL US WHAT THEY THINK!

 

Our school is conducting the annual Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey offered by the Department of Education and is seeking your feedback. The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage and appreciate your participation.

 

Our school will use the survey results to assist in identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies.

 

The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open online from Monday 18 August to Friday 19 September 2025.

 

All families are invited to participate in the survey.

 

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones.

 

The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages. Resources are also available in additional languages to assist parents / caregivers / guardians who speak a language other than English at home. Please reach out to the school directly for survey guides in your language. Please contact Fran Mullins, Assistant Principal, if you would like more information.

 

Visitors to School  

Link: Visitors to the School Policy 

 

Eltham High School strives to create an open and inclusive school community and encourages parents and carers to be actively involved in their child’s development and education. We aim to provide a safe and secure learning and teaching environment for students and staff by establishing processes to monitor and manage visitors to the school. Our policy outlines requirements for visitors to the school, such as visiting during the school’s hours of instruction, sign-in procedures and requirements for Working with Children Check cards. 

 

We further encourage all visitors to familiarise themselves with our school’s Statement of Values, Child Safe Policy, Statement of Commitment to Child Safety, and Child Safe Code of Conduct. 

 

Personal Property Policy 

Link: Personal-Property-Policy.pdf (elthamhs.vic.edu.au) 

 

Eltham High School encourages staff and students not to bring items of value to school, as damage to personal property brought to school is the responsibility of the owner. 

 

The Department of Education and Training does not have insurance for personal property of staff, students and visitors. Eltham High School does not take responsibility for items of personal property that are lost, stolen or damaged at school or during all school activities, including camps and excursions.  

 

Complaints 

Link: Complaints Policy 

 

Eltham High School welcomes feedback, both positive and negative, and is committed to continuous improvement. We value open communication with our families and are committed to understanding complaints and addressing them appropriately. We recognise that the complaints process provides an important opportunity for reflection and learning. 

 

Yard Duty and Supervision 

Student safety at Eltham High School is our highest priority and the safe and appropriate supervision of students is an important element of our duty of care to students. Part of this duty is ensuring parents and students are aware of our student supervision arrangements before and after school.  

 

Before school: School grounds are supervised at 8.49am, with supervision provided at entries to the school from Withers Way and Ely Street. 

 

After school: School grounds are supervised after school from the end of the school day until 3.24pm. Again the supervision points are placed at the exits to the school at Withers Way and Ely Street. 

 

Students on school grounds outside these times will not be supervised unless they are attending a supervised extracurricular activity. Parents/carers are requested to ensure that students do not attend school outside of these supervised times unless they are attending a pre-arranged supervised activity (i.e. Music, Drama and Sports programs).  

 

Families are encouraged to contact Fran Mullins at fran.mullins@education.vic.gov.au for more information about the before and after school care facilities available to our school community or if you would like any further information about our student supervision arrangements. 

 

For a copy of our school’s Yard Duty and Supervision Policy please contact the General Office. This policy includes Eltham High School’s student supervision arrangements across the school day, including before and after school. 

 

Child Safety and Wellbeing at Eltham High School: Information for Families and the School Community 

Link: Child Safety and Wellbeing at Eltham High School 

Eltham High School is committed to providing an environment where students are safe and feel safe. 

 

Our child safety framework https://www.elthamhs.vic.edu.au/policies-child-safety/ explains how we support and maintain child safety and wellbeing at Eltham High School. It includes our: 

  • Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy 

  • Child Safety Reporting and Responding Obligations Procedures, and 

  • Child Safety Code of Conduct, which outlines acceptable and unacceptable behaviours for all staff and volunteers at our school. 

 

Our students and families are important partners in providing a child safe environment. These regular newsletter reminders are one of the ways we ensure our school community is aware of: 

  • Our commitment to child safety, and  

  • How to provide feedback or raise child safety concerns. 

 

If you have any concerns about child safety at any time, please contact Darren Squire on Darren.squires@education.vic.gov.au. Any child safety complaints or concerns are treated seriously. For more information about our school’s complaints process, see our Complaints policy available at https://www.elthamhs.vic.edu.au/policies-child-safety/ 

 

We also welcome your ideas on ways we can improve our approach to child safety and wellbeing. If you have any suggestions or comments, please contact Fran Mullins at fran.mullins@education.vic.gov.au/ 

 

FRAN MULLINS, Assistant Principal