Stage of Learning Updates

P - 2 Community

As we approach the end of another wonderful year at NBC, the Prep–2 Learning Community has much to celebrate. Our students have worked incredibly hard, demonstrated curiosity in their learning, and continued to grow as confident and capable learners.

Our Prep students recently visited the farm, linking directly to their current HASS and Science unit on living and non-living things. This experience provided an exciting hands-on opportunity to observe, question, and connect their classroom learning to the real world.

Our Grade 1/2 students also enjoyed a fantastic day at the Ballarat Wildlife Park, where they met Crunch the crocodile and hand-fed kangaroos. This excursion supported their learning about Australian animals and habitats and inspired rich discussions and writing back at school.

Across the year, our focus on reading and writing development has led to outstanding growth. The continued implementation of our systematic phonics program has strengthened students’ decoding, spelling, and confidence as readers and writers. It has been wonderful to see their enthusiasm for reading and storytelling flourish.

As the year draws to a close, we look forward to celebrating together at our End of Year Lunch.  Our Statewide Transition Day will take place on Monday 9 December, when students had the chance to meet their 2026 teacher and explore their new learning environment. While transitions can sometimes feel a little uncertain, our students are well supported, and we are confident this will be a positive and exciting step for everyone.

Thank you to our Prep–2 families for your continued partnership and support throughout the year. It has been a pleasure to share in your children’s learning journey, and we are so proud of all they have achieved.

Sharne Oliver

Assistant Principal - Tallis Campus

P-2 Stages of Learning Coordinator

Anthony Condemi

Assistant Principal - Wexford Campus

P-2 Stages of Learning Coordinator

Year 3 - 6 Community

2025 has been an amazing year for our students, with so much achieved! Look back on their successful year.

We hope all students and families have a safe and happy holidays! See you 2026.

Juanita Mountjoy

Assistant Principal - Wexford Campus

Year 3 - 6 Stages of Learning Coordinator 

Rachelle Koepler

 Assistant Principal - Peacock Campus

Year 3 - 6 Stages of Learning Coordinator

Year 7 - 9 Community

Year 7-8

Celebrating Learning, Growth, and Respectful Communities

🎬 Movie Study: Character Journeys in Green Book

This term, our students explored the powerful themes of friendship, respect, and courage through the film Green Book. In English, we focused on character analysis, examining how Dr. Don Shirley and Tony Lip challenge stereotypes and grow throughout their journey. Students developed their analytical writing skills using the TEEL structure (Topic, Evidence, Explanation, Link) to form insightful responses in their books. The discussions around empathy, inclusion, and moral courage have connected beautifully to our focus on Respectful Communities, reminding us of the importance of understanding and celebrating differences.

📊 Maths in Action: Statistics, Algebra & Probability

Year 7 and 8 mathematicians have been tackling real-world problems through Statistics, Algebra, and Probability. Students have:

• Collected and interpreted data sets to tell stories through graphs and averages.
• Applied algebraic thinking to solve equations and create patterns.
• Explored probability to predict outcomes and make data-driven decisions.

The focus has been on building confidence and accuracy through collaborative problem-solving and reflection—skills that help strengthen mathematical reasoning and growth mindset.

💡 Entrepreneurial Thinking: Shark Tank Creations

Our classrooms have been buzzing with innovation as students became entrepreneurs in the Shark Tank Challenge! Working in teams, they designed and marketed their own inventions—creating persuasive pitches, prototypes, and marketing campaigns to “sell” their ideas. The creativity and confidence on display were outstanding, and students demonstrated strong collaboration, communication, and critical thinking—key skills for their future learning pathways.

🏐 Representative Sport: Volleyball, Softball, Baseball & Athletics

It’s been a huge term for sport, with our students proudly representing Northern Bay College in Volleyball, Softball, Baseball, and Athletics. Their sportsmanship, teamwork, and persistence shone through every game and event. Whether on the court, diamond, or track, our athletes have modelled our college values of Kindness, Collaboration, Growth, and Persistence.A big congratulations to all students who participated—you’ve done yourselves and your college proud!

🎨 Art Show: Celebrating Creativity

Our annual Art Show was a vibrant success, showcasing the amazing creativity and talent within our Year 7 and 8 students. From paintings and digital media to sculpture and photography, students expressed their voices through colour, texture, and imagination.Families, staff, and peers were impressed by the range of ideas and effort shown in each piece—well done to all our young artists!

💬 Respectful Communities

Throughout the term, students have continued to build positive relationships and strengthen our Respectful Communities culture.Through class discussions, restorative practices, and team-building activities, students have reflected on kindness, empathy, and the power of inclusion. These skills not only create a safe and caring environment but also prepare our students to be respectful leaders within and beyond our college.

🎓 Transition & Year 8 Graduation

As we approach the end of the year, we’re looking ahead to transition and graduation celebrations.

Our Year 7 students are preparing to take on new challenges as leaders of the middle years in 2026, while our Year 8s celebrate their achievements and move into the next stage of their learning journey.

We’re incredibly proud of their growth, resilience, and the strong sense of community they’ve helped build.

🌟 Final Message

This term has showcased what makes our Year 7 and 8 learning community so special—creativity, curiosity, and care.

From the classroom to the court, our students have demonstrated what it means to live our values every day.

We thank our staff, students, and families for their ongoing support and look forward to celebrating a fantastic finish to the year!

Daniel Black

Teacher

Hendy Campus

Year 9 Community

Year 9 Newsletter 

As we wrap up a busy and rewarding year in the Year 9 program, I want to take a moment to celebrate the experiences, learning, and growth our students have shared over the past few weeks. This period has been full of transition, challenge, reflection, and of course a lot of fun.

Step Up Program

Our incoming Year 8 students spent a full week taking part in Step Up, our transition program designed to prepare them for the expectations and opportunities of Year 9 in 2026. They engaged in team building, new subject experiences, and community building activities. Students had guided feedback sessions centred around their own schooling experiences to help shape their first year at Goldsworthy next year! The week concluded with a fantastic day at Adventure Park alongside our current Year 9s, a great chance for connection, confidence, and a memorable start to their journey.

Lifechanger Wellbeing Sessions

Students participated in the Lifechanger program, which encourages them to think deeply about who they are, how they interact with others, and the skills they need to navigate adolescence with resilience. These sessions prompted meaningful conversations and gave our students tools to understand their strengths, values, and aspirations.

VR Beach Safety Experience

With summer approaching, students completed a virtual reality beach safety course. Using immersive VR headsets, they explored real world scenarios around water confidence, rips, and emergency responses. It was highly engaging and helped reinforce vital safety messages in a way that felt authentic and memorable.

End of Year Assessment

Our Year 9 cohort completed their end of year assessments with focus and maturity. This period allowed students to demonstrate their growth across the year and reflect on their progress as they look ahead to Year 10.

Author Visit Mark Smith

We were fortunate to welcome author Mark Smith, whose work our students studied this term. He spoke about his writing process, the themes behind his stories, and what inspires him as an author. Students asked thoughtful questions and appreciated the chance to connect their learning with a real writer’s experiences.

As we finish the year, I want to offer a heartfelt thank you to every single Year 9 student. It has been a privilege to work with such a vibrant, funny, spirited and genuinely kind group of young people. I have loved watching them grow, challenge themselves, support one another, and find their place in the program. They are a remarkable cohort, and I will miss them deeply as they move into Year 10. I am incredibly proud of each of them and grateful for the year we have shared together.

Benjamin Cooper

Year 9 Community Leader

Goldsworthy Campus

Jana McElhinney

Year 7-8 Community Leader

Peacock Campus

Mathew Potter

Assistant Principal - Hendy Campus

Year 7-9 SoL Leader

Year 10 - 12 Community

Year 10

Congratulations to our 2025 Year 10s!

The 2025 Year 10 Program ended in Week 6, with our students going on to complete their Step-Up Programs in either VCE or VCE VM. The Year 10 teachers would like to congratulate our Year 10s on a really successful 2025, which has included the following achievements and events. 

• Our first ever trip to RYDA for a day of learning about the science of road safety and how to be responsible citizens of the road. 
• Our students engaging in VM Taster Day and VCE Taster Day and as a collective, being able to speak openly to staff about their goals, hopes, and ambitions - resulting in a cohort moving into Year 11 who are as confident as they’ve ever been that they’re in the right programs. 
• Our first ever Year 10 Amazing Race - where students were able to collaborate together effectively to navigate through puzzles scattered throughout Geelong’s CBD to find the secret final location! Students were able to communicate effectively and access their character even when frustrated or tired - great to see!
• Seventeen of our students being accepted into the Skyline Foundation Program for 2026 - which is almost twice as many as we’ve ever had accepted into the program before!

Photos of some of the highlights of the year are below - please enjoy!

RYDA

Amazing Race

2026 Year 10 Step-Up 

We would also like to welcome all of our new families and students into Year 10 for 2026! In Week 9, our students completed their Step-Up Program to officially start off their Year 10. Two of these days were dedicated to students being introduced to their 2026 teachers and classes - including English, Maths, Humanities, Science, and two of their chosen electives. They also completed two days of work around our Year 10 Model focusing on Character - one of the 6Cs in our model and a key component of the work students will be completing in 2026. They completed activities around character strengths, emotional awareness, and being able to work together as a team. They also learned about our Work Experience program - with students being able to interview a student who had previously completed a placement with the Geelong Gallery in 2026.

Finally, our students closed out their 2026 by attending Adventure Park with the 2026 Year 9s - they were fantastic representatives of our school all day with excellent behaviour! 

It’s been a big year but a very productive one - from the Year 10 team, we wish you all a peaceful and fulfilling break - we’ll see you all again in 2026!

Scott Alldis

Year 10 Learning Community Leader

Goldsworthy Campus

VM/VPC

Step Up Success!

Congratulations to our Year 11s of 2026 on completing your first eight days of senior school! And a huge congratulations to our Year 12s of 2026 for the leadership, initiative and commitment you have already shown as you step into your final year of schooling.

During Step Up, students engaged in a range of subjects including Literacy, Numeracy, Personal Development Skills, Work Related Skills and Structured Workplace Learning. A major focus of this program is building strong connections with the community and understanding the importance of participation, contribution and teamwork.

Across the fortnight, students were introduced to key elements of the VM/VPC program and took part in a number of hands-on, meaningful activities that reflected these values. See below for some of the exciting experiences they were involved in!

Volunteering 

Students attended the Norlane Community Centre, where they contributed their time and energy to both cooking and gardening projects. Their willingness to jump in, help out and learn new skills was greatly appreciated by the centre’s staff and community members.

Another group visited Foodshare Corio, assisting with food preparation to support local families. Students worked alongside volunteers to cook, pack and organise supplies—an experience that connected them to real community needs while building confidence and capability.

Back at school, a group of students took on a creative leadership role by transforming the staffroom with donated Christmas trees and festive decorations. Their thoughtful effort brought colour, positivity and a much-needed morale boost during the inevitable end-of-year slump.

We are incredibly proud of the responsibility, kindness and community spirit our students showed. These experiences highlight the power of applied learning—real work, real service and real impact.

Staughton Vale

The excursion gave students a chance to connect with each other outside the classroom, build teamwork skills and experience applied learning in a practical, engaging setting.

Students took part in preparing lunch, guided walks, physical activities, and team challenges designed to strengthen problem-solving, communication and leadership. 

For many, this was also an exciting first look at some of the community-focused and project-based opportunities they will engage with throughout the VM/VPC program in 2026.

Collaboration & Celebration 

To finish the term on a positive note, our VM/VPC students took part in a fun and fast-paced celebration day featuring a whole-cohort Kahoot trivia competition and an energetic scavenger hunt around the A-Wing.

Students worked in teams to answer questions about their teachers, classes, school events and general knowledge. The room was full of laughter, friendly competition and some impressive moments of teamwork as groups raced to the top of the leaderboard.

After trivia, students moved into a scavenger hunt designed to get everyone problem-solving, communicating and moving. Each clue led teams to different locations or staff members, where they had to complete a mini-challenge or collect information before racing back to their base. It was fantastic to see students encouraging each other, thinking creatively and celebrating each win along the way.

The day wrapped up with a prize presentation and a final whole-group celebration of the effort, growth and resilience our students have shown throughout the year. It was a great way to bring everyone together and end the year on a high note.

Special shout out to our wonderful teaching and educational support staff who made all these experiences possible.

Abbey Speed

VCE-VM / VPC Learning Community Leader

Year 12

Celebrating the Class of 2024 – Congratulations, Year 12!

As the 2024 academic year draws to a close, we extend our warmest congratulations to our Year 12 VCE students who have now completed their final examinations. This milestone reflects years of persistence, resilience, and dedication, and we could not be prouder of the commitment each student has shown throughout their VCE journey.

We had the pleasure of celebrating this achievement at the Shall Club for our 2025 Graduation Dinner. It was a wonderful evening filled with laughter, reflection, and genuine pride as students, families, and staff gathered to acknowledge not only outstanding academic effort but also the character, growth, and camaraderie that define this graduating class. The Graduation Dinner provided a fitting moment to pause and recognise the hard work that has led to this point. 

To our Year 12 VCE cohort, thank you for the energy, laughs, and spirit you have brought to our school community. As you embark on the next chapter, whether that be university, training, work, or new adventures, we know you carry with you the skills, values, and confidence to thrive.

We wish you every success and look forward to seeing the bright futures that await each of you. VCE results will be live on the 11th of December. 

Congratulations, Class of 2025!

VCE Step Up 

What better way to end the year than getting a head start on 2026. The end of term 4 saw our 2026 orientation program step-up in full swing welcoming the year 11 & 12 VCE students of 2026. This program saw students experiencing their 2026 classes, along with community & team building activities. 

One of which was Step Up Team Up, a series of fun team building activities where students worked in their house teams to compete & work together through various activities such as holey-bucket, Mario Kart, jungle drums, marshmallow towers, break the code and werewolf just to name a few. 

During Step Up, our Year 12 students have been busy completing their Career Action Plans, an important early step in preparing for life beyond school. These plans encourage students to reflect on their strengths, interests, and aspirations while setting clear goals for their future pathways. Engaging in this process now helps students enter their final year with confidence and purpose. Whether they are considering university, apprenticeships, further training, or entering the workforce, taking the time to map out potential directions empowers them to make informed decisions throughout Year 12.

Secret Santa

During step up year 11 and 12 students embraced the festive spirit by taking part in a Secret Santa gift exchange. This simple but meaningful tradition brought plenty of smiles, laughter, and thoughtful moments as students exchanged small surprises with one another. Beyond the fun, Secret Santa provided an opportunity to strengthen the positive culture within our senior school community. By showing kindness, taking the time to think of others, and sharing in a light-hearted celebration, helps to build stronger connections with their peers during a busy and often stressful time of year.

Jessie Melnik

VCE Learning Community Leader