Principal's Report

Welcome to Term 2

I welcome all students and staff back from their break. Term 2 is in front of us and it promises to be a busy one. We are working towards the completion of Semester one accompanied by the relevant assessments and reporting cycle. 

We are also starting to plan for 2027. Our Curriculum Design Team are currently considering proposals for the coming year with a view that any agreed changes in relation to curriculum programs and their delivery are decided by the end of this term so that planning work can begin as soon as possible. Our work with the implementation of the VTLM 2.0 remains a focus of our ongoing work.

We are also finalising our plans for our Centenary Celebrations incorporating the Opening of our new STEAM Centre, The School’s Alumni Art Collection Exhibition, The Alumni Centenary Music Concert, and the School Fete /Open Day.

•  The Opening of the new STEAM Centre scheduled for 29 April has been postponed to a date TBC due to the current Teacher and Education Support Staff industrial action. A new date will be set once the Industrial campaign is over.
• The Alumni Art Show will be opened in the Nalleijerring Performance Centre at EHS on Friday 28 August featuring 117 works of art including 3D pieces which have been collected across the years, 
• Alumni Music Concert on 15 June will be held at the Melbourne Recital Centre;
• An exhibition of staff artwork, and the artwork of any community member with a strong connection to the school (either past or present) will take place at Montsalvat on 19 August - 13th September, with the official opening on August 21; 
• A Fete and Open Day on Saturday 12 September.  This will be a large event and will incorporate a broad range of activities, community groups and importantly all of our alumni memorabilia, photos, etc.     It is certainly something to look forward to.

France Study Tour: A Snapshot of an Unforgettable Journey

From 7–20 April, 35 students and 5 staff immersed themselves in the culture, language and rhythm of France. As one of the staff on the tour, I can say with confidence that it was an experience none of us will forget.

This was the trip that almost didn’t happen; with the Middle East conflict unfolding, we faced the real possibility of cancellation. Thanks to quick thinking, a change of airline and a reworked itinerary, the tour went ahead - and thank goodness it did.

Paris: The Perfect Launchpad

We touched down in Paris early and hit the ground running. Over several days, students explored:

• The Louvre
• Notre Dame
• The Eiffel Tower
• The Arc de Triomphe
• Montmartre, including a hands‑on cooking class
• Sacré‑Cœur
• The Moulin Rouge (exterior)
• Musée d’Orsay
• Versailles

It was a whirlwind introduction to French history, art and architecture whilst being immersed in the language.

From Paris, we travelled to Giverny to wander through Monet’s home and gardens - bursting with tulips, peonies and forget‑me‑nots.

In the Loire Valley, we explored:

• Château du Clos Lucé (Leonardo da Vinci’s final home)
• Château de Chenonceau
• Château de Chambord

Lyon offered a different energy - warm, vibrant and full of character. We explored the old town, the basilica and the famous Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, where some students tried escargot for the first time.

Our southern leg continued through Nîmes, rich with Roman history, before visiting the extraordinary Pont du Gard. Arles rounded out this section of the trip with its remarkable monuments and artistic legacy.

Throughout the tour, our students were outstanding. They consistently received positive feedback from locals and represented our school with maturity, curiosity and respect.

A huge thank‑you to Catherine Considine, Manuela Nicassio, Melissa Hughes and Nadia Devlin for their dedication and care. A special acknowledgement goes to Catherine for her tireless work in organising the tour and navigating every challenge along the way.

Here are some photos capturing our time together in France.

Generations in Jazz

Congratulations to the members of our Stage Band, Jazz Band and Big Band who performed at the Generations in Jazz National Stage Band Awards over the weekend. Also a big thank you to our staff who supported our students across the weekend:  Brent Mills, Jordan Murray, Ed Ferris, Aawa White and Peter Torey. A special mention to Brent for organising the entire tour.

There are over 5,000 musicians in 350 different ensembles across five divisions of Bands and Choirs that compete in the festival, making it a truly national competition.

From a field of 350 ensembles, only eight public school groups featured among the placegetters.

• Public schools made up just 2.3% of placing ensembles
• Roughly 1 in 44 placing ensembles came from a public school
• Over 97% of placegetters were from private schools

Stage Band won Division 2.2 

Jazz Band won Division 4.2

Big Band performed in Division 5, a non-competitive section created for younger bands that are either participating in their first festival or have larger instrumentation. It provides a valuable experience for our younger students to take part in the festival and observe the possibilities as they progress into their senior years.

Special mention to the following students who were selected for the Generations in Jazz Super Bands. The Super Bands are formed from the most outstanding performers across all schools in each division:

• Stage Band:    James Preece was selected on Guitar for the Division 2 Super Band.
• Max Trajkov, Bob Redman, James Preece, Cooper Gatt and Jayden Parker- Hill were recognised as the Best Rhythm Section Division 2.2.
• Jazz Band:   Matthew Thorne was selected on Tenor Saxophone for the Division 4.2 Super Band.    Blake McCluskey was selected on Guitar for the Division 4.2 Super BandDivision 4.2 Best Saxophone Section 
• Annabelle Lowe, Stefanie Wendler, Taiya Lamaro, Matthew Thorn, Ryan Wynd and Lily Odongo were recognised as the Best Saxophone Section Division 4.2.

Placings for the sections EHS participated in:

Division 2.2

1st Eltham High School Stage Band (Vic)       88.3 points

2nd St Peter’s College (SA)                           85.00 points

3rd Blackburn High School (Vic)                    84.33 points         

Division 4.2

1st Eltham High School Jazz Band (Vic)         91.33 points

2nd Adelaide Botanic High School (SA)          87.00

3rd St Martins Lutheran College (SA)             84.00

Congratulations on a wonderful achievement!

ANZAC Day Commemorative Ceremony

Eltham High School's ANZAC Day Commemorative ceremony took place on Friday 24 April. The ceremony began with our Choir accompanied by our jazz ensemble performing the National Anthem. Our MC then took charge of the morning’s proceedings. Both Bethany and Melody did an amazing job as did our student leaders and school leaders. A special mention goes to our VCE/VM class who in the previous few days took time to make memorial wreaths which they then presented at our ceremony. This was a very positive addition to our service.

Students' approach during the service was commendable. They were absolutely quiet, engaged and understood the this was a solemn occasion. Thank you to Nadia Devlin, for organising the ceremony with the students. Also, a thank you to our local member who even though was not able to attend sent a representative to offer her wreath. A gesture that was much appreciated.

Our School Leaders and House Leaders represented our school at the Dawn Service in Eltham on 25 April as well as the family service in Montmorency later that morning.

Year 7 Love Bites Junior

Our Year 7 students have and will continue to be participating in the Love Bites Junior sessions, part of NAPCAN’s nationally recognised Respectful Relationships Program.

These interactive workshops help young people build confidence, communication skills and an understanding of what safe, healthy friendships and relationships look like.  

Across the sessions, students explored their rights and responsibilities, how to recognise unsafe behaviours, where to seek help, and the importance of looking out for one another. They were also introduced to local support services and our school wellbeing team, who were available throughout the program.

To conclude the program, students created their own respectful‑relationships campaigns. Year 7 designed jigsaw puzzles featuring key messages and reflections they felt were important to share with our school community, all centred on healthy relationships. These puzzles will be used by students in Student Services and wellbeing spaces across the sub‑schools.  Please find attached a couple of our standout pieces that will be used. 

We are proud of the thoughtful and mature way our Year 7 cohort engaged with this important learning."

AEU Industrial Action

As you will be aware, the Australian Education Union (AEU) is currently in negotiations with the Department of Education in relation to the establishment of a new Industrial Agreement pertaining to the pay and working conditions of both teachers and education support staff.  

You will remember the stop work day that took place late last term.  As no agreement has yet been reached, the AEU has escalated the protected industrial action for its members.

Most relevant to parents and carers relates to the writing of descriptive comments when reporting on student progress to families.

At Eltham High School we implement a continuous reporting process where teachers are required to mark and report on set assessments within a three week turn around from the date of submission of the assessment (due date).

This timeline remains set.  However only marks/grades will be submitted on Compass by union member teachers.  As the comments against assessments that appear on Compass are for parents/ carers, these will not be included by union members during the period of the industrial campaign.  Non-union member teachers will continue to record both the level of achievement (grade) as well as the comment, both within the three week timeframe.  As such you will see some of your child/ren's assessments to a grade only and perhaps a few with both grade and comment, until such time as the AEU lifts the industrial actions which are part of the current campaign.  We hope that negotiations proceed quickly and bans around this are lifted.

There is no change to the provision of feedback to students who will still receive feedback on their work from their teachers in the usual way: be it on their work directly, through rubrics and/or orally.

Furthermore, the AEU has called for a number of Region based half day stop works.  Our Region's date is scheduled for late May.  I will keep you informed on this.

We are all looking forward to the AEU and the Department of Education reaching an agreement and completing negotiations so that things can get back to normal as soon as possible.

Vincent Sicari

Principal

Eltham High School Reminders, including:

• Staff Outside of Work Hours

• Mobile Phone Policy

• Privacy

• Student Accident Insurance

• Approved Student Exchange Organisations

• Camps Sport & Excursions Fund (CSEF)

• School Drop Off and Pick Up Times

VINCENT SICARI, Principal