Welcome BBQ

Although on the hotter side, we found enough shade outside the Jessie Hollonds’ Studios for the 2026 Welcome BBQ. It was lovely to spend time with those that attended and to meet some of our newer parents. While this evening seems to be more heavily attended by Year 7 families, there was a range of other year levels represented as well. My hope for this event is that all families feel welcome to attend, as it is an informal and relaxed way to meet the teachers that will be working your child/ren.

Swimming Sports

It was great to see the number of students in attendance at Wednesday’s swimming sports, even though the numbers of swimmers seemed a bit down on previous years. We had approximately 2/3 of our students there, and I can safely say that the majority in attendance had a good time.

Congratulations to Bogong, whose participation swamped the other houses, for a well deserved win, followed by Feathertop, then Hotham.

Well done to the VCE VM class, who ran a successful “tuck shop” for the students, selling out of items on a number of occasions. The Zooper Doopers were a big hit as the weather heated up over the day.

Thanks to the family members who visited to support their child/ren and helped out as well. Congratulations to Vicky Levesque, who has taken on the role of Sports Coordinator, for all her efforts organising the event for the first time, which ran very smoothly; and to all the staff that assisted throughout the day.

Toilet Upgrade Update

Our meeting onsite with the architect and project manager today confirmed my fears that the toilet works are not ready for sign off. The architect has said we must not occupy the toilets until the works have been completed and signed off.

We know that the students have been reluctant to use the portable toilets which were provided by the building company as a stop gap solution. However, with potentially another couple of weeks without adequate facilities, we are insisting that ensuite/rest room trailers are to be provided for students. These won't be in position until next week. For the remainder of the project we will be changing the current toileting system, in order to support the students better. We do not want anyone to feel that they are unable to ‘go’ when they need to.

School Council

The last meeting of the current school council is being held next week. Tenures run for 2 years, so there will be student, parent and staff positions that become available after this meeting. Please consider if this is something that you might be interested in and could commit to. There are 8 meetings held throughout the year, in person or via video link; currently held in Weeks 4 and 8 of each term, at 6.15pm on Wednesdays. Information about the election process will come out in next week’s newsletter.

Notice of School Council Meeting

The last meeting for our current school councillors is on Wednesday 18th February, at 6.15pm in Room 9.

All school community members are welcome to come and observe the meeting.

Progress Reports

Mid Term 1 Progress Reports will be made available on Compass next Friday, 20th. These reports are completed in Weeks 4 and 8 of each term and help to monitor the students’ learning habits in class. All students should be able to achieve a level of 3, the expected level. A copy of the Progress Reports matrix, which students are being assessed against will be attached to the Compass post when they are available

Careers and Pathways

Jo Macklan

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