PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
Principals Newsletter Report – 11 Feb 2022
A very warm welcome back to Western Heights College for another year of learning and a special welcome to our new students and their families, especially our new Year 7 students. It has been wonderful to engage with you all and get to know understand your goals and aspirations for learning and pathways. I hope you have all managed to enjoy a timely break with your family and loved ones during the new year period. Whatever you managed to do, I hope you are all feeling relaxed, hopeful and excited for learning this year. I have certainly enjoyed time with family for the Christmas period in Port Fairy, a good dose of the cricket and the tennis (Go Ash Barty!) and some time to disconnect in the high country without phones and the internet. I have had fun listening to many of our students stories and tales about their holidays over the past week or so.
Well done also to the parents and carers for ensuring their students were school ready and attended our “Ready to Learn” interviews prior to commencement. The interviews seemed to be successful and an opportunity for students, teachers, parents and carers to discuss the school year and ensure we have the right information and mindset for a positive start for 2022.
This year we have also welcomed to our college a number of new staff and we look forward to learning more about them over the next few newsletters when we will profile each one of them. All new staff members were introduced to our college community at our assembly last Thursday morning. It’s great to see them all settling in really well and working with our school community. We wish all new members of our school community well. New staff include -
· Ms. Shona Scorringe (Inclusive Practices Learning Specialist)
· Mr. Sam Johns (Maths/Science)
· Miss Rachel Daly (Maths and Science)
· Mrs. Leeanne Irving (Education Support)
· Ms Louise Van Dugteren (Literacy Intervention and year 8 learning community leader)
· Miss Lily Fowler (History/English)
· Miss Georgia Pike (English)
· Ms. Erin O’Brien (Education Support)
· Ms. Cate Johnson (Specialist Sports Program)
· Mr Victor de Koster (VCAL Team)
· Mrs Kendall Carraher (Maths)
· Ms Paige Karamatic (Literacy Intervention)
· Mr Tom Hornsey (The Academy Program)
· Ms Nicole Smith (Head Start Program Team)
· Ms. Dani Lozar (Food Technology/Woodwork)
Looking back on 2021 VCE and VCAL Results
Given the 2021 Senior Years results were released on 16 December 2021, we thought it worthwhile celebrating them again. We thought it important to remind everyone of the outstanding success of our 2021 graduates. We are incredibly proud of our students’ achievements, and the pathways they have gained entry into. Congratulations to our 2021 College Dux Jasmine Whatley. Jasmine has successfully obtained placement at her desired destination of the University of Melbourne to study a Bachelor of Arts. Jasmine was also awarded a scholarship to the University of Melbourne in 2021 to support her studies and has obtained a placement to reside at the prestigious Newman College. Not only has Jasmine received outstanding results but she successfully managed to combine her studies with an elite Basketball career, social life and working casually at Coles Supermarket. Jasmine was invited back to our first school assembly on Thursday last week and was presented in front of the whole school with a plaque, macbook computer to support her university studies. We are very proud of Jasmine. At this assembly we also recognised the terrific study scores obtained by Amanda Briese for her Music Performance study score result of 45, Tiana Prodonov with her result of 41 for Health and Human Development and Jasmine for her outstanding study score in History of 43.
We also acknowledged the wonderful achievements in 2021 of our VCAL Dux, Bridie O’Connor for her outstanding results and resilience shown over the 2 years whilst completing her VCAL.
It was pleasing to note that the majority of students received first round offers for University courses of choice and we wish all 2021 graduates with every success as their learning or vocational journey now continues in an exciting variety of directions.
School Council and Sub-Committees – call for interested parents
During February, we will once again be seeking nominations for School Council and its various Sub-Committees.
They are all enjoyable and positive experiences. There are 3 mandatory membership categories for a school council:
parent members (4 members)
school employee members (3 school employees)
student members — 2 College Captains and 3 other students (5 students in total)
Many school councils also have community members (up to 4 members)
All parents or carers of students enrolled at the school are eligible to vote for parent members, staff vote for school employee members, and students vote for student members. Community members are co-opted by the school council.
School Council - meets 8 times per year (twice per term) during the evenings on Mondays from 6:00 – 7.30 pm.
Please find a parent self-nomination form for school council at the General Office of the college.
Nominations for College Council will open on Monday 14 February and close on Friday 25 February. If more nominations for parent/carer council places are received a ballot will take place during the week of 28 Feb - 4 March. Each parent/carer will be permitted to vote.
If you have any questions – please do not hesitate to contact me.
Making noise to build our new school gym
A major part of Council and parent community involvement this year will be to advocate for funding to advance the completion of the Western Heights College regeneration project which commenced in 2006. We know that a great school does not rely on its facilities, but great facilities certainly enhance the learning opportunities and collaboration between students and between staff, and they also inspire us. Our school grounds are beautiful and our learning environments bright and engaging but our school is still making use of the old single court gym on our previous site of the Quamby campus. In the past 2 years many of our students, staff and parent community wrote letters and emails to our local members and education minister for Victoria.
We need our community to come together to demonstrate the need for funding to construct a new gymnasium and multi-purpose sports centre on our Vines Road site. It will be important for both parents and students to represent our needs.
We have strong support from our local member, Mr John Eren (Member for Lara).
Mr. Eren is keen to hear from our college community and it would be wonderful if parents/carers would like to send him an email and discuss this important final stage 3 in our school masterplan development which commenced in 2006. Some 16 years later, it is now time to finish our school. His email address is john.eren@parliament.vic.gov.au;
Uniforms in 2022
A reminder to all students and parents/carers that students should be in full school uniform. It has been really pleasing to see so many students wearing the new uniform adopted for the first time in 2020. The changeover transition period for the whole school to be wearing the new school uniform is this year 2022. Our uniform is gender-neutral and all items can be worn year-round. Please do not hesitate if you require support in obtaining pieces of uniform to contact the colleges well-being team by emailing Jenny Eastwood at the college by emailing Jennifer.eastwood@education.vic.gov.au;
Families may also request assistance with purchasing school uniform from the following organisations:
* Smith Family Learning for Life provides support and financial assistance to help disadvantaged children stay at school. The program runs in select disadvantaged areas.
A Start in Life provides financial assistance to disadvantaged students and families to ensure they can access the same learning opportunities as their peers. For information phone (02) 9264 3017.
* Opening the Doors Foundation provides education assistance for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander students enrolled in an independent educational institution in Victoria.
* The Queen’s Fund Financial assistance with the cost of educational expenses for children. Applications must be completed by a social worker or a community agency that works with you.
* Good Shepherd Micro-finance is a great initiative that has financial programs to assist families on low or limited incomes with educational costs and other expenses. One of their programs is the No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) which gives access to fair and safe credit up to $1,200 for essential educational items.
* Saver Plus This is financial education and up to $500 in matched savings for education costs for individuals and families who have at least some regular income from work. For information phone 1300 610 355.
Second-hand uniforms are also bought and sold by local families on our colleges facebook page, buy, swap and sell.
Breakfast Club “Grab and Go”
Breakfast Club will run at the school canteen every Monday – Friday commencing next week from 8.15am -8.45am. There will be fresh apples and non-perishable foods available such as cereal, muesli, baked beans, toast, fruit cups and milk. All students are welcome!
College Yearbook
One of the highlights of each year is the publication of our College yearbook. Once again, it did not disappoint. Congratulations to Ms Anna Hurley on producing a creative and entertaining snapshot of our 2021 year. The yearbook captured well the interesting year we had. Students can receive a copy of the yearbook by collecting it from the general office in the administration building for $20.
Open Night for 2023 Prospective Students
Our Open Night will be held on Wednesday 2 March between 6-8pm. This is a great opportunity for prospective parents and students to see our learning spaces and to hear about the rich program of learning and extra-curricular activities that we offer including our Specialist Sports Program and our new Accelerate Program for High Ability Learners. Our leadership team will be visiting local primary schools with information for Grade 4, 5 and 6 students over the next few weeks.
There will be morning tours offered on subsequent Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 10am until May during term 2.
Congratulations Amanda
Amanda Briese has been invited to perform in VCE Season of Excellence audition for Top Class Music 2022!
Top Class Music features performances by Music Performance, Music Investigation and VCE VET Music Industry (Performance) students that received top marks in their 2021 performance exams. This concert is part of our VCE Season of Excellence which celebrates exceptional works created by VCE students in performing arts, composition, visual arts, design and research.
The 2022 Top Class Music concerts will take place on Monday 21 March and Tuesday 22 March at the Melbourne Recital Centre. These concerts will also be live streamed via Australian Digital Concert Hall.
Tickets to the concert audience and live stream are available now via the Melbourne Recital Centre Box Office.
We are incredibly proud of Amanda!
Insurance and Ambulance Cover for Students
Parents/carers are reminded that the Department (and the College) does not provide personal accident insurance, personal property insurance or ambulance cover for students. Parents/carers are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for their child/ren, including the cost of ambulance attendance/transport and any other transport costs.
Private property brought to school by students, staff or visitors is not insured and the Department does not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage. Parents/carers can purchase insurance policies and ambulance cover from commercial insurers if they wish for their children.
Coronavirus update
Rapid Antigen Tests have now been delivered by the Department of Education and distributed to students.
We are expecting additional deliveries of RAT tests early next week and these will be distributed to students and families. As soon as they arrive they will be distributed.
It is recommended that students do 2 tests per week.
1. Students who report a positive result must isolate for seven days and not attend school during that period.
2. Where a student is a household contact of a positive case (that is, they have spent more than four hours with someone who has COVID-19 inside a house, accommodation, or care facility) they must inform the school and isolate for seven days and not attend school during that period.
3. Parents/guardians must also report a positive result to the school, by phone 5277 1177 or COMPASS email.
4. Students must not return to school if they remain sick.
Parents are asked to log any positive test results on the designated web site:
https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/rapid-antigen-tests#report-a-positive-result-on-a-rapid-antigen-test
or via the coronavirus hotline at 1800 675 398.
Vaccination requirements
Parents and carers must have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine or have a valid medical exception (with limited exceptions) to enter school buildings. All staff working in schools need to be fully vaccinated or have a verified medical exception. COVID-19 vaccinations for students are not required for them to attend school but vaccination for students is encouraged. For more information on how to book a vaccination, including important information about vaccination for children aged 5 to 11, visit Vaccination information for children and teenagers.
Ventilation
We will also make sure that classrooms are well ventilated by opening windows and doors, to minimise the risk of infection. We have received enough (51) air purifiers for one to be situated in every learning community and high risk classrooms within the school. These units provide an additional safety measure.
Staffing our school
I know many of you will have questions about what happens if your child’s teacher gets COVID-19. We will be able to bring in extra teachers and other staff if we need them, and we will be doing everything that we can to make sure our school stays safe and open. Where teachers are isolating and able to teach from home, we will organise for them to connect virtually to the classroom and provide supervision in the classroom at school.
Feel free to contact us to clarify any concerns you may have. We thank you for your families' participation in following the COVIDsafe measures that are in place such as mask wearing, testing and social distancing that will allow our students to return to the classroom.
Thank you for your continued support.
Finally
While it is great news that all schools have returned to on-site learning, it is critical that we all remain vigilant in maintaining a COVID-Safe environment. Actions such as staying home when unwell, performing regular hand hygiene, RAT testing the recommended twice per week and maintaining physical distance and wearing masks in class are simple measures, but are of the utmost importance.
That said, it is exciting to once again allow all students and staff to experience the full richness of school, particularly those aspects that were so difficult to maintain through the last 2 years, including participation in performing arts, sport, practical activities in science and technology, school performances, camps and excursions.
We learnt a lot about what Victoria’s education system is capable of last year again, as WHC successfully innovated and adapted time and time again.
Thank you also for your excellent support in ensuring that your children have been well prepared for the start of the year. We have had enjoyed a busy, yet positive start, and this is in part due to your efforts, especially with books, equipment, devices and uniform.
If you have any concerns or questions about how your child has settled in, please do not hesitate to contact their Learning Community Leader.
I wish you all well for the year ahead and look forward to working with you.
Fiona Taylor
College Principal
Child Safety at WHC
Western Heights College is a child safe organisation committed to protecting students from all forms of abuse.
Our College has stringent protocols in place and endeavours at all times to be fully compliant with the Child Safe Standards set out under Ministerial Order 870.
Our College has the following documents and policies in place to achieve compliance with the Standards. All of these documents are available for downloading on our website or contact the school for a copy.
1. Commitment to Child Safety
2. Child Safety Policy
3. Child Safety Code of Conduct
4. Child Protection Policy and Procedures
Annual privacy policy reminder for 2022
Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy.(found on the colleges webpage)
Please take time to remind yourself of our school’s collection notice, found on our website. For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents and carers on the webpage. This information is also available in nine community languages:
* Amharic
* Arabic
* Dari
* Gujarati
* Mandarin
* Somali
* Sudanese
* Turkish
* Urdu
* Vietnamese.
Pathways News
Tax File Number (TFN)
Any student will need at tax file number if they start work (part-time and full-time) and all students planning on a tertiary education require one when they start. Importantly, current Year 12 students are reminded that they cannot enrol in a CSP (Commonwealth Support Place) course at university without a Tax File Number, so it is worthwhile getting an application submitted early! Students must apply for a TFN online and have their identity verified through an interview at a participating Australia Post office. To apply and also to find out about participating Post Offices, visit TFN Application
Start learning an instrument in 2022
Would you like to learn an instrument?
Would you like to share the joy of creating music in a social setting?
Learning music can help students’ self-confidence, self-discipline and teamwork. Music helps students progress in other important learning areas such as Maths and English. Music Australia also notes that countries with a strong focus on music education tend to have higher scores in literacy and numeracy. Engaging music programs have been shown to help with attendance and can be particularly beneficial for students who are not achieving well in school.
"All of this evidence for music’s extrinsic benefits make a strong case for music education but should not overshadow the sheer joy people experience making music, nor the value of the artform itself”. – Music Australia.
It’s not too late to join the Instrumental Music program in 2022. Please contact Mr. Mathew Bolton or Christina Bowden on 52771177.
Debating or Public Speaking in 2022
Come and join the team!
This year Mr Edmonds will be coordinating the debating and public speaking related extracurricular activities in 2022. If you would like to get involved or are interested. Please speak to Mr. Brett Edmonds.
