From the Principal Class
Dear Viewbank College community,
We have had a great start to the 2022 year, despite the continuing challenges of the pandemic.
Our students have been genuinely happy and enthused about being back at school.
They have been actively engaging in their learning and happy to be back with friends.
The Department of Education has two key goals for schools in 2022:
- Learning support for those who need extra support and extension for those who have thrived. There is a specific focus on numeracy this year.
- Wellbeing – mobilising resources to support students’ wellbeing and mental health, especially the most vulnerable.
We have a strong commitment to these goals. The State Government has funded the Tutor Learning Initiative again in 2022 and we are currently identifying students who require some extra learning support and providing small group tutoring.
We already have significant resourcing in wellbeing, with our House system and wellbeing team.
In 2023 we will receive some additional funding to action more preventative wellbeing measures for all our students, as well as continue to meet the needs of our most valuable.
Welcome Anna Crosswhite
Anna Crosswhite is our new Acting Assistant Principal for term 1.
She is an experienced leader, seconded from Melbourne Girls College and will support the work of the Senior School.
John Munro, our substantive Assistant Principal, continues on personal leave.
Welcome new and returning staff to the College
New staff:
- Julien Baggiere - Maths Domain Leader
- John Baratta - Physics/Systems/Maths
- Rachael Bor - Visual Arts/VCD
- Noriko Bui - Japanese
- Louise Byron - English
- Ahmed El Alamy - Intern
- Zac Greenwood - English
- Casey Lawson - Senior School House Leader - Hydra/Psychology
- Raelene McKenzie - Student Welfare Counsellor
- Charlie Ni - Business Management
- Liam Nunan - Middle School House Leader - Stella/English
- Chris Ries - Humanities/Business Management
- Leonie Siu - Japanese
- Giao Tran - IT
- Long Tran - Middle School House Leader - Terra/Maths/Psychology
- Maddi Wallmeyer - Middle School House Leader - Hydra/PE
- Emma Wang - Maths
- Lisa Zhou - Maths/Science
We welcome back to the College:
- Celia Hooper - Maths/Science
- Eleisha Reardon - Health/PE/Staff Induction/Mentor
- Manjeet Rikhraj - Science
Covid 19
I wish to thank the whole College community for the commitment to keeping students and staff, and families, safe. Students have generally been very compliant with our safety measures, including mask wearing.
We hope that the need to use Rapid tests is relatively short-lived.
Your support in collecting and administering these has certainly helped keep reported Covid cases to a minimum.
Events
Year 7 music info evening was on Wednesday this week. This event was very well supported by parents and students and we had a lovely evening.
Check the calendar – there are plenty events coming up in the next few weeks.
We have camps, the Year 7 welcome evening as well as many sporting activities
VCE 2021
On the back of a solid performance from our class of 2021, I want to also congratulate the extraordinary success of our students in our Arts and Technology area.
We have five students selected to exhibit or perform their work in the VCAA Season of Excellence. This put them at the top of talent in their chosen area.
- Top Class Theatre (Theatre Studies): Zoe Wakelin
- Top Class Music (Music Performance): Steven Hu and Sophia Kiriakidis
- Top Class Designs (Systems and Technology): Sophia Kiriakidis and Dylan Zipsin
College Uniform
By far most of our students are wearing their uniform appropriately.
I want to thank parents and students for a great start to the 2022 year.
The main items of uniform that do not meet our uniform policy still include incorrect shoes and black socks.
I also want to highlight the number of students wearing nose rings.
The uniform policy clearly states that small studs can be worn, but not large nose rings.
We appreciate parental support in ensuring that uniform is correctly worn.
College Council Elections - call for parent and student nominations
Dear Parent/Guardian/Student,
At this time of the year, we are required to call for nominations for places on the Viewbank College Council. This is quite a commitment of time, but an invaluable experience and opportunity to contribute to all aspects of the educational program at the College as well as its governance.
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) for College Council will take place on Wednesday March 30th at 6.30pm.
This is to celebrate the achievements of 2021 and to set our course for 2022.
However, before that date, the College needs to hold College Council elections as there are councillors who will be completing their elected two-year cycle.
I encourage any members of the community to nominate.
The College Councillors whose term is about to conclude are:
Parent Member:
- David Green
- Rachel Kennedy
- Chris Madden
- Sam Riccardo
- Manjula Shaw
- Maria Tickle
- Graham Webb
Student Member:
- Helen Do
- Maddy Luvaul
Call for Nominations:
The College Council Election process begins today with the Notice of Election and Call for Nominations for the period of March 2022 - March 2024. Attached below are the relevant documents.
If you are interested, please complete the relevant nomination form and prepare a simple statement (no more than 150 words) and return to Deanne Ioannidis at the College, no later than 4pm, Friday 18th February, 2022.
Translations of these schedules in five community languages (Arabic, Dari, Traditional and Simplified Chinese and Vietnamese) can be found in the School Policy and Advisory Guide at: elections: translated documents and support materials.
Also attached are:
Candidate Statement Information:
Candidates are to prepare a brief statement to be distributed with the ballot.
This allows each electorate to gain some background about the people standing for election. It is suggested that it be no more than 150 words.
A statement from a candidate may include information about their:
- work experience, including voluntary work
- academic and professional qualifications, if applicable
- skills and abilities including those that may be useful to the council (e.g. accounting, contract management, fundraising, organising events, etc.)
- previous and current involvement with the school, and school council including subcommittees of school council
- reasons for standing for election
- interests and hobbies.
STEAM Futures Conference, 2022
Please see below information from Chris Madden, President of the Viewbank College Friends of STEAM (FOSTEAM):
Viewbank College to host the STEAM Futures Conference onsite on the 18th of March, 2022
Welcome to a new year full of new possibilities. Viewbank College has been a leader in undertaking and promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) for many years with dedicated staff supporting a range of extracurricular projects. These projects help students get that extra experience taking what they might learn in the classroom into practical applications.
On behalf of the Friends of Steam group I have the pleasure to tell you that Viewbank College will be hosting another STEAM Futures Conference on the 18th of March. This conference will bring together teachers, students and industry partners to learn about how to run successful projects for students with external partners. We are seeking your help to spread the word to anyone who might be interested in the conference, whether to attend as a teacher, to potentially run a presentation about their own project or even to sponsor the event and support more schools to be able to participate.
On behalf of the Friends of STEAM, I thank you for any help you can give in spreading the word about this event by word of mouth or social media and pointing those who might be interested to get more information from the conference website: https://www.steamfutures.viewbank.vic.edu.au/
Chris Madden
President of the VBC Friends of STEAM
Respectful Relationships Research Project with Melbourne University
In 2022, Year 7 and 9 students in Health and PE lessons will cover Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) as part of the Victorian Curriculum starting from the 21st February.
This program is designed to develop students’ resilience, positive ways of coping with problems and challenging situations, ability to help out their peers, and gender equality attitudes. This is particularly relevant given the recent pandemic and the impact on young people.
As a Lead Respect Relationships School, we are partnering with Melbourne University to gather data via a series of surveys and optional focus groups during school time.
This data will be used by Viewbank College and Educators across Victoria to optimise the teaching and learning practices in RRRR in the future.
We respectfully encourage you and your child to consent to make an invaluable contribution to this research.
Information that students provide will be de-identified.
No students name or the name of the school will be used in any reports, articles or presentations written about the research.
Additional Details
All students in Year 7 and 9 at Viewbank College will be taught the same curriculum in Health and Physical Education regardless of whether they consent to being involved in the research project. Parents who consent to their child being part of the research project can expect their child will:
- Complete 3 online surveys in class over 2022.
- If also consented, students may be selected to participate in a focus group.
- If selected to be part of a focus group, consent is also required for the session to be audio-recorded and transcribed (listened to and typed out) for the purposes of the research.
** If you do not wish to consent please select 'no' to all questions and complete the Compass permission**
Please note:
a. A student is free to pull out of the study at any time without having to explain why and totake out the information they have provided if it has not already been put in a report.
b. At any time, parents can withdraw consent for their child/ren to be in the study without having to explain why, and to request that the researchers take out any information they have provided if it has not already been included in a report.
Annual privacy 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.
Please take time to remind yourself of our school’s collection notice, found on our website Privacy Collection Notice
For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents.
This information is also available in ten community languages:
- Amharic
- Arabic
- Dari
- Gujarati
- Mandarin
- Somali
- Sudanese
- Turkish
- Urdu
- Vietnamese.
Student accident insurance, ambulance cover arrangements and private property brought to the College
The Department does not provide personal accident insurance or ambulance cover for students. Parents/carers of students, who do not have student accident insurance/ambulance cover, are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including the cost of ambulance attendance or transport as well as any other transport costs.
It is the responsibility of parents or guardians to look into their preferred options in this regard. The Department cannot provide advice to parents or guardians on the purchase of individual student accident policy or ambulance cover.
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.
This can include mobile phones, calculators, toys, sporting equipment and cars parked on school premises. As the Department does not hold insurance for personal property brought to schools and has no capacity to pay for any loss or damage to such property, students and staff should be discouraged from bringing any unnecessary or particularly valuable items to school.
Please note:
- Parents or guardians of students, who do not have student accident insurance, are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including the cost of ambulance attendance or transport as well as any other transport costs; and
- Parents or guardians can purchase insurance policies from commercial insurers.
School Photos
School photos will be taken on Friday 25th February, 2022 with a catch up morning on Wednesday 9th March.
As per College Policy, facial piercings and jewellery must not be worn for photos.
To view the full College Uniform Policy please see
COMPASS > Community > School Documentation > Dress Code.
To order school photos, please see below flyer.
Lost Property
A reminder to please ensure student's items are labelled with their name so that lost property items can be easily returned to students.
The General Office lost property cupboard is filled with items that do not have names on them and unfortunately we do not have the space to keep them. Unclaimed and unnamed school items get donated to welfare and other non school items get donated to a charity bin after 2 weeks.
Principal Class Team
Sharon Grimes, Principal
Emma Ford, Assistant Principal
Rachael Smith, Assistant Principal
Anna Crosswhite, Acting Assistant Principal