PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

14/11/25

As we move towards the final weeks of term, it’s important to maintain our learning motivation right to the finish line. This is something I have been reminding students and staff of in the past weeks.  Students may be starting to tire due to sustaining that learning motivation right through to the end of term. The anxiety of what next year might bring may be starting to kick in. And one thing we can be pretty sure of is that routines established across the year both at school and home will possibly become a little lost and less predictable as we edge closer to the end of the school year. As parents, we can support this conversation at home – checking in with how their day was and how they contributed. The more we can be on the same page to thank and congratulate our young people for showing behaviours that align with our values and beliefs, the more they will be inclined to keep going. 

The final sprint to the 2025 finish line is upon us. I’m certainly looking forward to finishing off the year well.

VCE Exams Conclude

The last of the Year 12 VCE examinations for WHC students will be conducted today. 

Our Year 12 cohort are to be commended the way they conducted themselves during the exam period and over the course of this busy and challenging final term of their secondary schooling.

We all now wait with a sense of anticipation until the VCE results are published on Thursday 11 December. An update on those results will be communicated in the final Newsletter of the school year.

School Captains 2026

Congratulations to Ben Pocock and Lexi Whatley who have recently been appointed to the positions of school captains for 2026. Both Ben and Lexie have been wonderful leaders in our school community since they both commenced in Year 7. They will be ably supported by Duncan Coleman and Molly D’Andria as Vice Captains. I wish to congratulate and thank all students and staff who have been part of the selection process for 2026 leadership roles. The standard of leaders in our school community is very high and it was terrific to have so many apply for leadership roles for 2026. Stay tuned to our schools facebook page over the coming weeks as we introduce our whole student leadership team for 2026 and their plans for the next 12 months.

Year 10 Formal

Congratulations to all Year 10 staff and students who celebrated the Year 10 Formal last Friday evening at Bellevue Receptions in Pakington St. The students looked amazing and enjoyed a lovely evening together with great food and the DJ. 

Student Sporting Achievement and Selection

Huge congratulations to Ollie Schouten-Durham, who recently placed first at the Victorian All Schools Track and Field Championships winning gold in the Javelin. This is a terrific achievement, and we are very proud of Ollie.

Congratulations to Ruby Flett on her selection in the Victorian Country U16 State Cricket Team. Ruby will represent Victoria at the national Carnival in January. Well done, Rubes, we are super proud of you and your journey in our High-performance Program. 

Well done to Arlo Shawcross who recently earnt himself an automatic wildcard entry into the Australian Open Para Tennis competition after winning the Victorian Para Tennis Open recently. We are so proud of Arlo and are enjoying watching him grow and develop into a fine student and para tennis player.

A big congratulations also to Emmanual Majak and Riak Akhuar on their selection to the 2026 National Performance Camp held this January 2026 at the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence. Manny and Riak now become the 4th and 5th WHC students to be selected to attend the NPC in the last 5 years – a super accolade for our Basketball Program. Well done, Boys! Well done to Malik Davis and Spencer Smith, along with our Staff member Sam Johns (Assistant Coach) for their selection in the Victorian U20 Navy Team for the National Carnival in January. A super achievement!

And finally, congratulations to both Georgia Tyrell and mason Williams for winning the Best and fairest recently for the Geelong falcons. Both students are part of our AFL program and have thrived over the past few years. We are super proud of both students.

Year 12 Graduation

Our Year 12 Graduation will be conducted with over 650 guests this coming Thursday night at GMHBA stadium. It will be a lovely opportunity to reflect on the year that was and to commend our Year 12 students on finishing their secondary education. I am looking forward to the event.

“Getting There Safely”

A reminder to parents and carers to support their children to safely walk or ride their bikes/scooters home from school or to and from bus stops and train stations. 

Getting There Safely is an approach developed by the City of Greater Geelong, working together with local schools and key partners in several ways, via a formal traffic management procedure that includes the following.

• Reviewing parking arrangements outside schools when requested by a school, to determine if current infrastructure is contributing to a safety issue.
• Assessing any reported physical barriers to walking and cycling to school, such as availability of cycle paths, cycle storage and drinking fountains.
• Providing school crossings and supervisors where criteria are met, plus a Local Laws service to monitor safety at or near crossings.
• Monitoring speeds and liaising with Victoria Police about speeding in school speed zones.
• Promoting existing resources such as the Kids on the Move traffic safety education kit to teachers.
• Offering schools practical help developing school travel plans, such as maps to plot where students live, to highlight if families are within walking distance (up to 1.5km) and a school travel planning CD.
• Offering road safety sessions and information for parents, to help keep children safe.
• Providing resources and support to help parents and carers address fears and reasons behind driving, thus encouraging ‘active travel’ modes.
• Promoting and supporting ‘active travel’ annual events in schools.This approach has achieved many positive outcomes for road safety and promotion of ‘active transport’.

Through the Geelong Road Safety Plan, this documented approach will become core business for The City of Greater Geelong and schools.

Early Commencement Program 2026

Our 2026 Early Commencement Program (ECP) will begin on Monday 1st December for all students entering Years 11 and 12 in 2026 (and current Year 9 students who will be studying a VCE subject next year).

This week-long program provides students with a valuable head start in their 2026 studies, introducing key learning expectations and course content to ensure a smooth and confident transition into the new academic year.

A timetable and further details will be released shortly. It is essential that all students attend the program through to its conclusion on Friday 5 December, which will also mark the final day for our current Year 10 and 11 students.

End of Year Key Dates

• Year 12 Graduation – Thursday 20 November, GMHBA Stadium
• Final day for 2024 Year 10 and 11 students – Friday 5 December
• College Awards Evening – Thursday 11 December, GMHBA Stadium
• 2025 Report Feedback (by appointment) – Thursday 18 and Friday 19 December

As we continue through Term 4, I thank all staff, students, and families for their ongoing efforts and engagement. The coming weeks will be filled with celebration, reflection, and planning for the exciting year ahead.

Have a great weekend,

Fiona

Enjoy the next fortnight,

Fiona Taylor

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.

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 2025

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 college's 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