YEAR 7-8 SCHOOL NEWS
Welcome to the 2026 school year at Western Heights College
We are delighted to welcome students and families back for the start of the school year and look forward to a positive and productive term ahead.
This year, we are strengthening our mentor program, with all students engaging in a dedicated 30-minute mentor session every Tuesday. Mentor time focuses on pastoral care, wellbeing, and connection, while also supporting the development of resilience and empathy through The Resilience Project and Respectful Relationships. Your child’s mentor teacher will be in touch over the next week and will be a key point of contact for students and families throughout the year.
Our school theme for 2026 is “Every day matters.” We understand that our students lead busy lives and many travel significant distances to attend WHC. Regular attendance plays a vital role in academic success, and we ask families to support students to attend every day wherever possible. If your child is absent due to illness or other reasons, please ensure absences are recorded via Compass and, where possible, avoid taking holidays during the school term.
If attendance drops or absences haven’t been explained, the school may follow up through Anthe in the front office, a mentor teacher, or a coordinator. Please reach out early if your child is showing signs of school reluctance—we are here to help with academic and wellbeing support.
Our goal is to have all students attending regularly, and we will celebrate students achieving 90% attendance or higher each term—with a challenge to aim for 100% attendance!
Key dates coming up:
Year 8 PAT testing – next week
Year 7 Swimming Carnival – Tuesday 17 February (Year 8 students welcome to join—sign up required)
Year 7 Specialist Sports Program Welcome Evening – Wednesday 18 February
Open Evening for 2027 Year 7 families – Wednesday 25 February
We look forward to a fantastic year ahead.