College Updates
Welcome to our new staff
This year we are welcoming a number of new staff to the College. We are looking forward to having them as part of the Lowanna College Team.
Laura Sanchez - Assistant Principal – Teaching & Learning, Data & Instructional Coach
Angela Hanley - Senior School Leader & Science Teacher
Alexandra Doolan - Junior School Leader & Maths Teacher
Evans Odemo - Maths Teacher
Melinda Ray - English Teacher
Rushini Thanthiriwatta – English Teacher
Jared Cake – Food Technology Teacher
Caitlin Marinus – English/Humanities Teacher
Emily Gibson – Health and PE Teacher
Kaylan Drzycimski - Science and Humanities Teacher
Stella Kraan – Science Teacher
Bess Wattchow - Literacy Tutor
Brayden Chandler – Learning Support Officer
Danika Mace – Learning Support Officer
Alisha Molesworth – Learning Support Officer
Milla Shaw - Learning Support Officer
Vanessa Fairburn – Maths Teacher (no photo)
Caleb Wilson - Maths Tutor (no photo)
Bailey Wilson – Maths Tutor (no photo)
Harry Brown - Maths Tutor (no photo)
Executive Team - Term 1
We would like to introduce our new Executive Team to the college community.
Bernadette Cropper - Acting Principal
Justin Rea - Acting Assistant Principal
Kristy Bannister - Assistant Principal
Laura Sanchez - Assistant Principal
Angela Skinner - Business Manager
Paul Fry - Wellbeing Leader/Social Worker
Erin Waters - Disability Inclusion Leader/Speech Pathologist
2026 School Captains
We are looking forward to having Layna, Madeline, Aiden and Zane (pictured alongside our Acting Principal, Ms. Bernadette Cropper) as our School Captains this year.
Term 1 Assembly
In Week 2, our School Captains facilitated a Whole School Assembly where they welcomed students and staff back to school for 2026. New staff were introduced, Year 7 students were welcomed and the SRC and House Captains were presented with their badges. We are looking forward to a great year ahead!
General Office
Opening Hours
The General Office is open from 8am-4pm Monday- Thursday and 8am-3.30pm on Fridays.
Meet the Team!
The General Office Team are always here to help and love being part of our school community!
From left to right: Julie Hall, Kerry Asmussen, Kylie Wandmaker, Angela Skinner, Suzanne Brown, Elly Brown, Abby Giles.
School Photo Day
Online ordering is now open!
School Photo Day is fast approaching! The main day will be on Tuesday 3 March and catchup day (for students away the week before) and the Year 12 and Sports Academy group photo will be on Tuesday 10 March.
If your student does not have media consent, please ask them to exclude themselves from the group photos (Year 12 and Sports Academy) as the image will be purchased by families throughout the school. If media consent has changed, please email the college.
Parents/guardians will receive a separate email with more information about ordering. If you would like to pay using cash, please collect an envelope from the General Office. Students are required to give the cash envelope directly to the photographer on the day.
If you have any questions regarding school photo day or ordering, please contact MSP Photography directly on 03 9115 1642.
Senior School Toilets Project
We’re pleased to share some exciting news about improvements to our Senior School facilities.
Construction is well underway on our brand-new Senior School toilets. The upgraded facilities will feature fully separate, individual cubicles designed to provide students with greater privacy, comfort and a stronger sense of safety. This modern design reflects our ongoing commitment to student wellbeing, ensuring that our learning environment supports the needs of all students.
We’re happy to report that the builders are making excellent progress and the project is on track for completion in the first week of the April school holidays, ready for students to enjoy upon their return.
The project has been made possible through the successful securing of a $450,000 grant by our Business Manager, Angela Skinner. This build will deliver a lasting benefit to our school community for years to come.
We look forward to sharing further updates as the project nears completion.
Charge your devices
A reminder to students that they need to arrive to class on time with the correct equipment and ensure that their technology (ie. laptop) is charged, ready for learning.
College Uniform
If you have any questions about the college uniform, please see the Uniform Policy below or contact Angela Skinner, Business Manager, on 03 5127 9200.
Bell Times
Please refer below for bell times. It is important that students are arriving to class on time with the correct equipment.
Homegroup - 8.45am - 8.55am
Period 1 - 9am - 9.57am
Period 2 - 10.03am - 11am
Recess - 11am - 11.25am
Period 3 - 11.25am - 12.22pm
Period 4 - 12.28pm - 1.25pm
Lunchtime - 1.25pm - 2.03pm
Period 5 -2.03pm - 3pm
Visitors
To help keep our school safe, all visitors to Lowanna College are required to sign in at Reception upon arrival and wear a visitor pass at all times.
Visitors are not permitted to move around the school without a pass.
Thank you for helping keep our school a safe and welcoming place.
Breakfast Club
Breakfast Club runs every school morning from 8am in the Dining Room.
Sports Academy Applications Now Open
Applications for the Lowanna College Sports Academy Program are open for 2027! The Lowanna College Sports Academy recognises the importance of providing students with a fulfilling and challenging education that allows young student-athletes to develop their sporting talent while building confidence, character and leadership skills.
To apply, visit our website: https://www.lowanna.vic.edu.au/lowanna-sports-academy/
*Please note that all current students must reapply.
For more information, please email sportsacademy@lowanna.vic.edu.au.
Sports Academy Fitness Testing
In Week 2, our Year 7-10 Sports Academy students participated in fitness testing which was facilitated by Rookie Me. It was great for the students to be tested in a high-performance environment and to be able to see where they rank compared to other athletes in their age group across the country. Well done to the huge effort demonstrated by our students on the day.
Immunisation Information and Consent
Please find attached important information regarding the upcoming Year 7 and 10 immunisations which are occurring on Thursday 26 March. Please complete consent as soon as possible - consent forms will not be accepted after Wednesday 25 March.
If you have any questions, please contact the Latrobe City Council Immunisation Team (details in the attachment).
Changes to School Council
From 2026, parents, carers and community members who would like to join the school council need a working with children (WWC) clearance to nominate. If you are considering nominating for school council, and don’t already have a WWCC, we encourage you to apply for a volunteer WWCC as soon as possible. This will allow for processing times, which are estimated to be from 3 to 12 weeks.
Please note that if you do not hold a WWC clearance, you will not be able to nominate for school council, so it is vital that you prepare in advance. Obtaining a WWC clearance is free for volunteers, and you can apply online at Service Victoria.
When applying for your volunteer WWCC, please nominate the Department of Education as the organisation you are working for.
If you already hold an employee WWC clearance, you do not need to obtain a volunteer WWC clearance to nominate for school council.
Victorian Institute of Teaching-registered teachers and school students who are interested in joining school council are not required to obtain a WWC clearance.
Current parents and community members of school council do not need to apply for a WWC check immediately. Current members only need a WWC clearance if their term ends and they wish to nominate or be co-opted again. For more information, refer to Ministerial Order 1280 (Constitution of Government School Councils) 2020.
Art Update
Middle School Ceramics
Year 11 Art Creative Practice
LIA Update
Things are buzzing in the Lowanna Institute of the Arts! Our musical cast has now been officially locked in and rehearsals are off to a fantastic start, with students diving into lively table reads and exploring early set and lighting concepts through hands on design workshops.
We’re also thrilled to share that LIA has received a generous donation from Energy Australia: two Sennheiser microphone sets, which will significantly enhance the quality of our performances and production work.
LIA students have also represented themselves proudly at the recent Swimming Carnival, assisting with the running of the banner making competition for their respective houses, bringing creativity, leadership, teamwork and plenty of colour to the day!
Excitement is building for our upcoming excursion to Melbourne to see the professional production of MJ the Musical, an opportunity for students to be inspired by industry level performance and design. Across all specialty areas, LIA students are developing commercial and promotional artworks: Music students are crafting catchy jingles, Visual Arts students are designing logos and Drama students are producing their very own commercial.
To top it all off, we were delighted to welcome Michelle Theunissen from Amaka Creative for an in-school incursion, where she guided students in developing their stagecraft and performance skills.
It’s been a vibrant and creative start to the term, and we can’t wait to see what our young artists produce next!
Logo Creation
Our first cohort of LIA students have the exciting task of designing the LIA logo. See below the amazing sketches so far!
NAPLAN Information
Please find attached important information regarding the upcoming NAPLAN tests.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the college on 03 5127 9200.
Falls Creek EOI's Now Open
We are excited to be offering our annual Falls Creek Snow Camp for Year 7-11 students again this year. Snow Camp is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn a new skill and make memories with their friends and staff. Please express your interest using the below link by Sunday 19 April. Please note that places are limited.
Falls Creek 2026- Expression of Interest – Fill out form
If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Ashley Scott on 03 5127 9200.
Canteen Information
How to Guide
Please find attached 'How to Guide' to assist you in using Compass Canteen.
Term 1 Menu
Please find attached Term 1 Canteen Menu.
Swimming Carnival Fun
The annual Swimming Carnival was a great opportunity for students and staff to have fun outside of the classroom. Students participated in a range of activities including novelty events, races and the diving competition. Our LIA students made some amazing team banners on the day too!
Congratulations to the Blue Sharks who once again were victorious!
School Bus Update
Some families will already be aware that several of our school bus services have reached capacity, and we acknowledge that this has unfortunately impacted a number of students.
We are in consultation with the bus lines and Department of Transport and Planning regarding one particular Moe service to help ease capacity pressures. We will contact the families affected by this change as soon as implementation details are received and confirmed.
To further manage demand, we have made the difficult decision that Year 10–12 students who travel to school via train will now be required to use public transport for their entire journey. These students will be removed from the school bus roll.
From Term 2, we will be introducing a School Bus ID Card for students using the Moe and Yallourn North services. This initiative will help ensure students board the correct bus and assist us in monitoring capacity more effectively.
At present, we are unable to accept new applications for two Moe services due to capacity limits; however, a waitlist is available. Public transport or personal transfers to school will be required in the meantime. Please note that we are not accepting applications for students requiring transport between the train station and school. These students must use public transport.
School buses are not available for ad-hoc student travel to the Moe town centre. Students travelling to Moe for work or social purposes must use the public bus network, not the school bus service.
Information on public bus schedules and Youth Myki Cards to obtain free travel for Under 18’s can be found at Transport Victorias website: www.transport.vic.gov.au.
Students requiring transport to and from their residential address must be registered on the school bus roll to access school bus services. If you require a school bus application form or have any questions, please contact the General Office on 03 5127 9200.
Anniversary of National Apology to the Stolen Generations
Friday 13 February marked the anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations. It was a significant milestone for healing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who suffered as a result of past government policies.
Reading Club
Miss Sheahey's Reading Club is every Wednesday in M2 (see attached poster)! Come along with your favourite book for some down time between classes.
Science Club
Commencing in Week 5!
