PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Principal’s Newsletter Report 1 April 2026

What a wonderful start to 2026 at Western Heights College. Our school theme this year

“Time to Level Up” has been embraced wholeheartedly by students, staff and families, and it has been a pleasure to watch the energy and commitment that everyone has brought to Term 1. I am incredibly proud of our school community and all that has been achieved in the first term together.

As we close out the term, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of the highlights

and share the progress we are making across learning, wellbeing and our school community. There is so much to celebrate.

Congratulations Tahlia Saunders

The Department of Education’s Performing Arts Unit auditioned and interviewed students from across the state for this year’s Victorian State Schools Spectacular main cast and crew.

Yesterday, I was thrilled to receive notice that Tahlia Saunders has secured a role in this year’s Spectacular core first nations ensemble. The Spectacular will be performed twice on Saturday 29 August in Melbourne, followed by a television broadcast in December on channel 7. Rehearsals have commenced for this year’s production which will showcase more than 3,000 Victorian government school students in a performance of music, song, dance, circus and backstage areas such as audio, lighting, vision and stage management. We are also thrilled to have students involved in the mass dance and choir in 2026.

Back-to-Back National Championship for our Year 12 Twins

I’m proud to share that Tadhg and Zander Bailey (Year 12) are now back-to-back Australian National Schoolboy Double Champions, representing Western Heights College. They went undefeated through their heat, semi-final and final at Lake Barrington, finishing their school rowing careers on a remarkable high. Over the past two years, the boys have remained undefeated at both Victorian and National level in the Schoolboy double scull, an achievement they should be incredibly proud of. Western Heights College is incredibly proud of both boys, and we also acknowledge the incredible support the boys have received from the Corio Bay Rowing Club and of course, their mum Deaarna.

Learning and Teaching

Our AIP for 2026 centres on two key priority areas: Learning & Teaching and Wellbeing & Engagement. These priorities drive everything we do and ensure our students are supported to thrive academically, socially and emotionally.

School Improvement Teams continue to meet every three weeks, providing strong collaborative structures for staff to plan, reflect and refine their practice. In Term 1, our focus has been on building consistent, predictable classroom routines — a foundation that helps every student feel safe, settled and ready to learn.

Learning Walks have been a highlight this term, with school leaders visiting classrooms to observe and celebrate the wonderful teaching taking place. The focus on predictable routines have been evident across the college, and it has been heartening to see the positive impact on student engagement and learning.

Student Wellbeing and Engagement

The wellbeing of our students is always at the heart of everything we do. Our dedicated wellbeing team has been working tirelessly to support students’ social and emotional needs. We continue to use supports from the Geelong Project (TGP) referrals and Positive Support Plans to ensure every student receives the individualised support they need.

Dylan Dunoon, our Disability Inclusion Leader, has been instrumental in supporting students with additional needs and ensuring our inclusive practices continue to strengthen. We are committed to every student feeling that they belong at Western Heights.

Mobile Phone Ban

The mobile phone ban continues to be implemented smoothly across the college, and we have seen positive effects on student focus, social interaction and engagement throughout the day. Thank you to families for supporting this statewide policy.

Travelling on public transport

We have also been actively managing bus and train travel behaviour. Ensuring our students travel safely and respectfully is important, and we appreciate the partnership with families in reinforcing these expectations.

Year 7 Anglesea Discovery Camp

One of the standout events of Term 1 was the Year 7 Anglesea Discovery Camp, held from 23–25 March. A total of 196 students attended. The camp was a wonderful opportunity for our newest students to build friendships, develop resilience and connect with their teachers outside the classroom. A big thank you to Adam Ross (Assistant Principal, Years 7–8), Andrew Erwin (Year 7 Sub-School Leader) and all the staff who made this experience so special for our students.

New College Gymnasium

The construction of our new gymnasium, delivered through the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA), continues to progress well. This is a transformative project for our college and one that our students and community are eagerly anticipating. We are currently developing a late works package to make the most of uncommitted project funds. Plans being explored include an outdoor futsal and multi-purpose court, some further tiered landscaping and seating on the northern end of the new gymnasium overlooking the outdoor netball courts. These additions would significantly enhance the facility and provide even greater benefit to our students and community.

I look forward to sharing further updates as this exciting project moves toward

completion.

Insurance and Ambulance Cover

A reminder that the Department of Education and the College do not provide personal accident insurance, personal property insurance or ambulance cover for students. Parents and carers are responsible for any costs relating to medical treatment, including ambulance attendance and transport. Private property brought to school is not insured. Families may wish to arrange their own insurance and ambulance cover through a commercial provider.

As we head into the Term 1 break, I want to sincerely thank every student, staff member and family for an outstanding start to 2026. The energy, commitment and kindness shown across our college community is something truly special.

I hope everyone enjoys a well-deserved rest over the holidays. I look forward to welcoming you all back for an equally exciting Term 2 on Monday 20th April.

Warm regards,

Fiona Taylor

Principal, Western Heights College

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