Principal's Report

I hope everyone had a fantastic break. The staff and students are raring to go, and we have had a great start to the year – it’s so nice to be back! The staff returned on Tuesday for a day of professional learning and some time to prepare for the return of our students. Wednesday (the first day back for students) started with a whole school assembly, followed by Year Level Engagement assemblies; then students and teachers were back in the classroom, getting on with our core business. Our Year 7s had some extra time getting themselves acquainted with the school and staff.

Welcome BBQ

Getting to know our families helps to create the partnership required to help provide the best education for your child. To ring in the new year, we will be holding our Welcome BBQ on Wednesday 12th February, from 5-7pm, outside the Jessie Hollonds Studios. More information will come out next week.

Bushfire Policy

We are a school on the Bushfire At Risk Register (BARR),therefore, our school will be closed on a Catastrophic Fire Danger Rating day. There will be no one allowed on site and school buses will be cancelled. There are also corresponding pre-emptive actions required on High and Extreme days.

Where possible, we will provide between 4 – 7 days’ notice of a potential Catastrophic day closure by letter home, Compass notification and email. Once a Catastrophic day is confirmed, we will provide advice before the end of the school day.

Once confirmed, the decision to close will not change.

It is also important to note that:

• No staff will be on site on days where the school is closed due to a forecast Catastrophic day. 

• As a bus co-ordinating school all bus routes will be cancelled. 

On these Catastrophic days families are encouraged to enact their Bushfire Survival Plan –children should never be left at home or in the care of older children. The CFA advise that when Catastrophic days are forecast, the safest option is to leave the night before or early on the morning of the Catastrophic day. 

What can parents do? 

• Make sure your family’s bushfire survival plan is up-to-date and includes alternative care arrangements in the event that our school is closed. 

• Ensure we have your current contact details, including your mobile phone numbers. Keep in touch with us by checking Compass and emails.

• If your child is old enough, talk to them about bushfires and your family’s bushfire survival plan. 

• You can access more information here

For up-to-date emergency information see: 

• emergency.vic.gov.au (https://emergency.vic.gov.au/respond/) • CFA Facebook and Twitter • ABC local radio, Sky News and other emergency broadcasters • VicEmergency Hotline (1800 226 226).

Swimming Sports

House Swimming Sports will be held on Tuesday 11th February. All students are expected at school, even if they aren’t participating in any swimming events. They can still earn points for their house in many other ways. Students are also encouraged to dress in their house colours - remember to choose SunSmart outfits.Family members are most welcome to attend. If you would like to volunteer to help, please contact Jenny Farrington at school.

School for Student Leadership

We have a team of Year 9 students heading to the School for Student Leadership (SSL) - Don Valley Campus this weekend. The group will attend school at SSL for the rest of Term one. We wish them all the best and look forward to hearing and seeing what they have learnt!

Good luck to Tom Docherty, Bridget Hams, Whare Pahina, Suniya Taylor and Lincoln Wilson.

Policies

Mount Beauty Secondary College has a range of policies available. We have drawn your attention to some key policies in this newsletter, with more being available on our website.