Principal's Report

In the recent weeks, our students have been fully immersed in a series of assessments and exams, putting the finishing touches on their coursework for 2023. It's been a busy time! Our Year 11 and Year 10 students successfully completed their final assessments and smoothly transitioned into the GO program, getting ready for what lies ahead in 2024. The GO Program is designed to give students a head start, allowing them to start their 2024 classes early and to prepare them for success. Throughout the week, our students have attended their new classes, have started their learning for 2024 and received study materials to work on over the holiday break.

Preparations are well underway for the transition of our incoming Year 7 students. Our dedicated Year 7 Team have been actively visiting local primary schools to gather insights about our new students, ensuring a seamless transition into their learning journey at Lilydale Heights College. Recently, we conducted a virtual session for all our new students, providing an introduction to key people within the school and sharing details about the upcoming Orientation Day. The engagement from our new students was remarkable, with many posing insightful questions about the high school experience. The transition to high school can evoke a mixture of excitement and nervousness, and events like these allow students to alleviate some of their concerns by having their questions answered. I would like to thank the entire panel involved in this session, particularly our Year 7 students, Indi and Harry, who provided a student’s perspective on starting high school. We look forward to welcoming our new Year 7 students at our upcoming Orientation Day on December 12. 

Duke of Edinburgh International Award – Gold Award

We are thrilled to announce that on Monday 27 November Samantha K (Year 11) received the prestigious Gold Award for the Duke of Edinburgh International Award. The ceremony, held at the iconic Melbourne Town Hall, served as a fitting backdrop to honour this exceptional achievement.

The Gold Award is a testament to the dedication and perseverance demonstrated by Samantha who has successfully completed the rigorous requirements of the Duke of Edinburgh International Award program. The Gold Award represents the culmination of her commitment to personal development, voluntary service, skill development, physical recreation, adventurous journeys and residential projects. 

With her dedication, perseverance and passion, Samantha has accomplished something truly extraordinary and we are very proud of her achievements. We look forward to seeing the positive impact Samantha will continue to make in the future. 

Thank you to Ms Clare Rayner for her support of Samantha and for her ongoing dedication to the Compass and Duke of Edinburgh Award at Lilydale Heights College.

Parent Contributions

At this time of year, schools and families are making preparations for 2024. Subjects are being released, booklists published and information on Parent Contributions are communicated. I did want to take a moment in this newsletter to share with families the importance of Parent Contributions. Schools provide students with free instruction to fulfil the standard Victorian Curriculum and we want to assure you that all contributions are voluntary. Nevertheless, the ongoing support of our families ensures that our school can offer the best possible education and support for our students. This has made a huge difference to our school and the programs we can offer. The support that we receive through Parent Contributions is always greatly appreciated and allows us to continue to provide materials, equipment and positive learning spaces for our students. Within our school, this support has allowed us to provide a wider offering of subjects and special curriculum experiences; enhanced digital learning opportunities, upgrade of our Apple iMac computer pod and faster WIFI and internet.

Families are able to pay their Voluntary Financial Contributions for Curriculum items and/or other curriculum items via Payment Plan instalments, Compass, Centrepay or in full to the General Office.

Intentions for 2024

As we continue to plan classes for 2024, it is important for us to have accurate student numbers. This allows us to maximise the learning opportunities for all students and to ensure that all students are supported in their transition. 

If your child is not planning to return to Lilydale Heights College in 2024, can you please contact the General Office to let us know? Thank you for your support with this.

COVID-19

There is at present an increase in community transmission of COVID-19 in Victoria.

You can help us keep our school as safe as possible by taking 2 important steps:

1. Ensure your COVID-19 vaccinations are up to date. Information on how and where to get vaccinated is available on the Get vaccinated webpage.

2. If your child shows symptoms of COVID-19, please ensure they stay home and get tested. The easiest way to test is to use a rapid antigen test (RAT). We have RATs available at our school for collection from the General Office. Free RATs are also available from your local council where you can collect 2 packs of 5 RATs and an extra 2 packs for each person in your household. People with disability and their carers can get 4 packs of 5 RATs. You are not required to have a Medicare card and you can collect RATs as many times as you need. You can also buy RATs at supermarkets, pharmacies and other retailers.

If your child has symptoms but tests negative, please ensure they stay home until they no longer have symptoms.

If the RAT test result is positive, please ensure they say home for at least 5 days and until there are no more symptoms.

Thank you for your support – these steps will help us all stay well.