Term 4: New buildings, farewell to the Class of 2026 and upcoming policy changes

It has been a great start to Term 4.

Our Year 12 students have finished school and began their exams on Tuesday 27 October with the VCE English exam. Congratulations to them on a really positive last few days, with dress ups, plenty of good humour and the appreciation they showed their teachers, both this year and from earlier years. We wish them all the best in their exams.

The other big event this term has been the opening of the Flexible Learning Centre (FLC), and I invite you to have a look at some of the interior pictures. In my 30 years in schools, these are the best school building and classrooms I have worked in. One of the special days of my career was the day we first brought students in. They were impressed then and they still are.

The biggest change is that students see the building as theirs. It is open before and after school, and plenty of students use it for study and recreation, quietly, between classes. We have been really impressed with the care they are taking of it.

Work has started straight away on the senior school renovation, which is due to be finished in mid-March, ready for Term 2 2027. The courtyard works are continuing and are expected to be finished for the start of the 2027 school year.

Elsewhere in this newsletter is a letter I will soon send to families of Year 6 students starting Year 7 with us next year. I published it in the Wangaratta Chronicle a week or so ago. It covers how to think about the move to secondary school and some key things to consider for younger children. I trust many of you will find it interesting, particularly if you have younger children, and some of it applies to families with children at school now.

Dave Armstrong

Executive Principal

Phones, earbuds and smart glasses in 2027

There are some changes to phones and devices at the start of 2027. Some come from the Department and some are changes we are making at school.

What the Department is changing

Earbuds and headphones are now named in the Department's policy and are not to be used during school hours unless a teacher directs it. This term we will be asking senior students for their views on headphone use, to consider what flexibility the policy allows for them in 2027.

From 27 January 2027 smart glasses and covert filming devices are banned at all Victorian government schools, for everyone on site and at school events, including parents and visitors.

What we are changing

Department policy is that phones are switched off and securely stored during the school day. Our implementation has not matched that closely enough, and from 2027 it will. Phones are either left at home or locked in your child's locker from arrival until the end of the day, including recess and lunch. They are not to be carried in a pocket or a bag.

This affects the canteen. From the start of 2027 the canteen will take cash, card or smartwatch payments only. Students will not be able to pay with a phone, because the phone will be in the locker. Please help your child plan for this between now and the start of the school year, whether that is cash, a card or a smartwatch set up for payments.

To reach your child during the day, call reception on 5723 0500. Exemptions for health reasons and young carers are still available with planning and siubject to my approval.

Our school policy will be updated online shortly to reflect these changes. I welcome more discussion, and if any parents or carers have questions I am happy to make time to talk in person or on the phone.

Department policies:Mobile phones and personal electronic devices: https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/mobile-phones-personal-electronic-devices-student-use/guidance

Smart glasses and covert filming devices: https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/smart-glasses-covert-filming-devices/policy