Principal's Message

Mr Forrest

Remembrance Day 2026

On Tuesday morning we had our Year 3 to Year 11 students attend the annual RSL Remembrance Day service hosted by the local RSL. A number of students participated in the ceremony by reading poems and laying a wreath. They all did a great job despite the noisy traffic on the main road. We would like to thank RSL President, Roger Patterson and Wedderburn Korong Vale RSL for allowing us to be part of the Remembrance Day service.

One Chapter Concludes - Another Begins

The new orange hats have started transition!

It was great to walk past the Prep room on Tuesday morning to see 13 new prep students enjoying the Prep room. There is a strong possibility the class could grow to 15 before the beginning of the new school year. A lot of positive energy and enthusiasm was displayed from the young future students, staff and from the playgroup session next door!

We would also like to wish our few remaining Year 12 students the very best with their final exams which will conclude on Friday. This is the culmination and final stage of your 13-year educational journey at secondary college. Congratulations on reaching this milestone and good luck for the exciting future ahead! Don't forget to RSVP by Monday 17th November for our Graduation Dinner next Thursday 20th November. The dinner will be held in Steel Stadium at 6 p.m. We look forward to celebrating with you.

Respect - A School Core Value

Let's All Communicate & Engage Respectfully

Wedderburn P-12 College maintains an open-door communication policy and welcomes conversations with families. To ensure we can give your concerns or ideas the attention they deserve, please book ahead if you wish to meet with a Principal Class member or teacher. Respect is a two-way street - our staff are expected to model professionalism and care, and we ask that the same standards of respect and consideration are extended by parents, carers, and students in return.

From time to time, we remind our school community of the importance of maintaining high standards of safety and respect in all interactions. Every member of our staff works hard to provide the best possible learning environment for our students, and it is essential that they are treated with courtesy, understanding, and respect at all times. We ask that communication with staff remains calm, constructive, and focused on positive outcomes for students.

The Victorian Government has recently given government schools greater powers to enforce community standards, including the ability to issue bans or Community Safety Orders where necessary to protect staff and students. While we sincerely hope it never comes to that at Wedderburn College, we will continue to uphold our commitment to a safe, respectful, and supportive learning environment for everyone.

Let’s focus on the positives and continue to celebrate everything that makes Wedderburn College such a wonderful place to live, learn and grow. There has truly never been a better time to be part of the Wedderburn and district community.

More Year 9 Students Selected for SSL - 2026

Currently, we have three of our Year 9 students — Cooper, Violet and Nada — embarking on an incredible eight-week adventure at the Don Valley School Campus for Student Leadership. This unique program brings together around forty students from across Victoria to live, learn, and grow together in a collaborative and outdoor learning environment. It’s an amazing opportunity for our students to step outside their comfort zones, build confidence, and develop leadership skills that will serve them well into the future.

In exciting news, five students will visit Gnuard Gunjai School for Student Leadership in Term 1 2026. This SSL camp is located in Noorat - Western Victoria about 45 minutes east of Warrnambool. The five students selected are Lily Finch, Flynn Lonza, Jimmy Rollinson , Izayah Edwards and Charles George.

Wedderburn College Leads the Way

Today Mr Lockhart, Mr Iser, Miss Milne and myself presented to a group of Department of Education staff, school staff and principals. This is following on from presenting SWPBS Attendance, Culture and SWPBS' Department of Education - North West regional schools professional learning day a few weeks ago. Wedderburn College is held in high regard across the state for its work in SWPBS. Keep up the great work everybody.

New Wedderburn College ELC

The new Wedderburn College Early Learning Centre (interim name) is on track to be opened in early February 2026 when school resumes. It was great to have the new centre director Damien Sparks on deck to meet with prospective parents over the last couple pf days in the school meeting room. Damien is very excited to have access to the new building from next week so they can begin setting up. We look forward to establishing a strong relationship with the Damien and the ELC team in the future.

Enrolment Timeline and CCS

Enrolments are currently open for families, and we’ve started reaching out to families who have received enrolment offers over the past few weeks, beginning with our 4yo and 3yo Kindergarten families. ELV Wedderburn (Interim Name) will continue contacting families again in November and December for our childcare facilities for children under the age of three. As part of the enrolment process, families will receive detailed information about fees and payment options. Our fee structure has been designed to remain affordable, transparent, and supportive of families’ needs. We encourage you to explore your Child Care Subsidy (CCS) entitlements, which can significantly reduce out-of-pocket costs!

How to claim Child Care Subsidy - Child Care Subsidy - Services Australia

The daily fee for long day care is $149. Most families will not pay the full fee amount, as they can access the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and Free Kinder funding for kindergarten-age children. Families with more than one child in care may also benefit from higher CCS rates for second and younger children. Families can use the Starting Blocks CCS Calculator to check what support they may be eligible for and estimate their out-of-pocket costs.

Child Care Subsidy Calculator | StartingBlocks.gov.au

The Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) provides extra support for families already receiving CCS who need further help and meet specific criteria. More information is available on Services Australia. Our Early Learning Victoria centre staff can assist families in understanding and applying for the Child Care Subsidy and determining if the Additional Child Care Subsidy may be available to you.

How to apply for Additional Child Care Subsidy - Additional Child Care Subsidy - Services Australia

Work With Us

We are also excited to be expanding our educator team as we prepare for opening. Several positions are currently available, and recruitment is underway. To explore current opportunities, visit Early Learning Victoria Careers and search “Wedderburn” Please feel free to share this link with anyone who may be interested in joining the ELV Wedderburn (Interim Name) team.

Work with us | earlylearning.vic.gov.au

Cook - Centre Cook Job in Wedderburn, Bendigo, Goldfields & Macedon Ranges VIC - SEEK

Cert III - Early Childhood Educator Job in Wedderburn, Bendigo, Goldfields & Macedon Ranges VIC - SEEK

Diploma - Early Childhood Educator (Diploma qualified) Job in Wedderburn, Bendigo, Goldfields & Macedon Ranges VIC - SEEK

Meet the ELV Wedderburn (Interim Name) Centre Director:

About me: Damien Sparks

I have been working in the Early Childhood and Education sector over the past decade in several different roles initially starting in the sector as a trainee 10 years ago and now stepping into the Centre Director role in Wedderburn.

My previous role has been at Early Learning Victoria Nyernilang Lar as the Assistant Centre Director supporting one of the first four Early Learning Victoria services. In this role I have gained experience into the operations of the Victorian Department of Education’s first owned and operated Early Learning Services. Prior to joining Early Learning Victoria I supported the operations of a local government provider in the City of Greater Bendigo Council.

I am passionate about high quality early education and children’s access to care in regional areas. As a child, all my early education and schooling came from small regional Kindergartens and Schools. This has embedded a deep passion for quality early education in my professional career and believe it’s important for all children to access to high quality early education in their formative years.

I’m excited to continue my journey with Early Learning Victoria as a Centre Director and lead such a high quality and accessible early education service for the children in the Wedderburn and surrounding community.

Planning for 2026

We are currently trying to finalise our planning for 2026. If you know that your circumstances may change at the beginning of the school year, please contact the school office or Home-room teacher. Looking forward into 2026, we are aiming to maintain six primary classrooms and provide more secondary senior years opportunities. We are currently exploring if we can bring back some elective subjects for Year 9/10 students. We are also considering some subject changes for Year 7/8 students. As you may be aware, Victoria is still experiencing the biggest teacher shortage in almost 40 years, however, I am confident that we will have the majority of our positions filled within the remainder to be finalised over the next few weeks. We will keep you informed of staffing, classes and other information for 2026 as the term progresses.