Need to Know

A reminder that this coming Monday is the common Professional Practice Day (in line with Department of Education policy) for St Helena staff and the school will not be open as the majority of staff are working from home.  Year 12 exams will still run as scheduled.  

Exam season is upon us!  Our Year 12s finished last week with a great final Celebration Day - lots of creative costumes, a fun final assembly run by the Captains, breakfast cooked for them by the Senior School staff and some very clever (but respectful) pranks!  I was very proud of this cohort - they finished the year as they have lived it - with great collegiality, a sense of fun, friendliness and respect.  I wish them all the best for the remainder of their exams and look forward to celebrating the end of 13 years of schooling with them at Graduation Evening at the end of the exam period.

I was very fortunate to attend the VET Cookery Family Dinner last week.  These Year 11 and 12 VET Cookery students cooked an amazing Irish menu for their families.   The food was next level both in flavour and execution, and the service was professional.   There are many restaurants I have been to that could learn from our students!   Thanks to trainer Breda O'Donovan and support staff Natalie Hosking for enabling our students to reach such high standards.  

Is it hard to get your child to school?

St Helena recognises the shift from calling resistance to attend school "school refusal" to renaming it "school can't".  Research is showing that the traditional responses to "school can't" of carrot-and-stick or desensitisation is rarely effective,  because neither approach addresses the cause of the neuropsychological shut down that prevents young people from getting through the classroom door. I have attached an article from the organisation "School Can't" - if any of this resonates with you and your child, please contact us via AskLeadership@sthelena.vic.edu.au to discuss how we can support.  This new approach focuses on re-regulation of the young person, assisting them to identify their barriers to attending school and taking small steps that prioritises psychological well being over school attendance.  

College Captains 2026

Over the past fortnight, our prospective school captains have been busy participating in interviews with College Principal Karen Terry, Senior School Principal Simon Braknys, Leading Teacher: Community Engagement Caitlin Fecondo, and our 2025 School Captains, Toby O'Loughlin and Molly McKeown. 

After a rigorous process and a formal democratic vote on Monday, we are proud to announce our College Captains team for 2026 as:Jordan Groves and Michaela Andonovski – College Captains Fraja Simpson and Tiernan Di Beradino – Vice College Captains

Toby, Molly, and our current Vice Captains, Kobus Victor and Ruby Greatrex, will see out their duties for the remainder of the year before handing over the reins to the 2026 team at our College Presentation Evening on Monday 15th December.  I would like to congratulate them and thank them for their wonderful service to our College through 2025.  

We are currently finalising our other College Leaders across Performing Arts, Music, Sport, Dance, STEAM, and Service. Applications this year across all of our College Leader positions for 2026 from our Year 11 cohort have been overwhelming, and we are incredibly proud of all students who put themselves forward. We will update our community via social media once all of our College Captain positions have been filled.

Debating Success

Congratulations to all members of our Debating Teams!   The College and Debating Coordinator Julie Whittington are so proud of all of our students who smashed the season competing against some very prestigious independent schools!   Well done for Daring to be Excellent!   There will be a report from these students in the next newsletter.  

Year 11 (B Grade)

Emma Halliwell  Abbey Vasilic  Jessica Rycroft                                                                                Chloe McDonnell

Year 9   (D Grade)    

Nila Damien   Asher Ashraf          

Year 8   (D Grade and Junior Competition)                 

Joshua Dworkin  Sritha Madapati  Matilda Bates  Meimuna Sha  Caitlin Pollock

Maddie Taylor  Devika Sumesh   Ashlyn Hemsworth   Mitali Perera  Joshua Davis

Beau Duncan Sasha Watkinson   Adam Holden    Eva Sipovac  Duscha Raghuvanshi

Year 7   (Junior Competition)      Celeste Pollock  Boston Payne   Jeremy Vella

Art and Technology Show 2025

The St Helena College Art & Technology Show is just around the corner, and we can’t wait to celebrate the incredible creativity and talent of our students.

Join us for the Opening Night on Wednesday 12 November from 6:00–8:00pm, where we’ll officially launch the exhibition and present awards recognising outstanding achievement across the Visual Arts and Technology learning areas.

The show will feature an inspiring collection of student work from across all year levels, including painting, sculpture, photography, digital design, product design, textiles and more. It’s a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together and celebrate the imagination, skill and hard work of our young artists and designers.

We encourage all families, students and community members to come along and be inspired by the creative energy on display.  Congratulations to all the exhibitors! 

St Helena Movember Team

Over the past few years a team of dedicated (and hairy) St Helena staff have participated in the Movember fundraiser for men's health, led by team organiser Mr Brett Linsell.    Movember is the leading global organisation committed to changing the face of men's health.   In 2024 they raised $6135, and have overall contributed $36,355!!!  We now have staff who can't grow a mo, participating by "moving" for Movember!   If you would like to sponsor our team, you can find the details here:

 https://movember.com/t/sthelena-and-the-facefuzz.  

World Teacher's Day

Today is World Teacher's Day.   When I entered the teaching profession 40 years ago , it was a very different job.  I still believe it is the best job in the world, but I recognise the incredible challenges faced by educators today.   Teachers are paid for a 38 hour week but most work many many more hours at home in the evenings and on weekends.   I am so proud of our teachers who care so passionately about the young people in their classrooms, and who work hard every day to do the best they can with often inadequate resources.   We celebrated the commitment of our teachers today with a morning tea, and many students who wrote messages of thanks.

If you would like to award a merit to a member of staff who has gone above and beyond for you or your child, you can do so by clicking this link:   Staff Merit  – Fill out form

Free tickets

MELBOURNE COMEDY FESTIVAL SHOWCASE

Melbourne Comedy Festival favourites are back in town.  

With “Our Exclusive” sample of The Comedy Festival shows from this year and last year.   

This will be a night where you are guaranteed the best medicine – plenty of LAUGHTER !!!!  

You will get to enjoy over 2 Hours of great stand-up comedy.   

When: Wednesday 5th, Thursday 6th, Tuesday 11th, Wednesday 12th, Thursday 13th (9PM), Friday 14th (9PM), Tuesday 18th, Wednesday 19th OR Thursday 20th November.

Doors Open: 6.30pm (if you want to come & buy some dinner/snacks at 6.30pm - Joe King Bistro Menu 

Show Starts: Starts: 8pm (runs for 2+ hours)  

Cost: NO ENTRY FEE CHARGE (for the show, normally $35pp) 

Where: The Comics Lounge 26 Errol St Nth Melb  

To book: email laughs@thecomicslounge.com.au with your name, number of tickets & which show you would like, your confirmation email will be sent straight to the bookings office.  

*Please note - many of these shows will not be suitable for minors. Please check before booking. 

Consent Competition 

We respect the rights of parents who have opted to withdraw their children from some of the government mandated Respectful Relationships curriculum, and therefore I am posting this here for parents to share with their children if they feel it is appropriate.