PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

I feel like I say it towards the end of every term, but it is again, hard to believe we are close to the end of term and that we have completed one quarter of the year. This will be our second last newsletter for the term.

As a community this term, we have had a sustained focus on building relationships, especially amongst our younger students. Our school values of Courage, Inclusion and Responsibility have been central to our conversation with students, as we continue to grow as school community. We have been really pleased to see the strengthening of positive behaviours and attributes to learning and this focus will certainly continue in Term 2.

It has been a very successful term across the board in so many ways, with co-curricular activities such as preparation for the state school spectacular, instrumental music programs, open night, sport, camps, and excursions and even NAPLAN for our Year 7 and Year 9 Students.

We have once again been able to enjoy the very many enriching activities of school life. These activities really help to create communities within community and allow for our students and staff to make connections and bonds with their peers beyond their classes and across year levels. I think we all agree that the long-lasting memories of school, stem from these types of events, and we encourage all students to engage with the many, varied opportunities on offer.

NAPLAN 2026

We are pleased to advise all Year 7 and Year 9 students have recently completed the online NAPLAN Testing Schedule for 2026. Just over 2000 tests were administered for our students in total and I would like to congratulate the students for the way in which they approached the tests. We look forward to receiving their NAPLAN results later in the year. Thank-you to all staff and our IT Team for their tireless work supporting our students to complete the tests.

AEU Stop Work Action – Tuesday 24 March 2026

The Australian Education Union (AEU) Victorian Branch has called a statewide 24-hour stop work action for Tuesday 24 March 2026. This follows a ballot of AEU members in which 98% voted in favour of protected industrial action, endorsed by the Fair Work Commission. The stop work action relates to the ongoing enterprise agreement negotiations between the AEU and the Victorian Government, with the union seeking improvements to salaries and working conditions for teachers, education support staff and school leaders. This will be the first statewide strike by Victorian educators in over a decade.

The college is working to ensure that school operations continue on this day in line with Department of Education guidance. Families have been advised to monitor school communications regarding any changes to the normal school program on Tuesday 24 March. The college will have arrangements in place to supervise students who attend

school on the day of the stop work action. This will be shared with all Parents and Carers by no later than 1pm on Monday 23rd March.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Zahlie Snijders and Arlo Shawcross who will each be presented with Sporting Blue Awards on Wednesday 25th March. These are prestigious state awards and wonderful recognition to both for their outstanding years in 2025 in their chosen sports of swimming and para-tennis respectively.

The Awards Ceremony will be conducted at the MCG in the Dining Room with a formal lunch. I am very much looking forward to attending and celebrating.

School Council Annual General Meeting

The School Council Annual General Meeting is being held, Monday 23 March at 6:00pm in the administration building. The Annual Report will be presented, and Council members confirmed for the year ahead. All families are warmly invited to attend or to download the report from the school website following its endorsement.

Interhouse Athletics Carnival

Our annual Interhouse Athletics Carnival was held at Landy Field in early March. We were fortunate to enjoy beautiful weather for the event. Congratulations to all students who participated and represented their houses with great spirit. Thank you to Mr Dundan, Ms Johnson and all staff for their work in organising and running such a successful whole-school event.

International Women’s Day

As a college we acknowledged International Women’s Day, recognised globally on Sunday 8 March. At Western Heights College we aim to empower a community of fearless, confident young women who support one another and build a future full of opportunity. This is reflected in the many incredible young women and staff in our community who strive every day to make a positive difference.

College Council Elections

Congratulations to Lee Langston who has recently been appointed to her second term as a parent rep on school council for a further 2 year term. We thank David Newlyn who has recently completed his 2 year term for his wonderful service and contribution to our school community.

Travel on Public Transport to and From School

Recently I met with all students who travel via train to discuss train travel and safety of our students utilising train transport on the Geelong to Melbourne, or Melbourne to Geelong trains exiting and departing the North Geelong station and travelling to communities such as Lara, Little River, Wyndham, Werribee and Tarneit. 

We have also reminded students of the importance of the following things:

• Safety on train station platforms as trains are approaching the station (this includes no bouncing of basketballs or kicking or handballing footballs around)

• Behaviour in the waiting room/bathrooms at train stations

• Sit in smaller groups rather than one or two large groups on the train and whilst waiting to board a train

I have also shared student and behaviour expectations of students with Vline, for all our students travelling to and from school. This has included copies of the student athlete agreement for students in the Specialist Sports Program.

I encourage all parents and carers to encourage their children if travelling on any train service, to behave appropriately and in a way in which displays the high expectations for students within our school community.

Harmony Day and Diversity Week

March 21 is Australia's Harmony Day, which celebrates the country's cultural diversity. It coincides with the United Nations' International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Harmony Day is an Australian Government program that centres on the message that "Everyone belongs", reinforcing the importance of inclusiveness to all Australians, some people choose to wear the colour orange to connect with this further. Next week at WHC, we will celebrate Diversity week from March 23 – 27 March. At WHC run activities in class and during lunchtime to acknowledge our cultural diversity including the opportunity to purchase some delicious food from our canteen from around the world and the opportunity to dress with a touch of orange on Friday. 

A big thank-you to Mr. Wintels and the leadership team for this work.

End of Term and Learning Conversations

Appointments are still available for our Learning Conversations for parents/carers and students on Wednesday 1st April between 11am-7pm and Thursday 2nd April between 9am-1pm. The last day of timetabled classes for all students in Year 7-12 will be Tuesday 31st March.

Term 2 Return Date

Term 2 for students will commence on Monday 20th April.

Student Achievement - An Invitation

Can I take this opportunity to remind the families of our school community that we are always willing to hear of and share the deeds of our students in their academic, sporting, performing arts or community-based pursuits external to our college. We have, on a regular basis, students who are involved in a quite extraordinary array of activities and it is always a pleasure and with great pride that we seek to share those outcomes with our wider school community. We are proud of our people and enjoy celebrating achievement of our community.

Take care and be safe,

Fiona Taylor

Principal

Child Safety at WHC

Western Heights College is a child safe organisation committed to protecting students from all forms of abuse. Our College has stringent protocols in place and endeavours at all times to be fully compliant with the Child Safe Standards set out under Ministerial Order 870.

Our College has the following documents and policies in place to achieve compliance with the Standards. All of these documents are available for downloading on our website.

1. Commitment to Child Safety

2. Child Safety Policy

3. Child Safety Code of Conduct

4. Child Protection Policy and Procedures

Annual Privacy Policy Reminder for 2025

Our school collects, uses, discloses, and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy (found on the college's webpage).

Please take time to remind yourself of our school’s collection notice, found on our website. For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents and carers on the webpage. This information is also available in nine community languages:

          * Amharic

          * Arabic

          * Dari

          * Gujarati

          * Mandarin

          * Somali

          * Sudanese

          * Turkish

          * Urdu

          * Vietnamese