Principal's Report

Welcome back

Welcome to all students and staff to 2026; our Centenary Year. In particular a big welcome to new students and families joining our learning community for the first time.

We are planning a range of celebrations throughout the year to celebrate this amazing milestone so stay tuned to find out how you can be involved.

The start of the year program was delivered to all students with particular emphasis on our Year 7 students who, alongside the VCE students, started with us on Thursday 29 January. Years 8, 9 and 10 students joined them on Friday 31 January. Part of the program involved Year level assemblies through which we reset the school’s expectations around attendance, engagement, approaches to learning and behaviour.

The two School Leaders delivered a presentation accompanied by a video that was prepared by the Student Leadership Team outlining the school values (shown below), inviting students to reflect on these values and identify what they mean to them and how they are going to express and live these values day to day both at school and in their daily lives.

I trust that you will continue the conversation at home with your children. Now is the time to revisit these values and develop a shared understanding with your children of their meaning, and how these lead to the expectations that we have of the Eltham High School student, staff member and parent/carer.

This week is the first full week of school, moving back a normality that we have become accustomed to. I commend the work and leadership of Nadia Devlin (Student Agency and Growth Leader), and Loren Clarke (Curriculum, Data and Assessment Leader) for their hard work and commitment to the design of the Start of the Year Program 2026 and its implementation. I also recognise and commend the hard work of each of the sub school teams in preparation for the start of the year and in particular the Junior School Team for putting together an engaging start of the year and transition program for our new Year 7 students.

It has been a positive start to the year. We began with a fully staffed school which is a good position to be in. Students have shown great enthusiasm and excitement, having engaged well with each other and their teachers.  There is a good sense of calm around the school.

The building of the STEAM Centre is complete and this new space provides us with a state-of-the-art facility for learning. Students will be able to learn in this space as of week 4 of this term, beginning on the 16 February. In the meantime we will progressively take students into the building for a short tour. The demolition of the old Science Block has provided an extensive social space for students to enjoy during break times. The Landscaping of this area will be completed by early April. 

I congratulate the students on the way that they engaged with the start of the school year.

 We are all looking forward to an amazing 2026.

 Welcome to the staff joining us for the first time:

• Ellen Hutchinson (Equity and Inclusion Leader)

• Megan Snell (Global Politics/Humanities/Digital Technologies)

• Travis Foster (Science /Mathematics)

• Hannah Blackmore (Foods)

Welcome back to the following staff:

• Danielle Cotter – Geography/Humanities.

• Daniel Price – Foods 

• Ela Fornalska – English

• Julie McDonald – Mathematics/Science

Staff in new roles for 2026:

• Melissa Hughes – Learning Specialist: High Ability Learners

• Will Stubbings – Learning Specialist: Learning Technologies Curriculum Support

There are a small number of new coordinators across the sub schools, and I am sure that they will introduce themselves to you directly.

The Tutor Learning Initiative has ceased to exist due to cuts in state funding; however, students will be supported through our well-established numeracy and literacy support programs and the Middle Years Numeracy and Literacy program. Our volunteer John Considine will continue with the amazing work he does with students.

I wish all the new and returning staff and those in new roles the very best as they engage with the school in their crucial role in facilitating and supporting the learning of our young people.

I take this opportunity to remind parents of the use of the Compass Parent Portal. If you are a new parent and do not have your username and password, please contact the relevant Sub-school Office through the General Office on 9430 5111. The Compass Parent Portal gives parents up to date information about your child’s approach to their learning, timetable, learning tasks, class work, attendance, reports, upcoming events, etc. It also allows you to approve your child’s attendance on excursions and make payments online plus a host of other things including access to your child’s teachers via e-mail. 

If you have accessed the Compass Parent Portal before but have forgotten your password, please contact the relevant Sub-school Office by calling the General Office on 9430 5111.

 Bell times 2026:

Staff Outside of Work hours

Parents/carers and students are reminded that regular work hours for staff are 8:30am – 4:30pm. Staff are not available to respond to e-mails outside of regular work hours.

You are at liberty to send an e-mail at your convenience but please be aware that it will not be responded to immediately. However, your e-mail will be responded to within 48 hours from the first workday that it is received.  

Thank you for your understanding.

Should you require immediate assistance with a matter of concern, please contact these external services:

Telephone or Webchat support for young people            1800 55 1800

https://kidshelpline.com.au/

Parents/Carers support                                                              13 22 89

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/serviceprofiles/parentline-service

The following link takes you to the Eltham High School staff emails and Coordinator list for 2026. 

2026 Staff Emails and Coordinator List

Student Achievement

Congratulations to all the Class of 2025 for their outstanding results and on their success on gaining entry into their chosen pathways. I congratulate our School Dux, Isabelle Cromer (Class of 2025, Skipper House). Isabelle achieved an ATAR Rank of 98.1 and has accepted a place in the Bachelor of Arts (The University of Melbourne). Asha Nasrun (Class of 2025, Everard House) achieved an ATAR Rank of 97.7 and has accepted a place in the Bachelor of Laws (Honours) / Arts (Monash University).

Our students have been offered tertiary pathways in a vast range of fields, primarily across a range of universities as well as a small number of TAFE and private providers. I take this opportunity to wish all the students the very best in 2026 and beyond. 

VCE Season of Excellence 2026

Congratulations to Emily Dickson (Class of 2025, Skipper House) whose artwork was shortlisted for Top Arts 2026. Even though Emily’s work was not selected for the final exhibition, it showed strength in creativity, composition and artistic prowess.

Congratulations Emily on having had your work recognised as worthy of consideration for TOP ARTS 2026. We wish Emily all the best with her artistic endeavours in 2026 and beyond.

Student Leadership

I take this opportunity to introduce our two School Leaders to our community and to congratulate them on having been appointed to their positions. I also take this opportunity to thank the panel led by Nadia Devlin (Student Agency and Growth Leader) for the work that they did to implement the selection process. 

Congratulations to Kate McRae (Year 12, Toner House) and Jevon Dalton (Year 12, Everard House) who have been appointed to the position of School Leader.

These positions come with a great deal of responsibility, opportunity, and challenge and I am certain that both Kate and Jevon will work hard and represent our learning community admirably.

The remainder of our student leaders will be introduced to you in the next edition of this newsletter. 

Swimming and Water-based Activities

Families will notice additional questions that are now required as part of an excursion event consent documentation where the event includes swimming or water-based activities.

It is important that this information is included to ensure that the student can actively participate in all aspects of the event.

These questions provide information for school staff leading the events on students’ current knowledge, skills, and experience in water environments. 

Students must be classified in the assessment as either:

• Beginner swimmers – students with little or no experience including in shallow water.  Students who are not confident swimmers or not comfortable in the water.

• Average swimmers – students able to swim 25 metres but are not strong or confident in deep or fast water. 

• Strong swimmers – students able to swim 50 to 100 meters and are strong and confident in deep or fast water.

House Sport Carnivals

Eltham High School will be holding two House Sport Carnivals during Term 1. 

The Swimming Carnival will take place at Aquarena, Doncaster Friday 20th February and the Athletics Carnival is on Monday 16th March at the Doncaster Athletics Track. Both days are considered ‘normal’ school days and as such it is expected that all students and staff attend. 

Families will have received a combined consent form for these events. Please ensure that you have completed the required information about swimming capacity as part of this consent.

Thank you to all families for your prompt approval of events to allow teams to fully plan for the events.

Pride March

The annual Pride March took place on Sunday 1st February. Eltham High School joined several other schools at the March. It was a rather pleasant day weatherwise as we marched and represented our community. Many thanks to the students and parents that joined us on the day. 

 A big thank you to the staff who marched and, of course, to Carly Young who organised the event on our behalf. It was an enjoyable day supporting our LGBTQIA+ community and demonstrating that we do stand behind and live all our School Values and, in this case, Individuality, Respect for Diversity and Integrity.

We were fortunate to meet up with our local member of State Parliament, the Hon. Vicki Ward MP and the Minister for Education, the Hon. Ben Carroll MP. (See below)

Camps, Sport and Excursions Fund (CSEF)

Every Victorian child should have access to the world of learning opportunities that exist beyond the classroom. The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps ensure that no student will miss out on the opportunity to join their classmates for important, educational and fun activities. Please refer to the link below to acces the flyer for eligibility requirements and further information on how to access the fund.

Reminders

Mobile phone Policy

A reminder that the school Mobile Phone Policy remains in place and requires students to switch off their phone from the sound of the first warning bell for the day and store their phones away securely until they leave the school at the end of the day. Students are not to access their phones at any time throughout the day including breaks. The same expectations apply for the use of headphone and Air pods. Unless requested by a teacher to support learning, these must also be stored securely for the school day. A process for addressing a breach of the policy is in place and all students are well aware of their role in this process. 

Parents/carers must not expect to communicate with their children during the day via their mobile phone. Should there be the need to get in touch with your child during the day for an emergency, please contact the general office otherwise please confine any communication for the times when student can access their phones. A small number of students have Mobile Phone or Headphone exemptions, these are generally for medical reasons and supported by relevant documentation.

Privacy

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ privacy policy and the Schools’ privacy collection notice.

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students policy 

https://www.elthamhs.vic.edu.au/policies-child-safety/ describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn. 

We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide through the Digital Technologies policy and the  Acceptable Use Agreement 

(both found at https://www.elthamhs.vic.edu.au/policies-child-safety/) on how we use Learning technologies safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns, please contact the school.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ privacy policy: information for parents. This information is also available in eleven community languages:

• Amharic

• Arabic

• Chinese

• Dari

• Gujarati

• Mandarin

• Somali

• Sudanese

• Turkish

• Urdu

• Vietnamese

Please take time to remind yourself of our school’s privacy collection notice, available in the “Policies” section of the school website https://www.elthamhs.vic.edu.au/policies-child-safety/

Student Accident Insurance

Parents/guardians are reminded that the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development does not provide personal accident insurance for students. Likewise, the school does not have a whole-school policy for personal accident insurance for students. Parents and guardians are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including transport costs. Reasonably low-cost accident insurance policies are available from some commercial insurers. These cover a range of medical expenses not covered by Medicare or private health insurance. Parents/guardians may wish to purchase such a policy for individual students.

Student Exchange Organisations approved by the VRQA and therefore DET

The following is a 2025 update of the Student Exchange organisations approved by the VRQA to provide student exchange programs in Victoria. The list may change each year, so it is important that you check the current list rather than relying on old information. 

Each year we are asked about student exchange programs that provide a reciprocal benefit. It is important that if you wish to engage in reciprocal exchange that you utilise the services of one of the organisations on this list. The school will not be able to enrol overseas exchange students coming through organisations not on this list because they would not be approved by the Department of Education and Training. 

 If you need further information, please do not hesitate to call Kate Scalzo on 9430 5111 or e-mail Kate.Scalzo@education.vic.gov.au

School Drop off and Pick Up Times

I remind all parents and guardians, and inform new parents and carers to the school, that student safety is always the primary consideration including both drop off time and pick up times.

Whilst traffic seems to flow smoothly through the circular driveway of the school at the start of the day, there seems to be greater congestion at pick up time in the afternoon.

The circular driveway is to be used purely for drop off and pick up. 

There is very little parking available within the school grounds between the following time (8:00 – 10:00am and 2:00 – 4:00pm). “No Standing Anytime” signs are located within the school, and it is important that parents/guardians adhere to these. Furthermore, double parking is illegal in the street and within the school grounds, it causes further congestion, which in turn impinges on student safety. 

We will be enforcing the use of the circular driveway purely for drop off and pick up of students. 

As you move into the circular driveway, if your child is not at the front of the school you will need to exit the driveway and re-enter. You may need to do this more than once.

Alternatively, it is advisable that you organise with your child another location for pick up. As always, we will continue to expect everyone to abide by road and safety laws and procedures as they move through the driveway. The same applies at the Ely Street end of the school. Staff parking on the street is now minimal and this means that there is little space for drop off and pick up. Please do not park in residents’ driveways. No parents are to drive into the school driveway or park in or across it. This is the only avenue that students have to get to and from the school buses and we must be vigilant for their safety. 

Subsequently, it is imperative that everyone behaves in a lawful and safe way out in Withers Way, Susan Street, Bell Street, and Ely Street. We have informed the traffic division of the Shire of Nillumbik of the school’s strategy, and it is possible that the Ranger’s office may act against people who disregard road and safety laws out in the streets. Likewise, the police will patrol the area at these peak times, and they will not hesitate to reprimand and fine if necessary.

I trust that you will understand the need for this direction, and I ask you for your continued support to ensure the safety of our kids. 

If you do use the drop off and pick up zone on Withers Way, can you please direct your children to cross the road at the school crossing both on arrival and on their departure from school. We certainly do not want students crossing the road in front of oncoming cars and placing themselves at risk.

Thank you for your support with this matter.

VINCENT SICARI, Principal