Need to Know

Welcome to the 2026 school year!

It was delightful to welcome our 250 + new Year 7s to the College this week - they looked fabulous with their smiling faces, proudly wearing their uniforms. We also saw our Year 12 cohort off to their Study Retreat at Portsea and wish them well as they commence their final year of school. Years 8-11 hit the ground running this morning - students were smiling and friendly and excited to get their new lockers and classes, and start the academic year.

This Bulletin, sent out fortnightly, is our key form of communication to the community. You will find historical issues on our website www.sthelena.vic.edu.au

For your convenience, content is divided into Need to Know and some key information you may need to refer to throughout the year.

Please take the time each fortnight to read the Need to Know.

Our policies are currently being reviewed and added to our new website, so if you are after a policy that is not currently there please contact AskLeadership@sthelena.vic.edu.au

If you would like to see information on a particular topic in this Bulletin, please let me know via AskLeadership@sthelena.vic.edu.au

I promise the regular Bulletin is not nearly as long as this first one!!

Communication

Please see the tab "2026 Key Staff Contacts" for a list of the Year Level Managers and other key staff, along with their email addresses. If you are unsure who you need to speak to, or would like to speak directly with someone from the Principal Team, please email AskLeadership@sthelena.vic.edu.au

St Helena has a 2 business day response policy. This means our staff are expected to acknowledge your email or phone message within two business days. Sometimes this may not occur because they are off site on an excursion or camp, or away ill. Sometimes your email may just have been lost in a very full mailbox - our staff receive dozens of emails each day as well as Teams Messages and phone voicemails. If you do not receive a timely response, please email AskLeadership@sthelena.vic.edu.au and I will personally follow up for you. Obviously if your issue is urgent, contact the General Office directly and they will assist you to speak to someone who can assist.

Our key forms of communication are Compass and this Bulletin. You will find individual teachers will contact you mostly via Compass. To try and avoid clogging up your in-box, the Leadership team will endeavour to avoid Compass Newsfeeds unless the topic is time bound.

We rely on you reading this fortnightly Bulletin to be up to date with information.

Medical conditions

Please ensure we have up to date information regarding any medical conditions that your child may have, including any medication they may regularly take - even if they don't take it at school.

If we need to call an ambulance, it is important that we can give paramedics up to date information about any regular medication or medical conditions.

If your child is anaphylactic or epileptic, it is vital that we have up to date Management Plans from your GP, and in-date epipens.

Parents should also note that, in case of a medical emergency, the college will call an ambulance if we deem it necessary, regardless of whether you have ambulance cover or not. Even the most careful of kids can have accidents - I urge you to ensure you take out Ambulance Cover if you don't already have it, as even a short trip in an ambulance can be very costly.

Our First Aid Officer Claire Waites is available to discuss any issues related to your child's health and how we can best support your child and their medical condition. cws@sthelena.vic.edu.au

Second Hand Uniform

Donations of clean uniform in good repair would be gratefully accepted. Please drop at the General Office.

The second hand uniform shop will be open on WEDNESDAYS 2.30 pm - 4.00 pm, on the occasional Saturday (parents will be notified in advance) and by appointment (contact ac@sthelena.vic.edu.au)

The second hand uniform shop is directly opposite the General Office (to the right if you are standing on the front driveway).

State Schools Relief

Parents experiencing financial hardship and difficulty in providing uniform should contact Sarah Russell (srl@sthelena.vic.edu.au). Sarah can guide you through a State Schools Relief application, if applicable.

Drop off in the morning

Parents are urged to NOT use the front driveway. There is a combination of buses, pedestrians, bicycles and some staff cars during a very busy time of day, and when parents use the driveway for drop off the risk of an accident occurring is heightened.

Unless parents need to use the Disabled Parking spaces, please enter the school via the first driveway, use the drop off zone, circle the roundabout and exit via the same driveway. I accept there is a lot of traffic, and if you can't find the time to navigate the queue, consider dropping your child some small way from school and allow them to walk the last few minutes.

Child Safety

This is particularly relevant to our new Year 7 parents. Unlike in primary school, parents are not permitted to enter any part of the college without going via the General Office. If you wish to meet your child after school please arrange to do so in the car park. If you are collecting your child outside of normal dismissal time, please arrange to meet them at the General Office.

Dare to be Excellent

Congratulations to students Megan and Elliot who were mentioned in Parliament by Member for Eltham Vicki Ward for their contribution to raising community awareness about environmental sustainability in their roles as members of the Eltham Youth Advisory Council.

If your child has "dared to be excellent" and you would like to see them featured here, please email AskLeadership@sthelena.vic.edu.au

Maths Support for Students

Maths club is running every Wednesday in the library from 3-4pm and is open to students in years 7-10 wanting assistance with classwork/homework or wanting a quiet and supportive environment in which to complete maths work. Maths club will be staffed by 2 maths teachers each week and students can come and go as they please. Contact Steven Roberts (Maths Domain Leader) if you require further information. (sr@sthelena.vic.gov.au)

A big shout out to our wonderful Maths teachers who are volunteering their time to run this valuable support option for students.

Student Attendance

There has been a concerning trend of increasing student absenteeism over the past post Covid years. While it is important that students stay away from school if they are unwell, regular attendance is vital for learning and connection to peers. Teaching is sequential, and students who miss lessons will find it increasingly difficult to keep up with the content.

Learning can be severely disrupted when crucial learning points are missed and when students are participating in group work, a group member who is absent makes life difficult for the whole group.

Just one day a fortnight missed adds up to 4 weeks across the year, and if you extrapolate that across 13 years of schooling, that equals almost a full year of school. School attendance in Victoria is compulsory, and Monday to Friday are school days, not just days where students may go to school.

Any absence needs to be recorded on Compass, with a reason for the absence. VCE students are required to demonstrate 90% attendance (unless medical certification is provided) across the two years of VCE, in order to satisfactorily meet the requirements of the VCE.

If your child has a medical issue that means they may miss a significant period of school, please contact the mini school so that an Absence Learning Plan can be developed, and work sent home where the child is able to do it. For shorter absences (one or two days) students should ask teachers for the work that they missed.

When parents find it difficult to get their child to school ("school can't") we are able to assist. We know that "school can't" is not young people being defiant, there are real barriers to them getting up and coming to school every day. We have a designated Outreach Coordinator whose role is to support students unable to attend due to anxiety or other social issues. Please email AskLeadership@sthelena.vic.edu.au if you would like this support.

Students Out of Class

When students constantly miss chunks of classes to retrieve forgotten laptops and books from their locker, to get a drink, to go to the toilet, because they are late ... learning is disrupted.

The teacher and class are also disrupted by students constantly coming and going.

Our teachers will permit students to use the toilet (we understand there are not sufficient toilets for all students to access them in the breaks) but will not allow students out to get a drink. Students are expected to bring their drink bottles (water only) to class.

In rare circumstances, students may be permitted to retrieve something from their locker, but this should be avoided.

Students will only be allowed out of class one at a time.

Students are expected to have their school Planner with them in every class. This planner is needed for students to carry a note from their teacher if they are out of class for any reason. There is provision within the toilets for students to leave their planner on the handbasin while they access a cubicle.

Once Compass ID cards have been distributed, student access to toilets is via their Compass Card. If they do not have their card with them, they need to go to their Mini School office who will enable access for them and notify you if a replacement card is required. You can order replacement Compass cards from your child's Compass portal.

Please support your child and the college by ensuring they are at school well before the 8.30 am start time in order to get organised for their school day and be at Strong Start on time.

Locker Security

It is expected that every student keeps their locker LOCKED and secure. Every year I am astonished at the number of students who either don't use a lock at all, or have their lock open. Students need to keep valuables in their lockers - laptops, phones etc - and we take no responsibilty for anything that is stolen if the student does not have their locker secured. Occasionally we have had break-ins after hours, and it is the unsecured lockers that have been targeted. Please speak to your child about the importance of keeping their belongings secured via a lock on their locker.

Strong Start

Strong Start is an important program that your child will participate in for the start of every school day - 8.30 am to 8.40 am. IT IS VITAL THAT STUDENTS ARE ON TIME FOR STRONG START.

The Strong Start teacher is an important connection point for your child, and Strong Start will be where important information is disseminated and your child will have time to ensure they are organised and ready to learn for the day.

Attendance at Strong Start is NOT optional and repeated lateness or absence will be followed up.

We are hopeful that Strong Start will assist students to feel more connected, give them a teacher as their key support person, as well as assist them to be organised for their school day and week.

Students are expected to:

The Strong Start teacher will:

Student Planners

All students have been issued with a Student Planner. The purpose of the planner is to assist students to develop organisational skills.

Students in Years 7-12 are expected to bring their planner to Strong Start and every class throughout the day.

They will be asked to record homework and due dates, and have teachers initial their planners if they need to leave the classroom to go to the toilet, the library, their locker or for any other reason.

Students will be encouraged to print their timetables and put them in their planner.

We would appreciate if you could support your child to check their planner for homework each night, and ensure they get a replacement planner if the original planner is lost or in a state of disrepair. New planners are available for purchase from the General Office for $15.

Would you like to be on College Council?

We have 4 parent vacancies and encourage parents to get involved with our College via College Council. Council meets 8 times per year on a Monday evening from 6.30 pm to approximately 8.00 pm (usually earlier). If you wish to nominate you must hold a Working with Children Clearance (WWCC) either volunteer or employee.

Watch out for a Compass Feed from Tracey de Bolfo around the 9th of February calling for nominations to Council.

If you have any questions, please contact myself (askleadership@sthelena.vic.edu.au) or Tracey (tdb@sthelena.vic.edu.au).

Mobile Phone and Air Pod/Earphone Policy

In accordance with the Department’s Mobile Phones — Student Use Policy issued by the Minister for Education, personal mobile phones must not be used at St Helena Secondary College during school hours, including lunchtime and recess, unless an exception has been granted. Where a student has been granted an exception, the student must use their mobile phone for the purpose for which the exception was granted, and in a safe, ethical and responsible manner.

St. Helena Secondary College understands that students may bring a personal mobile phone to school, particularly if they are travelling independently to and from school.

• Students who choose to bring mobile phones to school must have them switched off and securely stored during school hours.

• Exceptions to this policy may be applied if certain conditions are met (see below for further information)

• When emergencies occur, parents or carers should reach their child by calling the school’s office.

Secure storage

Mobile phones and other personal mobile devices owned by students

are considered valuable items and are brought to school at the owner’s (student’s or parent/carer’s) risk.

Please note that St Helena Secondary College does not have accident insurance for accidental property damage or theft. Students and their parents/carers are encouraged to obtain appropriate insurance for valuable items.

Where students bring a mobile phone to school, St Helena Secondary College will provide secure storage by means of the student locker. Students are required to store their phones inside a locker and use a secure padlock on their lockers at all times.

Enforcement

Students who use their personal mobile phones inappropriately may be issued with consequences consistent with our school’s existing student engagement polices [St Helena Code of Conduct available on school website].

In the case where the device is sighted or it becomes apparent a student has a device on their person, the staff member will instruct the student to hand over the item(s) and if the student refuses to hand over the items, implement the relevant disciplinary provision within the student code of conduct.

At St Helena Secondary College inappropriate use of mobile phones is any use during school hours, unless an exception has been granted, and particularly use of a mobile phone:

• in any way that disrupts the learning of others

• to send inappropriate, harassing or threatening messages or phone calls

• to engage in inappropriate social media use including cyber bullying

• to capture video or images of people, including students, teachers and members of the school community without their permission

• to capture video or images in the school toilets, changing rooms, swimming pools and gyms

• during exams and assessments

Exceptions to the policy:

• may be applied during school hours if certain conditions are met, specifically,

o Health and wellbeing-related exceptions; and

o Exceptions related to managing risk when students are offsite.

Exceptions can only be granted by the Principal.

The three categories of exceptions allowed under the Department’s Mobile Phones — Student Use Policy are:

Where an exception is granted, the student can only use the mobile phone for the purpose for which it was granted, and needs to carry their exemption card with them.

Exclusions

This policy does not apply to

• Out-of-school-hours events

• Travelling to and from school

Airpods or similar may only be used in classes (NOT in the yard) with explicit teacher permission for a specific educational purpose. The only exception to this is Senior School study periods. Airpods will be confiscated if students have them outside of this context.

Classwize Screen Monitoring

St Helena is using Classwize technology to monitor student digital technology use during classes.

Classwize gives teachers real-time visibility and control over students' online activities while they are in their class.

This helps keep students focused and on task. Teachers can pre-plan online access, and can see if students go off track and are able to redirect attention if needed.

Teachers can prevent access to distracting, non-relevant websites and apps during the class and close any tab a student is seeing if it's off task or inappropriate. Teacher-managed classroom internet policies mean the right websites and apps are available, as needed, with no unwanted restrictions or delays.

Teachers can also block or unblock sites easily before or during class if required.

Teachers are also able to get everyone's attention quickly by pausing the internet, for an individual or for the whole class.

Uniform Clarification

You can find our uniform policy here:

https://sthelena.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/St-Helena-Uniform-Policy-25-06-2025.pdf

https://sthelena.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/St-Helena-Uniform-Shoes.pdf

I would like to reiterate two elements of our uniform policy that are often missed by students.

Students can NEVER wear a hoodie as part of their uniform, even with a parent note. Hoodies will be confiscated and returned to students either at the end of term, or when a parent comes to collect it. Hoodies are potential safety issues when students pull the hood over their face so that they cannot be identified.
Plain black pants, shorts or tracksuit pants are part of our uniform. However, items with logos (Elite Eleven, NIKE etc) are NOT permitted.

A number of students and parents appear to be a bit confused about our shoe policy.

The policy, as well as a visual flyer showing the types of shoes that are suitable, is on our website.

For clarification:

Students may mix and match any items from the uniform range on any given day provided that:

1. Active wear including runners is worn for PE/sport. Students MUST wear proper running shoes that provide adequate foot support during physical activity.

2. Leather shoes are worn with the academic range and in practical subjects

Note: leather shoes are required for practical subjects but work boots are not required.

Many students elect to wear black leather lace up runners which meet the requirements for both PE and practical subjects.

Students must wear black leather lace up school shoes or black leather lace-up runners with clothes from the Academic range (not sports shoes).

Buckled shoes are not permitted for OHS reasons.

All shoes must have a sole less than 2 cm and a heel less than 4 cm.

For PE/Sport students MUST wear proper running shoes that provide sufficient foot support during physical activity. These shoes must be predominantly black, white or grey with black or white laces.

Running shoes cannot be worn for practical subjects such as Design and Technology.

Skate shoes/Vans/Converse/basketball or canvas shoes are NEVER acceptable.

The most practical solution is to purchase black, lace up, leather runners that can then be worn with the academic uniform, in technology, and in PE and at all other times.

Example:

Staff Merits

Has a St Helena staff member (teaching or non teaching) gone above and beyond for you or your child? Recognise them with a merit by clicking here: https://forms.office.com/r/m3D6a06TMN

It will make their day!

Excursion policy

A lot of time and effort goes into organising school excursions, camps and internal activities. There are many legal accountabilities for the staff organising, including ensuring no child leaves the college without consent, we have current contact details for students, we have personalised first aid needs met with our kits, venues have the correct numbers and correct payment has been made, sufficient buses have been booked etc etc.

For this reason, once a Compass consent/payment deadline has passed, THE EVENT WILL NOT BE RE-OPENED FOR PAYMENT OR CONSENT unless there are exceptional compassionate circumstances, or the College is in error.

The closing date is made in order to give the organiser time to ensure they have met all their responsibilities.

Canteen Enquiries

A reminder to families that any queries regarding canteen orders should be directed to Bocca Foods via email at support@boccaonline.com.au. Please note that the Canteen Manager is not always on site to answer phone calls.

A reminder about our community standards

When parents, carers and school staff work together as one team, our students do better. Everyone at school, particularly staff and parents/carers, play a role in making school a better place for learning and work.

Parents, carers and school staff have a relationship that can last many years. This is an opportunity to work together to create a positive relationship in the best interests of your child. When this relationship is built on respect and trust, students learn better and feel like they belong in the school.

We enjoy positive and collaborative relationships with the vast majority of our parents and carers. However, there are times where our staff are subject to behaviours that are unacceptable in our workplace. We are open to respectful feedback and recognise that we don't always get things right. Where there are points of disagreement, we ask that you approach us with respect and a solution focused attitude.

Every member of our school community has a right to feel safe and be protected. Rude, abusive, aggressive or threatening behaviour towards our staff, whether via email, verbal, or in person will not be tolerated.

Behaviour Expectations in our College

I would also like to remind the school community of our school’s positive behaviour expectations. To set students up for success, here is a summary of our school’s behaviour expectations in the classroom:

Actively listen to others. Do not talk when the teacher is giving instructions.
Accept that everyone in the class has a right to learn and disruptive behaviour that prevents others from learning will result in consequences.
Take ownership of any behaviour that impedes the learning of others, and your own, and try to remedy this.
Keep appropriate noise levels while working.
Be ready to learn.
Complete all set tasks to the best of your ability.
Stay focused.
Submit work on time.

In the interests of a calm and orderly learning environment for all, please don't ask us to excuse your child from these expectations, as a refusal often offends!

Student Supervision before and after school

Please note that our grounds are supervised by school staff from 8.20 am until 3.00 pm. Outside of these hours, staff are not available to supervise students. Please do not allow your child to attend the school grounds outside of these hours, unless they are attending an organised event or activity.

Community Service

As part of our focus on community and responsibility, Years 7-10 students are asked to take part in a Community Service program. This initiative gives students an opportunity to contribute to their school environment in a practical and positive way.

What is Community Service?

Each day, a small group of six students will assist our Grounds and Maintenance staff member, Stephen, in helping to keep our school environment clean and welcoming. Students will use hand-held rubbish pickers to collect litter around designated areas of the school from 1:55 pm to 2:15 pm (Period 5). The roster will rotate daily so that all Year 7-10 students have the opportunity to take part over time.

Why do we have Community Service?

There are several important reasons behind this:

Our school yard can become quite messy after recess and lunch.
Our grounds staff have an increasingly large workload, and supporting them in this way allows more time for other important maintenance and improvement tasks across the campus.
The number of birds that raid bins and scatter rubbish around has grown, and this additional help will make a visible difference to the look and cleanliness of our grounds.

Beyond the practical benefits, this initiative also provides students with an opportunity to contribute positively to their school community, fostering teamwork, responsibility, and pride in their environment.

How will it work?

Six students will be assigned to Community Service each day. This will appear on their individual daily schedule on Compass.
At the end of lunch, students will report to their Mini School Office, where Stephen will meet them and provide the necessary equipment.
Students will return after 20 minutes and can wash their hands using hand sanitiser provided.
Any students who are absent on their scheduled day will be rescheduled to another date.
Students will be provided with sunscreen and will not be asked to touch rubbish with their hands.

Acknowledgement and Reward

As a token of our appreciation, students who complete this task responsibly and with a positive attitude will receive a $5 canteen voucher to use at a later date.

Please note: students who do not actively participate in the task as expected will forfeit this reward.

We trialled this initiative with Year 7 in Term 4 last year, and it was both well received by students and made an enormous difference to the environment our students and staff learn and teach in every day. It’s a small but meaningful way for students to contribute to their school community.