Need to Know 

This is our final newsletter for the 2024 school year.   

I would like to wish all students and families a healthy, safe and happy summer holiday and a Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it.

I would like to recognise the wonderful St Helena staff for their ongoing professionalism and commitment to giving our students their best possible educational experiences.  This has been a tough year for staff shortages, and our team has pulled together to cover the gaps.   

To the Leadership Team – many parents, students and other staff  have no concept of the hours and hours of work that goes behind the scenes to run a school and I am fortunate to have a talented and committed team to co-lead the school.  Principal class don’t qualify for time-in-lieu and there have been many weekends and school holidays where our team members are working well beyond a 38 hour week.  I appreciate them all. 

If you know of a staff member who you believe has gone above and beyond, please take a moment to recognise them with a Staff Merit by filling out this brief form:  https://forms.office.com/r/m3D6a06TMN

    Your words of gratitude go a long way to making staff feel valued. 

I’d like to make a special mention of Year 9 student Rachel Aden.  Many of you have commented on the fortnightly Koorie News section of our newsletter, and I’m sure you will agree that Rachel’s informative, entertaining and well written articles have been pivotal in raising first nations peoples’ issues, and creating cultural awareness.  Rachel has contributed without prompting from me, and has sometimes kept me to deadline!  Thank you Rachel. 

This year we have had three student members of College Council.  Niamh Coffey, Martina Charalambous and Alexander Tomkins.  All have been active and valued members of the council and I thank them for their contribution.   I’d also like to acknowledge our grown-up College Councillors and thank them for their service:  John Fecondo, Lynne Bartlett, Gill De Cis, Charles Charalambous, Koula Zougras, Natania Locke, Cameron Lawrence, Shelli Giosis, Samantha Rowley, Ian Mitchell, Lucas Williams and Jamie Myers.    Natania Locke was also awarded the “Parent Contribution Award” at our Year 12 graduation for her significant volunteerism both at Council and in the Friends of Performing Arts.    Nominations for the 2025 Council will be called for early in the New Year. 

2025 

The Office will be open from 9.30 am on Tuesday 28th of January.

Years 7 and 12 will commence on Thursday 30th of January.

*Year 7 will start at 8.45 am in the Theatre.  Parents are asked NOT to come into the school with your child. 

*Year 12 will have a Strong Start session in Period 1, and will then leave for camp.

Years 8, 9, 10 and 11 will commence on Friday 31st of January at 8.30 am. 

Our 2025 calendar will be published in the first 2025 newsletter.   

We did it!!!  Over $37,000 raised!! 

Our new air conditioners will be installed over the Christmas break.   A huge thank you to our wonderful community members who donated to our raffle, and thank you to all who sold and bought tickets.     Congratulations to our prize winners, including the student who sold the most tickets - Eli Crivelli - and the form who sold the most  - 8C.  

A full list of winners is published in this newsletter, and the General Office will be in contact regarding prize collection.

A huge thank you also to Caitlin Fecondo (Leading Teacher for Community Engagement) and Angela Campbell (Business Manager) for their hard work making the raffle a success.  

Class of 2024

Our class of 2024 has well and truly left the building!  We celebrated their achievements with a fabulous Graduation Ceremony.    Paralympian and ex-St Helena student Jaryd Clifford was our guest speaker, and he gave an inspiring and raw account of his ups and downs chasing his dreams of a gold medal in the Paralympics.   We were also very proud to welcome back our 2023 Dux Emile LOEWENGUTH who is pursuing his engineering studies.  Emile was able to give sound advice to our graduates, and it was wonderful to hear that he is enjoying university life.  

We wish all our graduates the very best as they explore life after school.

Staff  Movement 

At this time of year,  we are always sad to farewell members of our team who are moving on to new experiences and challenges.   I would like to thank the following for their contribution to St Helena, and wish them well:  

Ashwini Gallage 

Erin Hammond

Belinda Necovski

Georgia Neilsen

Stefan Shi

Natasha Litterick

Leeam Stevens

Alysha James

Matthew Alborough

David Pincheira

Elizabeth Nealy

Promotions:

Kate Pizzey (Assistant Principal @ Hampton SC)

Lachlan Hillier (Learning Specicialist @ Doncaster East SC)

Retirements: 

Debra Dunn

Jenny Young

Lyn Blease

Anne Marie Anderson

At the time of writing, we have a full contingent of staff ready for 2025 and look forward to welcoming our new team members.   I will introduce them to you early next year. 

New Website 

Attendance 

Schooling is compulsory for children and young people aged from 6 to 17 years unless an exemption from attendance or enrolment has been granted.

Daily school attendance is important for all children and young people to succeed in education and to ensure they don't fall behind both socially and developmentally. Children and young people who regularly attend school and complete Year 12 or an equivalent qualification have better health outcomes, better employment outcomes, and higher incomes across their lives. It is important that children develop habits of regular attendance at an early age.

School participation is important as it maximises life opportunities for children and young people by providing them with education and support networks. School helps people to develop important skills, knowledge and values which set them up for further learning and participation in their community.

Conversely, limited school participation is associated with a greater chance of dropping out of school, disruptive and delinquent behaviour and may lead to a cycle of rebellion against authority. These outcomes have later implications for employment, a range of health risk behaviours (drug and alcohol abuse), homelessness, poverty, welfare dependence, and involvement in the justice system.

Parents are required to ensure their child attends school and to provide an explanation for their child's absence from school.  The principal must be able to determine from the records if the excuse given was reasonable in terms of the parent meeting their legal obligations.

Parents should promptly inform the school of the reason for their child's absence so that the school can:

• determine if the child's absence needs to be excused by the principal, in line with school policy and these guidelines
• determine the appropriate follow up to ensure the child's education and wellbeing is supported
• record if the parent has a reasonable excuse for not meeting their obligation to ensure their child attends school each day

Where possible, parents should inform the school in advance of upcoming absences.

To ensure a child's education and wellbeing are supported, parents are encouraged to communicate openly with the school where a child has an ongoing medical condition that may result in ongoing absences or medical appointments during school hours.

Principals can consider the excuse given for an absence and use their discretion to decide if the parent has a reasonable excuse for not meeting their legal obligations ('excused absence') or does not have a reasonable excuse ('unexcused absence').

The process for making a decision about student absences involves a principal:

• considering a request from a parent to approve an absence
• exercising their discretion as to whether or not to excuse or not excuse the absence
• notifying the parent if the absences have not been excused.

In general, it is expected that principals would excuse absences for:

• medical and dental appointments, where out of hours appointments are not possible or not appropriate
• bereavement or attendance at the funeral of a relative or friend of the student, including a student required to attend Sorry Business
• school refusal, if a plan is in place with the parent to address causes
• cultural observance, if the parent notifies the school in advance
• family holidays, where the parent notifies the school in advance and the student completes any Student Absence Learning Plan agreed by the school, student and parent.

In general, principals would not be expected to excuse absences, where:

• approval had not been sought in advance or in accordance with school policy
• the student was absent due to participating in leisure or social activities without approval
• the conditions of approval have not been met (for example, Student Absence Learning Plan for a family holiday not completed)
• the parent has provided no explanation for the absences.

Other explanations require confirmation from the principal to ensure the parent has a reasonable excuse.

Please note, that in the case of family holidays you need to contact me IN ADVANCE for approval and the composition of an Absence Learning Plan. 

(Excerpts from the Department of Education Attendance Policy)

Attendance Congratulations 

We have three students in our College with 100% attendance – not even one day off for illness!! 

Congratulations:

Reece Goodson - Year 8

Daffa Ramdani - 11D

Sebastian Zaruski - 11D

 We have a large number of students  who have 100% of their attendance accounted for!    That is, they may have missed school due to illness, but parents have recorded this and these young people have turned up every day that they were well enough to be here.  Well done!!

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 11