Need to Know 

I would like to congratulate our School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) team, led by Shaun Isbister, Josh Marchbank, and now Connor Callaway, along with all of our staff, on St Helena Secondary College achieving Platinum Level status. This is an exceptional accomplishment. We are the only secondary school in our local area to have achieved Gold level accreditation in the past two years, and to now reach this new Platinum standard reflects the sustained commitment of our staff to building a positive, respectful and inclusive school culture. It is something our whole community should feel proud of.

Our Year 11 students recently celebrated the first of our two Debutante Balls, which was a fabulous community event. These evenings are always a highlight of the year and it was wonderful to see students and families come together to celebrate such a special milestone.

Over the past fortnight our Year 7 and 9 students have also completed their NAPLAN testing. Despite the statewide IT disruptions that many schools experienced, our staff managed the process smoothly and our students conducted themselves exceptionally well. While we do not push students to achieve particular results in NAPLAN, the data it provides assists us in understanding how effectively we are supporting students to achieve stronglearning growth over time.

Another highlight was the International Women’s Day Morning Tea, organised by our Feminist Collective. This was a highly successful event attended by local female politicians, AFLW footballers and many of our female student leaders. Students asked thoughtful and insightful questions of the panel, and it was a powerful opportunity to reinforce an important message: regardless of gender, race, religion or ability, our students are valued, their voices matter, and their potential is limitless.

Our Year 12 students recently participated in the RYDA Driver Safety Program, an important experience that helps young drivers understand the real-world risks and responsibilities of being on the road. 

We also enjoyed a fantastic day at our whole school Athletics Carnival, where students participated with great enthusiasm and school spirit.

Child Safety @ St Helena 

Keeping students safe remains our highest priority. Our Child Safe Policies have recently been renewed and are available on our school website for parents and carers to view. In addition, all staff are currently undertaking the bi-annual Anaphylaxis Briefing, ensuring that our knowledge and response procedures remain current. We are committed to doing everything we can to ensure that your children are safe, supported and well cared for at school.

On this topic, a teacher reported the following last week: 

"I was on driveway duty this morning and one of the Mee's drivers approached me to raise concerns that he nearly hit a student on Friday who was rushing across the driveway to catch the 343. He asked me to pass this info on as he is worried that next time the student might be hit."   The front driveway is full of buses, pedestrians and students accessing their bikes at the end of the day.   Please speak to your child/ren and emphasise the importance of safety crossing the driveway - many students rush to catch the earlier bus which arrives only 2 minutes after our bell.   We have no influence over the bus timetables, can't commence (and therefore finish) our school day any later due to bus constraints,  and students may just need to accept they have to wait for the next bus half an hour later.  

Students in the Community 

Recently there has been a concerning trend on local community Facebook pages where members of the public are posting photographs of young people in school uniform and calling out alleged antisocial behaviour in public places. Many of the local secondary schools have been represented in these posts. St Helena Secondary College will always act on credible reports of students behaving disrespectfully on the way to or from school, while in school uniform, or where their behaviour significantly impacts the wellbeing, health or safety of members of our community.

Thankfully these incidents are rare. Last week I did receive a report from a member of the public about a group of our students on the Hurstbridge bus who were swearing loudly and being disruptive. This type of behaviour does not reflect the standards we expect from St Helena students and will be addressed when it occurs.

Encouragingly, I was also contacted over the weekend by a community member who wished to praise a group of our students they encountered on a train while travelling to an excursion. They described the students as respectful, friendly and a pleasure to be around, and they also commented on how neat and respectable they looked in their uniforms. Feedback like this is always wonderful to receive and reflects the behaviour we see from the vast majority of our students every day.

Tracksuit Pants

On the topic of uniform, St Helena has a very flexible and comfortable uniform, but it is still a uniform, and we will continue to uphold our policy consistently. For reasons of safety and school pride, wide-legged tracksuit pants are not acceptable. Tracksuit pants must have a cuffed ankle. Wide-legged pants present a tripping hazard and unfortunately also look untidy when worn with the school uniform.

Some parents have indicated that they have difficulty finding cuffed tracksuit pants. Please note that Bob Stewart’s carries a style produced specifically at our request which not only has the required cuff but also replicates the cut of the popular Elite Eleven tracksuit pants, and at a much lower price point. Students may also continue to wear the previous St Helena branded tracksuit pants.

Middle Eastern Conflict 

I am very conscious that some of our students, staff and families may be affected by the ongoing events in the Middle East. For some this may mean concern for family and friends in the region, heightened tensions within the community, anxiety about the future, or financial stress. We encourage all members of our school community to show kindness and understanding to one another, and we urge families to reach out if they if they are concerned about how their child may be responding. Please contact us via AskLeadership@sthelena.vic.edu.au if you would like support.

Respect @ St Helena 

Over the past few weeks,almost every year level has participated in their annual assembly focused on our Mutual Respect Policy.During these sessions we talk with students about what bullying is, why it is unacceptable, and most importantly what students should do if they experience or witness bullying. We also share the results of the Student Attitudes to School Survey, which consistently shows that the vast majority of our students report not experiencing bullying at school. In our most recent data from2025, 87% of students indicated that they do not experience bullying at St Helena.

While we can be proud of this as a community, we must also acknowledge the 13% of students who report that they have experienced bullying. During the assemblies I challenged students to reflect on their role in our community and to be part of the reason that number decreases even further this year. Creating a safe and respectful environment is something we all share responsibility for.

Dare to be Excellent 

Congratulations to Maddi Papanestora, who has been awarded the Pauline Toner Prize for 2026. This is a prestigious recognition and a wonderful achievement for Maddi. The Pauline Toner Prize acknowledges outstanding commitment and contribution to education and community, and we are very proud to see one of our students recognised in this way.  Maddison is a transformative leader who balances academic excellence with a fierce, practical dedication to advocating for LGBTQIA+ visibility, and disability inclusion here at St Helena Secondary College.  The Pauline Toner prize winner is selected by an independent panel and is gifted in the name of Pauline Toner, the first person to represent our community in local government, our first female mayor, first female MP and Victoria's first female government minister.   I am sure we are going to see Maddi go on to achieve great things in the advocacy and leadership space.

Maths Help

Maths club is also running on Mondays (week Bs only) for VCE maths students wanting help from 3:00 to 4:30pm in S2.

Year 10 Snow Camp opportunity 

• Dates: Monday 10th - Friday 14th August 2026
• Location: Outdoor Education School, Bogong
• Estimated cost: $800 (per student).
• Students: Approximately 20 Year 10 students (10 Male, 10 Female)

This camp is designed for students who have minimal to no experience in the snow and is NOT SUITABLE for those who have skiing experience.

Parents/guardians MUST email Jayke Greenard (JG@sthelena.vic.edu.au) to confirm their child’s interest and permission to attend the camp. Students may also send Jayke Greenard a teams message expressing their interest. Please feel free to also email for any further queries regarding the camp.

The learning intentions at the ski camp are: 

• To build resilience by developing strategies to cope with challenging situations by demonstrating persistence, motivation and initiative. 
• To develop specialised movement skills in challenging movement situations and apply feedback to enhance performance. 
• To develop a connection with the Alpine Environment by learning about it and immersing yourself in it.

For further information on the camp, please see the following link;https://www.outdoorschool.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Winter-Connect-Teacher-Booklet-2025.pdf

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!