Principal's Report
Past Student Achievement
Maya Ranganathan (Class of 2018, Everard House) has just been awarded the Supreme Court Prize for obtaining the top mark in her Law (Honours) degree from Monash University (completed 2024). The Chief Justice will present Maya with her award in a ceremony later this year.
Maya was the Eltham High School Top Achiever of her class and was also the recipient of a Premier’s Award for her performance in the study of Global Politics.
This most recent well deserved, high accolade is of no surprise to those who know Maya, a young woman of strong commitment, high determination and an exceptional hard worker. Maya attributes much of her success to attitudes she developed, and support she received, at Eltham High School.
I congratulate Maya on her outstanding achievement, and we are so very proud of her.
We wish Maya well as she embarks on her career in Law and look forward to seeing Maya make her positive mark on the world.
Open Night /Information Evening 2025-2026
I wish to remind families and friends of Eltham High School that our Open/Information Evening for prospective 2026 Year 7 enrolments will take place on Wednesday 2 April starting at 5:30pm. Formal presentations will begin at 7:00pm in the Nalleijerring Performance Centre at the school.
Please pass on this information to any family that may be interested in attending. Further details are available by contacting the General Office on 9430 5111.
ANZAC DAY Commemorative Ceremony
As we are moving into a holiday break and we do not return to school until Tuesday 22 April, I wish to Inform you that our ANZAC Day Commemorative Ceremony will Take Place on Thursday 24 April starting at around 10:30am. For any member of our community who would like to attend please contact Kate Scalzo at Kate.Scalzo@education.vic.gov.au to express your interest.
Communication of a Sad Event
It is with a heavy heart that I communicate the outcome of a devastating event that took place over the last weekend involving several of our 2024 Year 12 students and their friends.
On last Saturday evening, at a gathering of young people on a private property near Bendigo, four young men, got into a vehicle for a ride around the property. At a point in time the vehicle overturned resulting in the death of one of the passengers, a past student of Eltham High School.
The name of the deceased has not been released so I am not able to communicate this to you.
As you can well understand this is a horrific situation and one that has devastating impact on many people.
It is certainly a life changing experience for every young person who was at the gathering as well as their families.
On Monday we ran a series of Year level assemblies to deliver a consistent message and expectations of all students in relation to communication about the incident as well as offer support for those in need.
The Regional office has provided support for the school and will continue to do so for as long as needed.
Support is available for all our current students as well as past students as needed.
Our hearts and thoughts go out to the family of the deceased boy as well as to the other students who were witness to the incident and their families.
Should you feel the need to reach out for support outside of the school please do not hesitate to make contact with one or more of the following:
Griefline
https://griefline.org.au/get-help/nationwide-telephone-support/
Parentline
https://services.dffh.vic.gov.au/parentline
KidsHelpine
End of Term 1
It seems like this term has flown by. However, in reflection, it has been quite a heavy term in terms of what we achieved. We implemented anew “Start of Year Program”. We completed our School Review and await the report in order to develop our new School Strategic Plan for the next four years. Students have engaged in their learning in a very positive way. We have had our two Sports Carnivals. We have begun the building of our new STEAM Centre and students have engaged in arange of activities.
Whilst we began the year fully staffed, unfortunately due to circumstances beyond our control we did have some staffing issues. However, I am pleased to say that we have managed to address these and for the start of Term 2 we will be fully staffed once again. This is a positive ending to the term.
I take this opportunity to wish all students and staff a wonderful, restful and relaxing break and I wish all of you a very happy Easter.
As is customary, on the last day of term school will finish at 2:30 pm. I ask that parent/carers arrange safe travel home for all students.
See you all back at the start of Term 2 on Tuesday 22 April.
Reminders
Staff 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 emails 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 if it is outside of the regular work hours. However, your email 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
Parents/Carers Support:
13 22 89
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/serviceprofiles/parentline-service
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 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 it 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