COLLEGE NEWS

From the Principal

Welcome back to Term 4.

HSC Exams

Year 12 are almost halfway through their HSC exams. I know that many students took advantage of the additional exam preparation classes Wyndham College teachers ran through the holidays to support our students. A big thank you to our dedicated and expert teachers who gave of their time so freely during the holidays.

The HSC results are published on the 18th December. Our Year 12 students are tracking well to deliver strong results. At Wyndham College, we analyse student growth across the four assessment tasks leading into the HSC examinations and share this with our students. Our students have the knowledge and the requisite skills to be able to fill gaps and enhance their performance leading into the exams, so that they can do their best.

World Teachers’ Day

Happy World Teachers’ Day in NSW is Friday 31 October. I’d like to take this

opportunity to acknowledge and thank our expert, dedicated and kind teaching staff. The work they do in the service of students in setting the foundational skills for all other professions is outstanding. We had a celebratory morning tea to honour them.

SRC initiatives

Our new SRC team have hit the ground running on 31st October, managing three events on the one day. Some of the team were at William Dean Public School helping out with their Fun Day and spreading the word about what a great place Wyndham College is to do your HSC. Others were at school running the Halloween celebrations and others were coordinating student messages of support for our teachers. Well done SRC! And thanks to Chris Minol for supporting them so well

Digital Access for Students While Overseas

The Department of Education has decided to cease Student Portal access for

students while they are overseas as a way of combatting cyber safety issues.

The school will have the ability to make exceptions for students if access is vital

for them to continue their learning. This change makes it even more important

that families let us know if they are requesting approval for a student to miss

school. I will send a separate email in the coming days with more information

on this Department of Education change.

Social Media Ban for under 16s

This Federal Government initiative is arriving in December. Some Wyndham College students will be impacted by this ban as they enter Year 11 and more information will be

provided to students and parents as it becomes available. Currently, the best source of information on this is from the e-Safety Commission Social Media age restrictions

Kristine MacPhail - Principal

Mission Patch Art Competition

Wyndham College students Jewen Loh and Jasmine Holland were invited to present at the Astronautical Congress during the term break to speak about their involvement in the Future Space Program with the Powerhouse Museum.

Jewen's Mission Patch design was chosen for the mission which was conducted on the International Space Station.

Congratulations to both ladies on a fantastic presentation and for inspiring the many children in attendance on the day.

The Australian Space Curriculum Collaborative

During the holiday break, Wyndham College was represented by our passionate Deputy Principal Ann-Maree Ager as she collaborated with teachers from across Australia and New Zealand at the University of Sydney on new STEM curriculum. This was 4 days of learning, networking and meeting inspirational people in the Space industry. The Australian Space Curriculum Collaborative #ASCC2025 will continue to bring exciting opportunities for our students and build pathways into these rapidly evolving industries.

NextGen STEM

Huge thanks to NextGen Stem and the University of Newcastle for sending us a free Science and Engineering in a box kit.

We are looking forward to building bridges, bionic hands and catapults this term with our students.

2026 Youth Ambassador Program

Applications for the 2026 Youth Ambassador are now open and will close Wednesday 18 February 2026.

If you are interested please see Sally in the Library for more information.

Meet our New SHINE tutors

Thanks to funding from Australian School Plus we have been able to employ two new SHINE tutors for Term 4, and yes, they look familiar they are Wyndham Alumni.

Former School Captain Atharv Javagal and Former Wyndham DUX Michael Hingston.

Atharv and Michael will be working in classes alongside teachers to support Year 11 students in numeracy, literacy and course content. They will also be available during study sessions 2-3 in the library one day a week.

Staff Shout Out

Congratulations to these Wyndham staff members for their outstanding commitment to public education -

Geoff Smith - 50 years of service
Bronlyne Hayne - 30 years of service
Rosemary Godbehere - 20 years of service

Salvation Army Christmas Appeal

Wyndham College is proud to support The Salvation Army. We are collecting non-perishable food and toiletry donations until the 1st December. Please bring donated items to the Library. Every contribution helps families in need, thank you for your generosity and community spirit.

Changes for Accessing School Systems from Overseas

The NSW Department of Education is changing the way students access school systems. From the start of Term 4 2025, students will be blocked by default from accessing any department system including things like their school email, the student portal, or online learning platforms from outside of Australia or using a virtual private network (VPN).

The change will better protect student privacy and the reputation of the department.

This is a new policy to help protect student’s privacy and reduce cyber security risks for the Department of Education. We need to make sure our systems are as safe as they can be.

Do not use a virtual private network (VPN) to access department systems.

VPNs can resemble unapproved overseas access or mirror cyber-criminal activity, where it might be used to create the appearance of being inside Australia. Students are not permitted use any remote access tool or VPN to access department data. Any student who uses a VPN at school or home to access department data will be blocked by default and may have their account scrambled or locked.

What if my child is away on extended family leave?

We understand that some students may need to travel overseas for extended family leave. If this is the case for your child, the school can grant them an exemption to the new rule to make sure they can continue their learning. Please note if your child is on a family holiday or extended leave there is no expectation that the school will provide any new classwork whilst overseas. To apply for an exemption, parent or carers can send a request to the school's general email address - wyndhamcol-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au Once approved, your child will be able to access their school systems for the dates of their approved leave.

Enrolments 2026