The Challenge Update

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Our Northern Bay Challenge Newsletter aims to keep members of our wider NBC Challenge community updated with work that is happening at our college and through the programs that are directly funded by The Challenge.

GROWTH: 2025 College Captains

It is with great pleasure that I am able to announce the 2025 College Captains Ali Agha Wali Zada and Farzana Mohammad Aref alongside Vice Captains Ashton Stonehouse and Tyler Collins.

On Friday, both students were introduced to the Year 11 (soon to be Year 12) group. It was a proud moment for them, and they shared their commitment to representing the student body with goals centred on Collaboration and Kindness amongst other. 

COLLABORATION: Parliamentary Recognition

We are thrilled to see our local member, Ella George, share a video from Parliament, where she spoke so positively about her recent visit to Northern Bay College alongside Premier Jacinta Allan. Her comments highlighted the incredible students and the vibrant environment that make our school community special. It’s wonderful to receive such recognition, affirming the hard work and dedication of our students, staff, and the wider NBC community. This acknowledgment reflects the positive impact Northern Bay College continues to have, and we are grateful for the support from leaders like Ella George and Premier Allan.

COLLABORATION: African Parents Morning Tea

In term three we held an African parents’ morning tea which was a wonderful opportunity to build connections and discuss areas for improvement in our school’s communication. We also explored new initiatives expected to come into DE schools and heard valuable ideas on how we can better support this parent group in their settlement to Geelong. The atmosphere was so positive and enjoyable, fostering a sense of community and collaboration. We look forward to creating more opportunities for these discussions in the future to continue these important conversations. 

A big thank you to Belthrand and his team for their excellent organisation of this meaningful event!

PERSISTENCE: Geelong Kokoda Youth Program

Year 11 student Tom Bugg is preparing for a life-changing experience as part of the Geelong Kokoda Youth Program. Over the past six months, Tom has committed to training twice a week, both mentally and physically gearing up for the challenge. The program supports young people through personal development, fitness, and mentorship. This journey will culminate in Tom walking the 96km Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea in the new year. We are incredibly proud of Tom’s determination and wish him well. We look forward to hearing all about his incredible adventure upon his return!

COLLABORATION: Community Hubs

Yesterday, our Community Hubs program at the NBCELC had the pleasure of hosting local MP Ella George. The team was able to showcase the incredible connections built through the program and the large number of NBC families it supports daily. We are so fortunate for the hard work Narelle puts in every day, creating meaningful connections and providing invaluable support to our community. 

Ella was thoroughly impressed by the program’s impact and the strong ties it fosters within our school.  Her visit highlighted the importance of this program in enhancing the well-being of our families.

GROWTH:  African Student Conference 2024

The African student conference held on Wednesday last week has been held annually since 2022. It is designed to gather as many African students as possible to meet African professionals, successful business owners and others who can serve as role models and source of inspiration to African students. 

The aim of the conference is to instil confidence, expand horizons and diversify potential career paths for African Students. 

The conference also helps students connect and network with their counterparts from various schools in Victoria. 

The African Students Conference 2024 saw the participation of more than 700 African students. NBC students involved in interviews afterwards expressed their satisfaction with the conference.

COLLABORATION: Follow The Dream 

We are extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to send two of our Follow the Dream students to Perth in July to partner and engage in careers conversations and connections with over 250 students across WA schools. This opportunity would not have been possible without the Polly Farmer Foundation.

We continue to be so proud of our young people who lean into experiences with open eyes and hearts. A big thanks to Kylie Clarke and the college operations team.

GROWTH: Student Sporting Success

We are thrilled to celebrate our students' outstanding achievements at the recent Senior Badminton and Table Tennis Sports Days. 

Our students showcased exceptional skills, teamwork, and most importantly excellent sportsmanship, resulting in numerous victories and four pennants. These events not only highlight our students' dedication and hard work but also their ability to excel in a competitive environment. Congratulations to all students and their coaches. 

KINDNESS: AFLW Photo Opportunity

One of the wonderful aspects of our school is the strong connection with a wide section of the greater Geelong Community. This is highly evident through our NBC Challenge Committee who act as a networking and philanthropic arm of the school. The Challenge has raised more than $250K in donations since its inception, this money sitting in a corpus at the Geelong Community Foundation to support programs such as our 7-8 Scholarships, our Alumni work and the wellbeing holiday camps. 

A member of this committee is former Geelong Mayor - Keith Fagg who last week donated 4 seats in an AFLW photo shoot to 4 SEED students. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for our students and just a further nod to the incredible kindness and support Keith and the committee demonstrate to our school.

GROWTH:  Western Chances

Earlier this term, three Year 10 Western Chances scholarship recipients were fortunate to attend the organisations' 21st Birthday Gala. This event was supported by our local MP Ella George who introduced Zin Zin, Summer and Son Lar to our brilliant past Prime Minister Julia Gillard. 

Western Chances gives students opportunities to reach their goals by taking away some of the financial barriers that can exist to success. 

There are a host of successful young people across our college who hold scholarships, and this event crystalised for us the importance of community and the strength of our students. 

Julia spoke about the sacrifices teachers and educational support staff make every day and the pivotal part the relationships we build with our students make in building strong communities for a brighter future. I would like to thank you for your dedication and reiterate Julia’s words of thanks, and that I am grateful you show up every day with purpose and care.

KINDNESS: Children’s Week

Our Year 9 and 10 IMPACT students have ensured our 3- and 4-year-old Kindergarten students have had a great Children's Week. Our Year 9's put on a puppet show in our theatre for them and then taught and helped them make their own puppet to take home. 

As part of this work Year 10's had to design, refine and implement a program for the kinder students. Ranging from bubbles to paper planes and painting. Everyone had a great time, and it was nice to see our older students and younger students working together.

To be involved, the Challenge Committee is offering 'Supporter Shares' @ $1,000 per share. To become involved please contact the college directly or The Challenge via the 'How Can You help?' page at the end of this Newsletter.

Yours sincerely,

 Ken Harrison and Scott Diamond

The Challenge Chair & College Principal

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