Principal's Report

Eltham High School Hosts Milestone Celebration for the Pat Cronin Foundation

It was an honour to celebrate on Monday 26 August, an amazing milestone of the Pat Cronin Foundation in the Nalleijerring Performance Centre at Eltham High School.

In the presence of the Foundation Directors, Matt and Robyn Cronin, our Year 11 students and special guests we celebrated the amazing work of the Foundation that on this day had reached 250, 000 High school students. 

We are truly grateful for the work of the Foundation that has supported the education of our young people from the very early times of its establishment through to now. 

Post the celebration, our Year 11 students took part in the “Violence is not ever OK” presentation, which to date, has been presented to 60% of Victorian High Schools and now is venturing out across Australia and possibly New Zealand.

As a learning community, we focus on the development of the whole student, where academic care and social care and wellbeing go hand in hand. Our school values are not just words on paper, but they are our guiding principles, which alongside our school motto “Deeds Count”, clearly define the expectations of the way we go about our work and the respect we need to show each other and others in our community in our day-to-day interactions. 

We acknowledge and accept that violence of any kind has no part within our community and that violence is not tolerated under any circumstance. 

We understand that differences of opinion can lead to tense situations but the message we are consistently sharing with our students and community is that it is through tolerance, understanding and acceptance that these tensions can be resolved. No resolution has ever come through violence. 

At Eltham High School, we have a strong commitment to promoting safe and respectful behaviour and there are many initiatives in place to support our students to engage with each other and others in a respectful way.

One such initiative is the Respectful Relationships Program, which is delivered in myriad ways across the various year levels of the school. In Senior School, the Be Wise Education Program run by the Pat Cronin Foundation is embedded in our respectful relationships repertoire. 

We commend the Foundation on its work. It has opened the ears, eyes and hearts of many young people and it is just for the Foundation to be proud of its achievements. We are not just proud of the work but very grateful for the support that the Foundation has provided to us and, of course, our young people over the years.

We congratulate the Pat Cronin Foundation for having reached this outstanding milestone and look forward to continuing our collaboration for the benefit of all the young people who walk through our doors.

                               Our students with Foundation Directors Matt and Robyn Cronin

Past Student Achievement

Congratulations to Ishika Kinzel (class of 2020) who has been awarded ‘The Majlis Travelling Fellowship’, open to final year VCA Art students in the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music at Melbourne University. The scholarship of $15,000 will allow her to travel overseas at the conclusion of her undergraduate studies.

Ishika’s artistic concerns during her final year at Eltham High focused on the unseen intricacies of the natural world, referencing traditional Taoist art and philosophy, proposing humility, respect for the natural order and self-acceptance.  

At the VCA, she has continued her investigation into innate natural forms exploring spiritual truth, and her work invites dialogue around dualistic binaries such as us/them and conscious/non-conscious. In her sculpture ‘Devoted to the Carpet, As Above So Below’ (2024) light and shadow reveal representations of the archetypical ‘Tree of Life’ as found in traditional carpet design. The intricate marks and patterns created poetically unveil the mutual dependencies and interwovenness.

Ishika’s work and the work of the 15 other finalists for this prestigious prize are on view at the Victorian College of the Arts Fiona and Sidney Myer Gallery at 40 Dodds St Southbank, 3006. The exhibition continues till the 14 September and is open on Tuesdays to Saturdays, 12:00 - 5:00pm.

This is an amazing achievement and one that we are very proud of. Well done, Ishika!

Student Achievement

Congratulations to Bindi Hillen (Year 11, Skipper) who last weekend opened her debut photographic exhibition at Nyora Studio Gallery in Eltham.

Entitled 'The Wedding Frog', this exhibition features Bindi’s captivating wildlife photographs, showcasing her deep connection with nature. 

We wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to Emmy Mavroidis of the Nyora Studio Gallery for supporting young talent from Eltham High School through the provision of the Nyora Studio Gallery Prize. A great achievement, Bindi!

Parent/Carer Opinion Survey

I urge all parents/carers to take a few minutes to complete the Parent/Carers Opinion Survey. You were all e-mailed a link through which to do this. 

The survey results are important to support our continuous improvement agenda and would be of great value as we move into 2025 and our School Review. Having only a few families respond when there are about 800 school families in the our learning community will make the results invalid. We really need to have most people respond for the results to be useful to our cause. Once again, I urge you to put a few minutes aside to complete the survey. I thank you in anticipation of your support.

Student Safety at the Start and End of The School Day

I once again take the opportunity to remind parents/carers of the importance of obeying road rules all the time and especially in the vicinity of the school. I ask you all to be cautious around the children’s crossing and to always follow the guidance provided by the crossing supervisor.

It is important that you are constantly vigilant, watching for students whilst driving on Withers Way and Susan Street during peak times (8:30 – 9:00 and 3:00 – 3:30) and adhere to the speed limit.

I also remind you that the front of the administration building is a “No Standing” area during peak times; and you cannot queue there prior to pick-up. If you arrive early and your child is not standing at your pickup point you are required to drive through the circular drive and enter as many times as needed until your child is there for pick up.

If you have been fortunate to find a parking spot when entering the circular drive, we ask that you reverse park as this will reduce the risk of colliding with a student on their way out of the school as well as with other cars. 

It would also be reasonable and sensible for you to reverse park in the parking bays at the front of the school as this will reduce the risk of you backing out onto oncoming traffic when you leave.

Signage already exists in front of the administration area about it being a “No Standing” zone between 8:00 - 10:00 am and 2:00 - 4:00 pm. We are looking at installing additional signage reminding parents/carers to reverse park.

Please be aware that if these measures do not improve safety for our students especially at peak times we will engage with local authorities (Victoria Police and/or Council) to discuss the possibility of increased enforcement of parking restrictions and/or road rules. 

I look forward to your ongoing support with this matter.

VINCENT SICARI, Principal