Need to Know
The past two weeks have been filled with some great achievements that highlight the dedication, passion, and hard work of our students and staff. I am delighted to share some of these highlights with you.
St Helena Senior Jazz Band at the Eltham Jazz Festival
Our talented Senior Jazz Band had the honour of opening the prestigious Eltham Jazz Festival. Their performance was a shining example of the exceptional musical talent we nurture at St Helena. The students played with energy, precision, and passion, earning well-deserved praise from the audience. It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to showcase their abilities to the local community and beyond.
Baptcare 80th Anniversary Performance
Our Jazz Band also had the privilege of performing at the Baptcare 80th Anniversary celebration. This special occasion allowed our students to give back to the community and share their musical talents with a wider audience. Their performance was not only a testament to their hard work but also to the spirit of service that we encourage at St Helena. Baptcare have already foreshadowed a range of other performance opportunities for this talented group of students, ably conducted by Pat Broadbent.
Year 7 Camp at Forest Edge
Our Year 7 students had a successful and memorable camp experience at Forest Edge Camp. This camp provided them with a fantastic opportunity for personal growth and served as a wonderful transition experience as they settle into high school life. Students participated in a range of activities that helped to build their resilience, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. It was heartening to see how our Year 7s bonded with one another, creating lasting friendships and memories that will stay with them throughout their school journey.
Student Leaders’ Sailing Camp
Our Student Leaders participated in a highly successful sailing camp, where they developed new skills, fostered team bonding, and laid out their plans for the year ahead. It was a time of personal growth, reflection, and collaboration as they worked together to shape their portfolios for 2025. The camp was a great success, and we look forward to seeing the results of their planning and leadership in the year to come.
Swimming Sports 6th March
A reminder that our annual swimming carnival is on Thursday 6th March. If consent has not been received by the cut off, students will not be permitted to attend.
If you have not done so, please consent via Compass over the weekend.
Dare to be Excellent
Congratulations to:
Sienna Laidler, for her selection to perform in the VCAA Season of Excellence, Top Acts.
Jamison Leeson, for selection to the U18 Boys Norhtern Knights Coates Talent League Team for 2025.
Well done!!
Your support needed - hoodies and other uniform issues
St Helena is a uniform school, and you and your child accepted our uniform policy when they enrolled at St Helena. "Uniform" means "the same", which is why we will implement our policy fully. Once we start "letting go" small things, students question what other rules or policies are negotiable. Students will have to follow uniform or dress codes when they go into the workforce, and school is a good training ground for them - being required to abide by a uniform code is not unreasonable. We also have one of the most flexible uniforms in any school I know, and students have plenty of choice.
Nonetheless, we have a small but persistent number of students who are pushing against wearing the St Helena tracksuit pants. Most prevalent are the 'Elite Eleven' pants which are NOT uniform. Your child will be given consequences if they persist in wearing the non-St Helena pants.
As we move into winter, we know that hoodies make an inevitable appearance. Hoodies are deliberately not a part of our uniform as the ability for students to hide their identity under a hood becomes a safety issue. There is no reason for students to wear hoodies - there are plenty of warm options in our uniform policy.
Year level managers and staff waste an enormous amount of time following up uniform breaches, that could be better spent supporting students.
Moving forward, students who wear hoodies to school will have their hoodies confiscated. The hoodie will only be released to a parent. If a parent does not collect it, it will be kept securely until the end of the term in which the hoodie was confiscated. At that point the student may collect it from the mini school.
Please discuss this with your child and support us to implement our fair and reasonable uniform policy.
We can support you if purchase of uniform is difficult currently. Please contact Angela Campbell ac@sthelena.vic.edu.au
Our uniform policy is on our website www.sthelena.vic.edu.au and only items that are listed here may be worn.
Student Achievement
We would love to feature your child in our Dare to be Excellent section! Please let us know of their achievements, inside and outside of school. Askleadership@sthelena.vic.edu.au
Staff Merits
Would you like to recognise a staff member who has gone above and beyond for you or your child? You can make their day with a Merit by clicking here and filling out a very short form: https://forms.office.com/r/m3D6a06TMN
Free Dental Treatment available - and free mouthguards
Smile Squad is a Victorian State Government initiative that provides free dental care to all government primary and secondary students in Victoria. The program is fully funded by the Department of Health and the Department of Education & Training and delivered by Healthabilitiy in our region.
Through this program, students can access FREE dental treatment at the clinic located at 917 Main Road, Eltham.
Additionally, Healthability offers students FREE custom-made mouthguards. These are valued at approximately $250 in the market and are crucial in protecting teeth during sports activities.
To access the service, simply call 9430 9100 to book a dental appointment, mentioning that your child attends St Helena Secondary College. This will automatically entitle your child to free dental care, including mouthgards.
Healthability have also provided us with a free dental pack for each student. These will be distributed with the student Compass cards at the end of March.
Year 10 Snow Camp - EOI due
· Dates: Monday 25th - Friday 29th August 2025
· 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
Change to Compass Parent Alerts for Overdue Learning Tasks
Since St Helena SC has been using Compass, we have been asking for a change to the alert that appears when a student has an overdue Learning Task. In the past, any Learning Task that is not submitted - even those due to absences - have remained as an alert for parents on the Compass student landing page. These would accumulate over the course of the year. In the image, you can see the alert for the one overdue learning task for this student.
Finally, after years of requests, Compass have now enabled us to remove the alert for tasks that are 4 weeks or more overdue. This means, for students who have been absent or have not submitted a task, this will no longer issue an alert for that task after 4 weeks.
This will provide parents with a clear 'snapshot' of their child's current work submission.
Nothing else will change - the task will remain 'not submitted' if the student fails to complete it, and parents can still navigate to the Learning Task area of Compass and view all Learning Tasks for each individual class.
If you would like further information or support, attached is the Compass Parent Guide, with information about accessing Learning Tasks on page 17.
Naplan: relevant to students in Years 7 & 9
The state-wide NAPLAN testing period is scheduled to occur from Wednesday 12th March through to Friday 21st March. Students in years 7 and 9 complete tests in Reading, Writing, Language Conventions (spelling and grammar) and Numeracy. The tests are delivered online, using student laptops.
https://www.nap.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/naplan-information-brochure-for-parents-and-carers.pdf - This link provides an information sheet for parents and carers from ACARA, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. It shows the order and length of tests and gives further information.
DATES
St Helena will be running the NAPLAN test on the follow days:
- Wednesday 12/03 – Period 1: Writing
- Friday 14/03 – Period 1: Reading
- Tuesday 18/03 – Period 1: Conventions of Language (Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation)
- Thursday 20/03 – Period 1: Numeracy
On Friday 14/03 and Thursday 20/03 the bell times will be adjusted to allow extra time for the tests in Period 1.
PRACTICE TESTS
To ensure a smooth start to NAPLAN, we are scheduling a series of Practice Tests with years 7 and 9 in the coming week. This will enable us to sort out any problems with the browser and computer settings ahead of time. Students are asked to ensure they have headphones (see below) in their pencil case, ready for the practice test.
HEADPHONES
It is important that ALL STUDENTS bring a pair of headphones to the Conventions of Language test, as spelling is tested by having students listen to words and then having to spell them.
- Headphones can be cable or Bluetooth (must be charged).
- We do not recommend student bring expensive headphones to school.
- Headphones remain the responsibility of students at all times.
STUDENTS NEEDING SUPPORT
NAPLAN online now accommodates many of the adjustments and supports that some of our students need to complete the test. Our staff will consider individual student IEPs and be in contact with families of students who other assistance, such as extra time or rest breaks.
WITHDRAWING STUDENTS FROM NAPLAN
Some parents may prefer their child does not participate in NAPLAN. We also recognise that completing NAPLAN tests may induce high levels of anxiety and stress for some young people. In these circumstances, parents may choose to withdraw their child from NAPLAN.
However, for Year 9 students who may need additional support or intervention in reading and maths, we recommend students participate in the Reading and Numeracy tests. This is because funding for the Year 10 Literacy and Numeracy intervention program (MYLNs) is allocated based on student results for the Reading and Numeracy test. Students who do not sit the test have no results, and therefore are not included in the funding allocation in later years.
PLEASE NOTE: If a student is absent on the day of a test, we automatically schedule a catch-up session for them. This means it is important you let us know if you wish to withdraw your child, or else we may inadvertently schedule your child for a catch-up session.
If you intend to withdraw your child from some or all of the NAPLAN tests, we ask you to complete this short, one-minute survey before MONDAY MARCH 3rd - https://forms.office.com/r/ybAFqwyTGA
If you have any queries, please contact Kate Williams (Assistant Principal: Teaching & Learning) kws@sthelena.vic.edu.au or speak to the relevant year level managers.
Please vote for parent reps on College Council
We have received 7 nominations for School Council with 4 positions available and will be conducting an election.
Ballot papers will be sent home in the next week via the eldest child in your family and need to be returned by 4.00pm Tuesday 11/03/2025 to the general office. 2 ballot papers per family - if you can please enter your name on the back of the envelope when returning for each parent/carer vote.
School Savings Bonus
If you would like to use your School Saving Bonus (SSB) for school activities, please follow the following steps:
- Log in to the SSB Online Portal using your child’s unique code.
- Once logged in, select the “School Activities” option.
- Enter the amount you would like to allocate; you may only do this in increments of $50.
- Email Deanne Arcus: da@sthelena.vic.edu.au to advise which compass event(s) you wish to use the SSB activity credit towards
Please allow enough time before the consent due date as it may take 2 business days to appear on your family account at the college
Please note: These credits will NOT appear on compass you must follow the above steps
If you have not yet received your School Saving Bonus Unique Code, please contact the SSB Team: school.saving.bonus@education.vic.gov.au
Restrictions on the use of Deep Seek
The Victorian Government has adopted restrictions on the use of Gen-AI platform DeepSeek to protect our systems and data, as part of a new Administrative Guideline.
The following guidelines apply to all in-scope Victorian public sector staff, including staff at Victorian government schools:
- from 12 February 2025, you must not access, use or install DeepSeek products on any government device (e.g. your department-issued laptop or mobile)
- if you already have DeepSeek on your government-issued device, you now need to remove it
- if you use your personal device for work, you must not use DeepSeek on it for work purposes.
We have introduced these measures after security considerations from the Victorian Chief Information Security Officer and in line with advice received from the Australian Government.
The department’s Generative Artificial Intelligence policy specifies the requirements for the use of generative AI tools in schools. These requirements focus on protecting student data and privacy and restricting inappropriate uses of generative AI tools.
In alignment with this, students MUST NOT use Deep Seek on any device that connects to our College Network.
Every Day Counts
(this information is from the Department of Education)
Recommended approaches to school absence - for parents
Sometimes there are very good reasons why a student can’t come to school. Other times students are reluctant to come to school or frequently ask to come home early.
Below are some common reasons students miss school and the recommended way for you to manage this.
Ngello is behind in school work
Ngello has been struggling with learning English since his family arrived in Australia. His teacher reminds the class that their book report is due the next day. Ngello asks his parents if he can stay home just for the day so he can finish the book and write the report.
What we recommend
Ngello's parents ask him to do the best job he can, but refuse to let him stay home. They email his teacher, letting the teacher know Ngello is struggling and asking for a meeting about his progress. The teacher organises a meeting with Ngello and his parents to work out an alternative task for this unit, some extra assistance with his English and extra time to complete all attendance tasks.
We don’t recommend
Ngello's parents allow him to stay home, and/or provide him with a note trying to excuse him. Ngello finishes his book report but misses out on watching the beginning of movie version of the book. The whole next week of lessons involve comparing and contrasting the movie and book, and Ngello feels even more isolated and is unable to complete the work.
Harrison needs to go to the dentist
Harrison is a Year 11 student. He hasn’t been to the dentist for a long time and his mum makes an appointment for a check-up on Tuesday morning. Harrison asks not to go back to school after the appointment because his friends have been teasing him. His mother says that’s fine. She knows he’s been having a hard time at school.
What we recommend
Harrison’s mum makes the appointment time after school. She tries to talk to him about why he doesn’t like school. She makes an appointment with Year Level Coordinator or Wellbeing Coordinator to talk about her concerns. Together they come up with a plan to make school attendance easier for Harrison.
We don’t recommend
Harrison’s mum lets him take the rest of the day off. Harrison is relieved to get away from the teasing from his classmates and starts looking for more excuses to take days off. He gets behind in his work and the assessment tasks start to pile up. Very quickly, he is at risk of failing several Unit 2 subjects. Catching up on all of the SACs he has missed puts more pressure on him and Harrison starts to feel anxious and overwhelmed.
Zoe often feels sick
Zoe, a Year 8 student, often feels sick in the morning. Sometimes she feels nauseous, sometimes she has a headache. Her parents try and encourage her to go to school but she is very reluctant and there are many mornings where she finds it hard to get up. She often goes to sick bay during the day and tries to get sent home.
What we recommend
Zoe’s parents are increasingly worried about her health and her connection to school. They take her to the GP to rule out any physical illness and contact the Year Level Coordinator to see if anything is happening at school. Together, Zoe, her parents and the Year Level Coordinator develop a plan to support her to be at school. This includes an Attendance Improvement Plan, conversations about Zoe’s friendships and sleeping patterns and a referral to the school counsellor or Wellbeing Coordinator. With the extra support she gradually increases her attendance and starts to feel better about being at school.
We don’t recommend
Although Zoe’s parents encourage her to go to school, they figure that she’s just going through a stage and that if they give her some time, she’ll be ok. They let her stay home and, whenever the sickbay attendant calls, one of them comes to pick her up. After a couple of months of poor attendance, Zoe feels even more disconnected from school and her peers and is further behind in her work. Even getting her up to school for a meeting with the Wellbeing Coordinator is really difficult and her parents feel lost about what to do next.
A death in Sarah’s family
Sarah is in Grade 5. Her grandmother died over the weekend and the funeral is on Wednesday.
What we recommend
On Monday, Sarah’s father rings or emails the school to explain what has happened and that Sarah will be away for a few days and possibly the entire week. The school offers its condolences and the opportunity for Sarah to see the school counsellor when she returns to school. Teachers keep a close eye on her over the coming weeks and report any concerns to her parents.
We don’t recommend
Sarah misses school for most of the week with no word from her parents. When she returns, her teacher doesn’t know that Sarah might need a little bit of extra support.
Tyson’s family holiday
Tyson is a Year 9 student. Next week he is going on a family holiday to Japan for two months.
What we recommend
A couple of months ago, Tyson’s mum approached the school to discuss the holiday. After the absence is approved, Tyson’s teachers provide Tyson’s mother with an absence learning plan to ensure that he doesn’t drop behind while on holiday. When Tyson returns he feels confident about fitting back into his school, knowing he is up to date with his classmates.
We don’t recommend
A couple of days before they go away, Tyson’s mum tells his home room teacher about the holiday. The teacher immediately informs the Year Level Coordinator who requests a meeting to discuss how this will affect Tyson’s learning. However there is no time to prepare an absence learning plan and when Tyson returns to school he has missed several units in all of his classes as well as numerous assessment tasks. He feels overwhelmed and it takes him a while to catch up.
Top attendance tips for parents
- Schools want to work in partnership with parents – act early if you have any concerns by contacting your child’s school and asking for advice and support
- Remember that every day counts
- There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes and their social connectedness
- Talk positively about school and the importance of attending every day
- Open and prompt communication with your child’s school about all absences is a good idea
- Avoid making routine medical and dental appointments during the school day or planning family holidays during the term
- Seek help from your school if you are concerned about your child’s attendance and wellbeing. Schools want to work in partnership with parents to support student attendance and wellbeing
Further information
For more information and resources to help address attendance issues, visit: www.education.vic.gov.au/school/parents/behaviour/Pages/studentattendance.aspx