Message From

 

The Principal

The image featured above was captured by Year 9 student Luke, winner of our Year 9 City Experience Photography Competition.

Congratulations, Luke, on your outstanding photograph!

As we move through another busy and productive term, I continue to be impressed by the enthusiasm, talent and commitment demonstrated by our students across all aspects of College life. Whether in the classroom, on the sporting field, through the arts or in service to the community, our students consistently find ways to challenge themselves and make the most of the opportunities available to them.

Science Week

This week we celebrated National Science Week, with students engaging in a range of exciting activities designed to spark curiosity, creativity and a love of scientific discovery. Science plays a vital role in helping young people understand the world around them, solve complex problems and think critically about the future. I would like to thank our Science Domain Leader, Vesna Turkozu, and the Science team for their work in creating engaging learning experiences for our students throughout the week. I encourage you to read Vesna's article later in this newsletter to learn more about the activities and celebrations that took place.

Year 9 City Experience

One of the highlights of the past fortnight has been theYear 9 City Experience program. This valuable learning opportunity challenged students to develop their independence, confidence and practical life skills as they navigated Melbourne's CBD and engaged with a range of educational experiences beyond the classroom. For many students, it was their first time independently navigating the city, and it was wonderful to see them embrace the challenge with maturity, resilience and a willingness to step outside their comfort zone.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to our staff for their support, guidance and encouragement throughout the program. In particular, I would like to acknowledge Leading Teacher of the Middle School, Laura Dodds, for her outstanding leadership and coordination of this important experiential learning program. Opportunities such as the City Experience help prepare our young people for the increasing independence that comes with senior schooling and life beyond St Helena Secondary College. I also encourage families to read the two student reflections later in this newsletter, which provides a firsthand account of the experience and the learning that took place throughout the week.

Singin' In The Rain - School Production

The excitement is also building for our upcoming school production of Singin' in the Rain. After months of rehearsals, our cast, crew and production team are preparing to bring this much-loved musical to life. The dedication, talent and enthusiasm shown by our students has been remarkable, and I know audiences will be thoroughly entertained. Tickets are selling fast, so I encourage families and community members to secure their seats as soon as possible via TryBooking: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1621625. We look forward to seeing our school community come together to support what promises to be a fantastic production.

Parent / Carer Opinion Survey

This is a reminder that our school is conducting a survey to find out what parents think of our school. The Parent Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education and Training that is conducted amongst all parents.

It is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of parents’ perceptions about your child’s learning, teachers at the school and general satisfaction with the school. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies.

All parents and carers have been invited to participate in this year’s survey. All responses to the survey are anonymous. This year, the Parent Opinion Survey has been extended and will close at the end of this term on Friday 18th September.

The survey is conducted online, only takes 15-20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the fieldwork period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. 

The online survey will be available in a range of languages other than English. These include Arabic, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Chin (Hakha), Hindi, Japanese, Somali, Turkish, Punjabi and Greek.

An invitation to the survey with a link and password has been sent out via Compass as a newsfeed.

Principal's Day - Friday 7 August

Friday 7 August also provided an opportunity to celebrate Principal's Day. I was genuinely touched by the many kind messages and well wishes received from students, staff and members of our community. A particular highlight was receiving a thoughtful card from our students, which was greatly appreciated. It was also wonderful to welcome our substantive College Principal, Karen Terry, back to the College for the occasion. Karen joined us for part of the day as we celebrated together, and it was a pleasure to share the occasion and reflect on the strength of the community that makes St Helena Secondary College such a special place.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support of our College. I hope you enjoy reading about the many achievements, learning experiences and opportunities featured throughout this newsletter.

Daniel Stephens

College Principal (Acting)