Principal's Report
Welcome back
Welcome back to all students and staff to the start of Term 3. I hope that everyone had a restful and relaxing break in preparation for the work that we will need to undertake together as we begin this new semester.
Whilst I would say that each term is a busy term, Term 3 is especially busy as the school prepares for the coming year. Several Information Evenings are scheduled over the next few weeks to support students with their course selection for 2025 - the first one being this Thursday 18 July, which involves all Year 9 students moving into Year 10 in 2025. Specific information about these will be available in the relevant Sub-school section of this newsletter.
The School Consultative Team continues its work in relation to the school’s workforce plan, as well as advertising positions of responsibility aiming to begin the 2025 school year with a full complement of staff.
Senior students, alongside completing their Unit 2 and Unit 4 work, will also begin their preparation for the end of year exams, remembering that Year 12 students will only have approximately two weeks of school left once Term 4 starts before moving into Swotvac.
Several opportunities also present themselves during the term, such as the Symphonic Band Tour to Adelaide, several sporting events as well as a series of wellbeing programs provided for students across a range of year levels.
We are also hoping to finalise our plans for the STEAM Centre build so that the project can go out to tender as soon as possible so that works can begin prior to the end of the year.
I look forwarding to continuing our work together to bring all that is planned to fruition in support of our students’ learning and wellbeing.
Student Services Update
This coming Friday our Student Service Leader, Madeline Gaitanis, will be leaving us to prepare for the birth of her first child and then move into a period of parental leave. I take this opportunity to wish Madeline and her husband John all the very best as they welcome the new addition to their family.
Concurrently, I welcome Flis Marlowe to the School and to the position of Acting Student Services Leader during Madeline’s absence. Flis comes to us with a wealth of experience in student services and wellbeing. I wish Flis all the best as they engage in the role and hope that their experience at Eltham high School will be both positive and fulfilling.
As of the start of this term, the school is engaging in an additional supports program for our students: the Psychs in Schools Program. We are fortunate to have Chiara Campagna, a provisional psychologist, join us for two days a week (Tuesday, Thursday). Chiara will be working under the direction of Flis Marlowe and will be working in support of a number of our students that will be referred to her through Flis. I welcome Chiara into our school and look forward to her work with our young people.
Year 12 Formal
The Year 12 Formal will take place this coming Friday 19 July at Leonda by the Yarra in Hawthorne. I know that the Formal Committee has been working very hard to make this evening an enjoyable and memorable one for all, and I thank them and the Senior School Co-ordination team for their commitment, planning and organisation of this event.
I look forward to enjoying the evening alongside the students and staff. It will be an evening of celebration and fun.
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 – 9:00am and 3:00 – 3:30pm) 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; 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 - 10:00am and 2:00 - 4:00pm. We are looking at installing additional signage reminding parents/carers to reverse park.
Please be aware that if these measure 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