Principal's Report

Student Achievement: Pauline Toner Prize

Congratulations to Kris Van Der Kamp (Year 11, Pakana House) who on Thursday 14 March was awarded the Pauline Toner Prize. Kris was one of six nominees from schools within the Eltham Electorate. 

The Pauline Toner Prize was established in 2015 by local MP Vicki Ward in recognition of the Hon. Pauline Toner who was a trailblazer for Victorian Political women. As a member of the Australian Labor Party, she was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 1977 and was the first woman to represent our area. Pauline became the first Victorian female Minister, appointed Minister for Community Welfare Services from 1982 to 1985. 

The prize also celebrates the achievements of local young women active in the areas of social justice, the environment and/or gender equality.

An independent panel was established to select the award recipient. I know that the work of the panel wasn’t easy as each of the nominees would have been a worthy recipient of the award. They are all formidable young women doing amazing work both within their schools and within the community. I congratulate them all for what they have achieved so far, and wish them all the very best for what they will achieve in the future.

Kris Van Der Kamp is an inspiration both at school and within the broader Eltham community. At school, Kris embodies the School Values of social justice, gender equality and environmental stewardship in every aspect of her school life - through her role as Pakana House Leader this year, fundraising to support Indigenous literacy during Book Week, and her involvement in the Symphonic Band, Textiles Club and Wear it Purple Day.

Similarly, as a member of the Harmony Team at school, she has spearheaded numerous initiatives to foster reconciliation and celebrate diversity. During National Reconciliation Week, Kris organised innovative events such as documentary screenings and informative flyer distributions, shedding light on the pressing issue surrounding reconciliation in Australia. On Harmony Day she distributed orange ribbon pins and created a map of the world to showcase the rich tapestry of cultures represented within Eltham High School.

Kris is also highly passionate about environmental conservation and addressing climate change. Through the Cups4Change project, she has demonstrated a profound commitment to sustainability and community engagement, raising awareness whilst promoting eco-friendly alternatives to single-use plastics.

We are very proud of Kris’s achievements to date and look forward to hearing more about her amazing work in the future.

Canoe Slalom World Championships

Congratulations to Sarah Crosbee (Year 12, Toner House) who has been selected as part of the National Junior Team to compete at the Junior and Under 23 Canoe Slalom World Championships held in Liptovsky, Slovakia in July 2024. 

Sarah has been selected to compete in 3 classes: Kayak, C1 and Kayak Cross. She will also compete in team events in both Kayak and C1. Sarah will be starting her tour at the beginning of June with a race in Italy and then in Germany in order to prepare for the main event.

This is an amazing achievement and one to be very proud of. The school will continue to support Sarah to achieve outstanding academic results as well as outstanding results in her sport.

Well done Sarah and we are all behind you!

Past Student Achievement: Nillumbik Young Woman of the Year

Congratulations to Maali Kerta-Rice (Class of 2023, Stewart House) who on Friday 8 March was selected as the Nillumbik Young Woman of the Year. This is an outstanding achievement and every nominee, alongside Maali, needs to be proud of their achievements. 

In 2023, Maali was the Social and Environmental Responsibility Leader and, in addition to her work within the school, Maali was a member of the Nillumbik Youth Council advocating for opportunities for young people in Nillumbik, identifying barriers and/or issues impacting on their ability to engage with their community and environment.

Through her various leadership roles, Maali has developed an understanding of policy development, consultation processes, and how to develop creative solutions to problems. She has a particular interested in global politics and international relations, and Indonesian language. Maali hopes to undertake further study in the areas of politics, economics, security and other social sciences.

We are proud of Maali and what she has been able to achieve during her time at Eltham High School both within the school and the community.

Creative Minds 2024

Congratulations to all Eltham High School alumni artists exhibiting at the Creative Minds Exhibition currently on show at the Eltham Library Community Gallery. It was great to see once more the artists exhibiting their final VCE artworks, in a group show with other art students from the Nillumbik Shire showcasing best practice. 

The standard of the art was excellent and the evening was well attended and a great reunion for all.  

Many of our alumni are now studying tertiary art subjects and we look forward to seeing what they do next. 

All photographs were kindly shared by Jamie Robertson from Greenlight Media 

The exhibition continues to Sunday 14 April.

Many thanks to Ute Leiner who put this information together for the newsletter.

2024 EHS House Athletics Carnival

On Friday 15 March, the whole school headed to Doncaster Athletics Track for our annual House Athletics Carnival. After Everard dominated the pool it was time for one of the other three houses to dominate the track.  

It was another opportunity for the students to show their House spirit in both track and field events as well as the novelty events run by the House Leaders.  It was a sea of yellow, blue, green and red all around the track as students continued to compete in event after event.  It was great to see so many students competing and winning points for their house.

After 85 track and 71 field events, Toner house finished in front of Everard in a tight contest.  

1st place: TONER            1119        

2nd place: EVERARD     1020       

3rd place: PAKANA         1019

4th place: SKIPPER         737

Congratulations to all the students and  a big thank you to Bree Pascoe for her amazing organisation of the event, and also for putting this information together for the newsletter.

Contributing to the Community – Epilepsy Foundation Fundraiser

This is an extremely worthy cause and I call on all members of our community to support our students to raise funds in support of the foundation. The following article was written by Tegan Gibbs (Year 11, Skipper House) and Scarlett Harrison (Year 11, Skipper House):

The Student Voice and Leadership Team is thrilled to announce our upcoming fundraiser for a great cause: the Epilepsy Foundation. Introducing "Get Mucked For Epilepsy"!  In this exciting event, teachers who have generously volunteered will be selected by student vote to be covered in vibrant purple muck.

To raise funds for this worthy cause, we will be selling raffle tickets for just $1 each during lunchtimes leading up to the main event on the 27th of March. Each raffle ticket purchased gives you the chance to be the lucky student selected to dump the muck on the chosen teacher!

All proceeds from this fundraiser will directly benefit the Epilepsy Foundation, aiding them in their incredible work. Our goal is to raise $1000 to contribute to their ongoing efforts.

We encourage all members of the Eltham High School community to participate in this fun-filled event and show their support for a great cause. 

Additionally, for those who wish to make a donation directly, please visit the following link to contribute. 

https://fundraising.epilepsyfoundation.org.au/fundraisers/elthamhighschool

Let's come together as a school community to make a difference and spread awareness about epilepsy. Thank you for your support!

End of Term 1

It seems unbelievable that we have come to the end of Term 1. The last day of term is Thursday 28 March, and as is customary on the last day of each term, school will finish at 2:30pm. I ask parents/guardians to confirm travel arrangements with your children for this day.

I take this opportunity to thank all staff, students and families for your great work and support throughout Term 1. I wish everyone a very happy Easter and a wonderful break. 

For students school resumes on Tuesday 16 April. Staff will resume on Monday 15 April but will be involved in a Curriculum Day (student-free day).

VINCENT SICARI, Principal