Dear families,

After an unusually short week to start, term 2 is off and running. Students and staff seemed to appreciate the extra days of rest and our staff made use of what time they could to prepare for ANZAC day and last weeks open evening.

ANZAC Day

In the days prior to ANZAC day, I shared a resource with staff that told stories of First Nations men who attempted to enlist to serve in World War 1, but were declined based on the assessment that they were ‘not of suitable genetic composition’. Many re-enlisted under false names and lineage, such was their commitment to serve and contribute to the ANZAC legend. Having shared this, I was disheartened by what occurred at the Dawn Service. Many conversations have since been raised about the schools perspective and my response remains unchanged. We welcome everyone in our College. We acknowledge and celebrate the enduring connection to country of First Nations People and their continued contribution to our National Identity, and while we do not celebrate war, we also acknowledge and reflect on both the sacrifices and contributions of those who serve to protect us – regardless of their cultural heritage. When speaking with students, I simply encourage them all to think about how it feels to be welcomed, included and valued as opposed to the alternative. I repeat the message often but cannot express it enough – we are so very fortunate at Altona College to have such an inclusive community!

Open Evening

Further to this, our Open Evening marked an incredible opportunity to showcase the pride our students feel for their school and welcome prospective families into our culture. Our focus over recent years has been to focus less on ‘marketing’ the College and more on ‘showcasing’ our authentic selves. It was wonderful to see so many current students touring their families through the school to celebrate their own work and the many talents of their friends and peers. Our staff were tired, but buzzing the next morning after so many positive interactions with students, families and public. Interest in enrolment for 2026 appears to be strong and I look forward to joining tours over the coming weeks to meet many of the families I was unable to speak with on the night. I hope everyone that did attend felt the same and welcome feedback. One point that has been echoed was a desire to open classrooms from 3.15. We have already discussed this for Prep to 6 and although set up is a little more complex in secondary spaces, we are keen to meet this need next year.

SunSmart and Uniform

At our last School Council meeting, we discussed the need to review our uniform contract as well as correspondence regarding our SunSmart Policy. After much discussion, it was agreed that we seek community input on both our SunSmart and uniform policies together, before committing to a further uniform contract. Over the coming weeks, we will share the current policies along with opportunities to provide feedback. We are also devising a survey to capture the elements that are of greatest importance to families to inform decision making. Further guidance will be provided, however the new policy will include the government mandate to remove branding (school or otherwise) from pants, shorts, skirts and socks for the commencement of the 2026 school year. Other key topics for discussion will include the systems used to enforce the policy with consistency, the choice of garments and materials as well as other factors such as general school identity and safety. From a Principal perspective, I to ensure we have uniform and sunsmart policies that balances the following:

safety, inclusion, education and accessibility
a strong sense of school identity and pride
clear expectations for compliance and enforcement, without excessive strain on student, teacher and parent relationships
expectations that align (and respectfully challenge where appropriate) with students age, maturity and lifestyle choices.
alignment with the expectations families are encouraged, willing and able to implement at home and in the broader community.

I am confident we can achieve a great outcome. Stay tuned for further correspondence via Compass.

Millenium Time Capsule

“Almost 25 years ago, around 12,000 children and 100 adults from Hobsons Bay municipality, contributed messages about their lives to a massive time capsule. The project was the result of a highly successful collaboration between Altona City Rotary Club and Altona City Rotaract Club (a Service club for young people aged 18-30), in conjunction with Hobsons Bay Council. Together, they strengthened community ties and encouraged a sense of belonging to the city's history. Involving the community in a collaborative hands-on project, fostered a sense of unity, which was even more special given the rich multicultural mix. On Australia Day 2000, the capsule was buried below the earth’s surface at the pinnacle of what is now Truganina Park and inaugurated by then Hobsons Bay Mayor, Dick Murdoch” (extract from Time and Time again, Welcome | Rotary Club of Altona City).

Last week, Christine Tseriotis attended the opening of the Millenium Time capsule as our longest serving staff member. Mrs Tseriotis is a much loved member of our team and has taught children from our community (many of whom are now parents of current students) as a staff member of Altona West Primary, Altona P-9 and our fully rejuvenated P-12 – Altona College.

If you were a student in Hobsons Bay at the turn of the millennium, there is a good chance you contributed to the time capsules. I encourage families to access the Altona City Rotary website for more information about how to retrieve your submission. Thankyou to Mrs Tseriotis for representing us, we hope it was a rewarding opportunity to reflect on your incredible contribution to our community.

Little wins

Later in the newsletter you will encounter a new section we are calling ‘Little wins’. While we often take time to celebrate big occasions and respond challenges, we often fail to acknowledge the small but frequent gains that accumulate to positive change and great outcomes in our school and community. I am encouraging staff, students and families to share their little wins in no more than one sentence, so that they can be compiled into a list of achievements in each newsletter. Hopefully it will be a great segment to help families notice and celebrate some of our little wins each term.

Lots more to look forward to over the coming weeks.

Warmest regards

Nathan Guthridge

Principal

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