From the Principal

Learning, community and connections

As the semester draws to close it is a great opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of our students and staff.  At Northcote High School learning is at the centre of all that we do.  We are committed to vibrant classrooms that are focused on learning through doing: young people working with peers and teachers on challenging learning activities that focus on developing mastery across learning disciplines. 

Over the past month I have been privileged to be part of classroom learning, events, assemblies and lunchtime activities from basketball to badminton, claymation to writers club, debating to planning for the alumni 'Back To' lunch tomorrow – all of which supports young people to be their best.  A highlight was the Year 9 – 11 drama performances in Olver Hall – congratulations to all participants. Each play had a central theme and was written, directed, produced and performed by the student – a brilliant night of entertainment. All of these activities highlight the importance of involvement and students and staff partnering to make learning happen via a myriad of conduits.

This is also a great opportunity to highlight the positive relationships that are a feature of Northcote High – thank you to our staff and students for living our values – Achievement, Curiosity, Humanity and Fairness through nurturing a positive school climate.  See the article about celebrating these through student-designed 'values postcards' in this issue. We have the fundamentals in place to support the launch of the Respectful Relationships initiatives at Northcote High in Semester 2.  Stay posted for more information as to the focus of this work and the ways you can get involved.

Initial applications for Year 7 2018 have now been submitted. We have again had very strong interest from families wishing to join our school and are currently working through the applications in accordance with the Department of Education guidelines. 

We are also delighted the Art and Design Hubs are now open - you can see photos of the first days' classes in action in this newsletter.  Thank you to the Art and Design staff and students for their flexibility and positivity over the past 9 months.  The project  was delivered on time and on budget.  New furnishing and specialist room fit outs are underway. We look forward to inviting you to a launch next semester.