News For Parents

ACE Program | Information Night

Wheelers Hill Secondary College invites friends, families, and our wider community to learn more about the "ACE Program", an exciting new initiative for high achieving students launching in 2021.

All students enrolling in Year 7 in 2021 are eligible to apply for the "Aspire, Challenge, Enrich (ACE) Program". This unique extension program provides high-ability students with a stimulating alternate curriculum, offered in tandem with the robust co-curricular opportunities provided to all students at Wheelers Hill Secondary College.

Parents and students entering Year 7 in 2021 are especially welcome to attend the info session, which will discuss the program in greater detail and outline the special enrolment process.

ACE PROGRAM INFORMATION NIGHT

When: Tuesday, March 10th @ 5:00pm

Where: Held in the WHSC Library

The night will consist of an information session and presentation, followed by an opportunity for parents to ask questions and speak with school Principals and learning leaders. Current parents and students are welcome to attend.

Light refreshments are provided. Please enter via the Raphael Drive carpark.

Open Night 2020 | New Enrolment Information

The Wheelers Hill Secondary College Open Night is our most important event for prospective parents and students, allowing students in Grades 5 and 6 to experience the very best that our College has to offer with interactive tours, a faculty fair, and current student meet-and-greets.

If you know a friend or family member who would be interested in learning more about our College, please invite them to attend our Open Night for 2020 on Wednesday, April 29th, from 6:00pm. The evening is free, and parents can register their interest using our online registration form.

WHSC OPEN NIGHT 2020

When: Wednesday, April 29th @ 6:00pm

Where: Held in the Bunjil Centre (enter Phoenix Drive)

RSVP via the WHSC website.

Parent Survey | What Does Wheelers Mean To You?

In order to help improve our College's communication platforms, we'd like to hear from the people who know us best - our community! All parents and guardians are invited to respond to this short survey, which will allow you to provide invaluable information about what we're doing well, what we can improve, and what you'd like to see more of in the future.

The survey takes less than 5 minutes to complete, and all responses are anonymous, so please be as honest and candid as you wish. To complete the survey, please click here.

Mr. Jack Richardson

Communications Officer

An Introduction to our Literacy Learning Specialist

Hello there, my name is Claire Hanley, and I'm the Literacy Learning Specialist at Wheelers Hill Secondary College. This year, in addition to posting articles about the literacy programs we have at our College, I will also offer you background information as to why our programs are essential for our students. In these articles, I will take you through the purpose and impact of our programs, as well as provide  simple suggestions that families can do at home to support these important College programs. Our aim is to develop a lifelong love for learning in our students, and by working in close collaboration with parents, create a harmonious learning experience for our students.

At times, the information I share may make you feel uncertain or questioning as much as energised for the work ahead. It's important to acknowledge that these feelings, both positive and negative, are all equally important, and exist on a spectrum that we call "The Learning Zone" of emotion:

LITERACY PROGRAM: LOW STAKES & GETTING BACK TO BASICS

Low stakes are not low standard tasks or tasks that require limited brain function. Low stakes are all about enjoyment. It is about embracing things that you love or would like to try and doing them, knowing that no one will judge you after you have completed the task; you are doing it for you. 

Back to basics is about ensuring our students know how to construct sentences, use appropriate punctuation, identify grammar errors, and use vocabulary for the appropriate target audience. Expressing your thoughts on the deeper ideas and themes within the text is important - but when you don’t know how to express it, how can you hope to understand it?

This year, our College have introduced an exciting Literacy initiative. Our Year 7s are experiencing the Independent Reading Program; every day our Year 7s will be exposed to 20 minutes of independent reading. We rotate the periods using our fortnightly timetable to ensure that no one subject is disadvantaged by the program.

Our students and teachers are reading for low stakes, for enjoyment, and to bring back an appreciation for reading. They will have the opportunity to share their understanding of the book they are reading with their English teacher. Every fortnight, Years 7 to 9 students will go to the library and work on comprehension strategies and document their work in their Reader’s Notebook (Year 7) and Class Reader’s Notebook (Years 8-9). They will also have one-on-one conferences with their teacher. We call this our ‘Fortnightly Reading Sessions’. 

Our Year 7 and 8 students are going back to basics. Instead of Novel Study, we will study Text Types. We will go back to basics to understand the structure and conventions within each Text Type, and by addressing these fundamental skills, ensure that our students are able to achieve the best they can be.

Ms. Claire Hanley 

Literacy Learning Specialist 

Instrumental Music Information

For more information, please contact the Performing Arts Leader, Genelle Lenini: glen@whsc.vic.edu.au.

Assistant Principal | Information for VCE Parents 

A big welcome to back to all our returning families and a warm welcome to our newly enrolled students and their families. My name is Judy Anderson and I am one the Assistant Principals at our wonderful College. In 2020, my portfolio will include oversight of the Senior School and the respective student management team.

CONTACTING STUDENT MANAGERS

Our first priority is the care and support of our students so that we can guide them to achieve their potential and so that they can grow into respected, contributing members of Wheelers Hill Secondary College and the broader community. In 2020, the VCE student management team is comprised of the follow staff members:

Please contact members of the senior school team if you wish to discuss anything in relation to your son or daughter.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES (PLCs) 

In the quest to regularly build our capacity to enhance quality teaching and learning within the college, this Term we are in the process of training our staff in the operation of PLCs - Professional Learning Communities. PLCs are a practice which fosters collaborative learning among teachers who work in small groups with the objective of improving their practice to enhance student learning.

Each Wednesday afternoon for the remainder of Term One, teaching staff will access targeted professional development sessions to support them undertake this initiative at the beginning of term two. We are truly excited and optimistic for the positive impact this will have in terms of further enhancing teacher impact to further improve the learning outcomes for all of our students.

Ms. Judy Anderson

Assistant Principal

VCE Careers Update | Careers Coordinator

Year 12 (2019) VTAC Data 

A two-year comparison of our Year 12 student VTAC outcomes illustrates a positive trend towards the number of students who are successful in receiving tertiary offers. Over 88% of students in 2019 received a tertiary offer, including an increased number of students who received more than one offer and a decrease in the number of students without an offer.  It would be safe to say that student’s commitment towards their Year 12 career planning and desire and dedication towards life-long learning has influenced these results.

Year 12 Student Career Planning 

During the Year 12 Study Skills Day, students were provided with a Career Planning document to assist them with being able to make major decisions about their pathway beyond secondary school. I strongly encourage all students to commence their career planning as early as possible so that they have time to reflect on the options available and seek advice if required. I will be meeting with each Year 12 student at lease once this year for a career conversation, where we will be unpacking their Career Action Plan which was completed during Study Skills Day.

I wish all Year 12 students success with their career planning journey and look forward to assisting them achieve their career aspirations.

Ms. Voula Jakubicki 

Careers Coodinator 

College Policy News & Updates

MOBILE PHONES 

Parents and students are reminded of the ministerial order in relation to the use of mobile phones during school hours. As of Term 1, 2020, all government schools are required to enforce the ban on student use of mobile phones during school hours. Effectively, this requires all students to turn off their phones and secure them in their lockers for the duration of the school day. Students who breach this regulation will be managed in line with the College staged response, which will escalate each time they are found using their phone during school hours. Parents are requested to contact the General Office if they need to contact their children during the school hours. For a full explanation of the mobile phone policy, please refer to the college website or view on the attached link.

COLLEGE UNIFORM 

We are extremely proud of our College and the College uniform represents our brand and  identity. Students are expected to wear the College uniform with pride and in its entirety. As a College, the School Council represents the College community, and it is through this body that decisions relating to uniform are decided upon. We would like to take the opportunity to remind families of the uniform requirements of the College and reiterate our expectation that all students will be in full uniform every day as outlined in the College Uniform Policy (which can be found on the College website and at this link).

It is pleasing to see that a majority of students are wearing the uniform correctly. Please be reminded of a few offending items that can compromise the appearance of the college uniform. 

Hoodies are NOT permitted under any circumstance.

 T-shirts worn beneath the College uniform must be white.

Black leather lace up school shoes must be worn- not sports styled school shoes.  

Plain white socks (no logos please).

No excessive jewellery.

Please support our College by adhering to these requirements. Staff have been asked to speak with students who fail to wear correct uniform and follow up with home accordingly. We thank parents and students for their support in this matter.

COLLEGE FEES AND LEVIES 2020 

Thank you on behalf of College Council to a large number of families who have already paid elective charges, essential items and voluntary levies and or have committed to payments plans for this year.  Payment information for Essential Educational items, Optional Extras and Voluntary Contributions have been uploaded on Compass and can be accessed here via the Course Confirmation tab on the main screen.  This portal also contains agreements, policies and other important information that require your attention to ensure records and information held at the College are accurate and current.  Copies of all supporting documentation are available on the Community Tab – School Documentation – Course Confirmation 2020.

Family statements will be emailed to all families before the end of Term 1. If you have already paid your fees, set up a payment plan via Compass or are using Centrepay please be assured these will continue to be deducted and/or receipted through the year according to your instructions.

Should you wish to set up a payment plan, require alternative payment preferences or have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the Business Manager at the College. We urgently require your ongoing support to continue to provide the breadth of programmes and resources for our students. Please ensure you have confirmed some arrangements with the Business Manager as soon as possible.

SECONDHAND UNIFORM AND TEXTBOOKS

The college is conscious of the need to provide an efficient process for families to be able to buy and sell their second-hand uniforms, textbooks and other student resources. We are delighted to inform you of the school’s new initiative to provide parents with the ability to trade these second-hand items via the Sustainable School Shop website.

Results from other schools have been excellent – families have enjoyed a very comprehensive and convenient method of buying and selling second-hand items. The new service is very accessible, it preferences our school first and then provides access to buy and sell items with families attending other schools. Many schools use this service. Access to second-hand textbooks, uniforms, calculators, stationery, musical equipment, etc is available all year.

For the best results: 

Register on the Sustainable School Shop website and nominate the school 

A subscription to the service will be provided to you 

List your items for sale 

List wanted ads for those items you are looking to buy 

The school’s uniform and book lists are loaded into the system to make listing ads easy 

The system matches the ads of buyers with sellers and notifies the buyer via email 

Buyers contact sellers and arrange where and when to trade 

Most trading will occur with other parents from our school. Parents are well supported via Sustainable School Shop’s telephone (0438 743 444) and email help lines 

The system is simple and easy to use – If you don’t have a computer, internet access or an email address, please call the Sustainable School Shop for assistance 

You can pre-arrange the transaction and then trade after the texts are not required. 

We are very excited about this initiative and we hope you will make the most of this opportunity and gain the benefit from recycling your children’s school items, while at the same time helping another family within our school community.

We will not be accepting any more 2nd hand uniforms and will be encouraging families to use the above option. There is an abundance of stock in our uniform shop at the moment so we encourage parents to purchase items they may need on our usual 2nd hand uniform shop open days before this stock is returned.  More information will be posted on a 2nd hand uniform sale day later in Term 2. Please call the office if you have any questions on (03) 9561 5811.

FAMILY ZONE INFORMATION

College & DET Privacy Policy

Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy. Please take time to remind yourself of the school’s collection statement, found on our website.

For more information about privacy, see: Schools’ Privacy Policy – information for parents. This information also available in nine community languages.