Principal Report

It is no surprise when you consider the tenacity and determination that our staff, families and students have shown throughout this challenging year that we have finished the year so strongly (albeit, very, very tiredly!). With the easing of restrictions around sport, it has been brilliant to see so many of our students participating in inter-school cricket and tennis. The reports back indicate that student behaviour has been exemplary on every occasion and their attitude in both defeat and victory (and we won a few!) reflected the values that are at the heart of our school. As well as the dedication of the teachers who ran the practise sessions and took large numbers of students out of school, a number of our student leaders (participants in the program run by Mr Hekkema) coached the teams throughout the day. When discussing this with two of those leaders, they couldn’t help but beam with pride when they spoke about how they felt leading younger students. When you have students willing to give up their time to help others, you have something very special.

Our students want to get involved more in their school life; they want to feel proud of the uniform that they wear; and they want to make a difference within their school and in the wider community. The months of isolation have really underlined the importance of connection. Evidence of this can be seen everywhere - particularly in the fact that we have been consistently oversubscribed in terms of students wishing to represent their school this term in a wide range of events. It’s present in the interviews that we have conducted this week for the 2021 College Captains with a record number of applicants for these roles. The calibre of students putting themselves forward for these positions has been incredibly high. What impressed me most is the passion that these students have for their school: a school they want built on foundations of equality and inclusivity. Our College Captains for 2021, Emma Van Egmond and Jasmine Van Der Molen, are going to make a massive difference along side out Vice Captains, Tarneisha Ryan & Tiana Hunter.

Our departing Year 12s have left a lasting legacy and leave us with amazing ambitions for the next stage in their journey. I feel really fortunate to have had the opportunity to farewell them properly in a graduation ceremony that allowed us to have limited guests attend to honour student achievement in making it through an incredibly challenging year. We were then able to celebrate their graduation with a meal in town: the way our departing students conducted themselves and the clear connection that they had for each other, their teachers and their school was evident throughout the evening. Part of me regrets the missed opportunity to have had their positive influence shape 2020, but I have to feel really lucky to have had such a brilliant group of students attend our school. I am excited about what they go on to do next and hope that their final results that we will receive on 30th December fully reflect the hard work and determination that they have shown throughout the year. As adults, we have had our own challenges navigating 2020 and I can only imagine how tough it has been for students in their final year of education. The fact that they made it through in the manner that they did is pretty inspirational.

And as one journey ends another one begins…This week saw us run our Year 6 Orientation Day and it was great to meet up with our newest students with student numbers hitting 100+ for the third year running. I’ve said it before, our growth reflects the continued trust of our community and this is something I do not take for granted. We have a clear plan to manage this rise in student numbers, but we are reliant on external forces to help us meet this demand. In the last 18 months, I have been arguing our case for continued investment and in the space of a week, I have taken two phone calls from our local MP, Michaela Settle, in which she pledged $272,000 to re-cover the floor of the gym and $234,000 to upgrade pathways and entrances to ensure that they provide safe access for all students. This second lot of funding comes as a result of the considerable amount of work that Kelly Forbes has put in to press for better access for all students. It is good to have such support, but we also need to consider what we can do together to improve the quality of environment for our students.

Whilst we have been fortunate in recent years to experience major refurbishment to existing buildings, funding was never allocated for landscaping or for ensuring that the rest of our aging site was kept up to scratch. This $500,000+ funding allocation from the Andrews’ government recognises our immediate needs, but a growing school needs an increase in top-grade facilities. Whilst I hope that this funding is a taste of things to come, we need additional teaching spaces now to reflect the needs of a school that continues to grow. I will continue to push this agenda on your behalf and I am confident we will be heard. However, I believe we can come together as a community in 2021 to work together to upgrade the social spaces for our students. When I meet with the School Council next week, it will be high on the agenda for me to ask them to join with me to mobilise our parents and carers to make a real difference.

I hope you all have a restful and happy holiday period. I think we all deserve some time to spend with the people we care about after such a challenging year. Happy Christmas and I hope that the New Year sees all our students safely back with us, ready to make 2021 a year of success for the Woodmans Hill community.

Stephan Fields

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Country Bus Travellers

Reminder to all country bus travellers that you must catch the bus from the school to the interchange.

This is a Department requirement and students are not allowed to walk to the interchange due to Safety Concerns.

Personal Accident Insurance and Ambulance Cover

Parents and Guardians are reminded that the Department does not provide personal accident insurance or ambulance cover for students.

Parents and guardians of students, who do not have student accident insurance/ambulance cover, are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including the cost of ambulance attendance/transport and any other transport costs. Please note that if First Aid trained staff at Woodmans Hill believe an ambulance to be necessary they will ring for one immediately. Parents and Guardians are not consulted prior to this decision being made.

Student accident insurance/ambulance cover policies are available from some commercial insurers.

Private property brought to school by students, staff or visitors is not insured and the Department does not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage.

Merry Christmas everyone