It has been a wonderful few weeks back at school with everyone on deck. Students are settling in well and staff are doing an outstanding job of identifying where students are at and supporting them to ensure they are able to engage with face to face learning productively. We are very conscious of the need to create opportunity for students to reconnect socially and acknowledge all experiences over the past six months. We are very pleased with the transition.

The COVID numbers are very pleasing and the Premier’s Sunday announcements provided some welcome relief.

VCE VCAA Exams – Best Wishes

We wish all VCE students the greatest of success as they launch into the final exam period this week. Today we had the first written exams, kicking off with two of the big ones, English and English as an Additional Language (EAL). We were delighted with the calm, orderly and pragmatic, hardworking approach of our students this morning.

The Senior Years team have done an outstanding job organising and preparing for the exams, as have all of their subject teachers. I have seen many students at school over their study break, in deep conversation with their teachers, getting feedback and refining their knowledge and understanding, as well as making productive use of the senior study centre and library, either in study groups or working individually.

This link takes you to the rest of the VCE VCAA exam timetable.

We wish everyone all the very best throughout this period. We know each student will give it their best shot. We are so proud of their resilience and determination.

We look forward to seeing all of our Year 12s back on campus on Wednesday 2 December for a live Graduation.

NAIDOC Week

This week we celebrate NAIDOC week, a national celebration of the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Always Was, Always Will Be, is the theme for 2020, recognising that First Peoples have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years.

We will celebrate in a range of ways across the week, including weaving the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags into the front fence. We also hope to finalise and announce the Woi-Wurrung name for the Performing Arts Centre building before the end of the week.

Halloween Day Celebrations

What a fun day we had on Friday 30 October, when the junior school dressed up for Halloween. The GCC was decorated with all the spooky Halloween accessories we could find, and the costumes were outstanding. The lunch time parade was also fabulous. The creative array of costumes by so many made it very difficult for the judges to decide the winners. Thank you to one and all for participating, and to the Junior Sub-School team for all of their efforts to make it successful.

Traffic Management – Urgent Action Required by Families

Due to safety reasons we no longer have the semi-circular drive open at the beginning of the day and end of the day, and we are strongly considering closing it off for the entire day. This change has resulted in parents using Eunson Avenue as a pick-up and drop off point. Eunson Avenue is very narrow and congested at the best of times and this is causing concern from the residents in Eunson Avenue.

Some parents are also making very risky decisions and dropping their children off at the front of the school while in the St Georges Road traffic, or reversing from the traffic into the exit end of the semi-circular driveway.

We are seeking the cooperation of parents to make safer and more considerate decisions when dropping children off and picking them up for school.

Potential Solutions:

Encourage children to use active modes of transport to school – walking or riding
If you must drive your child to school, choose safe places in appropriate side streets that may be a little more distant from the school front gate eg. Sumner Avenue, Westbourne Grove and have the children walk the remainder of the way.

These should be possible for almost everyone, with the exception of students with injuries or conditions that affect mobility.

Reminders regarding COVIDSafe Behaviours

Stay home when unwell

The most important action school communities can take to reduce the risk of transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19), is to ensure that any unwell staff and students remain at home, even with the mildest of symptoms.

For further information see: Managing illness in schools and early childhood services during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Close Contacts and Secondary Contacts

We have been advised that there is a new process when a student has been identified as a close contact of someone who has a confirmed case of COVID-19.

DHHS will alert the school of the identity of the close contact so we ensure they are not attending school and arrange for the student to access schoolwork during the quarantine time. The student will only be able to return to school when we see the release letter from DHHS. The DHHS communication should be taken to the General Office and they will arrange for it to be shown to me.

I am also attaching a letter from Brett Sutton, the Chief Health Officer, to all parents of school age children, about coronavirus.

Year 8 Activities

With the COVID restrictions we have sadly been unable to run a Year 8 Camp this year. We have however, been working with the camp provider, Halls Outdoor Education, to come up with an alternative program that would provide some of the experiences on offer if a camp had been possible. We have been hopeful that the metropolitan Melbourne restrictions would ease enough to allow these to go ahead. We are hopeful that these activities will be able to proceed, but are awaiting official confirmation from the Department of Education and Training.

We hope the Year 8s are able to have a fun day exploring and utilising the Merri Park and Creek reserve in a mini-Outdoor Education experience. It will be great for them to bond, close to nature as a class group again. Fingers and toes crossed!

Sue Harrap

Principal

Food Studies

Neve's paninis for the food truck challenge

Dining out in the 'new normal'