Principal Team's Report 

Welcome to the last edition of our Newsletter for Term 1, 2023. As we work towards the final day of term, we can be proud of all that we have achieved collectively as a community, both within and beyond the classroom.  

International Women’s Day 

On the 8th of March, I had the pleasure of taking two Year 12 students to the International Women’s Day Business lunch, which was held at the Park Royal at M City. Please see the follow reflection from Alexis Homewood and Abbie Mastromanno. 

On Wednesday the 8th of March both Abbie Mastromanno and myself received a wonderful opportunity to attend an International Women’s Day luncheon, hosted by the Monash City Council. It was an inspiring and insightful experience for both of us, as we listened to outstanding advice from the founder of My Budget, Tammy Barton. Tammy’s journey of success from building her own business from nothing, alongside her advice on balancing a normal lifestyle with a successful business, was viewed by Abbie and myself, as both powerful and motivating for young women. This luncheon inspired both of us to strive for the best outcomes in our business management studies as we undertake Year 12 and begin our future career pathways.  

Trivia Night- thank you 

The College Trivia night was held on Friday March 24th. A very big thank you to all the staff and families who supported the evening. Thank you to Steve and Carol Kourtis, who did a wonderful job arranging the evening.  The event raised around $2000 which was a fantastic effort. 

School Council 

The College Council Annual General Meeting was held during the previous fortnight.  College Council supports the Principal to provide the best possible educational outcomes for students. On behalf of our community, I thank the following members who have been elected and for being prepared to commit their time to support our College. Any member of our College community is welcome to attend our Staff meeting on April 27 for the release of the 2022 Annual Report. 

The 2022 - 2023 Committee members: 

President  

Mr Steve Kourtis 

Vice President  

Mr Chris Jeffrey 

Executive Officer  

(Principal) - Mrs Fern Brisbane 

Treasurer 

Ms Chris Gramberg  

Committee Members 

Parent Representatives  

Rosalyn Carter 

Kathryn Duncan 

Student Representatives 

Tawana Chishava 

Jake Jeffrey 

DET Representatives 

Melissa Robinson 

David Gill 

Rene Raulin  

Judy Anderson (Observer) 

Andrew Dixon (Observer) 

House Athletics 

Last Thursday the annual Athletics Carnival was held at Knox athletics track. The weather was typically Melbourne, with 4 seasons in one day, however, this did not dampen our spirits!! All students who competed did an amazing job and it was lovely to see such comradery amongst competitors and spectator support from students, parents and staff alike. Recognition goes to Kerrie Lay and Sally Pride who did a magnificent job organising the day! 

Open Day 

Last Tuesday the College hosted our Open Day for prospective families. We hosted 2 sessions throughout the day which involved a presentation in the Bunjil Centre followed by a school tour. Thank you to David Gill and Georgina Walton for overseeing the event and also to the student leaders who supported the event via presentations to parents and accompanying the tours. We welcomed a number of families during the day and were proud to showcase our College in action. 

Staffing Update 

At the end of this term, we farewell our Business Manager Frida D’Costa Kent who is resigning. Frida has worked at the College for 15 years and has done a magnificent job supporting families and managing the school’s finances. We wish Frida all the very best in her future pursuits and thank her for her outstanding contribution to the College over the past 15 years! 

Due to Frida’s departure, we are extremely fortunate to have employed Bridene Forrest as our Business Manager. Bridene comes with a wealth of experience in the Business Manager’s role and we extend a very warm welcome to her as she settles into life at WHSC! 

We are currently advertising for an English and Maths Teacher on Recruitment online. If you know of anyone who is qualified in these areas and are looking for full time work, please ask them to contact the college or log onto recruitment online.  

We are also looking to employ a Chief VCE Exam Supervisor. No specific experience is required except that you cannot have a child in Year 12 undertaking exams or teach at our school. It is a paid position. If you know of anyone who may be interested, please ask them to contact the General Office. We are all good for the GAT. 

Facilities Update 

Over the holidays we will be having a number of inspections as part of our OHS compliance requirements. We have also recently mapped out with the Department how we will use the Condition Assessment Funding that we have received to further maintain our buildings. This spans over 5 years depending on the severity rating applied to the identified issues. 

Due to the extensive damage that has recently been caused by a very small number of students, we will be carrying out restorative work over the break to ensure our facilities are back to full working order in term 2. We appeal to all families to speak with their children about respecting the facilities at the college and to treat them with the same care as they would at home. Instances of deliberate vandalism are not condoned by the College and such actions require facilities to be shut down whilst they are repaired. We understand a majority of students do support this and we ask that if they are aware of any inappropriate use or vandalism of school facilities, they report this as soon as possible to a staff member.  

Progress Reports and Early Dismissal - Thursday 6th April 

A reminder to everyone that student Progress Reports will be published on Thursday 6th April via Compass. Families are also reminded that the College has an early finish time on Thursday 6 April at 2.30pm. 

Reminders for Term 2 

Please be aware of the following dates for TERM 2: 

Tuesday 25th April- Anzac Day  

Thursday May 4th- Learning and Wellbeing Conferences- remote 

Monday 12th June- Kings Birthday Public Holiday 

Wishing everyone a safe and relaxing term break. Please ensure to take some time out with friends and family and do something that feeds your soul. See you back on April 24th – day 1 of Term 2! 

Judy Anderson 

On behalf of the Principal Team