Principal's Notes
Principal’s Report
A belated welcome to the new school year and an especially warm welcome to our Year 7 students and their families and to new students at all other year levels. Classes have settled extremely well over the past three weeks and it has been a busy and productive start to the year. We have already held school and year level assemblies, an information evening for parents of Year 7 students, an information session for parents of Year 12 students and our annual swimming carnival, at the Healesville Pool in Queen’s Park. Several parents were in attendance and parents and other family members are always welcome at our whole school sporting events.
Student leaders have been appointed and I welcome each of the students to their positions.
A more extensive report on student leadership across the school will be presented in a future edition of the ‘Happenings’. Today I wish to offer my congratulations to all student leaders and to recognise the following as the senior student leadership team for 2020:
School Captains
Mikayla Short and Ruby Langford
School Vice Captains
Jacob Sheldrick –Wellbeing
Jinja Shub- Community liaison
Taylah Chipperfield- Student engagement
2019 VCE results
We were absolutely delighted by the outstanding results recorded by the graduating class of 2019. The excellent median study score achieved last year indicated consistency and excellence across the VCE group and may be attributed to a collective focus on student learning outcomes throughout the school. In addition, a whole-school focus on literacy, our commitment to offering a wide range of VCE subject choices, with resultant small class sizes, and an emphasis upon identifying each student’s individual learning needs have undoubtedly contributed to the wonderful academic results achieved. The students deserve high praise for their approach to school and study, their parents and families must be congratulated for the support and guidance provided and our teachers have a right to feel incredibly proud of their own efforts and those of the students in their classes.
The mean English study score of our group last year was significantly above the state mean for that subject and we are one of only two schools in the entire north eastern region of Victoria to have recorded an improved median study score in each of the past two years.
Congratulations to students, staff, parents and families!
School Council 2020
Nominations are now open for two parent representatives, one community representative and two student representatives on our school council. If you are an enthusiastic parent or student interested in getting more involved and having a say in what our school is doing, or know someone who is, we would love to hear from you.
We are looking for people who are committed to improving the educational outcomes for all our students.
Effective councils have a broad range of experience, skills and expertise. Face-to-face and online training is also available to help council members develop the skills and knowledge for the job. Parents find their involvement satisfying and may also find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging.
If you would like to find out more information, please give me a call at school. The timeline for school council elections is as follows:
February 19 – Notice of election and call for nominations
February 26 – Nominations close at 4.00pm
February 28 – List of candidates and nominators posted
March 3 – Ballot papers prepared and distributed, should a ballot be required
March 13 – Ballot closes
March 16 – Declaration of poll.
Nomination forms are available from the general office or via email from Barb Mathieson.
School procedures for the bushfire season
Fire danger ratings and warnings are used in Victoria to provide clear direction on the safest options for preserving life.
Schools and children’s services listed on the DET Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR) will be closed when a Code Red fire danger rating day is determined in their Bureau of Meteorology district. Our school has been identified as being one of those at high bushfire risk and is listed on the BARR.
Where possible, we will provide parents with up to four days’ notice of a potential Code Red day closure by letter and SMS message. A Code Red day will be determined by the Emergency Management Commissioner no later than 1.00 pm the day before the potential closure. Once we are advised of the confirmation of the Code Red day we will provide you with advice before the end of the school day.
Once confirmed, the decision to close will not change, regardless of improvements in the weather forecast. This is to avoid confusion and help your family plan alternative care arrangements for your child. It is also important to note that:
- No staff will be on site on days where the school is closed due to a forecast Code Red day.
- School camps will be cancelled if a Code Red fire danger rating day is determined for the Bureau of Meteorology district in which the camp is located.
- As a bus co-ordinating school all bus routes will be cancelled.
On these Code Red days families are encouraged to enact their Bushfire Survival Plan – on such days children should never be left at home or in the care of older children.
For those of us living in a bushfire prone area, the Country Fire Authority (CFA) advises that when Code Red days are forecast, the safest option is to leave the night before or early on the morning of the Code Red day.
As part of preparing our school for potential hazards such as fire, we have updated and completed our Emergency Management Plan, reprioritised any maintenance works that may assist in preparing for the threat of fire and clearing of our facility’s grounds and gutters is in progress.
What can parents do?
- Make sure your family’s bushfire survival plan is up-to-date and includes alternative care arrangements in the event that our school is closed.
- Ensure we have your current contact details, including your mobile phone numbers. Keep in touch with us by reading our newsletters, and by regularly checking Compass and our Facebook page.
- Most importantly at this time of year, if you’re planning a holiday or short stay in the bush or in a coastal area, you should check warnings in advance of travel and remain vigilant during your stay.
- If your child is old enough, talk to them about bushfires and your family’s bushfire survival plan.
You can access more information about children’s services closures on the Department of Education and Training website – see http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/health/pages/closures.aspx
For up-to-date information on this year’s fire season see:
- https://emergency.vic.gov.au