From the Principal Class

Welcome back

A very warm welcome to the 2020 school year.

I hope that you managed to have a relaxing break, despite the challenges of the bushfires and novel caronavirus.  Our thoughts are with any members of our community who have been affected, either directly or indirectly, by either of these events.  We would also like to offer the support of our school counsellors for any students experiencing any emotional distress.

Please continue to access Compass for regular updates.

What resonated with me at the peak of the bushfire threat was the way local communities, and Australians in general, demonstrated their humanity, generosity and care for others.  These qualities are highly valued amongst the Viewbank community.  Our message to our students is to maintain positivity.  We will work to build resilience in our students to meet future global challenges and to feel empowered to do what they can to build a brighter future.

For our new parents and students, it is wonderful to have you as members of our school community and I am confident that the transition to the College will be a smooth one.

Our enrolment is currently at 1445 students, 27 of whom are International students.  Despite these large numbers, our first few days have gone very smoothly.  I would like to congratulate the students for their understanding and their adherence to the new Mobile Devices Policy.  They have each received a new combination lock and locker to securely store their devices during the school day.  I believe that the removal of the distraction that mobile devices will enhance time on task and student learning.

I wish all of our students a successful 2020, and hope that they embrace the opportunities that life at Viewbank has to offer.

New and Returning Staff

New Staff:

Returning Staff:

College Council Elections

At this time of the year, we are required to call for nominations for places on College Council.  This is quite a commitment of time, but an invaluable experience and opportunity to contribute to all aspects of the educational program at the College as well as its governance.

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) for College Council will take place on Wednesday March 18th at 6.30pm.  This is to celebrate the achievements of 2019 and to set our course for 2020.  However, before that date, the College needs to hold College Council elections as there are councillors who will be completing their elected two-year cycle.

I encourage any members of the community to nominate.  We need a committed and energetic group of parents who wish to support the College and ensure that it continues to be a place of educational excellence.

The College Councillors whose term is about to conclude are:

Parent Member: 

Alexander Boughen

David Green

Amanda Hale

Rachel Kennedy

David Mackay

Chris Madden

Manjula Shaw

Student Member:

Zoe Wakelin

Staff Member:

Jennifer Varrasso

Call for Nominations:

The College Council Election process began yesterday with the Notice of Election and Call for Nominations for the period of March 2020 - March 2022.  A Compass Newsfeed was posted yesterday to all parents/guardians/students.

Attached below are the relevant documents, if you are interested, please complete the relevant nomination form and return to Deanne Ioannidis   at the College, no later than 4pm, Friday 14th February.

Translations of these schedules in five community languages (Arabic, Dari, Traditional and Simplified Chinese and Vietnamese) can be found in the School Policy and Advisory Guide at: elections: translated documents and support materials.

In other news

I would like to offer congratulations to Ryder Testolin of Year 9.  Ryder competed over the school holidays in the Australian Junior Chess Championships on the Gold Coast.

The competition was 9 days of intense games and Ryder played against competitors from all over Australia and did Victoria proud!

He played in the U16 division and won the entire event for his age group.  He now is the 2020 Australian Junior Chess Champion!

Ryder received 2 trophies - one being a perpetual where his name will be added to the list of other winners from previous years.

This is an outstanding achievement. Congratulations, Ryder!

Parent Information Evening - Respectful Relationships Special Guest Speaker - Tuesday 11th February at 7pm

We are lucky enough to have Maree Crabb speak to parents at the Viewbank College Performing Arts Centre. The Friends of Health and Wellbeing would like to invite you to attend this fantastic opportunity to get an insight into the online world which is so easy for people to access.

Students at Viewbank College have expressed the massive impact on health and wellbeing, sexual health and mental health that social media and pornography is having and they have suggested that teachers and parents need to know!

If you think this isn’t relevant for your kids see the stat’s below!

Secure your free seat to this free Respectful Relationships Banyule Cluster community event by booking at https://www.trybooking.com/BIBXN

Gold Coin Donation for supper on arrival.

‘Pornography has become a parenting issue we can’t afford to ignore…

Over the past decade or so, pornography has become mainstream. For young people growing up in this era of ever-new and accessible technology it is almost impossible to avoid exposure to pornography. Consumption – particularly for young men – has become normalised. 

But porn is no longer the centrefold it used to be. Porn’s move from a brown paper bag onto smart phones and personal laptop computers has been accompanied by a shift towards more aggressive content.

While many young people express some awareness that porn is fantasy, they also commonly convey the ways their sexual understandings and experiences are being influenced by what they – or their partners or peers – observe in porn. Porn’s influence has serious implications for young people’s capacity to develop a sexuality that is respectful, safe, freely consenting and mutually pleasurable.

This session, led by Maree Crabbe, Director of the violence prevention project Reality & Risk: Pornography, young people and sexuality, will explore:

• What do parents need to understand about pornography and its influence on young people’s sexual understandings and expectations?
• How can parents support their children’s healthy social and sexual development in an age of pornography?

Maree’s work on pornography, together with her colleague, David Corlett, includes conducting over 140 interviews with young people, academics, professionals who work with young people, and performers, producers, directors, executives and agents from the pornography industry in Hungary and the US. Maree is Co-Producer and Co-Director of the documentary films Love and Sex in an Age of Pornography, broadcast on SBS in Australia and in 14 other countries, and The Porn Factor, broadcast on SBS. She is also author of In The Picture – a whole school resource to assist secondary schools to address the influence of explicit sexual imagery.

Maree has worked with young people – and on issues affecting young people – for 25 years. She has developed and delivered programs focusing on sexual violence prevention, sexual diversity, pornography and the prevention of sexually transmissible infections.

Maree has been interviewed on television and radio, and her articles on young people, sexuality and pornography have been published in online and print media.’

Student accident insurance, ambulance cover arrangements and private property brought to the College

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 or transport as well as any other transport costs. It is the responsibility of parents or guardians to look into their preferred options in this regard.  The Department cannot provide advice to parents or guardians on the purchase of individual student accident policy or ambulance cover.

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.

This can include mobile phones, calculators, toys, sporting equipment and cars parked on school premises.  As the Department does not hold insurance for personal property brought to schools and has no capacity to pay for any loss or damage to such property, students and staff should be discouraged from bringing any unnecessary or particularly valuable items to school. 

Please note:

• Parents or guardians of students, who do not have student accident insurance, are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including the cost of ambulance attendance or transport as well as any other transport costs; and
• Parents or guardians can purchase insurance policies from commercial insurers.

Sharon Grimes, Principal

John Munro, Assistant Principal

Rachael Smith, Assistant Principal

Darren Murray, Acting Assistant Principal