Principals Newsletter Report 25 November 2022

Term four and all its charm is well and truly upon us! Regardless of where you go to school, term four brings with it several additional events and commitments that need to be incorporated into an already jam-packed timetable alongside unseasonal La-Nino rain fall, stormy weather and floods. Graduations, Christmas or other religious celebrations, excursions, and end of year parties, days on the green, elections, sporting commitments, to name a few, all while we endeavour to write our reports, finish our learning for the year, navigate exams, find staff for next year and help our senior students through the hectic exam period. While some enjoy the stepped-up pace and celebratory atmosphere of the last few weeks of the school year, others loathe it and find themselves counting down the days until holidays with a resigned weariness. Tempers can fray, we may start to feel negative or easily annoyed, and we can begin to neglect our own health and wellbeing as we try to get make it through each week, before crashing out on the couch on Friday night at an even earlier time than usual.

I invite you all to embrace it- If we can surrender to the fact that things are going to get a little crazy hectic and that some of our best laid plans will very likely go by the wayside, we can start to accept term 4 for what it is and welcome the chaos that inevitable ensues.

Find times for the things you enjoy- that can be different things for all of you but for me it is taking time to really chat to kids on yard duty or eating lunch outside. It’s important that we all make time for the things that fill our cup so we can sustain our energy through the next few weeks.

Early Commencement Program (ECP)

Congratulations to all our current Year 10 and Year 11 students who have successfully completed their first week of their 2023 studies. Our year 9 students who are also completing a VCE subject in 2023 have also joined these new classes for the next two weeks. The work ethic, responsiveness, and engagement of our students in their new subjects has been very pleasing and I am sure this head start will provide a seamless transition into the new year for students. The energy and positivity has been pleasing.

Year 12 Graduation

Last Thursday evening the college farewelled the class of 2022 at their graduation ceremony conducted at GMHBA stadium. This year’s graduates have had to endure so much during the past 3 years with COVID challenges and the way in which they have embraced each other, the challenges and connected to achieve some wonderful outcomes is really to be applauded. As a college community, we are very proud of them and cannot wait to hear of their results when they arrive prior to the end of the school year. At WHC, we celebrate all Year 12 completions, and they all have very individual journeys which provide us with so much pride. Well done the class of 2022!

Teacher and Staff Professional Development Day (Pupil Free)

Monday 5th December will be a pupil free day as previously advised for all staff to complete day 3 training of the Berry St Education Model. There will be no scheduled timetabled classes on this day for students.

End of Year Dates for 2022

• Last day of classes for 2022 Year 10 and 11 students – Friday 2 December 9,last day of ECP Program

• Monday 5 December – Staff Professional Learning Day – Berry St Education Model (Pupil Free Day)

• Final Day of Timetabled Classes for Year 7 -9 Students – Tuesday 13 December

• Activities Program for Year 7-9 Students – Wednesday 14 December – Friday 16 December

• College Awards Evening Thursday 15 December (GMHBA Stadium)

• 2022 Report Feedback by appointment only – Monday 19th and Tuesday 20 December.

2023 School Start Dates

• Friday 27 January (Teachers return)

• Monday 31 January (Berry St Education Model Day 4 – final day PL training – Pupil free)

• Tuesday 1st February – Year 7, 10/11 and 12 students return to school

• Wednesday 2nd February – Year 8/9 students return to school

Congratulations

To our staff member Amanda Dickson who was recently awarded a SSV Geelong Division Service Award. We congratulate her on her commitment to school sport in Geelong over the years. Amanda also came home with a swag of medals from the recent Pan Pacific Calisthenics Championships in Queensland.

Congratulations to our Girls Softball team who recently finished runner-up in the State Final.

We also say congratulations to the Unthank twins, Joshua and Jack for their success in the recent All-Schools National Athletics Championships, subsequently qualifying to compete in the upcoming national All-Schools Athletics Championships to be held in Adelaide in mid-December representing Victoria. We wish both boys well and wish them every success at this carnival – we are super proud of both.

2023 Student Numbers

Our current predicted school numbers for the commencement of 2023 sit on 780 students as of today. We are busy planning staffing and classes for next year and would appreciate support from students, parents and carers if you know that you will not be returning in 2023 to please inform us as soon as possible by either emailing the college on info@whc.vic.edu.au or by phoning 5277 1177.

COVID Cases Increase in our community

Recently many of you would be aware that COVID is rapidly circulating in our communities once more leading into Christmas. Can I remind parents and carers that you can collect RAT tests from the Administration Office at anytime. Today we have remined students of their hand hygiene and to ensure air purifiers are turned on in classrooms. Students can choose to wear mask if they wish to school.

Students (or their parents) should also report a positive result to school, either through the COVID Test portal or by phone or written notification.

The Department of Health recommends that masks should be worn by a person who is a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 when leaving home.

Additionally, the Department of Health recommends that masks should be worn by a person who has COVID-19 for at least 7 days after a positive test when they need to leave home.

Students who report a positive result are recommended to isolate for a minimum of 5 days and not attend school until their symptoms have resolved. Students who isolate as a result of a positive COVID-19 test will be supported in the same way as students with an extended absence due to illness or injury, with learning materials provided to support their continued learning.

Mobile Phone Policy

As mentioned in our College Newsletter at the commencement of this term, the Department of Education has asked schools to remind their communities of the State-wide ban of mobile phones during the course of school days.

All College community member should be aware that the Department of Education mandated a policy that establishes from Term 1 2020:

· students who bring mobiles phones to school must have them switched off and securely stored during school hours

· the school must provide secure storage for mobile phones that are brought to school

· Exceptions to the policy may be applied if certain conditions are met.

Schools have been required to develop a local mobile phone policy, as we have done from the commencement of 2020, that must include how this ministerial policy will be implemented. Schools will manage non-compliance in accordance with their existing student engagement policies.

This policy is a state-wide mandate. We are being directed to implement this.

With the severe challenges of the past three years, it is understandable that this policy has not been front of centre of normal College operations. It would seem, however, to be timely reminder to all staff, students and parents and we would ask for the support of all parents in assisting us to implement this policy

I raise this issue once again, as it appears that we have a number of students who are finding it difficult or choosing not to comply with this state-wide mandate. At Western heights College, students are asked to hand in their mobile phone each morning in daily mentor meetings. The phones are then securely stored in lockers in staff rooms and returned to students during the afternoon mentor meeting at the conclusion of period 6. We will keep working with our entire student cohort to ensure that we are consistently and equitably communicating and enforcing this policy and would be appreciative if this messaging could be reinforced at home.

Have a wonderful weekend and take care,

Fiona Taylor

Principal

Child Safety at WHC

Western Heights College is a child safe organisation committed to

protecting students from all forms of abuse.

Our College has stringent protocols in place and endeavours at all times to be fully compliant with the Child Safe Standards set out under Ministerial Order 870.

Our College has the following documents and policies in place to achieve compliance with the Standards. All of these documents are available for downloading on our website or contact the school for a copy.

1. Commitment to Child Safety

2. Child Safety Policy

3. Child Safety Code of Conduct

4. Child Protection Policy and Procedures

Annual privacy policy reminder for 2022

Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy.(found on the colleges webpage)

Please take time to remind yourself of our school’s collection notice, found on our website. For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents and carers on the webpage. This information is also available in nine community languages:

* Amharic

* Arabic

* Dari

* Gujarati

* Mandarin

* Somali

* Sudanese

* Turkish

* Urdu

* Vietnamese.

COMMUNITY