ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL'S REPORT 

It has been a busy term and I would like to acknowledge the work of Ruwani Keyburn and Paul Rogers in their work in the AP team in relation to student achievement, engagement and wellbeing. Term 1 is always incredibly busy as we set the agenda and processes for the year. 

From my perspective, I would like to share the work of staff and the wellbeing team in supporting students. 2020 was a disruptive year for all students and while we have worked to build a mantra of resilience in all students, we do recognise the impact that the disruption to formal schooling has had on achievement, engagement, learning and wellbeing. Both college and DET led initiatives are enabling us to work collaboratively to address this. In terms of Engagement and Wellbeing, our students recognise this and have been proactive in connecting with members of the wellbeing team for both supports and a more informal chat. Both mentors and learning community leaders continue to work with students and families to ensure that students are supported in their learning in 2021. I encourage families to raise any academic or wellbeing concerns with the team including any that may have arisen from the recent reporting and learning conversation cycle.

RAISE Mentor Program

We are excited to confirm that the RAISE Year 8 Mentor Program planned for 2020 will be implemented in Term 2. In essence, the program enables an opportunity for trained mentors to work 1:1 with identified students in 2021. Mentors will work on building resilience, student capacity in post school options, study skills and personal development. Students will spend one session each week in a supervised session with their mentor.  Jenny Eastwood is leading this program and I invite you to contact Jenny should you require further information or be keen for your child to be a participant. 

Bullying. No Way /Diversity /Inclusion

Last Friday we had our first ‘Out of Uniform’ day for 2021. Student leaders in the Respectful Relationships team, led by Nick Chudoschnik and Lisa Cooper, coordinated the day. Thank you to all students and families who engaged on the day through getting into the spirit of wearing colours and engaging in conversations. This work will continue as a key focus of our Respectful Relationships curriculum in 2021 so please watch this space for initiatives. 

The Geelong Project

For families who may not be aware, Western Heights College was included in the second stage of The Geelong Project (TGP) along with three other schools. TGP provides resources and personnel to support young people who are at risk of disengagement from school or homelessness. We are fortunate to have four key workers in the college to work with our students in 2021 – Gabby, Tom, Mindy and Imogen. I invite families to contact Jenny Eastwood or Lisa Cooper to discuss a potential referral. 

GOYA Wellbeing

Since lockdown in 2020 we have been working on a way to monitor and support the mental health and wellbeing of our students. Commencing in Term 2, all students will complete a 5-question survey as part of their mentor meetings each day.  The data from the survey will enable us to monitor individual wellbeing, implement interventions as required, and curriculum. 

Each term is busy and it is important that all students, families and staff take both ‘time out’ and the time to reflect on their learnings and understandings. As you work through this process, we thankyou for your commitment in working with us in Term 1 and invite you to raise any concerns with the Wellbeing Team so that we can work with you in Term 2 for the best outcomes for each student.

Have a great break!

Tami O’Hare (Assistant Principal) and Paul Rogers (Acting Assistant Principal)