From the Principals Desk

And that was Term 1 2023!! 

It really seems like yesterday that we were welcoming students back for their first day of learning at the end of January. But, as is the case every term, the time has flown by and now we are off to rest, relax and recharge. We have a lot to be proud of at our school and a lot to be grateful for and so much of this was on show throughout term 1. 

The Harmony Day events allowed us to celebrate the wonderful diversity that exists across our school community - at the same time celebrating the incredible sense of harmony that sits within while our connection to community was strengthened through the community events and our Learning Conference processes. There really is a lot to be proud of and take a strong sense of satisfaction from as we enter this holiday break.

And with that in mind we wish everyone in the NBC community a safe and relaxing break. You have certainly earned it!

COLLABORATION - Year 7-12 athletes and staff

The very last activity of this term was the 7-12 Sports Carnival which is a colourful celebration of participation - win, lose or draw!  The events are a selection test for inter school events but for many including the staff it is a day of fun and collaboration.   The day concludes with relay races and this often determines the eventual winners of the perpetual trophy. This year congratulations to IRWIN HOUSE and to Jevic and Eh Doe Htoo, Irwin House Leaders,  for leading by example.

Please check out 2 videos on the Athletics Carnival page

RESPECT - Acknowledgement of Country

Recently some members of our college leadership team were fortunate to be involved in a professional learning program that supports education leaders to develop and embrace First Nation cultural understandings and strengthen capability to implement systematic workforce cultural change - SPPIKE. 

As part of this training we have been encouraged to learn more and go ‘off-script’ when completing our Acknowledgement of Country - aiming to better place this acknowledgement from the heart and the mind of the individual. 

As such, with his permission, Ben McCredden has shared his own Acknowledgement of Country. Ben reminds us that this will be an ongoing process where the editing will continue through his own learning journey. We thank Ben for being so gracious in sharing.

”I pay my respects to the land that we sit upon today, that of Wadawurrung Country, a Country that covers over 10,000 square kilometres. A Country that once held countless rituals, customs, memories and people who were at one with the land for tens of thousands of years.

A country where sovereignty was never ceded, and that we, in 2023, hold a collective responsibility to protect, nurture and regenerate, and to right so many of the wrongs that have occurred in its presence over the past 250 years.

This ‘Country’ is not just a place on a map. It is a word for all the values, places, resources, stories, ancestors and cultural obligations associated with the area. Wadawurrung Country is full of these things.

I also pay respect to the Traditional Owners of this land, and make a commitment to work alongside the First Nations people of today towards true reconciliation.” - Ben McCredden

COLLABORATION - School Council

Following our 2023 School Council AGM we are delighted to announce our School Council group for 2023. Special mention to our office bearers in our 2023 School Council – our new School Council President – Antony Vriesen, our new School Council Vice-President – Rhyse Dobler and our returning Treasurer and Secretary – Phillipa Rickards and James Bayard. 

NBC School Council 2023 

President                                             Antony Vriesen (Parent Rep)

Vice President                                   Rhyse Dobler (Parent Rep)

Treasurer                                             Philippa Rickards(Parent Rep)

Secretary                                             James Bayard (Staff Rep)

Parent Representatives                  Danny Mahfoud, Angie O’Day, Amyleigh Le Fevre

Student Representatives                Ali Agha Wali Zada, TBA

Staff Representatives                      Melissa Maccora, Anthony Condemi, Lisa Gray

Community Representatives         Jo Henriksen, TBA

We thank all members of our 2023 School Council for the work they will do to support the work of the college through the school year. We also recognise the wonderful contributions made by Kathleen Nardi as a long standing staff representative on our school council and Angie O’Day who will remain as Parent Rep but steps down as President following two years in this most demanding role. Thank you both.

COLLABORATION – Harmony Day

It really was such an outstanding celebration of our College community through weeks 7 and 8 of this term as the Community Events and Harmony Day celebrations made their rounds across all Campuses with the culminating event being the multi-campus celebration at the Goldsworthy campus. The pride that our students have for their cultural heritage and the overarching generosity and desire to learn from each other demonstrated by our students is the absolute epitome the purpose of the world wide concept of Harmony Day. We must continue to remain grateful that we have the opportunity to work within and for a community that is so rich in heritage and tradition and work hard to support their voice and ambitions be heard and achieved. Congratulations and thank you to all staff and students involved in this work. Truly outstanding!

Please check out the wonderfully colourful page 'The College in Harmony' and also the Multicultural Students Activities page to see the power of diversity in our community.

PERSISTENCE – Student Attendance

Student attendance features prominently in our 2023 AIP. The key factor we look for in student attendance is for every student to have an attendance rate above 90%. Our targets this year are for 90% attendance for 62% of our Prep - Year 6 students and 55% of our Year 7 - 12 students. We currently are well on track to meet this target. The research available on positive attendance trends really does not produce any startling results. Students come to school when they feel connected to peers and their teachers; they come to school more often when they feel positive about their schoolwork, and they come to school more often when they feel safe. As staff we are all committed to providing these important preconditions for every child and look forward to working closely with families to ensure these high expectations are shared.

GROWTH – Goldsworthy Build

Our Goldsworthy Campus building project continues to progress very positively. On Wednesday we had the first delivery of steel that will be used for the frame of our new buildings. We are most hopeful that by the time we return for the beginning of term three that we will see the structure ‘come out of the ground’ Things are certain to progress quickly from here and we look forward to sharing this exciting progress in the weeks to come.

For the first time we can see some action above the concrete slab with girders to support the walls of the new structure ready to be lifted into place!

COLLABOARATION - International Women’s Day

International Women's Day was recognised this month. This day remains an important moment of reflection and action as our society continues to ensure that the world we create better reflects our commitment to equality and fairness for all. 

During the week of International Women’s day  we asked a number of staff and students across our school to define what International Women's Day means to them. We did this because too often we can become complacent on issues that need to be righted. Hearing the lived experiences of our peers helps to enhance the sense of empathy that we have and better ensure that we don't simply overlay our beliefs and experiences on others. It's not ok to say ‘They should feel this …’ or ‘that doesn't really happen’ or ‘I didn't mean it that way.’ Our capacity to learn from others is essential to progress on any social issue. 

Enjoy reading these pieces and a huge thank you to the staff and students who have shared these important messages.  

GROWTH - Marrung Scholarships

Congratulations to two Year 11 students who have been successful in gaining Marrung Education Scholarships. Marrung Scholarships are open to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students in Victorian government schools. Each year the program offers 30 scholarships across the state to support students to complete their Year 11 and 12 studies. The scholarships recognise students who demonstrate a high potential to succeed in their chosen pathway and commitment to education. 

We congratulate Nikkera Bedford Van Parreren and Lauren Kelly on this wonderful achievement and look forward to them being honored during a formal ceremony in Melbourne next term - it really is remarkable that two NBC students have been selected as part of the statewide 30 awardees.

A huge thanks to Audra for her amazing support of these students both through the scholarship application process and indeed in all aspects of their ongoing connection to their studies and school. 

Lauren and Nikkera feature on a special page recognising some of the many successes we have at this College. Please check out the Recognition Page.

COLLABORATION - Student Led Conferences and NAPLAN

It was great to read the comments on the 3 to 6 Learning Community about NAPLAN and Student Led Conferences. It is always a wonderful reminder to listen to what our children think. Please read a huge page from this community who wrote about their learning with an obvious delight in what they do.

On NAPLAN

Naplan was not the best but I liked every test, especially the writing. I kept on trying even though it was hard.  There were four tests and we had to do them over in three days. We worked in three learning areas on test days. 

It took us all a while to get started because the codes, headphones and Chomebooks were not always doing what they were supposed to. However, once we got started you could hear a pin drop. 

Later this year we will get to know how we went. Mr Condemi said that teachers will use our results to help them plan for what we need to learn next.    Zaiden 

On Student Led Conferences

Because we were leading the conversations we worked hard to feel prepared with our documents and ready to explain what our day to day looked like. SLC’s were a class focus for about a week. Because of this, we were extremely well prepared, organised and we impressed our parents for sure!!! Even if our parents didn't notice, it was sour confidence and pride was certainly there. It seems ironic that we put so much preparation in for one day. Very funny.  Mia 

GROWTH – Open Night – Save the Date – Thursday May 4

Regards,

Mr Scott Diamond

College Principal