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, a Year 7 orientation day at Fern Gully Lodge, an information evening for parents of Year 7 students, an information session for parents of Year 12 students and on Monday of this week we held 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. Congratulations to each of the following:

School Captains: Sophie Smith and Alex Gommers

School Vice-Captains: Isabella Susigan and Esther Cook

Sports Captains: Kirilly Galletti, Tom Millman and Cleo Minney

Music Captains: Taylah Chipperfield and Amber Holland

2018 VCE results

Many of the 2018 group of Year 12 VCE students achieved outstanding results and it is worth noting that the top five ATARs of 2018 were our best ‘top five’ for many years, with four of those in the 80’s and a highest ATAR of 96.1. Congratulations to Jarrah Shubsmith on this outstanding achievement, placing her in the top 4% of students across the state.

School Council 2019

Nominations are now open for four parent vacancies and one student vacancy 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 20 – Notice of election and call for nominations

February 27 – Nominations close at 4.00pm

March 1 – List of candidates and nominators posted

March 6 – Ballot papers prepared and distributed, should a ballot be required

March 13 – Ballot closes

March 18 – 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
Facebook (facebook.com/cfavic)
Twitter (twitter.com/CFA_Updates)
ABC local radio, Sky News and other emergency broadcasters
VicEmergency Hotline (1800 226 226)

Personal accident insurance

The Department of Education and Training has asked schools to remind parents that 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.

The Department cannot provide advice to parents or guardians on the purchase of individual student accident policies or ambulance cover.

Private property brought to school by students, staff or visitors is n

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