From the Acting Principal 

Welcome back to Term 4, I hope that all of our families took time to rest and rejuvenate over the holiday break. It was definitely a different holiday period to previous years as this year the conversations upon returning to school were less about where we had been for the holidays but more about where we went for a picnic. Who would have thought a picnic could be such a great event to look forward to and such a symbol of civic freedom.

Over the holiday break, the Department of Education continued to work with the State Government and Department of Health to plan a return to school that will be as safe as possible for our students. The Department held some briefings for schools and outlined the three Vs for schools: Vaccination, Ventilation and Vital COVIDsafe steps.

• Vaccination - Our school community continues to encourage everyone that is eligible to get vaccinated to do so. As part of the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out, all school staff and all students aged 12 and over are now eligible to receive a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. Vaccination is not mandatory for students, however in alignment with health advice, vaccinations are strongly encouraged as the best way to protect individuals, families and school communities from further outbreaks and the spread of COVID-19.
• Ventilation - Ventilation, air purifiers and CO2 monitoring — The Department has announced a rollout and the use of air purification devices that are being provided to schools. Northcote High School has been selected as one of the one hundred schools in the state to be part of an audit. During the holidays the audit was undertaken by the Victorian Schools Building Authority (VSBA) and we are awaiting the results of that audit.
• Vital COVIDsafe steps - I encourage you to continue to prioritise the vital COVIDsafe steps including physical distancing, hygiene, testing and wearing face masks. We have seen how effective these steps can be in reducing the transmission of the virus over the past year.

The first day back for our Year 12 students was to attend the GAT and I commend the Department and VCAA for their strategic planning to ensure that this was implemented effectively in schools. The Year 12s were great at following the COVIDsafe measures that were implemented on the day and it was so great to hear their excitement at being back to see each other, so much so it decreased much of the anxiety that students usually have attending their first assessment.

The students then had three more days of face-to-face teaching before we experienced our first hiccup in our Victorian Roadmap to Return to School. With all of our students at this moment required to return to remote and flexible learning, we are seeing the changes in the policies due to our increase in vaccination that will hopefully see our Year 12s return to the classroom for their final days of Year 12.

Our Year 7 to 11 students will not be far behind and I want to take this opportunity to say to students to continue to do your best and to keep connecting with your teachers and peers. Please get in contact with the Student Services or Year Level Teams if you need any support. 

I hope that we are able to see you back on the school site soon,

Chris Jones

Acting Principal