Principals Report

Principal Report

Welcome back to what promises to be an exciting term! 

After 2020, a year defined by isolation, it is brilliant in Term 1 to be able to provide so many opportunities for our students to come together as a community. I have just returned from the Year 12 Study Retreat and was overwhelmed by how tight they have become as a unit and how supportive of each other they have already become. Whilst team building activities such as raft-building met with varying degrees of success (only one boat stayed afloat!), the engagement and willingness to challenge themselves was evident in every student… as was the laughter and smiling faces. 

At its core, the camp is more about students committing to a pathway that leads to success: a success that is personal to them. I am always humbled when students open up and reveal their heart’s desires and the session I attended in which students spoke about their aspirations was incredibly powerful. At Woodmans Hill, we are really fortunate to have such potential within our students and this was especially evident in the discussions that Year 12 were having. What is of the utmost importance this year is that we (work together - parents/carers, staff and students) to ensure those dreams become a reality. It will be through our encouragement and support and our students’ tenacity, perseverance and self-belief that we will achieve these goals. 

For over 25 years I have worked with senior students and families as they prepare for life post-school, but it is only this year, as a parent of a Year 12 student, that I fully appreciate how important this year is. For my daughter, there needs to be sacrifice and balance in all that she does, coupled with a clear focus on the end goal. And as a parent, I know I have to ensure that I make adjustments at home to give her every chance of success. It is such a big year and, especially after the events of 2020, there is no time to lose. One thing is for certain is that the stronger the team behind the student, the better they will feel supported. To this end, our relationship with families is more important now than ever before. When the Senior Team return from camp, they will inform you of the timing of an information evening for the families of VCE and VCAL students. I hope that you will be able to be part of the final stage of their high school journey.

Next week will see our Year 7s off to Port Fairy for their camp. It is a great time to make new friends, visit new places and learn more about natural habitat and the local indigenous community’s relationship with the land. Last year was my first year and I quickly understood why it has such an impact on students. As much as the activities and settings were amazing, they acted as contexts for developing relationships. As a result of their time at camp,  a tight bond within groups developed and those anxious students from Day 1 had been replaced by confident and excited individuals who had a lot to tell me about how I needed to run more camps for them! I have been really impressed by how well our Year 7 cohort have settled into life at Woodmans Hill and when I visit classes there is a real calm and focus- they’ve done a great job in their first full week. 

And if two camps in two weeks wasn’t enough, we have our Swimming and Athletics tournaments coming up in Term 1. The most important aspect of these competitions is participation and they provide a platform for our students to fully live our school values of respect, determination and excellence. This year has seen a relaunch of our ‘house system’ and these events are excellent opportunities for students to feel that they belong to, and can contribute to, something bigger.

But of course, schools are not just about exciting enrichment activities: our core business is ensuring all students experience good growth academically, socially and emotionally. Each year, schools develop an Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) to map out the next steps in its journey. With the help and design skills of Siobhan Finn (Arts & Technology Leader), we have been able to produce this infographic that captures our targets and sums up our priorities as a school community. 

We have to be in the business of supporting students who have fallen behind, stretching students who are making progress and nurturing all students so that they feel connected and in control of being the best version of themselves that they can be. Wrapped around this is an additional goal of excellence in all that we do. As a school, we will not always get things 100% right, but my expectation is that we learn from each situation; we go again; and we get better. What we expect from our students we have to expect from ourselves.

All schools go through a review every 4 years and this term it will be our turn. I am really excited by this prospect as it will give us the opportunity to showcase what we do well and to receive expert feedback on what we need to work on. Our whole community needs to be part of this process so that we can get work together to make our school the very best it can be. I’ll be in contact with you as to how you might play your part as your voice needs to be heard. 

And one final thing… as the rain lashes down on this stormy Friday, and the thunder begins to roll in, I reflect again on how little covered social space we have for our ever expanding student numbers. Whilst we can open classrooms to shelter from rainy days, our students deserve the best environment in which to socialise, all the year round. The School Council have discussed this issue and are committed to addressing it. What would be brilliant is if our parents and carers can help in this process, in any shape or form, to help build a better school for our students. As you will appreciate, over the course of the last few years, we have been severely underfunded in comparison to other schools in our locality. We have the complete support of our local MP, Michaela Settle, but funding applications are not guaranteed and take a great deal of time to process. I want positive change now and would appreciate your support.  If you are interested (or are involved in any aspect of design, planning or construction) in being part of a working group to make a difference in this area, please contact me via my email stephen.fields@education.vic.gov.au

Additionally, if you have any questions, suggestions or queries about your child’s education, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

Thanks for your continued support.

Principal

Stephan Fields

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: 

Country Bus Travellers

Reminder to all country bus travellers that you must catch the bus from the school to the interchange.

This is a Department requirement and students are not allowed to walk to the interchange due to Safety Concerns.

Personal Accident Insurance and Ambulance Cover

Parents and Guardians are reminded 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/transport and any other transport costs. Please note that if First Aid trained staff at Woodmans Hill believe an ambulance to be necessary they will ring for one immediately. Parents and Guardians are not consulted prior to this decision being made. 

Student accident insurance/ambulance cover policies are available from some commercial insurers. 

Private property brought to school by students, staff or visitors is not insured and the Department does not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage.