Principal’s Welcome Week 1 Term 3 2022

I am pleased to report that the vast majority of students have made a great return to school for Term 3. Senior students in particular have used the time well to set themselves up for a positive term and are serious about doing their best in each of their subjects. This term will disappear in a flash and before we know it we will be talking about exams and future pathways. In fact, many of those conversations are about to begin through the course counselling process which kicked off this week.

Changes for 2023

The most significant change for 2023 will be that the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) will effectively be replaced by the VCE Vocational Major. Senior students and their parents have been provided with information about this change. Further information will be provided, for students considering this option, at the Pathways Information Evening (for current 8, 9 & 10 students and parents/carers) on Monday Night commencing at 6.00pm- see Compass Newsfeed for details.

Reminder re. SchoolTV

If you are wondering how to manage a wellbeing issue with your child there is a fabulous source of very relevant information on our school website, called SchoolTV. This wonderful resource has been generously provided by our Parents & Friends group. You can access all of the SchoolTV resources by going to our school website – https://www.geelonghigh.vic.edu.au

Click on the SchoolTV tile on the homepage or under Wellbeing Support. Here, you’ll find a range of topics each published monthly with comprehensive videos from leading specialists and organisations. You’ll also find Fact Sheets, suggested books, apps, websites and much more. These resources in SchoolTV come from organisations such as Beyond Blue, ReachOut, HeadSpace and others and are hosted by renowned child psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg.

There are also new and contemporary topics added to the collection monthly.

Get on and have a look. You’ll be surprised at the range of topics and quality of material provided. Recent titles include for example: managing screen time (applies to phones, laptops and other devices). There are multiple short (2-5 minute) videos on a host of related topics.

New Staff

We are pleased to welcome the following additional new staff in semester two:

Robert Haughton – English/Literature

Anna Moriarty – Mental Health Practitioner (commence 26^th July)

Amber Theissen- English/Humanities/Psychology

Corey Vella- Education Support

FYI –

While Ann Russell is on leave Mr Ubaldino Mantelli will be the Acting Corio House Leader. Mr Lachlan Envall will be Acting Assistant Principal for two days a week till the end of the school year and Mr David Allitt will be the Acting House Leader for Barwon during these two days (Wednesday and Friday.)

Best wishes,

Glenn Davey

Principal

Congratulations to Tenaiya Jennings who has won two Golf Vic opens in the last month.

One at Curlewis and one last week at Woodlands in Melbourne. She also came 3rd at Keysborough and Warrnambool during the school holidays.

She has been loving her Golf and has 2 NTP awards as well. (Nearest to the pin).

On Monday the 20^th of June, Year 9 GPEP students came together for the annual GPEP Sleep Out at school to raise awareness and understanding of the homelessness issue in our society. Part of the event involved the students cooking up 69 hot meals of fried rice and pasta that was graciously accepted by the Salvation Army's Outreach

Van.

These meals have been delivered to those in need across the Geelong region.

After a pizza dinner, team building games and some reflections about homelessness and disadvantage the students set up their beds from cardboard boxes and sleeping bags. We bunkered down for the night that brought rain and all sorts of things that made us all appreciate the safe homes we live in.

Facing up to school at 8:00am made us acutely aware of the challenges that people experiencing homelessness and disadvantage have to face each day.

Well done to everyone involved.

Lachlan Envall

Geelong High School welcomes a new furry staff member.

As of Term 3 2022, Geelong HS will be welcoming its newest staff member. A furry, black, four-legged Labrador puppy named ‘Ryker’. Like our most recent puppies (Jade, Vonnie and Hank), Ryker will be another Guide Dog Victoria puppy in training to hopefully one day pursue a career in guiding someone who is blind or vision impaired.

From all reports, Ryker is progressing well with his training in the care of his current Puppy Raiser. He is learning the basics of sit, stay, down, stand, wait and leave it. Ryker has been observing his local high school at his current location to warm into the idea of being in a busy environment with the many sounds and smells that go along with a school. Our new puppy will be approximately 5 months old when entering school for the first time, so we do ask from our school community to approach Ryker in a calm and respectful way when greeting him. This may look like asking his handler before touching, allowing Ryker to sniff before approaching you, and giving the puppy space to learn patience and tolerance as well as catering for rest time in his working environment.

In the workplace there is an expectation a Guide Dog Puppy is learning to be calm, quiet and clean. In order to help the handler to train the Guide Dog pup in the correct workplace behaviour, we ask that these easy steps are followed. Your patience and understanding in the early days of this team’s partnership is greatly appreciated. – Guide Dogs.

From what I gather, Ryker is an outgoing pup who is well socialized with both people and other dogs. He doesn’t shy away from a game of tug-of-war with the big dogs so I have no doubt he will thrive at school with us.

Madi Dillon

In a remote area of Colombia, kids have to travel to school on a zip-line.

It turns out the steel wires are the only form of transportation for those living in an isolated valley called Los Pinos. Very young kids are not allowed to use the zip-line alone. So they travel along the cable with their parents or an older sibling. If the kids did not travel this way, they would have to walk through the rainforest and it would take two hours to get to school.

No Myki card required!!!

Here are some details regarding run4reef on Sunday October 16, 2022.

This is a run taking part simultaneously in 23 cities around Australia and New Zealand. The run is being conducted to bring attention to the plight of The Great Barrier Reef and to help provide funds for reef saving initiatives. The run4reef.org website contains details of venues, costs, aims, prizes and times. Australian Olympic runner Steve Monaghetti is the Race Director.

Brief details include the following. There are three distances.

They are :

one kilometre (for those 14 and under) at 3 pm, cost $29.50

five kilometres at 2:00 pm, cost $67.50

ten kilometres run at 4:30 pm, cost $87.50

ten kilometres run at 3:30 pm for elite runners, cost $87.50

Entries are on the run4reef.org website

For the Geelong run, the starting point is in Tail Light Alley car park in the Eastern Gardens.

The course is a one kilometre circuit for each run.

All participants have the chance to win a BYD Atto 3 electric vehicle too.

If anyone has additional questions they are welcome to message me (ph 0421936794)

Thanks for passing this information on to schools. I think it will be an exciting event. The Federal and Queensland Governments are sponsoring it and the media seems to be getting behind the event.

Regards,

Ken Walker

Geeong Cross Country

The Digital Health team at Western Victoria Primary Health Network are working with Deakin University to consult with our communities to look at how we can support the meaningful use of digital health, and improve access to health information and healthcare.