If any student has been affected by this incident and wishes to speak with someone at the school, please contact us through the main school phone number 0260 437 500.

Thank you for your support.

David Whitehead
Campus Principal
�Ӱ���̳Senior Secondary College

• Click here to download the self-nomination form for the parent member category
• Click here to download the nomination for the parent member category

For further information and to submit your nomination form, please contact College Business Manager John McVean MVJ@wssc.vic.edu.au by Monday February 24th 2025.

School Council Student Nominations

Are you a student at our College and would like to participate in our School Council? Please submit your enquiry to College Business Manager John McVean MVJ@wssc.vic.edu.au by Monday 24th February 2025.

What is a school council and what does it do?

All government schools in Victoria have a school council. They are legally constituted bodies that are given powers to set the broad direction of a school, in accordance with Ministerial Order 1280 Constitution of Government School Councils, and the Education and Training Reform Act 2006. In doing this, a school council is able to directly influence the quality of education that the school provides for its students.

Who is on the school council?

For most primary school councils, there are several possible categories of membership:

• A mandated elected parent member category – more than one-third of the total members must be from this category. Department employees can be parent members at their child’s school as long as they are not engaged in work at the school.
• A mandated elected school employee member category – members of this category may make up no more than one-third of the total membership of school council. The principal of the school is automatically one of these members.
• An optional community member category – members are co-opted by a decision of the council because of their special skills, interests or experiences. Department employees are not eligible to be community members.
• A small number of school councils have nominee members.

For all schools with a Year 7 and above cohort, there is an additional category of membership:

• A mandated elected student member category, two positions. Generally, the term of office for all members is two years. The term of office of half the members expires each year, creating vacancies for the annual school council elections.

Why is parent membership so important?

Parents on school councils provide important viewpoints and have valuable skills and a range of experiences and knowledge that can help inform and shape the direction of the school. Those parents who become active on a school council find their involvement satisfying and may also find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging.

Do I need special experience to be on school council?

Each member brings their own valuable life skills and knowledge to the role. However, councillors may need to develop skills and acquire knowledge in areas that are unfamiliar to them. It is important to have an interest in your child’s school and the desire to work in partnership with others to help shape the school’s future.

• Click here to download the self-nomination form for the parent member category
• Click here to download the nomination for the parent member category

Dear Parent/Guardian,

�Ӱ���̳Senior Secondary College is looking forward to another great year of teaching and learning and would like to advise you of �Ӱ���̳Senior Secondary College’s voluntary financial contributions for Semester 1, 2025.

Schools provide students with free instruction to fulfil the standard Victorian Curriculum and we want to assure you that all contributions are voluntary. Nevertheless, the ongoing support of our families ensures that our college can continue to offer the best possible education and support for our students. We appreciate your patience as we transition to our new curriculum contribution processes. We are doing everything we can to make this process as clear as possible for our families.

We want to thank you for all your support to ensure we can provide your child with the best possible education and support they need to achieve their desired pathway. This will make an enormous difference to our college and the programs we can continue to offer with your support.

Within the College this support has allowed us to provide an enriched learning and teaching program for every student and is highly valued by our school community. The commitment from parents to contribute benefits students and results in improved achievement outcomes, wellbeing, and engagement in learning.

At �Ӱ���̳Senior Secondary College, we develop and deliver learning and teaching programs drawing on the best educational knowledge and practices and strive to offer broad and enriched opportunities to students that are beyond what is required in the standard curriculum and what is provided for by Government funding.

For further information on the Department’s Parent Payments Policy, and for our list of curriculum contributions please download the letter below.

Click here to download our Parent Payment Policy and curriculum contributions list

Regards,
Vern Hilditch
Executive Principal

From Tuesday 26 November 2024, you will receive an email from the Department of Education with your unique $400 School Saving Bonus code. The School Saving Bonus will help families cover the cost of uniforms, textbooks, excursions, activities and more.

If you have multiple children enrolled in Victorian government schools for 2025, you will receive one School Saving Bonus code email per child. These emails might arrive on different days. Please make sure to check your spam/junk email folder.

Parents and carers can use the School Saving Bonus code in store at school-nominated suppliers. Parents and carers can also choose to access the School Saving Bonus online system, where they can allocate part or all the $400 bonus to use at school nominated-online suppliers or for school activities.

To learn more about the School Saving Bonus, visit . A step-by-step user guide will be available on the webpage on 26 November. If you have not received your School Saving Bonus code via email by Friday 29 November, please contact the Department of Education by emailing school.saving.bonus@education.vic.gov.au

Dear parents and carers,

As shared with you previously, parents and carers of every child enrolled in a Victorian government school in 2025 will receive the one-off School Saving Bonus $400 support.

In the coming months, the Department of Education will send you 2 email communications for each of your children enrolled in Victorian government schools.

By Friday 18 October 2024, please ensure that your child’s 2025 enrolment is completed and that your contact information is up to date.

The 2 emails from the Department of Education will:

1. Confirm your email address between mid-October and late-November.
2. Provide you with your unique $400 School Saving Bonus code by the end of November.

If you do not receive a confirmation email from the department by late-November, please check your spam or junk folders and contact WSSC if needed.

You can read more about the School Saving Bonus on the Department of Education website, with key information now available in 14 different languages.

Kind regards,
Vern Hilditch
Executive Principal

Further details:

• Click here to access our previous letter about the School Saving Bonus
• Click here to view this letter in Swahili

As we are about to commence term 4, it is essential that we convey some important information to parents/guardians of Year 12 students.

The end of the Year 12 academic year is fast approaching and we wish to farewell the students in a way that recognises their efforts appropriately. The following is information pertaining to VCE exams, the last days of class and the Valedictory Presentation Ceremony.

Last Day of Year 12 classes – Tuesday 22nd October

Tuesday the 22nd of October will be the last day of required attendance at �Ӱ���̳Senior Secondary College for the Year 12 class of 2024. All classes will run and students will be required to attend classes as normal. Year 12 students will assemble at the flag poles at 3.00pm to celebrate the last bell. Students will be required to be in full, unaltered uniform and attend classes for the entire day.

Farewell breakfast and assembly – Wednesday 23rd October

WSSC has arranged a celebration get together beginning at 9am. We will provide breakfast, music and activities. Students will have the opportunity to run an informal year 12 ceremony. This will occur at the flagpole area between the main building and the trade training centre. Year 12 students will have access to this area only.
This will conclude with a formal whole school assembly at the flag poles at 10.35am. After which Year 10 and 11 students will form a “guard of honour” as the Year 12’s are farewelled out of the school by Mr Hilditch and Mr Whitehead. Parents are invited to see the students out the gate for the final time.

While it is a time for celebration at the conclusion of your child’s studies prior to their examinations, we would like to take this opportunity to reinforce the College’s expectations regarding behaviour and conduct on these days. Students are reminded that all normal school expectations and policies need to be adhered to. These can be viewed on the College website.
Any student who does not adhere to clearly defined College behaviour policies, or fails to follow the directions of any staff member during the day, will be asked to leave the school grounds immediately and may incur further consequences, such as:

1. Being excluded from the Year 12 Valedictory Ceremony.
2. Having to sit the exams in a venue other than WSSC.

Valedictory – Thursday 21st November

On Thursday the 21st of November at 6.00pm (for a 6.30pm start) the College will be holding its Year 12 Valedictory Ceremony at the Albury Entertainment Centre. This will be a celebration of the Class of 2024 and will acknowledge Year 12 students who have undertaken VCE /VCE VM. All current Year 12 students are invited. Ticketing arrangements will be communicated separately to this letter.

Final VCE Exams – Tuesday 29th October to Wednesday the 20th November

All students completing VCE are expected to sit their final VCE exams. Students who complete their exams have a higher chance of success in the years immediately following Year 12 than those who do not. This includes having a greater chance of obtaining sustainable full-time work and apprenticeships, as well as tertiary education placements.

Students will be welcome at the College to access help from their teachers, to access required school resources and to study in the Study Centre during this time. It is advisable that they remain in contact with their teachers and check their college email on a daily basis so that they do not miss any important information or advice.

Careers Support

Our Careers team will be available right up until the 20th of December for students to access post-schooling careers and tertiary advice and assistance. If at any stage you feel your child would benefit from a careers and pathways conversation, please direct them to our Careers team.

ATAR and results release – Thursday 12th December

Staff will be available onsite at WSSC from 10am to 3pm on Thursday 12th and Friday 13th for students requiring advice or guidance after the ATAR release. A morning tea will be provided to celebrate the successes of our students.

If you have any question regarding any of the events above, please do not hesitate to contact Naomi Wattie, Brydie Hind or Mark Smit at the College on (02) 6043 7500

The Ovens Murray Public Health Unit (OMPHU) is monitoring a significant increase in pertussis (whooping cough) cases in our region this year, particularly among school-aged children.

Who is at risk?

In Victoria and NSW, there have been over 10 times the number of pertussis cases in 2024 than for the whole of 2023. Children aged 9-12 years account for nearly 40% of all notified cases. Anyone can get pertussis. Infants less than 6 months of age are at greatest risk of severe disease, hospitalisation, and death. These infants are too young to be fully immunised. Many infants who get pertussis catch it from older children and adults who might not even know they are infected.

What is pertussis (whooping cough)?

Pertussis is a contagious respiratory infection that can cause very serious illness. The disease begins like a cold and then the characteristic cough (‘whooping’ sound) develops. This cough may last up to 3 months, even after antibiotic treatment is completed and the person is no longer infectious. Symptoms may be indistinguishable from other respiratory infections, especially in its early stages. Testing to confirm a pertussis infection can be conducted by a GP.

What should families do?

• Whooping cough needs to be diagnosed and treated immediately. Seek medical attention for any of these symptoms:
  • a severe cough which that may occur in bouts. The child may appear well between episodes of coughing.
  • characteristic ‘whooping’ sound when they breath in.
  • vomiting at the end of a bout of coughing.
  • the child stops breathing for periods of time and may go blue.
• Doctors might diagnose whooping cough by checking symptoms, doing a swab of the nose and throat, or by taking a blood test.
• Doctors may prescribe antibiotics, which can help reduce the seriousness of symptoms and the ability to spread the infection to others.
• Keep unwell children home from childcare or school for 21 days after the onset of cough, or until they have received 5 days of appropriate antibiotic treatment.
• Ensure that all family members are up to date with immunisations and follow good hygiene practices. If unsure, discuss this with an immunisation provider, such a GP.
• If anyone has a cough or respiratory symptoms, take particular care to stay away from babies.

Students should note that if they have applied for special consideration, the exam times will remain the same however the venues may vary. We encourage students to contact their teacher for a specific venue.

On Arrival

• You should arrive 15min before your scheduled exam, ensure you know where you’re seated on seating plans (these are outside the venue of your exam, posted on MS Teams and on the notice board near main stairs outside the library)
• You should not bring bags, phones, earphones, electrical devises, smart watches (there are clocks within the venue) or any other personal items.

What to bring

• All students may wear casual clothing- suggest you wear layers in case you find the venue hot/cold. Closed in shoes, no thongs.
• Pens, pencils, highlighters, erasers etc in a clear plastic pencil case or plastic pocket without any labels or markings.
• Water bottles are to be CLEAR only – no labels, no sports or Tupperware bottles.
• Student IDs or drivers license with photo.

Wednesday 9th October: Red and Green House
Wednesday 16th October: Yellow and Blue house

Year 10 students will experience a day at La Trobe University with the AW Educational Partnerships Program. Students will experience University style learning and culture, and also hear from current LTU students on what their experience of university life. �Ӱ���̳TAFE team will take students on a guided tour of TAFE and students will have an Amazing Race around �Ӱ���̳La Trobe campus.

Students are to make their own way to La Trobe University,133 Mc Koy St, no staff supervision before 8.30am. Bus travellers will be transported from WSSC NLT 9am, students will depart La Trobe at 2.30pm, bus travellers will be transported back at school.

If parents or guardians do not provide consent for their child to attend on the School Portal Mobile App, they will be required to attend normal classes.

For more information about this event, please contact our Careers and Pathways team.

If you’re an empty nester or at least have a spare bedroom, there are a few good reasons to consider becoming a homestay parent/s:

• Make a strong cultural connection with an international family (usually from Vietnam or China). Many homestay parents end up visiting the family of their homestay student in their home country and have an experience much richer than being a tourist.
• Enjoy a special connection with a high school student from another country and become their “Aussie Parent,” helping them find their way in Australia.
• Receive payment at the Victorian Department of Education approved rate.
• Potential international students will attend WSSC for two weeks during July and August 2024. If you are considering becoming a homestay host, this is a good introduction. We seek homestay hosts to provide an initial two-week placement during this July/August visit.

Freeman host family with their homestay students.

Who can be a homestay family?

Testimony

Hear from Leanne Freeman about their experience as a homestay host.
We hosted 2 international male students for a little over three years. In this time we saw them grow from dependant immature boys to young independent adult men. As well as supporting them through schooling, we also encouraged them to get involved with the community, which saw them volunteer for different roles through our local church. This gave them experience and confidence to take into the future. We also supported them through part-time jobs and even taught one student to drive and to get his P’s.

We consider them part of our family and are still in contact with them to this day. We highly recommend hosting students as it’s a very rewarding role.

Register your interest

Call 02 6043 7500 or email Heni Williams WIH@wssc.vic.edu.au to find out more information about our Homestay program and International students.