Welcome back! New Norfolk High is a respectful learning community with high expectations for all and that has been on full display as we have made an extremely positive start to the year. We offer a particularly warm welcome to all of you who are new to the school, whether as the parent or carer of a new Year 7 student or of one of the many other new enrolments across all year levels. Indeed, in Year 11/12 we have begun a class more than twice the size of last year.

We also have a number of new staff joining us this year. Our new teachers include Mr Zulusham (Year 7 Maths/Science), Mr Plunket-Smith, (HPE), Mr Chawla, (Year 9 Maths/Science), Miss Thomson, (Year 9 English/HASS) and Ms McIntyre (Y10 English/HASS).

In our Support and Wellbeing Team, we welcome a new Student Wellbeing Officer (a position formerly known as the Chaplain) Ms Peacey, two new Social Workers, Ms Lyall & Ms Holmstrom, two new School Psychologists Ms Glavan Molina and Ms Holstrom, and a new School Health Nurse, Ms Standen. After several years during of national teacher shortages, it is great to start with such a full complement.

We also have some changes to our leadership team. With Mrs Walker on maternity leave this year, we have restructured with Mrs Reeve & Mrs Floyd joining Mrs Strohfeld & Mr Sheldon as Assistant Principals. As well as having portfolios aligned to our school improvement plan priorities or improving student outcomes in reading and increasing student wellbeing & engagement, each AP is working with the Grade Coordinators to providing extra support and leadership for their year level. The pairings are for Year 7 Ms Gardiner & Mrs Strohfeld, Year 8 Ms Coates & Mrs Reeve, Year 9 Mr Armstrong & Mrs Floyd, & Year 10 Ms Copeland & Mr Shelton.

We also have new facilities with the new Year 7 toilets open for the start of the year. This transformation was funded through the State Government’s Safer Student Bathroom initiative, but it is not the end of the upgrades. A grant through the Federal Government’s School Upgrade program means our remaining older toilets will all be upgraded by the end of the year.

The new Year 10 toilets should be open in the coming weeks with the tender about to go out to complete the work with complete renovation of our Year 9 facilities. In addition. over the holidays, new electrical and plumbing work was undertaken to support the upgrades underway with our kitchen garden. A master plan was developed last year to relocate and significantly expand this facility, and these services will help us bring that plan to life.

It is an exciting time to be at our school, building on the progress we’ve made in recent years and taking the next steps in our school improvement journey, and I look forward to being able to share that journey with you all this year.

Stuart Lord, Principal