Newsletter- Week 8 2025

Preparations are truly ramping up as we eagerly get ready to open our doors and warmly welcome prospective students and their families to our school for our highly anticipated 2025 Open Night, which will take place on Monday, March 24th. As a dedicated staff, we absolutely cherish the opportunity to hear from our guests about what impresses them most about Newcomb. It brings us immense joy and satisfaction, making all the time and energy we invest in this event more than worthwhile.

Whenever I am asked what I love most about teaching, leading, and working at Newcomb Secondary College (NSC), my answer is always simple and heartfelt: it’s our incredible students. We pride ourselves on being a relationship-based community where we genuinely strive to cultivate deep, meaningful connections with our students—not just as learners, but as young individuals who matter greatly both within our NSC community and in the wider world. These strong relationships empower us to recognise and support our students in developing their self-regulation skills, encouraging positive relationships, and enhancing their understanding of overall wellbeing. When these elements are flourishing, we witness high levels of engagement in their learning, which leads to wonderful growth and remarkable achievements within the classroom.

Capturing the true essence of Newcomb can be a bit challenging during Open Night, but we know that a sense of our vibrant community can be felt as prospective families tour our wonderful facilities. They will have the opportunity to see firsthand some of the academic, leadership, and personal growth opportunities we proudly offer our students. Our genuine connections are observed in the warm interactions between students and staff, as well as in the enthusiasm of our students who willingly give up their evening to showcase the unique qualities of our school.

Another vital aspect of Newcomb that is difficult to fully capture on Open Night is the positive dialogue and excitement within our community about the many opportunities available to your child as students at NSC. These opportunities range from grand events to small, impactful actions, each of which will resonate differently with every student. A moment from last week was seeing the pride on the faces of our Band Captains as they were presented their leadership badges was heartwarming and hearing our bands perform their new numbers gave me goosebumps - especially our Senior Band playing Defying Gravity from Wicked. Another moment was seeing our Year Nines lined up at the Auditorium door ready for a NAPLAN session, being encouraged and supported to do their best by our wonderful staff. As an aside, I noted they were all looking so good as they were wearing our uniform well, with pride. Chatting later on with Mr Grabowski who has been leading our NAPLAN sessions, he also noted how good the uniform looks when worn well. Our Uniform Bank initiative is working well to support students who arrive out of uniform to match their peers for the day, so a thank you to the team who make this happen.

Just recently, I received a delightful email from one of our Year Nine students who is currently attending the Gnurad-Gundidj campus of the School for Student Leadership. She shared with me how much she is enjoying her experience and how she has met some truly wonderful and supportive peers. It warmed my heart to hear that she is thriving in such a challenging environment—spending ten weeks away from her family and friends at just fourteen years old is no small feat!

This week we have our Athletics Carnival to look forward to. Competing at our Aths Day is a wonderful opportunity to display all of our school values: Learning, Respect and Working together. We learn from trying new skills and having a go at applying feedback, we show respect for our Houses by wearing our colours with pride and in cheering our peers on as they attempt each event and activity. Lastly, we work together to make the day a positive one for all involved. Mr Bell leads our whole school in playing their part on this fabulous day with good humour and buckets of encouragement for all. We hope you can make it to Landy Field on Thursday.

Kel Montano

Acting Principal

Newcomb Secondary College