Issue #11 30 Oct 2026

Progress Reports

These are the last Progress Reports for 2026, and they will be referred to revise the pathway choices of students for 2027. If students are not meeting basic expectations, then it will show up in these reports. Year Level Coordinators will then work with the students and families to set some more realistic goals for the following year. This is often a great opportunity to hit reset and get a fresh start with a more rigorous approach to study in 2027. Please reach out to the Sub School staff to organise a meeting if you, as parents, have concerns about progress.

Geelong Tertiary Futures Program

This term, our Year 9 students have the exciting opportunity to participate in the Geelong Tertiary Futures Program (GTFP). Delivered by The Gordon TAFE under the Skilling the Bay initiative, this unique program bridges the gap between secondary school and future career pathways.

The GTFP gives students a hands-on preview of tertiary life and vocational training. Combining introductory online modules with practical, on-campus experiences, students can explore over 20 diverse industry areas; ranging from trades and technology to design and early childhood education.

Rather than just listening to presentations, students work directly with industry-standard equipment and professional TAFE trainers. It is a fantastic way for Year 9s to build career awareness, boost their educational motivation, and confidently plan their senior school subject selections.

Mental Health meeting with Ministers

Suhail Jamshidi, Annah Beh, Ehp Saw Dahdait and Halima Shee all participated in a round table discussion with Ministers Ella George, Alison Marchant and Christine Couzens. In addition to these high-profile powerful leaders of change in our community were members of Headspace, social workers and young people affected by mental health. The purpose was to discuss challenges and needs of young people to direct further inquiry. I was so proud of our students who contributed in a positive way utilising their own lived experience and presented what they see in their own contexts. I was particularly impressed when Ehp Saw responded to the claim that RUOK day was too tokenistic. She simply stated that the aspiration at our school is to educate others, whilst engaging in activities that promote fun and connection to create a more supportive and positive environment.

Be Bold, Be Heard Celebration Forum

Empowering Young Women Across Barwon: Be Bold, Be Heard Celebrates Record Impact at GMHBA Stadium

The Be Bold, Be Heard program recently celebrated a landmark year of student agency, leadership, and systemic change as over 130 student leaders and educators gathered at GMHBA Stadium for Forum Four: Celebrating the Impact of the Be Bold, Be Heard (BBBH) initiative.

Co-hosted by student MCs Shelby Hawkins and Laila Tingate (Geelong High School) alongside Abigail John, Jessica Barrow, and Joselyn Tomlin (North Geelong Secondary College), the celebration forum showcased how young women across 14 regional schools turned local survey data into tangible, lasting school improvements throughout 2026.

Inspiring Keynotes & Mentorship

A highlight of the forum was an inspiring panel of guest speakers—including Jessica Chappell, Carly Luke, Mackenzie Clinch, Simone Boer, and Megan Moody—who shared powerful insights on goal setting, resilience, and authentic leadership. Speakers urged students to build a personal "board of mentors," embrace what makes them unique, and focus on solution-driven advocacy when overcoming institutional barriers.

Highlighting 2026 Student-Led Actions Across Our Network

From physical yard equity to period dignity and mental health, student teams presented incredible real-world outcomes driven by their 2026 action plans:

• North Geelong Secondary College: Conducted whole-school period care surveys and executed "The Bloody Important Day" fundraiser and awareness campaign, raising funds to combat period poverty and removing menstrual stigma across the college.

• Belmont High School: Addressed whole-school Respectful Language Survey results (where 44% of peers reported feeling unsafe or hurt by sexist language) by launching Women’s Health Week, complete with guest dietitian assemblies, Year 8 Rock Band performances, and Zen Life yoga sessions.

• Saint Ignatius College: Tackled a stark 1:8; 10 female-to-male sports yard ratio by auditing sports attire and securing school commitments for female-appropriate competitive sports uniforms and netball court rings.

• Grovedale College: Advocated directly to the Principal Team to establish designated lunchtime gym court allocations, ensuring female students have equal, active space during break times.

• Northern Bay College: Scripted, filmed, and presented video skits depicting real-world sexist scenarios for staff meetings, providing practical professional learning to help teachers address yard and classroom sexism.

• Oberon High School: Addressed emotional regulation data by creating "The Reset Room"; a student-supervised quiet space equipped with sensory tools and puzzles for stress relief.

• Western Heights College: Handcrafted 7 custom Kokoda hygiene and period packs to support female students embarking on the school's annual Kokoda trek.

• Clonard College: Established a Year 10 Community Hub with study resources, event calendars, and mental health tools to reduce assessment stress.

• Newcomb Secondary College: Successfully hosted the regional Term 2 Forum, ran period education, organized Wellbeing Dog visits, and performed "Nobody's Fool".

• Geelong High School, Matthew Flinders Girls SC, Lara Secondary College, Bellarine Secondary College, and Iona College: Advanced peer mentoring, Year 7 buddy systems, new Student Government bodies, and whole-school wellbeing days.

State Forum October 29, Victoria University

In October, 50 BBBH student leaders will jump on a bus and head down to Footscray for the inaugural State Forum. Here they will share their experiences with other schools who are keen for the initiative to spread in their own regions. We are delighted to explore this opportunity and are thankful to Soroptimists International Victorian Foundation for supporting us with a grant to ensure this exciting event is packed full of the BBBH substance, without any adverse cost to schools.

Looking Ahead to 2027

The Be Bold, Be Heard framework continues to demonstrate how empowering teen girls to analyze data and lead self-advocacy transforms entire school cultures. As regional schools prepare for 2027, student teams are already planning expanded mentoring, sexual health education initiatives, and broader community connections; ensuring every young woman across the Barwon region feels visible, voiced, valued, and validated.