Year 7 Induction Program: A Confident Start the Fairhills Way
Our Year 7 Induction Program was a vibrant and carefully designed introduction to secondary school life at Fairhills High School. Across three engaging days, students were welcomed into our community, introduced to high expectations, and supported to build connections, confidence, and a strong sense of belonging
From the very beginning, students were immersed in “The Fairhills Way”, learning about our school values of Act Responsibly, Build Relationships and Show Respect, alongside clear routines and expectations that support a safe and orderly learning environment. These foundations set students up for a positive transition and a successful start to their secondary school journey.
A highlight of the program was the focus on connection and teamwork. The ever-popular Marshmallow Spaghetti Tree Challenge had students working collaboratively, problem-solving, communicating, and having plenty of fun as they built the tallest structures they could. This activity sparked laughter, creativity, and early friendships, while reinforcing the importance of working together positively.
Students also took part in a scavenger hunt around the school, helping them become familiar with key spaces such as the library, community courtyard, learning hubs, and wellbeing areas. This practical experience helped students feel more confident navigating the school and knowing where to go for help.
Creativity and reflection played a strong role in the program. During the God’s Eye activity, students created colourful woven designs that symbolised connection, care, and perspective, an opportunity to slow down, be mindful, and express themselves creatively. These pieces now serve as a reminder of the relationships formed during induction.
One of the most meaningful moments came through the Time Capsule and Future Letters activity. Students wrote letters to their future selves, reflecting on their hopes, goals, and feelings as they begin Year 7. These letters, along with artefacts from the week, were placed into a time capsule to be revisited later in their secondary schooling, capturing this important milestone in their journey.
Across the three days, students were also introduced to key systems such as Compass, laptops and digital learning, lockers, timetables, wellbeing supports, and safety procedures. Importantly, these sessions were interactive and student-focused, allowing plenty of time to practise routines and ask questions.
The Year 7 Induction Program was a wonderful start to the year, filled with learning, laughter, creativity, and connection. We are incredibly proud of how our newest students embraced the experience and look forward to supporting them as they continue to grow into curious, creative, and confident learners at Fairhills High School.
Independent Reading in Year 7 and 8 English Classes
Independent Reading has started again at Fairhills High School across all Year 7 and Year 8 English classes for 2026. This initiative is designed to build students’ reading confidence, improve literacy skills, and foster a lifelong love of reading.
During Independent Reading time, students will have the opportunity to choose books that interest them and read in a calm, focused environment. By allowing students to select their own texts, we aim to encourage engagement, enjoyment, and a positive attitude towards reading.
Research shows that regular reading for pleasure supports vocabulary development, comprehension, spelling, and writing skills across all learning areas. Independent Reading also helps students develop concentration, resilience, and independence in their learning.
Teachers will support students to find texts suited to their interests and reading levels, and the school library will play a key role in providing a wide range of engaging and accessible books. Students will also practice key reading skills during their Independent Reading time such as visualisation, monitoring comprehension, making connections and questioning.
We look forward to seeing our Year 7 and 8 students grow in confidence and capability as readers through this exciting program.
Year 8 Library Leadership
This year, we are pleased to continue and expand a student leadership initiative based in our school library. In partnership with the Library staff, Ms La Leggia and Mr Baker are working together to select students who demonstrate our school values of Act Responsibly, Build Relationships and Show Kindness.
The program was successfully piloted toward the end of last year, with students taking on small but meaningful roles to support the daily operation of the library. These students showed enthusiasm, reliability, and pride in contributing to the school community, making the pilot a very positive experience for both staff and students.
In 2026, we are excited to build on this success by offering the opportunity to more students. By working in the library, students are developing important leadership skills such as communication, organisation, teamwork, and initiative, while also modelling positive learning behaviours to their peers.
This program is designed not only to support the library but to provide students with a chance to grow in confidence, take responsibility, and contribute to the wider school environment in a constructive way. We look forward to seeing this initiative continue to develop and to celebrating the students who take part throughout the year.
Year 9 Connect – Tree Project
Year 9 connect students had the opportunity to literally get their hands dirty and support the volunteer efforts of Dr Morgan who is volunteer grower with the Tree Project. https://treeproject.org.au/
Students helped fill just over 1000 tubes and plant native seeds for revegetation programs in the local area. The hope is students can help with the actual planting out while learning about the importance of making small but meaningful contributions to make a better world.
Hydrogen Grand Prix Team – KIOSC
Hydrogen Grand Prix team met at KIOSC to launch the 2026 attempt. Having placed 2nd last year. The hope is the team can build on the experience of old members and the enthusiasm and new ideas of new ones to finish on top of the ladder. Regardless of the outcome the Horizon Hydrogen Grand Prix is a fantastic opportunity for students to work as a team and explore their potential consistent with our vision of empowering our community to be curious, creative and confident.
VM Numeracy – how many lollies fit?
What better way to study measurement than finding out how many lollies will fit into 2 different containers. The Year 11 VM class have been exploring units of measurement, including; perimeter, area and volume, along with 3D geometry. On Monday they worked collaboratively in groups to carefully measure the dimensions of 2 plastic containers and 4 different lollies/chocolates. Each group made predictions of how many lollies would fit vs the calculated volumes using their measurements. The number of lollies that could have fitted in each container would make a Dentist rich.
A Great Start to our Year 10 Students
The Year 10’s are off to a fantastic start and have transitioned smoothly into senior school life. It has been great to see how positively they are engaging across all their classes.
In English, students have been enthusiastic while studying 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose, or, as it became in one classroom, 17 Engaged Students! as they role played the scenes from the script.
A reminder to all Year 10 students to begin thinking about possible work experience opportunities for Week 10 of Term 2. If you require any support or guidance in organising work experience, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Liz Rundle.
We wish all of our Year 10 students of 2026 continued success as the year unfolds.
