Education Support Day 2026
On Education Support Day, we proudly recognised and celebrated the incredible contribution of our Education Support staff at Fairhills High School.
Our ES staff play such an important role in the daily life of our school. They support students, families, teachers and school operations in so many ways, helping to create a safe, organised and welcoming environment where students can learn, grow and thrive.
Across Fairhills, our ES team provides care, guidance and practical support that make a real difference. Whether they are assisting students in the classroom, supporting wellbeing, managing administration, helping families, maintaining our facilities, supporting learning programs or ensuring the smooth running of the school, their work is deeply valued.
This year, staff came together to acknowledge and thank our ES staff for the professionalism, dedication and kindness they bring to Fairhills every day.
We are incredibly fortunate to have such a committed and caring Education Support team. Thank you to each of our ES staff for the important role you play in supporting our students, staff and school community.
Year 7 and 8 courtyard upgrade
I am excited to share that work is progressing on the upgrade of our Year 7 and 8 courtyard, following the successful allocation of a $300,000 grant to improve this important student space.
The project is currently ahead of schedule, which is wonderful news for our students and school community. Once completed, the upgraded courtyard will provide our Year 7 and 8 students with a beautiful, welcoming and functional outdoor area to enjoy during breaks and as part of their school experience.
As with any significant building or landscaping project, there may be some short term impacts on the day to day operations of the school while works are underway. This may include changes to student movement, access to some areas and adjustments to how certain spaces are used during construction.
I appreciate the patience and understanding of students, families and staff during this period. While there may be some temporary inconvenience, the end result will be a significant improvement to our school environment and a space that our students can enjoy for many years to come.
This upgrade reflects our ongoing commitment to improving the learning environment at Fairhills High School and creating spaces that support student connection, belonging and pride in our school.
Residential development next to Fairhills High School
Fairhills High School is pleased to share that residential development works are now underway on the site next to our school.
The site, located at the corner of Burwood Highway and Scoresby Road, Knoxfield, is being developed by Development Victoria. Once complete, the project is expected to deliver a new residential neighbourhood with around 400 homes, green open spaces, new wetlands, walking paths and a mixed use area that may include small retail or community spaces.
As the development directly neighbours Fairhills High School, we have already met with the developers and are looking forward to building a positive and collaborative partnership as the project progresses. This is an exciting opportunity to strengthen our connection with the local community and ensure the needs of our students, families and staff are considered throughout the development.
Our priority remains the safety and smooth operation of the school. Through our ongoing communication with the developers, we are discussing important matters such as student movement, pedestrian safety, traffic flow, parking, construction vehicle access, noise, dust and any potential impacts during the school day.
This development represents a significant investment in the Knoxfield area, and we are optimistic about the opportunities it may bring for the broader community. We will continue to monitor the works closely, maintain open communication with the developers and keep families informed of any updates that directly affect school access, student safety or daily operations.
Families are encouraged to take extra care when travelling near the school while works are underway. Please continue to use designated crossings, follow road rules and allow additional time during busy periods.
Further information is available through Development Victoria’s Knoxfield project page here.
Ian Van Schie
Principal
Teaching and Learning
Personalised learning goals
In Weeks 6 and 7, all Fairhills High School students will complete their personalised learning goals.
This important process supports our school vision of empowering our community to be curious, creative and confident learners. By setting meaningful goals, students are encouraged to take greater ownership of their learning, attendance and personal growth.
Each student will select one attendance goal and one Learning Culture goal to focus on. These goals will help students reflect on their current habits, identify an area for improvement and choose clear actions to support their progress.
To support this process, students will have access to their student dashboard, which provides relevant information about their learning, attendance and school habits. This data will help students make informed decisions about the goals that are most relevant to them.
All members of our school community were given the opportunity to provide feedback on the dashboard, and we thank students, families and staff for their valuable input. This feedback has helped ensure the dashboard is clear, useful and focused on supporting student growth.
The personalised goals students set will appear on their Semester 1 report. This will provide families with a clear understanding of each student’s chosen focus areas and the key action they are working on to support their progress.
These goals will also help make our Term 3 Learning Conferences more student driven. Students will be able to use their goals, dashboard information and reflections to speak more confidently about their learning, growth and next steps.
We look forward to supporting all students through this process as they continue to build the habits, confidence and agency needed to be successful learners.
Semester 1 student reports
Fairhills High School will be providing Semester 1 student achievement reports as usual this year.
Following the in principle agreement reached between the Department of Education and the Australian Education Union, all industrial action related to negotiations for the new Victorian Government Schools Agreement has now been suspended. This includes the previous ban on work related to written comments for student reports.
At Fairhills High School, Semester 1 reports will continue to provide important information about student learning, including achievement against the relevant Victorian Curriculum areas, learning behaviours and teacher feedback.
Reports will be distributed to families. Families will have the opportunity to discuss their child’s progress at our Term 3 Learning Conferences. As always, families are also welcome to contact the school if they would like to arrange a conversation with their child’s teacher.
We thank families for their continued support as we work together to support every student’s learning growth.
Mr Exton
Assistant Principal – Teaching and Learning
Student Engagement and Wellbeing
Berry Street Education Model – Day 3: Stamina and Engagement
Fairhills High School staff recently continued their professional learning journey through the Berry Street Education Model with Day 3 training focused on Stamina and Engagement. Staff were delighted to come together for another engaging and highly practical professional development day that combined important learning with plenty of fun, laughter and collaboration.
Throughout the day, staff explored a range of strategies designed to strengthen student engagement, build learning resilience and support emotional intelligence in the classroom. Key focus areas included establishing high expectations for learning, positive priming, fostering perseverance and creating calm, predictable learning environments where all students can thrive.
Building Staff Capacity Through PLC Cycles
As part of this ongoing work, staff will now undertake Professional Learning Community (PLC) cycles where they will trial targeted classroom strategies, reflect on their impact and share best practice with colleagues. These cycles provide an important opportunity for staff to work collaboratively, refine their practice and continue strengthening whole-school approaches that support student learning and wellbeing.
We look forward to continuing this work and embedding strategies that empower all students to become curious, confident and resilient learners. A special thank you to our fantastic facilitator for delivering such an enjoyable and valuable professional learning experience for staff.
Student Voice Through the Attitudes to School Survey
Over the past two weeks, students across Years 7–12 have participated in the annual Attitudes to School Survey (AToSS). This important survey provides valuable student voice data that helps guide future school improvement planning and supports our work in creating positive learning experiences for all students.
The survey gathers feedback on areas including student wellbeing, connectedness, classroom learning, teacher support and school culture. The information collected will play an important role in helping shape priorities and improvement initiatives for 2027 and beyond.
We are incredibly proud of the mature, respectful and thoughtful way our students approached the survey process. Their willingness to share honest feedback demonstrates the strong partnership we continue to build between students and staff as we work together to improve our school community.
At Fairhills High School, we remain committed to continuous improvement through strong staff learning, meaningful student voice and a shared commitment to creating safe, engaging and supportive learning environments. Together, we continue to build a school culture that empowers our community to be curious, creative and confident learners.
Silvana La Leggia
Assistant Principal – Student Engagement and Wellbeing
