Discovery Night

On March 24 we held our very successful Discovery night. There was a good turnout of potential 2023 families despite Covid issues and there was an excellent vibe on the night.

I would like to thank the many members of the school community who supported the night. High praise goes to Silvana La Leggia who coordinated the night and promoted Fairhills to our local schools and community. A special thanks to the many students who supported the school on the night. When we work together we can achieve much. The Discovery Night is a testament to this.

GRIP Leadership Conference

In 2022 student leadership and voice is one of our priority goals in our Annual Implementation Plan. On Friday 25th March our School Leaders participated in the GRIP Leadership Conference at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Building in the city.

Students came away with new skills, new perspectives, and new ideas for making positive contributions as leaders to the Fairhills community. They were taken through a process of recognising areas that could be raised to a new level of excellence, and then taught the practical steps to achieving higher standards.

Students had a fun day interacting with other students from public and private schools from all over Victoria. Well done to all our Fairhills leaders that represented our school with passion and integrity.

Why uniform matters

The school’s aim is to become the school of choice in the Knox area. Our four-year strategic plan, annual implementation plan and incredible community will support us to achieve this attainable goal. However, to be the school of choice the 10 common themes of high performing schools (see below) need to be embedded into our culture and practices.

1. Strong leadership that is shared, stable, strategic and sustained over time
2. High levels of expectation and teacher efficacy
3. Ensuring an orderly but supportive learning environment
4. A focus on what matters most
5. Building teaching and leadership expertise
6. Structured teaching to ensure all students succeed
7. Using data to drive improvement
8. A staff culture of sharing and responsibility
9. Initiatives tailored to the direction of the school
10. Engender pride in the school

I have bolded the themes that are impacted by the wearing of the school uniform.

A study by AITSL and the university of Melbourne found that at the start of their journey every high performing school focused on the orderly learning environment and consisted of uniform, punctuality, school appearance etc…

So why is wearing the uniform correctly important?

1. Uniform is often seen as the pulse of the school . If students are wearing the uniform correctly it suggests that other areas of the school are successful. The AITSL study supports this argument.
2. Students are safer. Students are easily recognised both onsite and offsite.
3. The uniform is the appropriate clothes for the activities the students are doing e.g. PE uniform. Students have a variety of uniform to choose from. Dress, pants and shorts. Winter and summer.
4. It builds pride and a sense of community. We spent a considerable amount of time in 2021 developing new uniform garments for our students. The new polo and rugby top looks amazing on our students.
5. It is inclusive. Regardless of a socio-economic status all student are equal in a uniform and minimises competition.
6. It communicates pride to our local community. If out students are smartly dressed it sends the right message out into the community. The general public often judge a school on how students wear the uniform.

Greater respect for a school = increased enrolments = more opportunities for our students.

What can parents/carers do?

• Please ensure you have read the FHS 2022 dress code and your child has the necessary correct uniform and styles e.g. hair colour.
• If there is an issue e.g. tear in a garment, please write a note or notify the Team Leader directly. The Team Leader will provide a uniform pass your child in the short term.
• Our policies, processes and practices are designed to assist our students to transition into adulthood. By supporting the school, you are supporting your child. If your child does not like an element of the dress code get them to action their opinions via appropriate and meaningful channels e.g. student representative council. Please click on this link ‘Tips and tricks for supportive parents’ for a great read.

New e-Sign

We are extremely excited that our new e-Sign is now operational. We will look at updating it every three weeks or so with new and exciting opportunities we provide to our students. Stay tuned!

Ian Van Schie
Principal

The end of any term is a time to reflect on the successes, improvements and initiatives that have been implemented this term. As many of you know the diverse range of Year 9 and 10 electives are well established this term, and the staff are providing stimulating learning environments that ensure the students are engaged in their learning. The Tutor Learning Initiative, supporting students in literacy and numeracy, has witnessed a large number of students in Years 7-12 benefiting from, small group and one-on-one, support. In addition, preparation is almost complete for the introduction of the Student Excellence Program next term. This DET initiative supports high ability learners in a range of subjects. I am pleased to announce that Liv Johnson will be coordinating this program and she is keen to ensure that selected students are challenged, engaged and extended in their learning. We are also in the process of introducing the Quick Smart – an online Maths program that supports students to build skills and confidence in this subject.

Respectful Relationships

Work will be undertaken on continuing the DET Respectful Relationship initiative. This program, that will be introduced across the school later in the year, will ensure that students have a better understanding of respectful and non-violent relationships, and how to prevent violence with their community. The school will develop a common framework for understanding and responding to respectful relationships, deliver an effective curriculum and evaluate the impact of strategies on the whole-school community. The approach the school will take is identified in the diagram below.

Naplan Testing

Preparation is underway for NAPLAN testing in Years 7 and 9. Year 7 students undertook a trial test last week. We aim to ensure that students build up their confidence as they approach the formal tests in mid-May. More information will be sent to Year 7 and 9 parents as we get closer to the testing phase.

Year 9 Connect Program

I am pleased to report that the Year 9 Connect Program is being enjoyed by students, staff and mentors. Students have responded well to the diverse range of guest speakers and student-based learning projects. The highlight of the term has been a day at Zone Bowling where students could relax and celebrate the end of the term – for more on this head to the Middle School page.

Learning Walks (by Michelle Nickels)

What is a Learning Walk?

This is a process that can be used by school leadership teams to observe instruction and student learning in order to make informed decisions about educator feedback, professional learning, and schoolwide instruction.

At Fairhills, members of the Staff Coaching Team have been undertaking learning walks into our classes. As a collective staff we are keen to improve our practice, so that we can improve the learning outcomes of our students.

Our students have become familiar with visitors to their classrooms, observing and moving amongst them. Our students are learning to verbalise the Learning Intention and Success Criteria of their lessons.

What are Learning Intentions?

Learning Intentions are created by the teacher and are brief statements that explicitly describe what students should know, understand and be able to do as a result of the learning and teaching in the lesson.

What are Success Criteria?

Success Criteria are linked to Learning Intentions and they describe what success looks like.

At the end of each lesson, we hope that the students can self-evaluate how successful their learning for the lesson has been, and provide some feedback to their teacher. This can be used to plan for the next steps in the learning continuum.

A goal of the school is that our students will be sharing some of their learning successes with their families. So please, ask your students to share some of this with you.

Karen Dean
Associate Principal, Staff Development/Leadership

VCAL, the VCE and Pathways

Yesterday Ms Rundle and I had the opportunity to attend a conference (in person not via webex or zoom!) to hear a variety of speakers from around the State discuss ideas related to VCAL (the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning) and VET (Vocational Education and Training) programs. It was an important opportunity to hear great ideas that have been incorporated into these key senior secondary school programs. This will be especially valuable as all schools need to make changes to their VCAL structure for 2023 as the VCAA make some key adjustments to senior education options.

From next year, Fairhills will introduce the new Vocational Major within the VCE. This is a two-year vocational and applied learning program that will replace Senior and Intermediate VCAL. It will offer a program that enables successful transitions into apprenticeships, traineeships, further education and training, or directly into employment. More details will be provided throughout the year, especially for our current Year 10 and 11 students.

By placing VCAL back under the VCE umbrella the VCAA is recognising the equal value and importance of this program. The conference reinforced the message that VCAL and VET programs can provide wonderful pathway opportunities for senior students.

Paul Donaldson
Assistant Principal and Senior School Leader

Curriculum Matters by Mrs Michelle Nickels

Year 12 Further Maths (Mrs Nickels)

Pranad: Data doesn’t always tell the true story. So, we have learnt how to deseasonalise data.
Jakob: We have learnt how to interpret data and how to put it into useful graphs. We also learnt how to tell if there is correlation between two variables and how to judge the extent of the correlation.

Year 11 Maths (Mrs Grunberg)

Sammy: I have been doing measurement.
Allira: My numeracy skills have improved.
Odie: In measurement, I learnt that t stands for tonnes. BODMAS was also revisited.

Year 11 Personal Development class

The Year 11 Personal Development class are working on team building, communication and problem solving.  Students were given the task to create the highest and most stable tower in any design they chose – using only one colour icy pole stick and one packet of blue tac.  It was great to see them all working in groups, listening to each other and problem solving whilst having fun together. 

VCAL – The Unboxy Challenge

VCAL Students participated the Unboxy Challenge (provided by KIOSC)  where they had to create a tower, sculpture or a living space, all using pre-cut cardboard. 

What is the Unboxy Challenge?

Unboxy is cardboard architecture, providing a textural medium that inspires students to experiment with shapes, forms and processes.  The Unboxy kit contains large cardboard shapes and connectors which allows the user to create the geometric forms of their choosing.  A sense of collaboration and wellbeing is fostered within the class as participants are encouraged to experiment, imagine, and push the basic shapes of Unboxy to its limits.

Thanks to KIOSC for including us in this fun project.

Senior VCAL Literacy

Senior VCAL Literacy students have been investigating ‘what makes a good job’.

For Learning Outcome 2 Writing for Practical Purposes they were given the task to write an article for the school newsletter about their chosen career and why it is a good job.

Here’s what Charisma, Chloe, Luke, Pranad, Riley, TK, and Ty wrote about. Some very good advice here! VCAL Work Experience. 

Dear Parents/Students and Carers,

It has been a very busy couple of weeks in the Middle School and as we near the end of term, would could not be prouder of the way our Middle School students have settled back into school life.

Below is a snap shot of some events from the past two weeks.

May you all have a safe and Happy Easter Break!

Silvana La Leggia
Middle School Leader

Positivity Award Winners

Year 7 and 8 students who have received positive reports from teachers on Compass are entered into a raffle to win a chocolate from the  Year 7 and 8 Team Leaders.

Congratulations to the following students for winning this month’s Positivity Awards:

• Angus Ragusa Year 7
• Jackson Narcissi  Year 7
• Lexi Roberts Year 8
• Broc Reaper  Year 8 

Year 9 Connect

Knox Community Garden

Year 9 Connect students had an enjoyable visit to the Knox Community Garden. The volunteers, including the Mayor of Knox – Susan Laukens, spent time explaining the different types of vegetables on the property. Students were grateful to have this opportunity to sample the fruit and vegetables, and to better understand how to be a successful gardener.

Ten Pin Bowling

It has been a busy term with setting up of the new Connect program for Year 9s and 10G, so we thought the students deserved a day off campus.  Students and staff headed out to Zone Bowling at Forest Hill Chase where they took to the lanes for a fun and entertaining day as well as spending some time in the Time Zone Arcade.  A fun day was had by all.

Year 7 Geography by Jessica Winstone

Students have been learning about mapping.  By now any Year 7 should be able to tell you what BOLTSS means;

Border
Orientation
Legend
Title
Source
Scale

Students produced maps featuring these important elements for their very first CAT.

Curriculum Matters by Mrs Michelle Nickels

Year 8 English (Ms Meagher’s class)

Part of the English curriculum involves students reading set texts. They need to develop an understanding of characters, plots and themes throughout novels. 8G English are studying the novel “A Killer’s Tears” by Anne-Laure Bondoux.

Some insights about the novel from the class:

Parvir: My favourite character is Paolo because when he leaves his home he grabs a handful of dirt.
Mitch L: I like how the characters change from mean people to having hearts.
Chloe: I like this story more than last year’s novel because it has an interesting storyline.
Logan: My favourite character is Angel because I like seeing the way his personality and thoughts change.
Abby: I like the father-son relationship between Angel and Paolo, even though they are not biologically father-son.
Joseph: I like the way Angel is becoming soft over time. He was once cold-blooded.
Mitch W: Angel kills people and it is funny.
Selina: I don’t like Luis because he betrays Paolo.
Josh: I don’t like Lewis because he thinks he can buy anything with his money and get love in return.
Jack: The book really puts you in the character’s perspective and makes you try and empathise with them.
Heath: I like the bond between Angel and Paolo because it is cute.
Jordana: I don’t like Delia because she is a backstabber.
Aidyn: One thing I like is that they are constantly introducing new characters throughout the novel, such as adding in Delia and Riccardo and removing some (eg Lewis). The constant changing keeps it interesting.
Zach: It is an interesting story. It is all about redemption and it really makes you question whether or not things like murder are redeemable.

Year 9/10 Money, Work and Me (Mrs Henderson’s class)

Sasha: I am learning real life skills and what to do when I leave school.
Georgia: This subject teaches you how to deal with your money.
Bailey: I learnt how to buy a car!
Aedan: I learnt about tax.
Sean: I am learning about payslips and tax.
Matt: I have learnt about how to pay tax and what are good investments.

School Tours

To book a School Tour (dates above) go to: https://www.trybooking.com/COXXT

We look forward to seeing you and showing you around the school.

2022 Term Dates

General Office

The General Office hours are: 8.15am-4.15pm. 

Telephone: 9758 5022
Email: fairhills.hs@education.vic.gov.au

Parents, contractors, visitors and volunteers should always make contact with the General Office first when visiting the school or requiring to make contact with their child.

Appointments with teachers must be made via telephone or email.

Lunchtime Clubs and Groups

Students have the opportunity to join any of the Clubs and Groups offered during lunchtime.  Details are provided in the link below.  Any suggestions for other lunchtime activities can be forwarded to the wellbeing team.

WHAT’S ON LUNCHTIME CLUBS GROUPS (1)

ANZAC Day Badges

ANZAC Day items – badges / Pens / bracelets are available for purchase at the General Office.  Prices range from $2-$5.  

Uniform Shop

The purchase of School Uniforms are now through Dandy Schoolwear in Dandenong.

Dandy Schoolwear

Factory 8, 169 Cheltenham Road, Dandenong
(03) 9792 0424

Monday to Friday – 9:00am to 5:00pm
Saturday – 9:30am to 2:00pm

Uniform Price List

2022 Fairhills High School Student Dress Code

2022 Bell Times

Team Leaders

Asthma / Diabetes / Anaphylaxis / Epilepsy

ASTHMA, DIABETES, ANAPHYLAXIS, EPILEPSY or an ALLERGY management plans are required to be updated and submitted to the school every 12 months. Please ensure you have provided this to the office in the best interest of your child.

If you require any assistance, do not hesitate to contact the office on 03 9758 5022.

CSEF Applications

Last week to apply for CSEF

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.  If you have a valid means-tested concession card, such as a Veterans Affairs Gold Card, Centrelink Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible. There is also a special consideration category for asylum seeker and refugee families.

If you applied for CSEF through our school last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year, unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.

If you would like to apply for the first time, please complete the 2022 CSEF application form.

Student Absences

If your child will be absent or late due to illness or for any other reason, parents/guardians are able to:

• Mark their absence on Compass / or
• Send an email to the school: fairhills.hs@education.vic.gov.au / or
• Phone the absence hotline is available on 9758 5022. Leave a message after the prompt. The absence hotline is operational 24hrs a day, 7 days a week for your convenience.

Student’s arriving to school late should report to the General Office.

If a student is required to leave school early for any reason they should bring a note from their parent/guardian and record this on Compass. All students are required to sign out from the General Office.

If your child or any family member has COVID, please ring or email the school so we can record their absence accordingly.

Contact Details

If you have changed any of your personal details (phone numbers / address / place of employment) – please email your changes to: fairhills.hs@education.vic.gov.au or phone the office for assistance on 03 9758 5022.  It is important to ensure our records are current. Thank you for your cooperation.

Discovery Night

On Thursday 24 March we welcomed prospective students and parents to our Fairhills High School Discovery Night. Visitors were treated to interactive tours, live entertainment and a treasure Hunt around the Middle School proudly showcasing the special programs and opportunities available to all our students. A Special thanks to all our teaching staff, student ambassadors and leaders, our local feeder primary schools, the facilities team, School Council and support staff who made this such a great event.

Extra Curricular Programs and Activities

• Are you a High Achiever?
• Do you want to investigate something different?
• Do you want to be a part of inspiring programs?
• Do you want to enter competitions?

We can get you involved in lots of Competitions and Extra Curricular Programs and Activities.

There are Programs are available for Years 7-12 in the Victorian Challenge and enrichment Series and the High Achievers Program.

Many of these complement your school studies and will enhance your results.

See the details below.  If you are interested please see Ms Dean, or your Middle School or Senior School ICAP – Ms Nickels or Ms Blackson.

ICAS Assessments

• Schools enter students and then parents pay via a parent payment portal.
• School entries must be in by end of June.
• Please see your class subject teacher or Mrs Nickels if you are interested.

The Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series

The Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series provides funded extension activities for high-ability students in Victorian government schools from Prep to Year 12. Within the series, education expert partners are delivering an array of incursions, excursions, webinars and online programs across all areas of the curriculum that are free of charge.

Courses available Include:

The National Treasure Student Writing Competition is NOW Open!

This is a nationwide competition.

First prize is $1,000 with $500 awarded to the winner’s school, and $500 to the winning student. Just think what you could do with that money!

There lots of other prizes available; too many to mention here!

Writ4fun encourages students to read and write through these FUN competitions that are easy to enter.

There is NO THEME! Entries can in on any topic and in any style. You could use something you’ve already written in class. Earn money from that English CAT your teacher made you do!

The quickest and easiest way to enter is online at www.write4fun.net

Alternatively, you can get an ENTRY FORM from Ms. Winstone, give her your entry, and she will mail it for you. You can also email your entry to enter@write4fun.net

Entry is FREE and the closing date is Friday 30th April 2022.

Full details at https://www.write4fun.net/competitions/71

Please see Ms. Winstone in the Middle School Staffroom if you have any questions or want some help (she won’t write your winning entry for you though!)

We have had an exciting and active term in Wellbeing. Our campaign for Term 1 was the National Day of Action against Violence and Bullying. Peta (our Mental Health Practitioner) and our University placement students worked very hard to deliver programs and activities through THRIVE classes based on the science of kindness and how we can all positively impact ourselves and others through simple acts of kindness. Gail (our school Chaplain, also a Pat Cronin presenter) spoke to our Year 10’s about the impact and alternatives to social violence. As part of the campaign, the ‘Community Kindness Challenge‘ will continue until the end of the term.

We are constantly looking for ways to improve our student support. As a result of feedback from students, we are making some changes to our Breakfast Club time. Please see below for more details. We are also very excited to share external food supports/services. Gail and our interns have been working tirelessly to find local services for our families needing a helping hand. Please see the info for “Families in need: External Food Options” below for more details.

A big THANK YOU to our volunteers from Knox Baptist Church for their dedication and commitment to facilitating our Breakfast Club. To show our appreciation, we nominated them for the Aston Award. They were recognised as one of the finalists in the Community Group Award category and received a certificate of appreciation last week.

We are also launching some new programs for Term 2, including Explore and Living Well. Our ? Squad support group will continue to run on Thursday at lunchtime. To find out more about ‘What’s on in Wellbeing?’ read below.

We wish all our Fairhills community a safe and relaxing break. See you all in term 2!

“It isn’t where you came from. It’s where you’re going that counts.” – Ella Fitzgerald
Amal Saleh-Zada| Student Wellbeing Coordinator

National Day of Action against Violence and Bullying Week

In Week 7, we participated in our first whole-school wellbeing campaign for the year. We acknowledged the National Day of Action against Violence and Bullying – an Australia wide campaign to support schools to take action against bullying and help build safe, inclusive and respectful communities.

This year’s theme was Kindness Culture and was an opportunity for us all to reflect on how we can create a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for our school community. All year levels participated in activities in class to encourage reflection and positive action. 

Our Year 10’s had a visiting presentation from the Pat Cronin Foundation to address the impact and consequences of social violence, particularly the coward punch. A moving presentation really called on the Year 10s to think about their choices in all aspects of their lives.

The week culminated in a lunchtime activity on Friday 18 March, the actual national day of action. We held a whole school activity in the courtyard where we invited students and staff to use their thumbprints as a pledge to the actions they can take to spread kindness in our community. We now have the most stunning canvas painting of a Kindness Tree which is an ongoing representation of our school’s commitment to stopping bullying. Thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to the week. 

Community Kindness Challenge

As part of our Kindness Culture activities in Week 7, we launched a Community Kindness Challenge. We invited all students, staff and families to nominate someone at school who has been a Kindness Champion – someone who has made a positive impact on them or someone else through a random act of kindness, a kind word or gesture. It has been lovely to see how many staff and students have been spreading kindness. Keep it up – it starts with every one of us!

What’s on in Wellbeing?

The Wellbeing team facilitates many groups and workshops throughout the year.

? Squad, our LGBTIQ+ support group, runs on Thursday lunchtimes. This group is for connection, support, awareness and action for our LGBTIQ+ community and allies. Curiosity welcome, respect required. This is a student-led group supported by Peta Cartwright, our Mental Health Practitioner.

In Term 2, we have Explore starting on Tuesday lunchtimes – this is a group for young people who identify as female in Year 7 and 8 to explore friendships, strengths, coping in a safe, supportive and fun space. Gail Ackroyd, our School Chaplain, will facilitate this group.

Our Living Well Workshops will also kick off in Term 2. It is a series of lunchtime workshops that students can attend to explore coping strategies, manage stress and anxiety, keep a healthy mind and body and promote good wellbeing. Different workshops will be available each term.

Breakfast Club

From Term 2, Breakfast Club (held in J2 – entrance from the Canteen Courtyard) will move time as follows:

• Monday – recess – basic breakfast
• Tuesday – recess – basic breakfast
• Wednesday – before school – basic breakfast
• Thursday – before school – pancakes
• Friday – before school – basic breakfast

Families in need – External Food Options

For families in need please see the following services that support the community:

Accessing Support through Wellbeing

The Wellbeing Team can assist students in accessing the support they need to navigate challenges that may impact their ability to engage in learning or general feelings of Wellbeing. For example, the Wellbeing Team can engage the student or family in an initial assessment of need, short term counselling or skills development or referrals to external support agencies. Students may also be encouraged to access self-help strategies or resources. We will explore the best options for each student.

We encourage students and/or parents to contact the year level leaders for wellbeing referrals. You can also make an appointment with someone from the Wellbeing Team by attending the Wellbeing Centre or contacting us via email at wellbeing@fairhillshs.vic.edu.au

Teachers who have concerns about a student may also refer them to the Wellbeing Team through their Year Level Coordinator.

If you or anyone you know needs immediate support, please contact kidshelpline or lifeline on the numbers at the bottom of this page.

Student Wellbeing Team

Student Wellbeing Coordinator – Amal Saleh-Zada
Chaplain – Gail Ackroyd
Mental Health Practitioner – Peta Cartwright
Student Support Services Psychologist – Emily Habard
University Placement Students: Bec, Maddy, Michelle, Petrina, Steph

Library News

This month we are showcasing the following new titles. If you would like a specific book purchased for the Library, please let us know.

The Sad Ghost Club Books 1 and 2 by Lize Meddings

A delightful graphic novel series about mental health, relationships, compassion and finding your friendship group.
This is the story of one of those days – a day so bad you can barely get out of bed, when it’s a struggle to leave the house, and when you do, you wish you hadn’t. But even the worst of days can surprise you. When one sad ghost, lost and alone at a crowded party, spies another sad ghost across the room, they decide to leave together. What happens next changes everything. Because that night they start the The Sad Ghost Club – a secret society for the anxious and alone, a club for people who think they don’t belong.

Only A Monster by Vanessa Len Featured on TikTok

It should have been the perfect summer. Sent to stay with her late mother’s eccentric family in London, sixteen-year-old Joan is determined to enjoy herself. She loves her nerdy job at the historic Holland House, and when her super cute co-worker Nick asks her on a date, it feels like everything is falling into place.

But she soon learns the truth. Her family aren’t just eccentric: they’re monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers. And Nick isn’t just a cute boy: he’s a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to bring them down.

As she battles Nick, Joan is forced to work with the beautiful and ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family that hates her own. She’ll have to embrace her own monstrousness if she is to save herself, and her family.

Australian Mountain Bike Magazine

Australia’s oldest and most respected mountain bike magazine featuring Bike Reviews, Equipment , Trails and Competitions.