Supportive & Orderly Learning Environment (SOLE)

Creating and maintaining SOLE is essential for student learning. Improving SOLE is the number one goal of the school.

If students have:

• a sense of belonging
• high, clear, and consistent expectations
• positive and genuine relationships with staff

and are:

• actively engaged in the curriculum
• encouraged to persist for success
• provided with interesting ways to learn
• supported with high, clear, and consistent expectations.

They will be able to:

1. Teenagers who are
2. Happy
3. Resilient
4. Inquisitive
5. Valiant
6. Empowered

Below are a list of strategies implemented in the last 18 months to enhance SOLE at Fairhills.

• Sub school structure
• Our approach to creating a positive learning environment (see photo)
• LEARN Instruction Model
• Positive Behaviour Matrix
• Student Management plan
• Student curriculum voice
• Positive behaviour points recognition
• THRIVE classes – emotional and social wellbeing and transferable skills
• House groups
• Respectful Relationship lessons
• Consistent entry routines
• Principal team learning walks
• Non-negotiable & 5R red card system
• Restorative conversations
• Out of class passes
• Bullying prevention strategies
  • Upstander and Kindness movement
  • Bullying prevention programs
  • Respectful Relationships
  • School-wide bullying response process
  • Stymie – online reporting platform
• Change to bell times
  • After lunch – one period (and House group – Tuesday & Thursday)
  • no transition times outside of recess and lunch
• Yard duties
  • More extensive supervision around potential hotspots
  • Staff more visible and mobile
  • Dedicated space to heat up food

School Contributions

Fairhills High School would like to thank all parents who have contributed towards the school contributions this year.

Paying school contributions is an essential aspect of supporting the education system. These contributions go specifically towards items and activities that will help to improve your child’s educational experience and opportunities. These resources can also be used to purchase new equipment and upgrade facilities. This can have a significant impact on the quality of education that students receive.

In addition to providing tangible benefits, paying school contributions also helps to foster a sense of community among parents and guardians. When everyone contributes to the education system, it creates a shared responsibility for ensuring that all students have access to the best possible education.

If you have yet to contribute this year, you are able to do this through Compass Payment Centre. Compass Payment Centre allows you to pay the contribution in full or you may pay off in smaller amounts throughout the term. Contributions may also be made directly at the office.

If you would like to set up a payment plan, please contact the General Office on 9758 5022.
We continue to make physical improvements across the school which include:

School funded works

• New carpet in the Middle School – beginning of 2023
• New vinyl in the Technology and Art Learning Hub – Easter 2023
• External facade improvements e.g. painting – by end of 2024

Capital Works

• State-of-the-STEAM and Senior School Learning Centre – ready in 2024
• Music Learning Hub – ready in 2024
• Extensive landscaping around the new building – ready in 2024

It’s great that the Victorian government has invested over $8 million for Stage 1 of our Capital Works and as a result Fairhills will have some amazing new learning spaces. However, due to building inflationary pressures and other factors outside of our control, the school will have to pay for most of the furniture and equipment. This does not come cheap.

As dedicated and passionate educators we will continue to develop programs and provide opportunities in line with our vision “inspiring and empowering members of our school community to reach their full potential in an inclusive and supportive environment.”

We ask that you help build our vision by making your contributions. Please contact the General Office if you require further clarification.

2024 State-wide Enrolment Process

David Howes, Deputy Secretary Schools and Regional Services presented to principals the DET new enrolment policy at the start of this year. He was very clear that unless exceptional circumstances, students should be attending their local schools. Subsequently many larger secondary schools in the Knox and Monash areas now have a school enrolment plan and as a result are reducing their numbers to their capped requirement.

Fairhills High School is proud of being a medium size school and we believe that our size allows us to challenge each student at their point of need whilst providing a breadth and depth of engaging opportunities and subjects. We do not have a school enrolment plan so will enrol students with positive learning habits who are outside of our zone.

A link to the Enrolment Placement policy can be found here

Below are a few key Q&A responses from the DET FAQ document

What is a designated neighbourhood school (referred to as your local school)?

Your designated neighbourhood school (local school) is generally the government school closest to your child’s permanent residential address. Each residential address has both a local government primary and secondary school.

All children of compulsory school age have a right to be enrolled at their local school.

Which schools have a school zone?

All mainstream government primary and secondary schools have a zone. Some campuses of multi-campus schools also have their own school zone.

How does a school decide who gets a place?

All children have the right to attend their designated neighbourhood school (known as their local school).

In some cases, a school may not have enough space to enrol all students from outside their zone.

In these cases, schools must manage enrolments using the department’s Placement Policy and priority order of placement. This outlines how to prioritise out of zone applications when limited places are available.

The priority order of placement for out of zone enrolments is:

• students with a sibling at the same permanent address who are attending the school at the same time.
• all other students in order of closeness of their home to the school.

In exceptional circumstances, a student may be enrolled on compassionate grounds. Applications on compassionate grounds are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Schools can only enrol students who do not live in the school zone if they have sufficient accommodation. How do I know if a school has enough space to accept my child?

Your child is guaranteed a place at their local school, regardless of the school’s capacity.
If you are seeking enrolment at another school, you can reach out to the school directly and ask if they are accepting out of zone students. Schools should be able to indicate if they are under enrolment pressure and only able to enrol local students and siblings.

Can I seek placement or enrolment for my child under ‘curriculum grounds’?

No, enrolment of out of zone students cannot be prioritised on curriculum grounds. However, schools continue to have the flexibility to focus on particular learning areas depending on the needs and interests of their community.

Ian Van Schie
Principal

Dear Parents/Students and Carers,

Firstly a warm welcome back to term two!

This month we are excited to announce the launch of our School wide positive behaviour (SWPB) reward shop. Students will be able to exchange their positive points for items ranging from treats, fidgets, Lego and vouchers. The reward shop will commence at the start of week 5.

Students can earn individual and house group points by demonstrating the following behaviours:

• Above and beyond expectations
• Full school Uniform
• Showing Kindness or being an upstander
• Staying focused in class
• Demonstrated school values
• House Achievements

This is a fantastic opportunity for students to be recognised for their efforts and rewarded for their positive behaviour. A great example of going above and beyond expectations this week was the participation of our student leaders in supporting and coaching primary school students at the Fairhills High School Senior Basketball Cup. Well done and thank you !!

Silvana La Leggia
Middle School Leader

Grade 5 & 6 Senior Basketball  Cup

The Grade 5 & 6 Senior Basketball Cup at Fairhills High School was a thrilling event that showcased the skills and talents of young basketball enthusiasts.

The competition brought together teams from our various feeder primary schools, who battled it out on the court with great enthusiasm and sportsmanship. The atmosphere was electric as parents, teachers, and students cheered on their respective teams.

Our participants this year were:

• Fairhills Primary School
• Knox Central Primary School
• Knox Park Primary School
• Mountain Gate Primary School
• Wattleview Primary School

Congratulations to this year’s winners:

Girls

🥇- 1st Mountain Gate
🥈- 2nd Knox Park
🥉- 3rd Wattleview

Boys

🥇- 1st Wattleview
🥈- 2nd Mountain Gate
🥉- 3rd Knox Park

Overall, the Primary School Senior Basketball Cup at Fairhills High School was a resounding success that left everyone feeling proud of their achievements.

Year 7 Maths Learning Activity

Some of our Year 7 students designed and played a maths “Snakes and Ladders”. Students used their knowledge of Order of Operations to write the questions, created their own designs, and solved the questions as they played the game. They enjoyed the activity and got quite competitive during the game!

This year we adapted a new teaching and learning system for Year 7 maths. It’s called “flexible learning groups”, which was aimed to better target students’ learning needs and interests. We named our maths groups “Pizza”, “Pasta” and “Pie”. The students in the photos were from our Pasta group.

Year 8 Science Cell Models

Year 8 students studied Biology in Term 1. They learnt about the characteristics of living things, microscopes and cells. As part of their assessment they were to make a model of a cell. Some students chose to make a cake for their model. Others used whatever they could find at home. Some made a trip to the shop for supplies. Many students put a lot of effort into the planning and construction of their cell models and achieved excellent results.

Mid-Year Exams

Over the coming weeks our senior students will be preparing for their mid-year exams. All Year 10 students will complete exams in their four core subjects (English, Maths, Science and Humanities). These exams will take place over two days on Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 June. Our Year 11 & Year 12 students will complete Unit 1 & Unit 3 exams in all subjects (taking place from Friday 2 June to Thursday 8 June). The General Achievement Test (GAT) will take place on Thursday 15 June for all students enrolled in a VCE subject. More information about the GAT can be found here: https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/assessment/vce-assessment/general-achievement-test/Pages/index.aspx

More detailed information about mid-year exams will be provided to students, parents and carers over the coming weeks. We wish all our students undertaking mid-year exams all the very best of wishes.

I leave you with a quote from Richard Branson: “If you aim higher than you expect, you could reach higher than you dreamed”.

Bill Exton
Assistant Principal Senior School

STEAM – Swinburne Youth Innovation Space Challenge

A group of Year 10 and 11 students attended the Space Challenge Orientation at Swinburne University Hawthorn Campus. Students learned about the current major challenges in space, participated in a few hands-on activities to build relationship with their teammates, and watched some super cool 3D space videos. We met several space scientists, mentors and PhD students from Swinburne University. We also met a lot of students from other high schools and got some great advice from last year’s winner team. Our students were really inspired by the program and enjoyed the little taste of the university experience.

Year 12 VCE VM Escape Room Excursion

Another exciting excursion took place on Monday 8 May, with our Year 12 VCE VM students heading into the city for an ‘Escape Room’ event. Luckily for them, they all managed to make it out! The students got a taste of the city café life before their Escape Room hijinks. They were given a Literacy task to identify the key elements of menus, and how they are used to make information more accessible to customers. The students strolled along Degraves Street and analysed menus. A couple of students even tried the cafés’ delicious treats. This task was preparation for the students designing Fairhills’ own café menu. Overall, the day was extremely engaging and one that the students will remember for a long time to come!

VCE & Careers Expo

On Friday 5 May our Year 11 and Year 12 students visited the ‘VCE & Careers Expo’ at Caulfield Racecourse. The expo is the largest education and careers event in Australia. There was a wide range of exhibitors for the students to talk to, including universities, TAFE colleges, training providers, providers of VCE resources, organisations with apprenticeship information and opportunities and organisations with employment opportunities. Our students really were spoiled for choice and most of them came away with lots of brochures and freebies.

Additionally, there was a comprehensive seminar program on offer for the students to take advantage of. These seminars included in depth advice for specific VCE subjects (English, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Legal Studies, Business Management, Psychology, Health and Human Development), tertiary course advice, general careers advice, current employment opportunities, study advice and gap year options. Our very own Ms Blackson had the honour of presenting the Health and Human Development seminar (and of course our Health students sat in the very front row to offer her heaps of support and encouragement).

Overall, the day was very successful and our students came away with a great deal of useful information.

VCE VM Students positive progress

Three of our Year 12 VCE Vocational Major students have started their Apprenticeship / Traineeship pathways while at school. This amazing opportunity enables them to start their formal training and building up their hours all while completing their final year of school.

A big congratulations to the following:

Bailey – Carpentry School-based Apprenticeship

Noah – Automotive school-based Apprenticeship

Brayden – Business Traineeship – McDonalds

Congratulations guys keep up the great work.

Upcoming Events

Year 10 – Alumni networking event 17 May

Students in Year 10 will have the opportunity to meet and greet past Fairhills students – Alumni, who have had amazing and diverse Career Pathways.

Year 10 Work Experience – 19 – 23 June

All Year 10 students are required to secure 1 week of work experience for the last week of term 2. Details and forms are available in their THRIVE Class resources section. Students are asked to have their documentation completed by the 9 June. Students must be 15 years old to undertake Work Experience.

If you own and business or work for a company that is willing to host a students please let me know – we can always do with more opportunities.

Year 9 Insights

All Year 9 students should have completed their Morrisby online testing. If your student has not yet completed this task please log on to https://www.morrisby.com/morrisby-profile and complete this the quiz. Interviews will be booked in during the week ending 14 May.

Parents are welcome to attend interviews.

Trades Fit Expo

Year 9-12 female and non-binary students are invited to explore the exciting world of trade and tech industries.

• When: Wednesday 10 May and Thursday 11 May 2023
• Registration: registration form
• Website: The Trades Fit website

Knox Youth Career Expo – KIOSC – Thursday 24 August

Attendees can meet employers career paths, and get expert advice

Knox Youth Career Expo 2023 Tickets Thu August 2023 at 5:30 pm

ADF Expo

Students interested in the Australian Defence Forces are encouraged to come along to the Open day at Puckapunyal on Friday 01 September 2023.

This event has been developed to showcase the variety of careers (full-time and part-time) available in the Army and Defence. It will provide students an insight into:

• Benefits within The Australian Army which is one of the world’s leading military forces
• A valuable opportunity to have one-on-one discussions with ADF members to discuss their experiences and lifestyle
• Interaction with Defence Force Recruiting (DFR) team about current job vacancies, salary and benefits, Defence University Sponsorship, Defence Force Academy, GAP Year, STEM opportunities

If you are interested in this event – please see Liz Rundle before the 23 of June. We would like to organise a group but need to know numbers.

School Tours

To book a School Tour go to: https://www.trybooking.com/CXMGH

We look forward to welcoming you and showing you around our great school.

2023 Term Dates

General Office

The General Office hours are: 8.00am-4.00pm

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.

Saver Plus

Saver Plus is a free financial education and matched savings program offered to lower-income families to help them budget and save for education costs. In the 10-month program, participants gain financial knowledge, learn healthy savings habits by saving $50 a month, and have their savings matched up to $500 to be used towards school costs such as uniforms, books, laptops, and sports fees.

At Saver Plus, we pair participants with a savings coach while they budget and save over the next 10 months. Participants attend online Zoom workshops to learn tips, tricks, and information to grow their budgeting and savings skills. Once they reach their agreed savings goal, their savings are matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $500. Participants can use that money towards education costs such as uniforms, textbooks, laptops, or extra-curricular activities such as sport or music.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

You could be eligible to join Saver Plus if you:

• Be 18 years or over
• Be a parent or guardian of a student attending school, or be attending or returning to vocational training yourself
• Have a current Health Care card or Pensioner Concession card
• Have some form of income, for example, yourself or your partner may have casual, part-time, full-time, seasonal, or cash-in-hand employment
• Be in receipt of an eligible Commonwealth social security benefit, allowance, or payment
  
  * Many types of income and Centrelink payments are eligible

Click on the links below for more information:

Berry Street Flyer

Berry Street Letter for Parents

Compass

Compass is the communication portal for Fairhills – https://fairhillshs-vic.compass.education/

Parents/carers are provided with log in details. For any questions or trouble logging in please contact the office. Using Compass allows parents/carers to have access to up-to-date information and the following features:

• Monitor attendance, and enter an explanation for absence or lateness
• Communicate with teachers
• Update contact details
• View their child’s timetable and the school calendar
• Monitor homework and assessment tasks
• Download and view semester reports
• Book parent-teacher-student interviews each semester
• Pay and provide consent for events and school contributions

Compass Events / Payment Centre / Course Confirmation

Please check Events regularly as these need to be consented/paid by the due date for your child to attend.  Any students without consent/payment after this date will be removed from the event and will not be able to attend.

Also check out the Payment Centre and Course Confirmation sections.

Click here for the Compass Parent Guide

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 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 to receive a late pass.

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 they need to call home, they should come to the office.  Students should not use their mobiles.

COVID

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

Students who are family close contacts, must wear a mask whilst indoors and onsite and test regularly.  If you require RAT tests, please contact the General Office.

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.

Parent Carpark – pick up and drop off

If you drop/pick up your children please ensure you:

• use the Parent Car Park – not the staff/guest car park, except for those with a disability parking permit
• pull into a parent parking spot to let your child out/pick them up
• when exiting turn left onto Scoresby road (as per the sign)

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

Click here for the Uniform details and  Price List

Click here for the 2023 Fairhills High School Student Dress Code

Sustainable School Shop

Looking to buy or sell second hand books or uniforms?  Visit: www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au 

You can also find the following items:

• Calculators
• Sporting items
• Musical items
• Electronics & DVD’s
• Stationery

2023 Bell Times

Two different bell times run during the week:

• Monday, Wednesday and Friday
• Tuesday and Thursday (includes House Group)

2023 Team Leaders

The Critical Role of Attendance – Every day counts

Research around attendance suggests a strong positive correlation between high attendance and strong social and academic outcomes. Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education.  Students learn new things at school every day – missing school puts them behind and can affect their educational outcomes.

It’s never too late to improve attendance. Even in the middle years, when school can seem the most challenging for students and when attendance rates can be at their lowest, going to school more often can make a big difference. Every day counts.

Schools are there to help – if you’re having attendance issues with your child, speak to your child’s Team Leader or Thrive teacher about ways to address those issues.

In Victoria school is compulsory for children and young people aged 6-17 years and as such students are expected to be at school and all absences must be approved via Compass.

Formal attendance notifications are sent to parents once your child’s attendance falls below 90%. These notifications are designed to promote early interventions and strategies for improvement.

If you’re having attendance issues with your child, please let the Team Leader know so you can work together to get your child to school every day.

Easter Egg Hunt

The Student Leadership Team organised an Easter Egg Hunt for all students on the last day of school. Students from all levels participated and had fun. It was a great way to celebrate Easter and bring the school community together.

House Points earned:

🔴Red – 134
🟢Green – 98
🟡Yellow – 58
🔵Blue – 50

Asylum-Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) food drive – Term 2

A big thank you to those members of our community who donated items this week.

Well, it is still early days, but I guess the question on everybody’s lips is: Will any other be able to catch Red House? While there was a late charge from Blue House (and we appreciate every item!), it did not even nearly match the earlier-in-the-week contributions from Red House. And, in a turn-up for the books, Green House which has always been a power house when it comes to the food drive, is coming dead last. Come on, Green House, you need to lift your game!

The running totals at the end of Week #3 are as follows:

Red House: 105 items

Blue House: 39 items

Yellow House: 22 items

Green House 8 items

A big thank you to those members of our community who donated items this week.

Congratulations to –

Abby – Flute student
Isabelle – Trumpet student

They have been selected to play in the North-Eastern Victoria Region Youth Concert in the Concert Band. The band will be conducted by Mr. Brian Hogg – renowned Australian composer/conductor/educator. They will be aided at the rehearsals and performance by a team of Department of Education music teachers. The Regional Youth Concert aims to show the diversity and quality of music across the Region. It also gives students the opportunity to perform in Melbourne’s premier performance venue: Hamer Hall. The students will attend 2 full days of rehearsal/workshops along with a sound check during the day and the evening concert at Hamer Hall Melbourne.

Well done on this achievement and representing Fairhills High School at such a high level in the performing arts.

May the 4th Be With You : Star Wars Day

On 4 May we celebrated Star Wars Day. Our many Star Wars fiction and non-fiction books were showcased in a display and were also featured on our School Opac.

Students had the chance during the day to play a number of board games including Star Wars Life and complete Star Wars word searches. At lunchtime students enjoyed the movie Lego Star Wars : The Empire Strikes Out.

For information about the origin of Star Wars Day and plenty of other fun activities check out starwars.com

Term 2 is shaping up to be a busy term in the Wellbeing space! We are in the midst of planning plenty of engaging programs and workshops for year levels for the rest of the year, we are we getting ready to welcome two new counselling placement interns and we will be hosting our first whole school campaigns to acknowledge IDAHOBIT and National Sorry Day.

IDAHOBIT

Our first whole school awareness/education campaign for the year will be IDAHOBIT next week on Thursday 18 May. IDAHOBIT (International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia) is about promoting inclusive, safe and respectful attitudes and environments for people of all sexualities and genders. Fairhills prides itself on being a safe place for all students and for IDAHOBIT we will be hosting some fun lunchtime activities in the library courtyard including a photobooth, pronoun board as well as some giveaways, including our very own IDAHOBIT stickers designed by our Q-Squad group. Thursday 18 May will be a CRAZY SOCK and CRAZY HAIR DAY for students and staff. So go rainbow in support of LGBTQIA+ inclusion. We thank Mariani, our Mental Health Practitioner for all her work and our Q-Squad group for their ideas, in bringing IDAHOBIT to life this year!

National Sorry Day

26 May is National Sorry Day. Mariani, our Mental Health Practitioner has been liaising with our Koori Education Support Officer to design and hopefully install a permanent timeline of indigenous culture and history which we hope to launch on National Sorry Day. Further details about Sorry Day activities will be circulated before the event. As a school we are committed to enhancing our acknowledgement to our indigenous history.

All schools are now mandated to have a Marrung Lead- which is the nominated voice and advocate for indigenous students, families and issues within the school community. As part of my role as Student Wellbeing Coordinator, I am also our nominated Marrung Lead and I welcome any of our Koori families to make contact with me if there is anything the school can do to further support the learning needs of your young person.

Mental Health First Aid Training

We have been fortunate to be granted funding from the Knox Council School Focussed Youth Support Program to support our staff to engage in Mental Health First Aid training in Term 3 as well as two of our Wellbeing team to train to become Teen Mental Health First Aid Instructors. This means that we will be able to deliver Mental First Aid training to our students in a rolling program each year, starting in 2024. Research tells us that young people are more likely to talk to their friends when they are struggling. This will equip our students to recognise the signs that someone is not coping, to respond appropriately in the moment and to help direct someone to relevant supports. We are really excited to be embarking on this program.

Bridge Builders Retreat

Again this year we are lucky to be able to nominate five students, who are female or identify as female, aged 13-15 years to attend the Bridge Builders Retreat, run by external community group, Bridge Builders. The camp provides a safe, nurturing and empowering experience for young women to connect, explore positive identity and feel supported. We will be hosting an information session later in Term 2 for interested students. If you or your daughter are interested in being nominated for the Retreat, please speak to your Year Level Team Leader for more information.

Please see information below for accessing wellbeing support and check out some local and online supports for families and young.

Peta Cartwright | Student Wellbeing Coordinator

The Team

Student Wellbeing Coordinator – Peta Cartwright/ Social Worker (3 days per week – Mon (Wk2), Tues Thurs, Fri)

School Chaplain – Gail Ackroyd/ Counsellor (2 days per week – Mon/Tues)

Mental Health Practitioner- Mariani Lim (2 days per week- Thurs/Fri (Wk1), Tues/Fri (Wk 2))

Counsellor -Kerrie  (1 day per week- Mon)

Counsellor- Eliza (1 day per week- Thurs)

Counselling Intern – Sarah  (2 days per week – Tues, Fri)

Local and Online Services and Supports for Families and Young People

Accessing support through Wellbeing: Students

The Wellbeing Team can support students to navigate challenges that may be impacting on their ability to engage in learning or general feelings of wellbeing. This can include: transitions and adjusting to change, family or relationship difficulties, grief and loss, mental health concerns, drug and alcohol concerns, and many other challenges that young people encounter.

An initial appointment with a member of the wellbeing team will be an assessment of need with the student or family which will help to decide the best support option for the student. Support options available through the Wellbeing Team are:

• Individual short term counselling, psychoeducation and skills development
• group programs
• referrals to external support agencies.
• students may also be encouraged to access self-help strategies or resources.

Referrals to see someone from the team are made through year level leaders. Parents, students or teachers with concerns are encouraged to speak to their year level leader. Students or parents can also make an appointment directly with someone from the Wellbeing Team by attending the Wellbeing Centre, calling the school office or contacting us via email at wellbeing@fairhillshs.vic.edu.au

Year level leaders who are made aware of concerns by a teacher will always endeavour to make contact with parents before referring a student to the Wellbeing team.

All counselling sessions with students are confidential and information is only shared if a student is deemed to be at risk of harm.

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

What’s on in Wellbeing?

The Wellbeing Centre is open at recess and lunchtime for students who need a quiet, safe place to regulate or access support. The centre is also used for lunchtime group programs which are advertised through compass or on notice boards.

Q-Squad, our LBGTQIA+ group runs every Thursday lunchtime.

More groups to come!

Accessing Support: Families

Most families, at some stage, need a little extra support to manage the normal challenges of life as well as the more difficult situations that arise. If you are experiencing hardship, stress or circumstances that are impacting on the wellbeing of your family life or your ability to cope, the Wellbeing Team can help to connect you with community services that can provide support. Please contact the Wellbeing Team via the school phone number or via email at wellbeing@fairhillshs.vic.edu.au

Breakfast Club

With the support of volunteers from local churches- Knox Baptist and Hillsong Church we are able to provide a breakfast club 5 days a week for our students, including a Pancake Breakfast every Thursday morning. All students are welcome.

Breakfast Club before school – Wednesday and Friday before School in A03

Breakfast Club Recess – Monday and Tuesday at Recess in A03

Breakfast Club Pancakes – Thursdays before school in A03

Tasty Truck Sandwiches – Everyday in the canteen courtyard at recess.

Food Support for families in need

Each fortnight on a Tuesday after school from 2:48pm – 3:08pm we have food support available for families who may be in need, for whatever reason. We have a selection of frozen meals and pantry items that families can collect from the former school canteen area without question or judgement. We know that access to food can be a real challenge for some families and we feel strongly about supporting the basic needs of our students and families. Watch out for compass posts each fortnight.

External Food Support Options

Fairhills students invited to KPMG

As an Ourschool alumni program partner school, Fairhills High School students are invited to attend the latest Ourschool Industry Insights event with international organisation KPMG, on Friday 16 June 10 -1pm, Melbourne HQ, Docklands.

The informative and inspirational session is open to Year 10 -12 students studying the many areas of work at KPMG such as accounting, maths, science, business management, economics, legal studies. Students will:

• Meet, hear and ask questions to KPMG employees (some being Ourschool partner school alumni).
• Learn about the corporate workplace, different departments, teams and jobs.
• Learn about different post-school pathways + the skills & qualifications required to work for KPMG.

The morning includes a tour of their Melbourne HQ, a Q&A session with a panel of alumni from public high schools working for KPMG and finishes with a ‘Meet & Mingle’ networking session.

If you would like your child to attend please email your child’s name to Sally Davis at alumni@fairhillshs.vic.edu.au be quick, places are filling up very fast!

Save The Date – Fairhills is 50!

In 2023, Fairhills High School Knoxfield celebrates 50 years of history-making, a significant achievement for any school or organization.

Our 50th anniversary will be a memory to hold for all current and former students, staff, parents, and the community. As an amazing school, we want to share our experiences of the last 50 years and look back to see how the school has changed from 1973 to now, 2023, and see just how far it has come.

Across Friday 6 and Saturday 7 October, Fairhills High School Knox is delighted to play host, and invite you to join us celebrating the people, the stories, and the growth of the school over the last half-century and looking ahead to the next 50 years…

Planning is underway on a terrific line-up of exciting events and activities across the two days for all members of the Fairhills High School family- and we hope that all our staff, students, parents and community members – both past and present – will be able to join us in celebrating our fantastic school!

The future is bright for Fairhills, be part of it!