Principal Team
Principal’s Message
Ian Van Schie, Principal
Finishing the Semester Strongly
As we approach the mid year holidays, I would like to acknowledge the hard work, commitment and achievements of our students throughout the first semester.
At Fairhills High School, our vision is to empower our community to be curious, creative and confident learners. This vision is particularly important as we move towards the end of the semester. While the holidays are getting closer, there is still important learning to complete, and we encourage all students to continue working hard, staying focused and making the most of every lesson.
For our Year 10 students, the final week of term will be an exciting opportunity as they take part in Work Experience. This is a valuable chance for students to explore possible career pathways, develop workplace skills and build confidence beyond the classroom. We wish our Year 10 students all the best as they represent themselves and Fairhills High School in the wider community.
Our Year 9 students will also take part in the City Experience during the final three days of term. This program provides students with an opportunity to develop independence, confidence and curiosity as they learn in and around the city. Experiences like this help students connect their learning to the world beyond school and continue to grow as young people.
I would also like to sincerely thank our staff for their dedication, commitment and passion throughout the semester. Their ongoing work to support students, both in and beyond the classroom, plays a significant role in helping our students feel connected, challenged and supported.
As we head towards the mid year break, I encourage all students to finish the semester positively. The final days of term matter. They provide an opportunity to consolidate learning, complete tasks, demonstrate growth and set up a strong foundation for Term 3.
I wish all students, staff and families a safe and restful mid year holiday break when it arrives, and I look forward to seeing everyone return ready for another positive semester of learning.
Teacher Judgements and Student Reports
As student reports are being finalised, we want to explain how teacher judgements are made and what families may notice when reading reports.
Teacher judgements are the levels teachers give students in their reports. These levels show where a student is currently working in relation to the Victorian Curriculum.
At Fairhills High School, we have been working hard to make sure these judgements are accurate and fair. Teachers use a range of information to decide each student’s level. This includes Common Assessment Tasks, but also classwork, learning tasks, quizzes, written work, discussions, teacher observations, NAPLAN results, PAT data and other work completed throughout the semester.
This means teacher judgements are not based on one test or one task. They are based on what students show they know, understand and can do over time. As part of this work, teachers are using clearer evidence of student learning when writing reports. For some students, this may mean their reported level looks lower than it was on a previous report. In simple terms, this does not necessarily mean the student has gone backwards in their learning. It may mean the teacher now has clearer information about the level the student is consistently showing in class and in their work. Some students may also show significant progress in their reports. This can happen when they have made strong growth, improved their understanding, or shown through different tasks that they are working at a higher level.
Our aim is to make sure reports give students and families a clear and accurate picture of learning. This helps us celebrate progress, identify areas for improvement and provide the right support.
When you receive your child’s report, we encourage you to read it carefully and discuss it together. If you notice any significant changes in teacher judgements and would like to discuss them further, please contact:
Bill Exton, Assistant Principal for Teaching and Learning Excellence
or
Peter Morgan, Curriculum and Pedagogy Years 7 to 10
Thank you for your support as we continue to improve the way we report student learning.
Opening of New Flag Poles and First Flag Raising
Fairhills High School was proud to mark the opening of our new flag poles with a special first flag raising ceremony on Monday June 15.
The ceremony was led by our School Captains, who acted as MCs for the event. They welcomed students, staff, student leaders, members of the Senior Leadership Team and special guest Mary Doyle MP.
An Acknowledgement of Country was then delivered, recognising the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land on which Fairhills High School stands.
We were pleased to welcome Mary Doyle MP, Federal Member for Aston, who joined us for the ceremony and spoke to students and staff about the significance of the occasion. We thank Mary for generously giving her time to be part of this important event.
The first official flag raising was conducted by student leaders, with the school community standing respectfully as the Australian National Flag, the Aboriginal Flag and the Torres Strait Islander Flag were raised for the first time.
The installation of the new flag poles was supported through the Australian Government’s Saluting Their Service Commemorative Grants Program, which supports projects that promote awareness of the experiences of those who have served and helps preserve Australia’s wartime heritage.
We look forward to seeing the new flag poles used at future commemorative services and important school occasions. They will provide a visible focal point for our school community and support the way we recognise significant events throughout the year.
Teaching and Learning
Mr Exton, Assistant Principal – Teaching and Learning
As we move towards the end of Term 2, it has been a busy and important period of learning, assessment and preparation across the school.
On Tuesday, our senior students completed the General Achievement Test, commonly known as the GAT. The GAT is a pen and paper test completed by students undertaking senior secondary studies. It assesses general knowledge and skills, including literacy, numeracy, reasoning and written communication. While students do not study specific content for the GAT, it plays an important role in supporting the VCE assessment process.
To help students feel prepared and confident, we held a Practice GAT earlier this term on Friday 22 May. As part of this, students completed the written component and received feedback from an external assessor. This provided students with a valuable opportunity to better understand the expectations of the task and reflect on how they could improve their responses. We were also pleased to support students on GAT day with a sausage sizzle, helping to create a positive and settled environment during a long assessment day.
Over recent weeks, students in all VCE subjects, along with students in the core Year 10 subjects, have also completed exams. These exams are an important opportunity for students to consolidate their learning, practise revision habits and build confidence in formal assessment settings. I would like to thank our teachers for the significant work that goes into preparing students, setting and marking assessments and ensuring the exam period runs smoothly.
For our VCE students, Unit 2 and Unit 4 studies have now commenced. This is an important step as students begin new learning and prepare for the demands of Term 3. Starting this work now helps students build momentum and ensures they are well placed for the semester ahead.
On Monday, our Year 11 and Year 12 students also participated in a Respectful Relationships Day, with a focus on the Party Ready program. This program supports students to think about safety, decision making and looking after themselves and others in social situations. It also links closely with our broader work in helping students build respectful relationships, resilience and confidence.
Thank you to our students, staff and families for your continued support. It has been a very productive term and we look forward to finishing strongly in the final week.
Student Engagement and Wellbeing
Silvana La Leggia, Assistant Principal – Student Engagement and Wellbeing
Middle School SWPBS Focus – Acting Responsibly
At Fairhills High School, our values of Act Responsibly, Show Respect and Build Relationships provide the foundation for creating a positive, safe and inclusive learning environment. Throughout Term 2, our School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) program has focused on reinforcing the value of Acting Responsibly across Years 7–10.
SWPBS is designed to explicitly teach, model and reinforce the behaviours that help students succeed both academically and socially. By providing students with clear expectations and opportunities to practise positive behaviours, we are building a culture where students can thrive and contribute positively to our school community.
In the last two weeks of Term 2 , students will participate in targeted lessons that explore what it means to act responsibly in different settings and situations.
Years 7–8 students focused on:
- Moving, working and interacting safely
- Understanding and applying the Stop, Think, Act protocol
- Developing self-control and emotional regulation
- Making positive choices when faced with challenges or conflict
These lessons encouraged students to pause before acting, consider the impact of their choices and take responsibility for their actions and behaviour.
Years 9–10 students explored:
- Their digital footprint and online identity
- The long-term impact of online activity
- Responsible use of social media and digital platforms
- The Think Before You Post framework
Students examined how their online behaviour can affect themselves and others and learned strategies for making thoughtful, respectful and responsible decisions in digital spaces.
Importantly, SWPBS is not just about teaching expectations, it is also about recognising and celebrating students who consistently demonstrate our school values. Throughout the term, students have been awarded SWPBS Points when displaying responsible behaviours, such as following instructions, making safe choices, showing self-control, contributing positively in class and demonstrating responsible online and offline conduct.
These points acknowledge students who actively live our values and contribute to a positive learning environment for everyone. It has been wonderful to see so many students recognised for their efforts and commitment to acting responsibly.
Next term, our SWPBS focus will move to Show Respect, where students will explore respectful communication, empathy, inclusion and maintaining positive relationships with others. In Term 4, we will revisit Build Relationships through our Headstart Program as students prepare for the year ahead and strengthen connections within our school community.
A sincere thank you to our SWPBS Team for their outstanding work in developing these lessons and supporting staff in delivering them across the Middle School. Their efforts continue to strengthen our whole-school approach to positive behaviour and student wellbeing.
As we approach the end of term, we encourage all students to continue demonstrating our values by making safe, responsible choices over the holiday break. We wish all families a safe and enjoyable holiday and look forward to welcoming students back next term.
