Fern House

It has been a whirlwind start to 2023 for all Fern students.  We have welcomed back many familiar faces and continue to welcome some new faces that have joined the school this year.  Students have been quick to engage in their learning and are happy to be back together in the classroom.

Students in our Year 7 group have made a smooth transition into the school and enjoyed the Orientation Week activities that enabled them to learn all of the key things that they needed in order to get started with their learning journey at Dandenong High School.  This program also provided a fantastic opportunity for new students to get to know their classmates.

At the start of this year we welcomed new members of staff to Fern House.  These include Ms Harrison (PE/Health) who is our Learning Specialist and Mr Bulbul, who is part of the English/Humanities Domain.  We have also welcomed back Ms Heymann, who will be supporting interventions work at our school.  The start of the year is always busy with new lockers and timetables, so I would like to acknowledge the support and efforts of Ms Anderson who is in our House Office.  She does so much to support students as they return to school and continues this work into the term.

One of our key areas of focus this year will be around ensuring that we can build a strong sense of connectedness and community.  This will include through our student leaders at each year level and many opportunities within the school calendar.  Our 2023 House Captains from Year 12 are Hamidullah H and Farid N and we are in the process of nominating and voting for our Student Council Representatives at each year level.  Our first opportunity to connect as a community outside of classrooms will come on Friday 24th February, with the Whole School Swimming Carnival. I hope to see Fern students participating and enjoying this day as positive members of the school community.

Lastly, I want to thank the Fern Assistant House Leader, Mr Hassett, and the Fern Student Engagement Coordinator, Mr Pawsey, for their ongoing support and commitment this year as we strive to make Fern House a great place for all.

Mr Jeremy Penhale

House Leader

Meet the 2023 Fern House Leadership Team!