Rhys Doyle

Our students made a terrific start to the school year, and throughout the term it was pleasing to observe how settled and engaged our classrooms became. There was a strong sense of calm and purpose across the school, which provided an excellent foundation for learning. Kensington Community High School continued to demonstrate its strengths, with dedicated staff, supportive families, and students who were increasingly connected to their learning and community.

This term, we continued to build on several key initiatives, including our Restorative Journeys work and the implementation of the START Right program, both of which supported positive relationships and strong beginnings for students.

School Council

We held two School Council meetings this term and successfully appointed our office bearers for 2026. I would like to thank all members, particularly our parent representatives, for their ongoing commitment and support of the school.

We welcomed the following members to School Council:

Amanda (President)
Melissa (Vice President)
Rosanna (Parent Member)
Rowan Pulford (Parent Member)
Peter Davis (Community Member)
Adam Rompel (Assistant Principal)
Pauline McAuliffe (Business Manager)
Massimo Gucciardo (Staff Member, VIT)

Parent Contributions

We sincerely appreciated the families who made their voluntary contributions. These contributions continued to support the delivery of programs and resources for our students.

Teaching and Learning

Throughout the term, staff focused on year-level unit planning, with an emphasis on developing authentic and engaging learning tasks. Our three learning teams – Literacy and Numeracy, Core Subjects, and Electives – worked collaboratively to strengthen curriculum design.

Staff also used weekly meeting time to further develop our instructional and wellbeing model, aligning practice with the High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS) and creating shared resources to support consistency across classrooms.

Student Support Group Meetings

As part of our START Right program, we conducted Student Support Group (SSG) meetings in Week 1 and Week 4. These meetings strengthened partnerships between families and the school and ensured a strong start for each student.

SSGs provided valuable opportunities to:

Review student progress
Identify strengths and areas for growth
Align goals and expectations between home and school

School Fete

Our School Fete was a highlight of the term and was delivered through our Elective and Personal Development programs, providing students with an authentic, real-world learning experience.

Year 7-10 students designed and ran their own stalls
Year 11-12 students led event coordination and management

The event was a fantastic success, with strong attendance from families and carers. It was wonderful to see students confidently showcasing their work, engaging with the community, and taking pride in their efforts.

I would like to sincerely thank all staff for their contributions, with a special acknowledgement to the Elective, Personal Development and Canteen teams who went above and beyond to ensure the event ran so smoothly.

New Student Learning Programs

This term, we introduced targeted programs to better support student engagement and learning pathways.

Engagement Program:

Students participated in small group sessions (4-10 students), attending three days per week for two periods per day. The program focused on:

Literacy and numeracy development
Applied learning activities
Regulation and movement breaks
Goal setting and reflection
Building learning stamina and confidence

VET Pathways (Years 10-12):

Senior students accessed a range of VET opportunities, including:

Hospitality
Outdoor Education
Beauty
Art
Music

These programs supported students to develop practical skills, explore career pathways and strengthen their connection to learning.

Professional Learning

Staff engaged in ongoing professional learning across several key areas:

Child Safety: Strengthening understanding of Child Safe Standards and reinforcing safe practices
MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Support): Clarifying Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports and strengthening consistent responses to student needs
Polyvagal-Informed Practice: Applying strategies to support student regulation through environmental, sensory and instructional adjustments
Responsive Teaching & VTLM 2.0: Refining our instructional model and strengthening consistent classroom expectations and routines

Facilities

We continued to work with the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) to progress plans for a new external perimeter fence, including responding to community feedback.

We were also pleased to secure funding for Stage Two of our split-system air-conditioning program, with installation scheduled during the Term 1 holidays. This work will further improve learning conditions for both students and staff.

Closing

Overall, Term 1 was highly productive and positive. It reflected the collective effort of staff, students and families working together to create a supportive, engaging and high-expectations learning environment.

Early this term, my wife and I visited a number of kindergartens as we began planning for our eldest son. On the back of one brochure, I read a quote that really stayed with me:

“Every child is gifted. They just unwrap their gifts at different times.”

This felt especially important at the start of the school year. Term 1 is always a special time in schools. It’s when students begin to settle, build relationships and grow in confidence. Across the term, we saw many of our students step out of their shell, take risks in their learning and begin to show their unique strengths. At Kensington Community High School, this is something we value deeply. Every student brings something different to our community, and it is a privilege to watch their individual brilliance emerge over time.

We look forward to building on this strong foundation in Term 2.

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