Principal's Report

Remembering Hannah

The school year has begun with deep sadness as we mourn the loss of our much-loved colleague, Hannah Willmott. 

Many people in our school community would not have known that Hannah had been fighting brain cancer over the past couple of years - between treatments she was still in at school as much as possible, continuing to support her students, including her VCE Unit 3/4 students, even when she was not well. This is just one example of the quiet and determined way in which Hannah worked as a teacher at CHS, always putting students first. We always knew with Hannah leading our students and other staff on Outdoor Ed camps that everyone was in the best of hands. Hannah was always passionate, genuine and a wonderful colleague. We will all miss her greatly.

Hannah's memorial service was held on Wednesday 5 February and was attended by hundreds of family, friends, CHS colleagues, students and families. We are working on a meaningful way to honour Hannah, her love of the outdoors and care for her students, and we will share details later this year.

A Strong Start to 2025

The school year kicked off smoothly, with our new Year 7 families gathering on 4 February for the annual ‘Meet the Teachers’ event. It was fantastic to see so many families engaging with staff and the school community.

The Swimming Sports were also a success, with around 75% student attendance and a fantastic atmosphere at the pool. From competitive races to novelty events, diving competitions, and chill-out zones, there was something for everyone. As you can see from the report later in this newsletter, there were plenty of costumes as well! Despite the heat and wind, students behaved wonderfully, and we wrapped up the event early to keep everyone safe and comfortable.

Ramadan Mubarak

We wish our Muslim students and families a month filled with devotion and happiness as they celebrate Ramadan. We support our students and make space available every lunchtime for those students wishing to pray. 

Non-Muslim families may not be aware that the time of Ramadan changes, becoming earlier each year. We have traditionally held an Iftar (breaking of the fast after sunset meal) for families each year, but as fasting extends later and later into the day, we have found that this makes it harder for families to attend. Based on this, and after consultation with Ramadan observing students, we have decided not to hold an Iftar this year, but will look to hold an event later in the year.

Cooling and Heating Upgrades

Last year, we shared our plan to install individually controlled air conditioning units across Buildings A and B. I’m thrilled to report that as of this term, every classroom (except the soon-to-be-decommissioned Food rooms, the Gym, and the Weights Room) is now equipped with air conditioning!

This project, made possible through careful financial management, has already brought much-needed relief during the summer heat. The reverse-cycle units will also serve as the school’s heating system in winter, providing an energy-efficient and cost-effective solution.

Thank you to those families who contributed to the School Building Fund in 2024, to increase the amount of openable windows in the school. These will be prioritised for non-air conditioned spaces (such as locker bays) with works to come later in the year. 

Progress on the Technology Building

The transformation of our Technology Building is happening at lightning speed! Since the last newsletter in December, the builders have progressed from groundwork to having all concrete poured and most structural steel in place. Check out the time lapse (courtesy of our IT team) showing progress up until a couple of weeks ago:

and a quick video from the builders, Monaco Hickey, too:

One exciting design feature is the use of recycled bricks, which will be a prominent feature of the car park side and the courtyard-facing walls of the building. These bricks, many of which have been sourced from former local brickworks in Brunswick and Northcote, offer both environmental benefits and a strong connection to our local heritage.

With 20,000 bricks to lay, the finished product will be a sustainable addition to our campus.

Celebrating our students 1

Last year Year 9 (now Year 10) students Holly, Alexei, James, Tabitha, Nur, Archie, William, Bethanna, Oscar, Kate and Kernda were selected to represent CHS as part of the Merri-bek Interschool Innovators Program. This program came about through our association with the Science Gallery Melbourne as part of the Merri-bek North Education Plan. See the video below for our students collaborating with students from other local schools to solve real world problems:

Celebrating Our Students 2

A huge congratulations to Noah V, who was recently mentioned in Parliament by our local MP, Anthony Cianflone! You can watch the moment below.

Noah received glowing feedback from his work experience coordinator—a fantastic achievement! It was a very competitive process to do work experience at Parliament, so well done to Noah for making the most of the opportunity. Most Year 10 students will complete their Work Experience in June this year.

School Council Corner

The School Council parent election is in full swing, with six candidates vying for three spots. It’s great to see such strong interest in shaping the future of our school. If parents haven't voted, the ballot closes at 4pm on Thursday 6 March at the General Office. 

Whilst we will announce the 2025 Council in the next newsletter, I'd like to thank Edmond Kennedy who has been a long term visitor and then member of School Council. Edmond has contributed a lot of his time and energy to the school through the CHS Parents Association and we sincerely thank him for that. We also thank Nic Ridge for his two years of dedicated service, bringing his insight as an educator to the Council.

Special thanks also to Nat Abboud, who is stepping down as both a School Council member and President. We deeply appreciate Nat’s leadership and advocacy and know she will continue to play an important role in the school, wearing her other hat as a Merri-bek Councillor.

Finally, thanks to our 2024 student reps Noah (mentioned earlier in this newsletter) and Jonah (part of the successful Class of 2024).

Here’s to a fantastic 2025!

Brent Houghton

Principal