Principal's Report

Welcome to our first newsletter for the year! We have had an incredible start to 2026, with students and staff returning for an exciting and productive year.

I would like to extend a very warm welcome to our new Year 7 students, as well as to students joining Lilydale Heights College in other year levels.  

Our Year 7’s have had a fantastic introduction to high school, learning all about the College, meeting new teachers and friends and setting themselves up for a successful school year. 

It has been a terrific start to the year across the College. It has been wonderful to see our students return with such positive energy, reconnect with friends, and jump straight back into their learning.  I really want to thank all our students for the amazing way in which they have settled back into school – it has certainly made the start of the year incredibly positive. 

As our College community continues to grow, we have welcomed a number of new staff to ensure we maintain a high-quality learning environment where all students can thrive. I am pleased to introduce the following staff who are joining us this year or returning after a period of leave:

Matt Donald – Assistant Principal

Amy Broekmann – English Faculty Coordinator/English

Charlotte Wood – English

Gavin Low – Physics/Maths

Renee Jenkins – Humanities

Yoshie Kagawa – Japanese

Maria Garcia Montoya – Art

Perie Edmonds – Food Studies/Art

Matilda Yoko – Art/Systems

Jess Clark – Drama/Media

Courtney Jordan – Careers Practitioner/Business Management/Media

Phoebe Epifano – Humanities

Gabby Bassett – English

Lauren Schmelzle – Science/Maths

Mike Rhodes – Hands on Learning

Daniel Hamilton – Maths/Science

Isabell O’Rourke – Foods Assistant

Jack Gerson – Inclusion

Kate Lange – Inclusion

Emma Steeper – Year 10 Learning Leader/Media/Literature

Patrick Goss – Science/Maths

2026 Focus

This year, we are continuing to embrace our vision of Maximising Learning Growth to ensure all students can thrive. In particular, we are focusing on Stimulated Learning to Maximise Growth. This will be driven through three interconnected areas: Professional Growth (Staff Growth), Teaching for Growth, and Measuring Growth. All of this work will be guided by a strong commitment to High Expectations. Students and families will hear more about these priorities as the year unfolds. It is an exciting time for learning at LHC!

What has been happening in February?

The answer to this question is…. so much! This month we have had:

• Year 7 camp. This was a real highlight filled with new experiences, challenges, and opportunities to strengthen friendships. A special thank you to our Year 10 Peer Support students, who visited the camp to guide and support our Year 7s through the activities, helping them feel confident and engaged throughout the experience.
• Our Year 12’s attended their 3-day study camp and also received their new Year 12 jackets. 
• Our first Whole School Assembly was held to welcome our new Year 7 students and present our Student Leaders with their badges. 
• We have had two brand new courts installed that include shared basketball and netball courts, two tennis courts and a hockey D, providing even more opportunities for students to be active, learn new skills and enjoy sport.
• There have been some exciting changes to our assessment and reporting process for 2026. As many of you are aware, our focus in on maximising the learning growth for all our students. Our new assessment and reporting processes are designed to ensure that we are making learning progress visible to students and families throughout a Unit of Learning, not just at the end. Further details of this can be found on Compass. 
• Whole School Swimming Carnival. It was fantastic to see students getting involved, whether competing in races, cheering on their houses, or participating in the novelty events. Our students and staff were incredible on the day, contributing to a fun, energetic and positive day at the pool. Congratulations to Olinda, who were our winning House for the day, as well as to all the students and staff who competed.
• Our talented music students have started their lessons and ensembles. Our Year 7’s have also participated in activities to try out all the concert band instruments!
• College photo’s have taken place. 
• Lunchtime Clubs have started with many options available for students to get involved. 
• We were excited to announce that this year’s College Production is Grease: School Edition! It promises to be another high energy, amazing production with opportunities for our students to be involved both on the stage and behind the scenes. Auditions are underway with rehearsals beginning shortly after. 

• Our staff have been participating in a series of Professional Learning Toolbox sessions designed to support their ongoing professional growth. These workshops have focused on strengthening practice in Literacy, Numeracy, and Inclusion, building both understanding and practical strategies that can be embedded in classrooms.

   

New Uniform

Our updated Student Dress Code Policy started this year, and our students look fantastic! It has been wonderful to see our students wearing their uniforms correctly, reinforcing their sense of belonging within our College community. Consistency in our uniform is important in ensuring fairness for all students, and I sincerely thank students and families for their support and cooperation in implementing this new policy.

Student Handbook/Parent Handbook

Do you have some questions about how we do things at Lilydale Heights College? The Student Handbook and the Parent Handbook are a great place to start. You can find these in your Compass Newsfeed. 

Newsletter, Socials & Communication

For our new families, our newsletter is published once a month and highlights the many great things that are happening at Lilydale Heights College. 

Families can also follow us on our Facebook and Instagram accounts for regular highlights from the College. 

I also write a ‘Weekly Wrap’ each week on Compass to share with our community some highlights from the week and upcoming events. 

Compass is our main source of official communication, and we encourage families to check Compass on a regular basis to stay up to date with what is happening at LHC.

Student Free Days 2026

The Department of Education provide schools with 4 Student Free Days per year for Professional Learning, Planning & Assessment and 1 Student Free Day as a Professional Practice Day. This is a total of 5 Student Free Days. The first of these days was held on January 27. The remaining 4 Student Free Days are below. Students are not required to attend school on these days. Please put these dates in your calendars. 

We will send out reminders of our Student Free Days closer to each date. 

Term 2

• May 7 (Thursday) – Professional Learning

• June 16 (Tuesday) - Assessment & Reporting. This is also the day for the VCE GAT. Students completing the GAT will attend school on this day. 

   

 Term 3

• August 19 (Wednesday) – Professional Learning

   

 Term 4 

• Nov 20 (Friday) – Professional Practice Day

   

I wish our whole community a wonderful 2026 and look forward to sharing with you all the amazing things that are happening at LHC to support our students to learn, grow and thrive. 

Shane Kruger

Principal