Principal's Message
As we start a new school year, I am excited to lead a thriving school that values deep community consultation and is committed to the values of Learning, Excellence and Integrity that bind us together and enable us to promote our school vision:
"We value a learning culture of excellence by focusing on the whole child to enable respectful, resilient and aspirational citizens."
I would also like to welcome Ms Krystal Fountis, our new Deputy Principal. Ms Fountis is an experienced school leader, and she is already working hard on establishing connections with students and their families. Ms Fountis will look after Years 8 and 11, while Mr Kayes will look after Years 9 and 12, while Mrs Maloney will look after Years 7 and 10.
Our Core Values and Expectations
One of the key initiatives last year was to define the values and expectations we teach to our students and, in turn, expect them to demonstrate. We engaged in extensive consultation with students, staff, and parents to come up with 15 core values and expectations that are now central to our revised Reward and Recognition Scheme.
Every learning space in the school, including external areas such as the playground, have these values clearly displayed as a reminder of our school’s and our community’s expectations. We explicitly teach these values and support our students to set achievable learning and personal growth goals embedded in these values.
Senior Study and Wellbeing Hub
Another new initiative is the establishment of a dedicated Senior Study area and a dedicated Wellbeing Hub. The Senior Study aims to provide Year 12 and Year 11 students with a quiet study space during study periods and lunch breaks. The Wellbeing Hub aims to provide students who have adjustment passes with a quiet space and an opportunity to check in with our student support officers – Nat and Liam – and our School Chaplain, Mia.
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
The start of the 2026 school year also saw Kellyville High School embark on the BYOD journey. I am pleased to report that the BYOD initiative has had a smooth start, with no major barriers to its successful implementation. Nearly all students had a device from the first day of school, with most connectivity issues quickly resolved through additional technical support. Thanks to a generous $30,000 donation from our P&C, the school successfully conducted a BYOD trial at the end of 2025, and is now in a position to support families in need. I have every confidence that the BYOD initiative will enhance students’ learning opportunities and prepare them to successfully navigate the digital world.
School Houses
In the coming days, I will ask parents to provide the school with feedback on a possible change of names for our school houses. Kellyville High School’s original house names – Evans, Manning, Pryce and Clarke – have not been in use since 2019, and the strong house culture and school spirit that existed prior to 2019 has waned due to COVID restrictions related to mixing of school groups. Unfortunately, even when those restrictions were eventually lifted, the house spirit has not revived.
In the coming days I will contact parents and carers to complete a survey and provide your feedback on three proposals related to school houses:
Keep the current house names: Evans, Manning, Pryce and Clarke
Dharug language house names: Burra (Sky), Ngurra (Land), Badhu (Water) and Guwiyang (Fire).
Notable Australians: Blackburn, Freeman, Monash, Pitt.
The school is in the process of consulting with students and staff – who will also be asked to provide feedback and complete a survey. However, regardless of which option for house names is accepted, the revival of the house spirit will provide additional opportunities for student leadership, mentoring, recognition and reward, while also enhancing our biggest strength – our sense of community.
More information, including the survey link, will be distributed to families via School Bytes in Week 6.
Reward and Recognition
I am pleased to inform you that this year there will be a greater focus on recognition of students’ achievements. We have revised our Reward and Recognition Scheme and how we collect positive referral data to ensure that students are regularly recognised at school assemblies for their achievements, including receiving Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. In addition to the School Medal – the pinnacle of the Reward and Recognition Scheme - students can also be nominated for the Distinguished Achiever Award for excellence in one or more fields (e.g. sport, arts, music, community service, etc) – either at school or outside of school. Students can self-nominate, or be nominated by their parents, a community member or a staff member. The Distinguished Achiever Award is intended to recognise outstanding achievements by our students that fall outside of the Merit Scheme, but who have demonstrated commitment to our school values.
The revised Reward and Recognition Scheme will also include the School House competition, where positive entries will also contribute to house points for the student’s school house. The winning House at the end of each term will win a prize, with a major end-of-year prize going to the House with the most points.
Behaviour Support and Update
The school has also updated its Behaviour Support and Management Plan. The plan can be found on the policy page of the school’s web site https://kellyville-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/about-us/policies-and-reports
The updated plan explicitly references our school’s Core Values and Expectations and the Whole School Approach to supporting student growth.
Applying for leave - travel
Finally, I would again like to remind parents that children under the age of 17 must be at school every day, unless they are unwell. On occasion, students may go on family holidays or attend religious or cultural events, for example, during a school term. In the event that you are planning to travel during the school term, you must apply for Extended Leave – Travel for your child. This application ensures that all legal requirements are met and that I can, if travel is approved, issue your child with an official certificate. I would also like to emphasise that all applications for extended leave – travel, should be made at least 3 weeks prior to the intended date of travel. If an application is made late, it may not be approved.
Download an Extended Leave Form