Principal's Report

We have come to the end of Term 2, and it has been a very positive term of learning, engagement and creativity at Thornbury High School. Earlier this week, I was thrilled to present the certificate to the winner of the Grand Final of the annual THS Chess tournament - Ameen from our Year 7 cohort. Ameen’s cool and strategic approach in each of his games really impressed all the spectators in the tournament as he demonstrated a high level of skill and expertise with each new opponent. Congratulations Ameen and to all the players who participated, and thank you to Mr Sean Broadby for organising such a successful tournament. 

Our Performing Arts team, under the leadership of Ms Fi Parrey, have organised and run two very impressive events this term, with both the Mid-Year Concert and the Five Hour Film Festival showcasing students’ learning in Music and Media. Well done to all the students involved in both of these events, as well as the staff members who spent so much time working with our students to allow them to shine. 

A few weeks ago, our students completed the Department of Education’s annual Attitudes to School Survey, providing students with an opportunity to express their perspectives on our school and their experiences as students here. As a leadership team, we have reflected on the results of this survey, which will also be presented to our teaching staff early next term. The results have improved in practically all areas of the survey, compared with our 2025 survey results. Of particular interest to us has been the focus on ‘Effective teaching time’ which has increased to 63%, including the statement ‘My teachers ask me questions that challenge my thinking’ which has increased to 72%. Since Term 4 last year, we have been running professional learning sessions for staff on how to promote deep thinking in class, so this result suggests that our teachers are increasingly skilled in doing that in each lesson. 

I wish you all a wonderful winter break, and hope you have the opportunity to spend quality time with your loved ones over the next two weeks. Personally, I’m looking forward to reading the next book for our THS Staff book club: Talking to My Country by Stan Grant, a Wiradjuri man, journalist and writer. His book looks like a great exploration of race, identity and history in the context of modern Australia. 

Lars Andersson

Principal