From the Principal

Dear parents, carers, students and all members of our school community,

As we near the end of a busy but incredibly productive Term 2, I want to take a moment to reflect on our success over the last 11 weeks and acknowledge our progress. Recent Attitudes to school data (ATOSS) demonstrates significant growth in all measures on average by 10%. That means our students believe they are happier, more connected and feeling more positive at school. Further details about ATOSS data will be available next Term.  Semester 1 attendance has also increased across all year levels with a greater number of students achieving over 95+%, especially in the Senior School. This is incredibly important as fewer absences have a positive impact on Student learning outcomes.

Students and teachers have been working hard to complete assessments and end of semester reports will be published on 4th July at 3.15pm. 244 of our Senior Students sat the GAT exam on 17th June 2025 and Year 10 and 11 students also participated in an exam experience in Weeks 6 and 7 to provide them with feedback on their learning and prepare them for their future VCE exams.

Term 2 is always a critical time in the competition for the House Shield. Our Athletics Day in May was a great success, with an increase in the number of participants and attendees. Students were excited to support and compete for their House and our Year 12 students added colour to the event with their array of creative costumes and fancy dress. Banksia were crowned our champions for 2025, but all participants represented their House with pride. 

The Athletics Sports also launched our annual entry into the National Push Up Challenge that promotes physical activity and mental awareness. Over the term, staff and students have completed 27,756 push ups and raised $1,256 for Dandenong Head Space. Well done to Eucalyptus House who contributed 7676 push ups to the overall tally.

One of the true highlights of this term and another element of the House competition, was our 2025 House Chorales Competition held in Week 10. Our talented vocalists captivated the audience with a stunning display of musicality and teamwork. The joy and energy brought to the stage by students from multiple year levels reminded us of the power of the arts to unite and inspire, and once again brought our community together. This year the competition was fiercely contested, and the final result was incredibly close. Grevillea were named the champions for 2025, but all students should be proud of what they achieved. I would like to acknowledge the large number of school staff who worked incredibly hard to support each choir, especially our Instrumental Music Coordinator/Music teacher Dimitrios Sotirakis who organised the event.

I encourage you to read through our latest edition of the newsletter to discover more about the exciting things that have recently taken place at Dandenong High School.

Finally, I wanted to end my message by wishing you a restful holiday break and thanking you for your ongoing commitment and support of our school community.

I am looking forward to welcoming you back to Term 3.

Best wishes,

Susan Ogden

Principal