Principal Address

Proud. Proud. Proud.

There is no better way to begin my Term 3 newsletter article than with those three words. I am incredibly proud of our staff, our students and the wonderful Thomas Reddall High School community.

This term, two outstanding staff members received significant recognition for their contribution to public education. Congratulations to Chloe Fitzgerald, recipient of a Secretary’s Award for Excellence, and to Matt Humphry, named Campbelltown Teacher of the Year. These are exceptional achievements and fitting recognition of the dedication, professionalism and care they bring to our school community.

Our students have also shone brightly. At the Campbelltown Rotary Awards, Kobi Bonwick received a Highly Commended award and Isabella Ricketts was named Runner-Up in the Dynamic Learner category. Georgia Moore was recognised for Community Service and Leadership. These young people represent Thomas Reddall High School with pride, demonstrating commitment, character and a genuine desire to make a difference.

The extraordinary artistic talent of Claire Williams also caught the attention of our local Member of Parliament, Mr Greg Warren MP. During a visit to our school office, Mr Warren saw Claire’s beautiful artwork and was deeply impressed—not only by her talent, but also by the powerful story behind the piece. He simply had to meet the outstanding young artist responsible for creating it!

We have so many remarkable staff and students at Thomas Reddall High School. It is important that we share these stories, celebrate our successes and take pride in our school and our community.

Culture, connection and community

Term 3 began with a vibrant celebration of NAIDOC Week, expertly curated by our NASCA Lead, Cameron Fitzgerald. It was a wonderful week of learning, reflection and celebration that encouraged our students to feel proud of culture, identity and community.

We were privileged to welcome Greg Inglis, NRL superstar and founder of the Goanna Academy, and local singer and champion boxer Shanell Dargan, the WIBA World Super Bantamweight Champion who reached the number-one IBF world ranking in 2026. They captivated our students with honest and inspiring stories of overcoming adversity, achieving through hardship and drawing strength from culture and community.

Josh Sly from Wambuul supported our students and young people from our Community of Schools to present outstanding cultural dances. Their performances powerfully demonstrated connection to Country, identity and community. It was an incredibly special occasion and one that will remain with our students for a long time.

The celebration of culture continued with TRED Day, always one of the highlights of our school year. The incredible cultural diversity of Thomas Reddall High School was proudly showcased through an exciting and dynamic assembly and a vibrant day of activities.

Our students demonstrated curiosity, inclusion, acceptance and genuine pride in learning about one another’s cultures. These are the qualities that bring our TRED values—Thrive, Represent, Excel and Deliver—to life. Congratulations and thank you to Mrs Fretwell for the enormous amount of work involved in organising and delivering such a successful celebration.

Kindness, courage and standing against bullying

Our Wellbeing and Learning Support Faculty superbly coordinated Anti-Bullying Week, with a fantastic range of activities designed to build awareness, encourage kindness and strengthen students’ confidence to speak up.

The Colour Run brought plenty of energy and laughter—and, of course, there was the memorable sliming of the Principal! I am still finding traces of slime, but it was absolutely worth it to support the Charlotte’s Wish Foundation.

Born from unimaginable tragedy, this remarkable family has created advocacy, strength and support for others. Their work reminds us of the importance of taking bullying seriously, listening to young people and working together to ensure every student feels safe, known and valued.

Celebrating reading for joy

Book Week brought imagination, colour and fun to our school. Thank you to Mrs Cook for finding such an engaging way to embed reading for enjoyment into the daily lives of our students.

The Book Week dress-up day was a particular highlight, with fantastic costumes from both students and staff. I remain firmly convinced that I should have won the staff competition—but I will accept the judges’ decision with the grace expected of a Principal!

A successful sporting term

Our students have continued to achieve outstanding results in sport, competing against incredibly tough opposition and representing Thomas Reddall High School with determination and pride.

Congratulations to our State athletics representatives—Andrew, Taitum, Reece and Sebastian. Reaching this level of competition is an exceptional achievement. Your effort, sportsmanship and conduct made you wonderful ambassadors for our school, and we are tremendously proud of you.

Celebrating the Class of 2026

Term 3 also marked the end of an era for our Year 12 students. Their Trial HSC examinations are complete, their school-based assessment period has concluded and we have proudly farewelled them at their Graduation Ceremony.

They have reached this milestone through determination, growth and resilience. We now look forward to welcoming them back for their HSC examinations before celebrating together one final time at their formal.

Congratulations to the Class of 2026. We are enormously proud of you and excited to see where your futures take you.

A very special thank you must go to Ms Yacqub for her dedication, care and tireless work as Year Adviser. Her encouragement and commitment have been an important part of the students’ journey through their final years of schooling.

External Validation success

This term, Thomas Reddall High School also completed External Validation—a rigorous process through which an external panel examines a school’s evidence and evaluates its practices and performance against the Department of Education’s School Excellence Framework.

This involved a significant body of work, reflection and evidence gathering. It provided us with an opportunity to demonstrate the progress of our school, the quality of our practices and the collective commitment of our staff to improving outcomes for every student.

Thomas Reddall High School achieved an outstanding result, with five elements assessed as Excelling:

• Learning Culture
• Wellbeing
• Educational Leadership
• School Resources

• Management Practices and Processes

   

Importantly, the panel raised our assessment in three areas. Learning Culture and Educational Leadership were elevated from Sustaining and Growing to Excelling, while Professional Standards was elevated from Delivering to Sustaining and Growing.

These results affirm the strength of our school culture, the dedication of our staff and our commitment to continuous improvement. They also acknowledge the systems, relationships and leadership that support our students every day. While we will always continue to reflect, learn and improve, this was a moment to pause and recognise just how far our school has come.

What a term!

Term 3 has been long, busy, colourful and incredibly rewarding. Across classrooms, sporting fields, assemblies, cultural celebrations and community events, our students and staff have continued to thrive, represent, excel and deliver.

Thank you to our staff for the energy, care and professionalism they bring to our school each day. Thank you to our students for embracing opportunities and representing Thomas Reddall High School with pride. Thank you also to our families and community partners for continuing to support our work.

There is so much positive news to share about Thomas Reddall High School—and we should never hesitate to share it loudly and proudly.

Proud of our people. Proud of our achievements. Proud of Thomas Reddall High School.

Mrs Carla Scott

Principal