From the Principal

Dear staff, students, and parents,

Welcome to 2025. Wishing you all a happy new year and all the best for the year ahead. 

I extend a warm welcome to all students, staff, and families. We have a significant number of new staff, students and families joining us this year. Throughout the last decade the Auburn High School community has continued to expand and in 2025 we have 860 students, 80 staff, and our alumni are doing amazing things. The improvements to our school site provide opportunities for recreation, education, and social connection.

2024 was full of highlights and our dedicated staff will continue to provide exceptional education and support to the students. This is based around quality teacher-student engagement, knowing our people and ensuring that every student and staff member, feels valued and empowered to succeed. Parents and guardians, your unwavering support and involvement have been integral to our collective success.

Important Dates for Term 1 

1. House Swimming carnival: completed. Thank you to all

2. Parent student teacher Conferences: March 19th (2.30 – 4.30pm), March 27th (12 – 7.30pm)

3. School Council elections: nominations due by February 26th, elections close March 18th.

4. Labour Day holiday: March 10th

6. School Council Meeting of new council: March 24th 

7. End of Term 1: April 4th

We are thrilled to welcome several new staff members to our school community this year. Each brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and enthusiasm that will undoubtedly enrich our educational environment. Please join me in warmly welcoming:

Danni Gibson                                Assistant Principal

Michael Buckingham                 Leading Teacher & Humanities

Lauren Barnes                               Leading Teacher & English

Jessica Hayes                                Leading Teacher & HPE

Lauren Hall                                     HPE

Christian Squires                         Drama

Stella Dimadis                               Art

Prudence Wilson                         English

Natasha Sutherland                    Science/Psych

Remaa Eshtewi                             Humanities

Hanqing Ma                                   Maths/Science 

Marina Pena-Roshier                 English 

Andrew Martin                             Facilities Manager

By the time you read this, you will have met many of these staff at our inaugural Year Level Community picnic. Thank you to Dannielle Gibson and her team of staff, and student helpers who organised a great event with over 300 families attending. 

I would like to take a moment to congratulate the inaugural Diploma Program IB class who received their marks and converted ATARs late last year. We had nine graduates and our median subject score for students was 5 out of 7, our mean scores for Standard Level subjects were above global means, and every one of our students received their Diploma (note that 72% of IB students around the world receive the Diploma). I will note that some of our students in the IB did not receive the ATAR equivalents they expected. This impacted some course offers; however, all students were able to be placed into one of their top three course options. The staff and IB coordinator have reflected on the challenges of teaching the IB Year 2 for the first time and have identified: teacher judgements, scheduling of assessment preparation, use of high-level exemplars, and a continued effort to collaborate with other schools, as their focus for moving forward. 

Finally, I would like to reinforce the view that having a sense of school pride and high expectations around behaviour are crucial for student success. Adherence to the school uniform policy fosters a sense of unity and belonging. Regular attendance is essential for academic achievement and personal growth. We encourage all students to be punctual and present every day. Engaging actively in class and extracurricular activities not only enhances learning but also helps build lasting friendships and skills that will serve students well beyond their school years. I ask parents to please reinforce this at home and to seek support if they require it. 

Until next time,

Ross