Message from the Acting Principal

Heading into the Term 2 school holidays 

As we approach the Term 2 school holidays, we reflect on numerous achievements and ongoing initiatives at Box Hill High School. 

Throughout this term, our dedicated teachers have continued to advance several key initiatives aimed at enhancing our students’ educational experience: 

• A school wide emphasis on enhancing sentence-level writing skills was reinforced during Curriculum Day with a presentation by James Pinnuck from Ticking Mind. Practical strategies were shared to support teachers in this endeavour, alongside efforts to increase overall writing engagement across all subjects 
• The mathematics domain has focused on developing challenging classes to promote problem solving skills and deepen numeracy understanding among students 
• Collaboration among teachers to moderate student assessment tasks and share effective teaching strategies has been a priority, ensuring consistency across classrooms 
• Introduction of student focus groups aimed at providing valuable feedback on homework practices 
• Responding to parental input, we have transitioned to using BHHS Achievement grades in our reports, offering a more detailed assessment framework  
• The successful implementation of homerooms in Semester 1 has fostered stronger peer relationships and a sense of community among students 
• Professional development centred on integrating the Respectful Relationships Curriculum into our school’s Respect program has been actively pursued.  

 Family Engagement Session 

Term 2 has also seen strong participation from our school community. Events such as the Resilience Project webinar, GAPP Parent Evening, VCE Vocation Major Parent Information Session, Year 7 Night at the Museum, Parent-Teacher meetings and Winter Concerts have provided numerous opportunities for families to engage with our school. 

Celebrating Student Achievements 

We take pride in celebrating the successes of our students during Term 2. Highlights include:

• an outstanding school production of 'Urine Town'
• a memorable School Athletics Carnival
• Year 10 and 11 mid-year exams
• Junior and Senior Winter Concerts
• the Year 12 Formal
• various enriching programs such as the Solar Car and Robotics Program, Band Camp, and Year 9 City Experience and Citizenship Project. 

In all of these events, we have been very proud of our students for the leadership they have shown, their sense of community and the way in which they have modelled the school values. They are a real credit to themselves, their families and their teachers.  

Uniform Review Committee 

The School Council has agreed to endorse a review of the school uniform. The first meeting took place in week 9, gathering a diverse representation of students, teachers, and parents. The reasons underpinning this decision include: 

• It has been an extended period since the last uniform review began in 2020, which was interrupted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic
• There is a recognised need for a distinct differentiation between the academic and sports uniforms 
• Ensuring that there are various options within the overall uniform guidelines to allow for individual expression 
• Enhancing comfort and the quality of materials used in the uniforms 
• Aspiring for our uniform to instil pride in our school community  
• The Student Representative Council (SRC) has submitted a proposal advocating for changes to the uniform. 

These considerations underscore the importance of reviewing and potentially revising our uniform policy to better serve the needs and aspirations of our school community. 

Central Australia Camp 

Forty Year 11 students (accompanied by a few Year 10 students) are embarking on an adventure to Central Australia during the Term 2 holidays. They will have the opportunity to explore iconic locations such as Uluru, Alice Springs, and Coober Pedy over a span of nine days. We aim for this journey to be a memorable experience for our students, and we extend our best wishes to them for safe and enriching travels.  

Statement of Values and School Philosophy Policy  

The Statement of Values and School Philosophy Policy is accessible on Box Hill High School’s website for our school community. This policy serves to delineate the values upheld by our school community and articulate our vision, mission, and objectives. 

Box Hill High School is a learning community dedicated to cultivating resilience, fostering lifelong development, and promoting positive global impact. We recognise that the conduct of staff, parents, caregivers, and students profoundly influences our school's community and culture. Together, we strive to nurture a supportive learning environment. 

At Box Hill High School, we unequivocally condemn unreasonable behaviour such as harassment, bullying, violence, aggression, threatening conduct, and unlawful discrimination. Such actions are deemed unacceptable and will be met with zero tolerance.