From the Principal

Congratulations to the class of 2023

2023 has again seen outstanding results for our students. 

Dux of the school in was Kelso Wentworth (99.70) with Joel Calia (99.05) our dux secondi. Kelso had already received a prestigious Tuckwell scholarship to the Australian National University – one of just 25 offered across the country - whilst  Joel is the recipient of the University of Melbourne  Principal Scholarship. 

Students achieved excellent results across all areas of study from the Visual and Performing Arts to Mathematics, Languages, Science and the Humanities, and can look forward to the next phase of their life and learning and with optimism and confidence. The overall outcomes for our Year 12 students including our Vocational Major students are even more remarkable given the small number of students at Princes Hill who undertook an unscored VCE program. Where schools have significant proportions of students unscored, results can appear stronger than they otherwise might.  

It is not just our Year 12 students who can be proud of their achievements. Department of Education Term 4 school performance reports reveal that our students have shown learning growth from Years 7-9 amongst the very highest in the  government sector. Recent articles in the print media note these achievements. The only disappointing numbers are those that reflect the low level of funding for government schools compared to private schools… The Age, 18/12/2023 Top NAPLAN schools earn half their private peers per student

We are also deeply conscious that academic outcomes are one part of the growth and development of young people and do not reflect the sorts of learning and personal development that occur through programs such as our Year 9 Wilderness Week program (just completed), Year 8 Cross country ski experiences and  Year 7 Orientation camps. Some of the images in this newsletter reflect the remarkable opportunities for students to develop resilience, learn new practical and relational skills, and generally broaden their horizons.

On behalf of students and parents I want to thank our amazing teaching and support staff for their  tremendous work. It is this outstanding team that makes possible the remarkable breadth of learning opportunities at our school, and facilitates the extraordinary academic and personal achievements of our students.

Looking to 2024

We welcome new staff to key roles in the school for 2024 alongside those who will continue, and thank each for their willingness to make a difference in the lives of our students and staff into the future.

A very special thanks to those who have worked tirelessly in roles through 2023, and in some cases for decades(!) helping to make our school great but who are now deservedly stepping back.  Notably, Anthony Avotins, Assistant Principal, Anna Vaxalis Leading Teacher and Margaret Fry (Margaret's significant contribution is described later in the newsletter).

I thank Anthony Avotins for the extraordinary contribution he has made as to our school both as leading teacher in the middle school when he first joined the school and since 2016 as Assistant Principal. Anthony’s strong work ethic and practical solutions focused approach have earned him the respect of the whole school community. 

We warmly welcome  Seraya Brain, Assistant Principal Year 7-9 and Kate Pearce, Mental Health & Wellbeing Manager along with a number of other key personnel. Please refer to your News Feed for specific details of contact details for staff in 2024.