Principal's Report

Dear CHES Community,

As we come to the end of Term 3, this edition of the newsletter is an opportunity to reflect on the busy and rewarding term we have had at CHES. Across our online and on-site classrooms, seminar days, enrichment programs and university partnerships, we continue to see our students embrace challenge, develop their independence, and contribute to our growing CHES community.

It has also been wonderful to see CHES recognised recently by the Department of Education as one of five settings featured in their latest video highlighting opportunities for high-ability students in government schools. This recognition reflects the quality of our programs, the achievements of our students, and the dedication of our staff. Thank you particularly to three of our students - Renae, Daniel and Tanveer - for representing CHES so very well in this video.

Our CHES Activity Days this term have provided opportunities for Year 9 and 10 students to experience the kind of challenging learning we offer. In term 3, we visited schools in Bendigo, Shepparton, Leongatha and Sunbury for these activity days and students there explored research questions and evidence in Extended Investigation, rigorous problem-solving in Specialist Mathematics, increasingly complex computational challenges in Algorithmics, and language evolution, grammar and digital communication in English Language. Thank you to Amy Lee, our Enrichment Leader, for coordinating these days and to every one of the teachers who prepared and led these workshops.

Let me also highlight attendance at CHES has improved again this year and is now well above the state average, with students demonstrating a really strong commitment to attending their weekly live lessons and tutorials. To our students, well done on the way you are managing your time and engaging in our hy-flex model with independence and responsibility. These are important habits, not only for success at CHES, but for the transition to university study and beyond. I encourage all students to maintain this consistency right through to the end of the year.

Our staff have also continued to share their expertise through professional learning with other schools. James Mott recently led a webinar on effective mathematics teaching practices for high-ability students, while Sam Haines presented on critical thinking for high-ability students while acting as Assistant Principal during Sapphira’s leave. Amy Lee and Sam have also led professional learning for graduate teachers through the Career Start Program, focusing on meeting the needs of high-ability students in primary and secondary schools.

There have been many other highlights this term, including the recent Englishes in Australia forum hosted at CHES in collaboration with Monash University linguistics academics and their colleagues from across Australia, and this forum connected directly with our VCE English Language program and provided excellent learning opportunities for CHES students and students from other schools, both online and on site.

Term 4 will also see one of our major annual events -- the CHES Conference. The conference showcases an important part of CHES’s role in supporting high-ability education across Victoria. The program will bring together primary and secondary educators from across the state, with keynote speakers, expert guidance and practitioner workshops led by teachers and participants from previous CHES professional learning programs. I'd especially like to acknowledge Sapphira Talbot-Strettle for her work in coordinating and bringing together this year’s conference.

One of our Leading Teachers, James Mott, has also played an important role in designing and delivering the inaugural Department of Education ‘Victorian Mathematics Camps’, developed in partnership with the University of Melbourne, the Mathematical Association of Victoria and Y Camps. Feedback from students at the first camp was exceptionally positive, and I encourage our Year 9 and 10 Elective students to look out for future opportunities to take part in these four-night, five-day maths intensives.

Looking ahead, I encourage our VCE and HES students and their families to save the dates for our end-of-year celebrations:

Friday 20 November -- CHES Graduation for students undertaking VCE subjects (Units 3 & 4) and Higher Education Studies
Monday 23 November -- Showcase and celebration for students participating in our Year 9 and 10 Enrichment Electives
We are also looking forward to welcoming back our alumni for a reunion in Term 4 --a chance for former students to reconnect with each other and with the CHES community.

First-round applications for next year closed on 21 August, with the number of applicants increasing again this year, across both our VCE subjects and Higher Education Studies courses. A big thank you to Fabiano Nigro, Assistant Principal, for his ongoing support of schools and students throughout the application period. We are particularly pleased to see students developing pathways through CHES over a number of years, with some first encountering CHES through our Year 9 or 10 enrichment electives before going on to study a VCE subject with us, while others continue into Higher Education Studies in Year 12. For 2027, we are also excited to introduce Classical Studies and Philosophy as two new VCE offerings.

While first-round applications closed in August, we are now accepting additional applications for select VCE subjects and Higher Education Studies (HES) courses with CHES for 2027. Second-round applications are now open via the CHES website and will close after the holidays on Friday, 9 October. Apply online at: https://ches.vic.edu.au/apply-now/application/

Finally, I encourage everyone to use the upcoming holidays to rest and recharge before what will be an important final term. For our Year 12 students in particular, with the exams fast approaching please remember that your teachers and the CHES team are here to provide feedback, advice and clarification, and to help you throughout. At this stage, it’s crucial to remain fully engaged and to reach out to us whenever you need. I look forward to seeing Unit 3 & 4 VCE students at our seminar day during the term 3 holidays. And for those who may have missed last night's ‘Exam Preparation and Performance’ webinar, I encourage you to check out the recording as there powerful insights were shared by a number of our former students and tutors.

Thank you to our students, families, staff and university partners for the contribution each makes to CHES. Many of the programs and opportunities highlighted in this newsletter began as ambitious ideas and have become successful through the commitment and hard work of people across our statewide community. Our close partnerships with universities continue to be a crucial part of this work, helping us to significantly strengthen our programs and improve the experience we provide for students around Victoria.

CHES is a statewide community built around a shared commitment to high-ability students. I’m delighted to see that community continue to grow, and I look forward to all that we will achieve together in Term 4.

Stewart Milner

Principal

CHES