From the Principal

2025 has been another successful year for the Dandenong High School community. The focus we identified in January, to ensure “All learners thrive in 25” has continued to drive our commitment to school improvement. I am pleased to report that we have seen a positive shift across many data measures, including attendance, Attitudes to School survey (ATOSS), Staff Opinion survey, NAPLAN and VCE results. We have achieved all the goals and targets set in our Annual Implementation plan. We end the year feeling incredibly proud that we have strengthened student learning and well-being and that our families report they are more strongly connected to the school than ever.

I would like to congratulate the Class of 2025 on completing their secondary education at Dandenong High School and for their contribution to our community. Congratulations also to their families who have supported them and partnered with the school, through their achievements and their challenges. We are incredibly proud of what they have achieved, and I am sure they will find their success, as they move on to the next stage of their lives.

Thank you to everyone involved in ensuring our Awards Ceremony at Monash University, in the final week of Term 4, was so special. I have been in the audience for many presentation evenings in my 35 years at the school, as a teacher, leader, and Principal. The 2025 event was extraordinary. The warmth, connection and partnership between teachers, students and families was visible to all. Several of the distinguished guests, there to present awards, remarked that it was one of the best they had ever attended, as everyone was focused on celebrating the students and students were “so happy and proud”.

Helen Hook, a teacher in the 80’s and 90’s, who contributed an award for the first time, sent the following message this morning, “what an amazing evening. I thought the school was multicultural in the 80’s and 90’s but it is more so now. It was lovely to see how much stronger the community is, with new traditions and a greater rapport between students and teachers”. A real highlight for me was our student performances that were exceptional. Well done to Brendan Hinton, Jannah Alvar, Rose Arya, Cesca Ociones, Jelena Pavicic, Abigail Tivendale, Adem Duderija, Sankalp Vaidya, Hadia Azizi, Danial Bin Zamiri, Airin Ononna, Eleanor Heymer, Nahian Nidhi and their teachers.

I hope you all have a restful and well-deserved holiday and come back focused, energised and ready to begin your learning journey in 2026. To the students and families leaving us, I wish you well in your future endeavours and remember you will always be a part of our community.

As I reflect on the many successes and achievements in 2025, I am confident about the future, certain that as a community we will continue to thrive and as always incredibly proud to be the Principal of Dandenong High School.

Susan Ogden

Principal