Preston Life

Welcome to all our new staff

We’ve been delighted to welcome 14 new members of staff to Preston High this year, bringing fresh energy, experience and enthusiasm to our learning community. Each new Kingfisher has already made a positive impact in classrooms, staffrooms and across the school grounds, building strong relationships with students and contributing to the vibrant culture we’re so proud of at PHS. Their diverse skills and backgrounds have added new perspectives to our teaching and learning programs.

Welcome to:

• Sarah Whitty: Science
• Pufan Zheng: Science and Maths
• Nancy Tang: Physics and Maths
• Nicole Veljanovski: Science and Maths
• Mae Williamson: Health and PE
• Josh Sankey: Humanities
• Nicholas Newport: Maths
• Henry Nguyen: English
• Ziah Cooper: English and Humanities
• Georgia Delaney: English
• Somraudee Parry: Reception
• Zoe Picking: Wellbeing
• Gandhi Manohara: Instrumental music
• Louis Mison: Learning support

All the 'dirt' on the Cohort 2029 camp

Camp was a roaring success for our Bandler Park crew. The weather was wonderful, with a sunny 26-degree day setting the scene for a fantastic experience. Students participated in a range of activities that challenged them to step outside their comfort zones and try new things. 

At first, many students felt anxious about activities such as the giant swing and the tall tower. However, with encouragement from their peers and the support of staff, they found the courage to give them a go. It was wonderful to see students cheering each other on and celebrating one another’s bravery. 

The mud run proved to be a particularly tough challenge, but students tackled it with impressive grit and determination. By the end, they were muddy, exhausted, and incredibly proud of themselves. Overall, camp was a fantastic opportunity for students to build resilience, strengthen friendships, and create lasting memories. 

School Council report 

by Andy Ye, Gecko House & Samyak Subedi, Glider House 

We extend a warm welcome back to everyone for 2026. Students are starting to adjust to their fresh new schedules, whether that’s learning the new aspects of high school life for Cohort 2031or preparing for a new range of content in VCE/VM for Cohorts 2026 and 2027. Either way, students, teachers and staff are gradually regaining momentum in their everyday school routine. 

In Week 2, students of Cohort 2027 eased their way into their VCE journey by attending an Ada Day at Latrobe University. This event provided students with a range of workshops that offered opportunities to experience life beyond school. This selection of workshops included microbiology, law moot court, health information management, business administration, wildlife conservation and more. Students were even presented with Headspace sessions dedicated to supporting wellbeing during school and a Q&A alongside former graduated students like the school Dux Paul Koutsivos. 

Cohort 2026 attended their own Ada Day at the RMIT campus, with a focus on Study Skills, Wellbeing and the calculation of ATAR and Study scores. After a variety of sessions focusing on these themes, they took an hour of free time at Melbourne Central's Time Zone Afterwards students were gathered to events at Strike Bowling and a pizza lunch, including free vouchers to laser tag! A spectacular event worth remembering for the start of a long-studious year ahead.  

Our Annual whole school House event at Coburg Olympic Swimming Pool was fantastic, with more than 900 enthusiastic students wearing their house colours to represent Gecko, Tawny, Glider and Acacia houses. This whole-school sporting event held a range of swimming events and novelty games that brought the Kingfisher spirit at every turn. Cohort 2026 students dressed up in all sorts of outfits, including characters from Scooby-doo, pirates, Teen Titans and more. Overall, it was whole-heartedly a school spirited event that had students cheering on the winning team of Acacia.  

We’re just at the beginning and there’ll be countless room for growth and excitement in this following year.