From The Acting Principal
Dear Parents, Guardians, Students and Staff,
As we draw this term to a close, it’s important to stop and reflect on the many achievements and milestones we have collectively accomplished within our school community and take a moment to practice gratitude for the contributions every member of our community has made to these.
One of the highlights was undoubtedly the France Study Tour. Our students had the incredible opportunity to immerse themselves in French culture, language, art and history. They visited iconic landmarks, engaged in enriching educational experiences, and forged lasting memories. The leadership, enthusiasm and curiosity demonstrated by our students was great to see and they represented our school with excellence and respect. We look forward to the NASA STEM trip in September and then in 2025, Vietnam and Central Australia.
In addition to our international adventures, our students faced the academic challenge of the mid-year examinations with remarkable resilience and determination. The results have been impressive, reflecting the hard work of both students and teachers. A special mention goes to the 9FBN class for their outstanding performance in the Brevet examination. Their dedication and perseverance have set a high standard for academic excellence. Huge thanks to Genevieve Papon, our FBN Coordinator and the whole FBN team for their support and encouragement of our students during this important milestone in their educational journey. Our non-FBN year 9 students will have their first experience of examinations at the end of the year. It was such a pleasure to cohost an awards presentation at Camberwell Primary School where the 2023 Brevet diplomas were presented by French Honorary Consul, Myriam Boisbovier-Wylie. Many AHS students from the FBN, FPIP and general program classes were presented with certificates celebrating their remarkable achievements in the Kangourou de Math competition; please see the French report for further details.
Huge thanks to Craig McPherson on the highly successful Positive Ageing Digital Intergenerational Storytelling Project (PADSIP) this year. This is a wonderful tradition at our school in which Year 9 students work with older adults to develop a digital record of important life lessons. These were presented at a special evening for participants and families. This is always a highlight and I love seeing the joy and growth that our students experience through this unique opportunity.
Our Year Level Leaders and Student Leaders have played a crucial role in fostering a sense of community and support within their cohorts. With the support of Tutor Group teachers, their initiatives, from organising events to providing peer support, have significantly contributed to a positive and inclusive school environment. Their leadership and commitment have not gone unnoticed, and on behalf of the Principal team, I commend them for their exceptional work.
The school has worked diligently this term to restore the calm, warm and welcoming learning environment that we are so proud of and that was so significantly impacted by a physical altercation between two students earlier in the term. Such incidents are exceedingly rare at AHS. With the support and advice of DET and regional staff, the leadership team has taken every measure at our disposal to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of students and staff. Much of this has needed to occur behind the scenes and we’re pleased to be ending the term in a very settled and positive manner. We are very grateful to those parents and students who have reached out to us to offer their gratitude and support during what was undoubtedly a challenging time for our school community. We encourage parents/ guardians and students to reach out to a Principal team member should there ever be any questions or concerns great or small; we welcome open and transparent communication with families and will always be happy to have a conversation.
Warm thanks to our Student Wellbeing Coordinator, Leah Rintoule, who really is a force of nature! Leah has worked closely for many years with Education Chances to provide AHS students with scholarships to support their academic aspiration. Since 2019, Leah’s tireless efforts have resulted in 67 individual scholarships totalling an impressive $73,150! A 2023 evaluation of Education CHANCES by independent consultants Think Impact, concluded that for every $1 invested in education, CHANCES students generated between $16 and $19 of social and economic benefit. You can view a summary of this study using the following link — Executive Summary from the Education CHANCES Study by Think Impact. We are grateful to Education Chances for their ongoing support of our students.
A warm welcome to Shirley Wong who commenced this week as our new Librarian.
We have also welcomed Alex Elliot to our teaching team this week, she will be taking junior school English and Humanities classes. As you’ll be aware from the media, school recruitment is a challenge across the state at present. We’ve been very fortunate in this regard, but we are yet to fill two Health/ PE allotments and one junior English/ Humanities allotment following the unexpected resignation of two staff members due to family reasons. We also have a Careers/ Pathways Coordinator role vacant due to the inimitable Robyn Boardman taking up another opportunity closer to home. It’s very important to us that we only appoint appropriately qualified teachers whom we feel confident will suit the culture and high expectations of our community. This means that the process is taking a bit longer than we’d like. Learning Area Leaders and teaching staff have stepped in to provide support with assessment and feedback for students in the affected classes, and to record lesson content to ensure students receive quality instruction in the meantime. A specific update will be sent via Compass to relevant classes shortly. We thank you for your understanding and patience.
I’d like to thank Peter Ryan and Fiona Thomas who have joined me to step up into Acting roles this term during the long service leave and international adventures of Ross Pritchard, Jo Hayes and Ella Price! We look forward to hearing their travel stories from Canada, Italy and Portugal! It’s been a pleasure to work with them in this new capacity and they’ve done a great job.
On a personal note; after ten incredible years at Auburn High School, I have made the difficult decision to accept the Principalship at Brunswick South Primary School. BSPS is an outstanding government bilingual (Italian) school with a real emphasis on student leadership and agency. This decision comes with mixed emotions as I reflect on the decade I’ve had the privilege to spend working with the AHS community. Our school has always been a place of innovation, academic excellence and strong community spirit, and I am immensely proud of all that we have accomplished together. The support and dedication of our students, parents, and staff have made my tenure here truly rewarding and memorable. My start date is yet to be finalised, but I anticipate moving across in Week 4 of Term 3. This will give me the opportunity to finish some of the major projects I’ve started, ensure a smooth handover to whomever is fortunate enough to step into my role and to say lots of heartfelt goodbyes! I’ve been sincerely moved by the many warm messages of support from parents, colleagues and students this week. It truly has been a wonderful journey and I’ve much to be grateful for.
Kristie Satilmis
Acting Principal