Principal's Report

Greetings and  Book Week! 

Hello and welcome to this fifth edition of the 2025 Coburg High School Newsletter. As our Principal, Brent Houghton, is on leave, I have the honour of introducing this edition and marking some major events in our calendar.  

As an English teacher, I am duty bound to begin this report with a celebration of Book Week and invite students to check out the  displays and activities organised by Dianna, our resident bibliophile and librarian, in our wonderful library. 

For the record, if I had to choose just one book, it would be… a tie between Nineteen Eighty-Four and Of Mice and Men. Both remind us of the power of dreams and how hope motivates the soul. 

If you're keen to know some other teacher picks, see the staff recommendations under ‘Outside the Classroom’. For parents and students alike, try to go screen free for a night and lose yourself in a book. 

School Captains

This week students have been using their Coburg Connect Time to view the video submissions for the prospective 2026 school captains. I had the pleasure of joining a Year 7 Home Group and listened to their exclamations, remarking on the professional quality of the submissions and the tricky prospect of trying to separate the candidates as their campaigns could give some Canberra pollies a run for their money. Best of luck to all candidates and perhaps your videos will be replayed by media outlets one day as you are sworn into an even higher office?

80 Years Since the End of WWII 

Last week, the 15 August marked 80 years since the end of World War Two. Each time we mark this milestone, we are reminded that fewer and fewer of those who served Australia or lived through this time are still with us and that a chapter of history slips further away into the past. With it, history’s lessons also fade, most importantly that the calamities of this conflict left an ingrained desire for peace amongst generations of Australians. 

Those in their 80s now, were just school children in 1945 and recall the bells ringing across Melbourne and the city streets congested with celebrations after six years of devastating conflict. Many locals were conscripted, despite our local MP’s opposition (indeed, our area has a history of anti-war activism) and several key industries were staffed by Coburg residents, including over 1000 workers at Lincoln Mills where a chimney still stands and part of the building is now our local Bunnings. Troops as far away as Kokoda, Tobruk and Normandy wore uniforms manufactured where today you might purchase a sausage on a Saturday morning! 

Across Coburg, schools ceased lessons and instead turned to celebrating, with many children hoping to see absent parents returning from service and captivity. Others, prevented from travelling, hoped to be reunited with loved ones from across the globe after many years of separation. 

Tom Anderson, a former Coburg High School student wrote to us last week that he recalled teachers leading students from his primary school to a nearby park where they were told that the war was over and that peace had at long last arrived. Now 86 years old, he wanted our students to know that it was an important day for him and his classmates and that he has never forgotten it. 

As conflicts continue to confound our present generation of students and cause them to question a world where adults have yet to get this right, we can only hope that they learn from history and mark the adage that ‘There never was a good war, or a bad peace’.  

Celebrating Student Achievement

Each semester we gather as a whole school community to celebrate student achievement. In week two of this term, students walked together to Coburg Town Hall, a tradition going back more than a century for CHS.

We recognised students who excelled in academics, showed dedication to their learning, contributed to extracurricular activities, and lived our School Values. The most powerful part of the day? The sheer number of students receiving awards, and how many of them were genuinely surprised by their own abilities.

Parents and carers, you should be proud. Take a moment to look up your child’s name, you may find it listed! Thank you also to our musicians for sharing their talents with us. Many are involved in Kool Skools (more on that later in the newsletter), and their performances made the celebration even more special.

The Power of Strengths-Based Language

At CHS, we believe language matters more than ever in high school. Too often, conversations about young people centre on what’s difficult for them—especially for students with learning differences. Over time, deficit-focused language can change how students see themselves.

That’s why we’re committed to using strengths-based language across all areas of school life. This approach doesn’t ignore challenges, but highlights potential, capability, and growth. You’ll see this reflected in the way we run Student Support Group meetings and other conversations about learning.

We encourage families to join us in making these small but powerful shifts in how we talk about young people. Praise effort, notice progress, and reflect back the strengths you see. Together, we can help our students see themselves as capable, resilient, and full of potential.

(See Assistant Principal Melanie Buscema-Moore’s piece in this newsletter for practical examples you can use at home.)

Clubs and Activities 

Our students love an extra curricular activity and the demand is there for even more clubs, clinics and academies to run out of school hours at CHS. If you want to run an event at CHS, put in an EOI here. 

Maths Club 

Maths Club continues to grow, with sessions running Tuesday lunchtimes and Friday mornings. It’s a calm, welcoming space where students can bring any piece of maths work and receive extra help. Thank you to our dedicated maths teachers for volunteering their time, especially the amazing TP, who’s always there to support.

And thank you to Penelope (Year 12) for writing about Maths Club in this newsletter. Your appreciation means a lot to staff, and shows just how valuable these spaces are for our students.

CALM at CHS

This term we’ve begun a partnership with CALM Youth to establish a new student-led club celebrating cultural diversity. Students in Years 7–11 have already taken part in some exciting incursions with the CALM team, and we look forward to sharing more updates as the program develops. Keep an eye out for stories in “Teaching and Learning” from our Year 8 SVL reflections.

Outdoor Ed Camp

Our Year 11 and 12 Outdoor and Environmental Studies students recently returned from an action-packed camp at Mt Buller. From downhill skiing and snowboarding to white water rafting, students experienced the thrill of the outdoors while deepening their understanding of environmental issues such as the impact of invasive species.

As Eloise (Year 11) shares in her report later in this newsletter, the camp was “fun, thrilling, and a chance to take on new adventures.” Thank you to Katherine, Bede, Elisa, and Cam for making this unforgettable experience possible.

Science Week Highlights

From parachutes and catapults to quizzes and escape rooms, Science Week was alive with curiosity, challenge, and discovery. This year’s theme, Decoding the Universe, sparked plenty of creativity.

Special thanks to Anna Vella and the Science Team for organising such a wide-ranging program. Staff also appreciated the science themed morning tea. 

Girl Power in Engineering and IT

One of the highlights of Term 3 has been students participating in the University of Melbourne’s Girl Power in Engineering and IT program. Tamanna (Year 9) writes later in this newsletter about her experience designing a litter-collecting “Wombot,” learning coding basics, building bridges, and exploring renewable energy.

These experiences show the value of hands-on learning, teamwork, and the confidence that comes from solving real-world problems. We’re proud to see our students stepping into the world of STEM and embracing opportunities like this.

Careers Expo

Our Year 9 students had the chance to explore their future pathways at the Melbourne Careers Expo. With over 120 exhibitors-from universities and TAFEs to major employers-students explored everything from apprenticeships to sustainability careers.

Thank you to the staff who organised the excursion, and to our students for representing CHS so well. The experience has already sparked important conversations about subject choices and pathways beyond school.

Year 10 Formal

On August 15, our Year 10 students gathered at The Sovereign for their formal, and what a night it was! Students looked fantastic, celebrated with energy, and made the most of the evening. The Year 10 team and Formal Committee did a fantastic job and whilst the boys may have been a little too boisterous on the dance floor, they can be excused when taking into account the solid hits stretching back to the 70s that they somehow all knew the words to. Clearly families have imparted a tremendous amount of musical social capital to our young folk. Even humble Assistant Principals were seen tapping toes and moving to the beat of ‘A Decade of Blue’, Flo Rida’s ‘Low’ and even ‘Rasputin’ (released before Gary was born - just). 

Parents and carers: thank you for ensuring everyone was collected on time (truly the best ever). For photos from the night, check out the “Outside the Classroom” section later in the newsletter.

New Staff 

Students will have seen Tori White around the school helping at key times, but now he will be seen a bit more as he has taken on several days each week of grounds keeping duties. 

Farewell to Sasha Martin

Sadly our Wellbeing Leader Sasha is off to a new challenge at Belmont High School in Geelong where she has recently moved. We wish Sasha all the best and thank her for helping countless students through some of life’s more complicated moments. We’ll miss you and know that your work will be appreciated by Belmont students. Although she has been away on maternity leave, Sasha is coming in to say goodbye on the student free day this Friday and will be back to visit again in the future. 

Thank you to all staff and students who have contributed to the newsletter and a big hello to all our community. Enjoy! 

Gary Vella