Principal's Report

Happenings this week

As I am writing today's Principal's report, there is so much happening around Coburg High. Every now and then even the Principal gets an extra, so here is 7D completing their Liveability KLT:

Earlier today I went and visited students and staff celebrating IDAHOBIT (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia). There were great vibes! At Lunch, we had our talented students perform in our annual 'Coburg's Got Talent'. As I am writing this here in my office, sadly the weather has turned for students undertaking cross country tryouts on the oval:

Yesterday was the second instalment of Market Day, with Unit 1 Business Management students offering a variety of foods, drinks and other offerings. My taco and crepe were delicious and the students and teachers Tate and James did a great job of organising students for this event!

Open Day

We had over 200 family groups visit our school on Wednesday 17 April for our annual Open Day. Student Voice Leaders volunteered to take tours and many families commented to me about how much they enjoyed this aspect, being able to hear about the school from an authentic student viewpoint. Attendees also enjoyed music from solo artists and some of our senior bands. If any prospective families missed my speech from the day, it can be viewed here. With the new Technology Building being slated to be the home base for Year 8 students from 2026 onwards, it was an opportune time for Gary and I to speak to prospective students and parents about the possibilities this building will bring about for them and their children:

Bike & Pedestrian Safety 

O'Hea Street

Parents and carers, please discuss with your children the danger of riding on the O'Hea St bike path. The path is for both East and West bound bikes which places cyclists in danger as drivers can fail to look left when approaching O'Hea St. Worse still, some drivers ignore stop signs and have hit cyclists, including students from CHS. We have had students in Year 7 and Year 12 hit in the past month, as well as a Year 9 student last year. Merri-bek Council has been made aware of this danger. For riders coming using the O'Hea Street corridor, another dangerous intersection is at the corner of Pentridge Boulevard and Stockade Avenue where we have had serious student accidents in the past.

Entrance to the school

It is pleasing that Merri-bek Council has allocated $200,000 towards improvements at the southern entrance of the school. See the Council's draft budget here, with submissions closing this evening (Friday 17 May). My short submission was: 

Thank you for supporting a wombat crossing at the entrance to Coburg High School under the project 'Improve Link between Pentridge Boulevard and Merri Creek via Urquhart Street' with $200,000 committed to this and related infrastructure in the 2024/25 year. This is a vital piece of infrastructure which will support safer walking and riding for our 1300+ students as well as the other users of this path, which forms part of the Strategic Cycling Corridor. We look forward to working with officers to complete these works in a school holiday period soon.

- Brent Houghton, Principal, Coburg High School

Barrow Street

Families, particularly those living south of Bell Street, may have heard about a trial closure of Barrow Street at Harding Street, aiming to increase safety for bike riders and pedestrians. Consultation regarding the trial closure is underway here if you'd like to make a submission (due by May 31). Should residents be supportive, CHS supports this initiative. Our annual census showed that 78% of our students walk, ride or catch public transport to school, and we are supportive of efforts to make these journeys safer.

Batman Avenue

To another corner of Coburg, Merri-bek Council has just announced consultation on a proposed shared zone near Batman Station. This will be of interest to any students or community members who walk, ride or drive down this area near Batman Station which forms part of the Upfield Shared User path. 

See Conversations Merri-bek - Batman Shared Zone to provide your input.

New Bike Racks

As per my report in last week's newsletter, new unfenced bike parking is now available near the new double storey portable. CCTV has been installed and is operational in this area. A reminder that no bike should EVER be left overnight at CHS - in the bike shed or in this bike parking area - due to the high likelihood of theft. If you ever have a need to leave a bike overnight, please see staff and have the bike locked inside Building A for the night.

Anzac Day

At Coburg High, we never want to glorify war - the current conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and in other places around the world remind us of the devastating human cost and the urgent need for diplomatic resolution. At the same time, Anzac Day is a chance for us to remember and give thanks to those people who have fought in conflicts, including on behalf of Australia. There is a report later in this newsletter relating to Coburg High's participation in an Anzac Day event held at Coburg RSL on the day before Anzac Day. Our thanks to Michael Pianta from the Coburg RSL for putting on this event and sharing his perspective on leadership. Our Year 11 Student Voice Leaders Scarlett, Josh and Orson also did a great job of representing the school at a Merlynston Anzac Day event as well. 

Athletics Carnival

We enjoyed beautiful weather for the Aths Carnival on Tuesday 23 April. We are so fortunate as a school to have swimming and athletics facilities well within picturesque walking distance of our school:

Students should be commended for their attendance (over 75% across the school), the way they got into the spirit of the day and for their behaviour, which was overall excellent. This was my fourth Aths Carnival at CHS and the level of participation in events has increased significantly across that time, which is great to see. See a report later in this newsletter for more detail.

Staff Professional Learning

On Friday 26 April we had a student free day and hosted Donna Richards from the Australian Childhood Foundation for a presentation entitled ‘Making Space for Learning’ (trauma informed practice). Staff were engaged throughout the day, with sessions focusing on brain development, the different sections of the brain, trauma and the effect on brain functioning, types of behaviour that young people with trauma may exhibit and links to our School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support approach. We will loop back to this work in later professional learning sessions in semester 2.

Year 12 Formal

Our School Captains Emma, Patrick, Mary and Jonah did a wonderful job in organising the 2024 Year 12 Formal at Aerial in South Wharf on the night before Anzac Day, Wednesday April 24. After the dinner and awards were presented, the dancefloor was then packed for the rest of the night. There was a great vibe in the room, with a very high proportion of Year 12s attending.

Morrisby Testing - Year 9

Year 9 students recently completed Morrisby testing and followed this up with appointments with careers counsellors, to help them to think about their strengths as they begin their process of pathway planning for the years to come. 

School Council Corner

Thanks and congratulations to our 2024/25 School Council members:

CHS staff reps

Brent Houghton - Principal 

Gary Vella - Assistant Principal 

Belinda Parini - Assistant Principal 

Melanie Buscema-Moore - Assistant Principal (non-voting member & Secretary)

Donna Galvin - Business Manager (non-voting member)

Parent members

Natalie Abboud - President

Samantha Bond - Vice President

Nic Ridge

Karen Turner

George Christofis

Edmond Kennedy

Student members

Jonah D - Year 12

Noah V - Year 8

Community members

Trent McCarthy - Treasurer

Simon Wilson

Leanne Haynes 

Much recent work at Council has focused on the review of policies. See here for updated CHS policies - they're also always available on Compass under 'School Documentation'.

Walking and Riding sub-committee 

The CHS Walking and Riding sub-committee has been preparing a detailed survey for students so we can identify in further detail the dangerous roads and intersections which students face. 

The sub-committee was recently featured in a recent parliamentary inquiry into vulnerable road users - see the report and recommendations here.

Coburg High will continue to advocate to the state government for improvements to: 

-> Murray Road (see here for the Safer Walking and Riding for Murray Road campaign)

-> Bell Street (see here for the Safe Access over Bell St Bridge for Everyone campaign and petition) amongst others.

On Bell Street, the school recently received a letter from the Hon. Melissa Horne, Minister for Roads and Roads Safety. This letter stated that:

DTP (Department of Transport and Planning) supports the introduction of a school speed zone along Bell Street from Pentridge Boulevard to Elizabeth Street. 

Despite this, there were no funds forthcoming from the state government in the recent budget for the flashing speed limit signs and electronic travel warning signs to implement this change (pleasingly there were funds for similar treatments in Nicholson Street, Coburg). We will keep fighting to make roads around CHS safer for our students.

Brent Houghton

Principal