PRINCIPAL's | Message

Dear Parents/Carers, Students and Friends

Wear it Purple Day 

This is an annual LGBTIQA+ awareness day especially for young people, based in Australia. Supporters wear purple to celebrate diversity and young people from the LGBTIQA+ community. It was great to see many students and staff supporting this day by wearing something purple to show our support of this day. We raised the Pride flag in the morning on Friday 28 August on the 7-10 Campus. Well done and thank you to Mr Jarryd Brand, Ms Stephanie Heyes, Ms Leah Hannas, and the Wellbeing team along with all those staff and students who wore purple and celebrated this day. 

R U OKAY? Day

On Thursday 10 September we recognised R U OK? Day. This year’s theme was: “Ask R U OK? Any day of the year”, because every day is the right day to check in. As part of this day, our Year 12 VCE VM students organised and ran a March for Mental Fitness where participants completed 24 laps of the school oval (7-10 Campus) tech-free, to make time for genuine conversation and connection. We were privileged to have Wayne Holdsworth, founder of SmackTalk, in memory of Wayne’s late son, Mac, with us who followed up the march with a parent session in the PAT. Thank you to Ms Brittany Harvey for her leadership and support of this wonderful initiative. 

Small Groups Concert

On Thursday 10 September we held our Small Groups Concert to a sell-out crowd in the PAT. It was wonderful to hear our talented ensembles play, as they highlighted their progression and prepare for upcoming competitions. We are really fortunate to have such talented staff teaching these students, led by the fantastic Mr Ben Braithwaite. Well done and thank you to our Music team: Ms Rachel Campbell,  Ms Gill Kinnear, Ms Peta Laughlin, Mr Andrew McAdam, Mr Alex Spicer, and Ms Kim Starr for organising and running such an outstanding concert!!!

Frankston Susono Friendship Association (FSFA) Japanese Speech Contest 2026

The Frankston Susono Friendship Association Japanese Speech Contest 2026 has been held every year since 1993, and we entered students into all four divisions this year.

 We are proud to announce that Frankston High School students won three of the four divisions.

Congratulations to all of our participating students:

• Kameron H
• Matilda B (Junior Division, 1st place)
• Candice C (Junior Division, 2nd place)
• Enrica L (Intermediate Division, 2nd place)
• Joey S (Intermediate Division, 3rd place)
• Angus P
• Mitch K (Senior Division, 1st place)
• Afroditi (Diti) G (Senior Division, 2nd place)
• Aki O (Japanese Environment Division, 1st place)
• Mae F (Japanese Environment Division, 2nd place)

We are very proud of all of our Japanese students who represented Frankston High School. Thank you to the Japanese Language team for encouraging and helping students to prepare for this contest, as well as their support on the night: Ms Haruko Emoto, Ms Rebecca Stroud, Ms Yuka Mukaiyama and Ms Wendy Goodman. 

KELiS @ Frankston High School 

On Tuesday 1 September, Frankston High School hosted the Koorie Emerging Leaders in Schools (KELiS) Program, a termly gathering of First Nations students from local schools on Bunurong Lands, designed to build cultural connection and leadership among our Koorie youth.

We had well over 100 guests participating in the program, including students and staff from over a dozen neighbouring schools and our First Nations Leaders who facilitated the workshops throughout the day. Some of our very special guests included:

• Aunty Helen Bnads, OAM - Cultural Lead, Peninsula Health
• Uncle Shane Clarke - Cultural Protection Manager, Bunurong Land Council
• Shilo Van Zanden - Koorie Education Manager, DET
• Dakoda Bolton - Koorie Education Support Officer, DET

We began the day with a cleansing smoking ceremony and Welcome to Country by Uncle Shane and the students heard words of wisdom from Aunty Helen. Then, students rotated through a variety of workshops run by Bayside Health, Gellung Warl, Weenthunga and HeadSpace. Students had a chance to learn about Social and Emotional Wellbeing, what Treaty is and how they can take action to stand up for First Nations rights, as well as take part in traditional weaving and painting activities.

Some student feedback on the day:

• “KELiS is great to be a part of because I can meet new First Nations Peoples and learn how connected a community can be” – Jack Zach, Year 10.
• “KELiS is a great community to be a part of because it helps you connect to Country” – Aaliyah Dann, Year 7.
• “The most interesting thing I learned today was how different people perceive culture” – Jack Lonergan, Year 10.
• “One thing I learned about leadership today was to be confident and take the first step, even if it’s a small step” – Aurora Cox-Williamson, Year 10.
• “Spending time with other Mobs is loads of fun” – Aydia Lonergan, Year 7.

Parent Student Teacher Conferences (PSTC)

Thank you to all teachers for their efforts in providing feedback to parents/carers and students during our remote PSTC. Thank you to all of parents/carers and students who participated. Thank you to Mr John Simon and Mr Daniel Haddon for their efforts organising these. 

Central Australia Trip

Our Year 11 Central Australia Trip departed on Saturday 12 September. Thank you to Mr Cam Heyes, Ms Ginger Parker, Ms Anne Thomson and Mrs Tina Thomas for their efforts organising this opportunity for our students. Thank you to those staff participating with Jodie: Ms Leonie Argiriou, Mr James Cameron, Ms Madeleine Kelly, Mr Adam Martin, Ms Leanne Milne, Mr Aiden Smith, Mr Josh Wallington, and Ms Mel Westlake. We look forward to hearing of a wonderful experience for all students and staff, and a safe and healthy return of all on Friday 25 September.

September Year 12 Practice Examinations

During this September holiday period, we are again running our Year 12 Practice Examinations. Thank you to Mr Cam Heyes and Ms Brittany Harvey for their efforts organising these, to be run by our examination supervisors and overseen by themselves along with Ms Wendy Goodman and Mr Shaun Hawker on various days throughout the two weeks. It’s an important opportunity for our students to prepare for the upcoming VCAA examination period and apply the knowledge and skills they have been taught. 

Arts Exhibition Opening Night - Save the Date!

All Frankston High School students and families are cordially invited to the opening night of our 2026 Arts Exhibition, on Monday 12 October from 5.00pm- 7.00pm.

This year the exhibition will return to the Presentation Space on the Senior Campus. 

Please join us to celebrate the incredible creations of our Year 7-12 Visual Art, Media and Visual Communication Design students.   Enjoy a refreshment while you explore the exhibition, and don't forget to cast your vote for the People's Choice Award!

A huge thank-you to our generous 2026 Award sponsors:

Atelier;Down The Street Cafe; Ellis Scofield, Area Specialist Ivan's Pies; JB Hi-Fi; Marshall White; Peninsula Camera House; Siser; Vicinity Centres (Bayside Shopping Centre).

Mr Andrew Batchelor

Principal