Message from the Principal

Welcome to our first online newsletter and a big thank-you to the team who have contributed content and worked behind the scenes to get this in place. Our young people are amazing! There is always so much to celebrate and this newsletter should be a great vehicle to share this with you. We welcome your feedback.

In Term 4 this year, Preston High School will graduate its first cohort (Cohort 2024) and we will be deep in preparation to welcome Cohort 2030 for their grade-six orientation day.  For many students in Cohort 2024, their graduation is the culmination of a journey that started back at Melbourne Polytechnic, where we spent our first term in 2019 while the school buildings were completed. Preston High School’s focus, Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders, is a conscious prioritising of our young people’s futures and we couldn’t be prouder of Cohort 2024 as they commence the final 18 weeks of their secondary education.

State Budget - School Saving Bonus

You may have seen the recent announcement of the School Saving Bonus (SSB), as part of the Victorian Budget 2024/25. This one-off support in 2025 will include $400 per enrolled student to help families cover school costs. Cash will not be paid directly to families. Instead, families will receive the SSB as credits on their school accounts (which is where families pay any monies to the school).

The SSB is in addition to CSEF supports for eligible families. The application-based Affordable School Uniform program, through State Schools’ Relief, will continue to be available to families experiencing financial hardship or other forms of vulnerability and short-term crisis. 

There will be more information and guidance from the Department of Education about the School Saving Bonus in Term 3, 2024.

School Council report

At the first meeting of this Term the Council co-opted community members David Godden and Adam Todorovski and elected office bearers Anh Mai (President), Chris Keating (Vice President) and Darren Findlow (Treasurer). 

Our Council includes members representing Darebin Council, Melbourne Polytechnic, High School for Preston, as well as parents, students and staff representatives. The School Council can be contacted at preston.hs@education.vic.gov.au 

Student representatives are Canxin (Andy) Ye (Cohort 2027) and Otis Williamson (Cohort 2026). Congratulations to Andy for his election this year for a two-year term. Parent representatives (in addition to the three office bearers above) are Katie Hull-Brown and Jane Melville.

Special thanks from School Council to Rosie Bennett (Cohort 2024) who has completed her two-year term as a student member of the Council.

Sean Butler, Principal