From the Assistant Principal

Junior School

International Women’s Day 8th March

Students and staff were encouraged to wear purple accessories to school as a way to show support for International Women’s Day this year. Instead of bells, Gaye in the office was our official DJ, playing a fun selection of empowering tunes from Aretha Franklin’s Respect, to No Doubt’s, Just a Girl and the Helen Reddy classic, I am Woman.  The student entry was decked out in purple tinsel and streamers, and the Art Club ran a chalk challenge in the front courtyard at lunchtime where dozens of students created a giant International Women’s Day logo in different shades of purple chalk.  Christina and the canteen also joined the festivities, offering purple donuts and cupcakes for sale.

This year’s theme is #EmbraceEquity Don't just say it.  Think it. Be it.  Do it. Value it.  Truly embrace it.  Embrace equity in all its forms. What can you do to make a difference? Celebrating and highlighting the day is a great way to spark conversations about the importance of inclusion and diversity in our community, and the important differences between equality as opposed to equity.

Find out more about IWD here:  https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

French Specialist Program visits

Prospective 2024 families visited our school on Tuesday to learn about our unique French Specialist Programs.  After a program overview from the Principal team our guests toured the school, spending time in various Binational, Partial Immersion and General program classes.  Feedback was very positive, with families commenting on the impressive level of French language on display, as well as the level of student engagement in their learning.  The event concluded with a morning tea and Q&A.  The event was extremely popular, and was fully subscribed.  We have now scheduled a second session at the end of the month to accommodate the demand and interest in our programs.  This can be booked via our website.

The Principal team and French program staff have visits scheduled at Camberwell Primary School and Caulfield Junior College, where we will be meeting with families and primary school staff to support the important decision-making process as to which program is right for their child.

We are very proud of the success of our French programs and the emphasis placed on language learning at our school.  There are more than 500 students currently studying French at Auburn High School!  More than 100 students have sat the Diplome National Du Brevet at AHS since 2016, and of these, more than 80% have passed with an award.  Last year, 40% of AHS students achieved the Tres Bien level compared with 24.4% of students who sat the same examination in France.  Our VCE French students have also achieved exceptional results, with 45.5% of students achieving a study score above 40 and 54.55% above 37.  Our NAPLAN results have continued to trend upward and this year our school achieved within the top ten government schools in the state.  If we take the select-entry schools out of these figures, AHS actually achieved within the top five – this is a fantastic result.  These results are due in part to the additional emphasis on, and time spent learning languages at AHS.  There is a strong correlation between learning a second language with attainment in English.  At AHS, general program students spend four hours per week in French, the same as at the VCE level, compared with one or two hours at most secondary schools.

Our students and staff have a lot to celebrate! We look forward to this week’s Diploma National Du Brevet certificate presentation ceremony, where we will welcome CPS and CJC Principals and staff, dignitaries from the French consulate and DET representatives, parents and students to officially award the Brevet to our 2022 Year 9 cohort.