From the Principal

Dear Parents, Staff, Students and Friends

The Easter holidays have arrived, giving us some time to reflect upon our achievements, whilst enjoying the company of family and friends.  So much has happened this term, with much to look forward to for the rest of the year.  I hope you enjoy this edition of the newsletter as we share all that has happened at our great school. 

Year 7 Camps Celebrate the Wonderful Young People Starting at Frankston High School 

Our exceptional cohort of Year 7 students have had a positive start to high school through their involvement in the Year 7 camps program.  During the camp students had the opportunity of making new friendships and to become more acquainted with our staff.  In particular I would like to express my gratitude to the last camp team of teachers who demonstrated outstanding professionalism in ensuring our students stayed safe, having a great time without any panic even though there was a bushfire 5km away from the site.  The camp owner commented to me that she was so pleased that the school during this potential emergency was Frankston High School because she knew she could rely on the staff to keep all going well. 

SLC Camp Inspires Student Leaders to Achieve their Potential

It was an absolute pleasure for me to meet our student leaders on the SLC camp.  I can honestly say that this team of student leaders are very impressive.  I am confident they will value add to our learning culture of excellence.  It was interesting to hear them commenting about their teachers.  They love teachers who are passionate about their subject areas and who can relate what they are teaching by applying the knowledge and skills being taught to real life situations.  This year we will utilize the expertise of our leaders to harness ‘student voice’ across the school to provide feedback about how we can continue to improve teaching and learning. 

Rowing Team: State Champions

Many thanks to our rowing coach, Mrs Mary Hunter with her commitment in coaching our rowing teams enables our students to participate in this great sport.  Mrs Hunter takes our students for training at 6.00am in the morning when most of us are tucked away in bed, also supporting our students in entering events during the holidays and weekends to help them develop their skills and fitness to an elite level.  Such dedication to training allows our rowing team to hold their heads high in competition.  Our team recently competed in the VSSSA Regatta and the Head of School Girls Regatta.  Some gold medals were achieved at the VSSSA Regatta which makes us all very proud.

Students Selected to Participate in Overseas Exchange Programs

Congratulations to Matthew Tang (Year 10) and Megan Gray (Year 10) who have been selected to attend the highly esteemed Fukuoka Daiichi High School in Fukuoka city in Japan.   They are off for nine months in April.  This will provide them with a wonderful opportunity of developing an in depth understanding of the Japanese language and culture.  We wish the boys a safe, enjoyable time overseas.

I am also delighted to inform you that Niamh Walker (Year 10), has been officially accepted as a WEP exchange student for a semester program to France, departing in August 2019.  Through the application and personal interview, Niamh displayed curiosity and maturity, both of which are essential attributes of successful exchange students. I know these students will be excellent ambassadors for Frankston High School whilst overseas.

Frankston High School: Yet Again Division Champions in Sport!

Thank you to Mrs Carly MacDonald, Ms Kate Burgess and Mrs Kylie Grech who led our champion team of elite swimmers to triumph at the Division Swimming Sports this term.  This has provided yet another opportunity for us to celebrate our justifiable reputation as an Exemplary Sporting School.  The entire school community wishes our team all the best for the Southern Regional Championships as most students who competed will be going onto this event.  However, it is not all about winning, it is about maximum participation and learning sportsmanship, making lifelong friends and learning importance of leading a fit and healthy lifestyle which is what our students are learning to do. 

Elite Student Athletes have us in Awe of their Achievements

Congratulations to Noah Oliver (Year 10) who has become  Australian Decathlon Champion.

Elli Symonds (Year 7) has been selected in the Victorian Athletics team winning three gold and a silver at State Championships.  We wish her every success as she competes for Victoria in the Australian Championships.

Also congratulations Declyn Tanner (Year 7) and Hamish Terris (Year 7) who both won Sports Blues awards for Cross Country. 

Still Celebrating Achievements of the Class of 2018

It was a thrill to hear that Matthew Coulter (Year 12, 2018) was selected to perform at the Top Class Music festival where only the most highly talented VCE students in Victoria are selected to perform.  I had the privilege of attending the Melbourne Recital Centre to see Matthew perform on piano accompanied magnificently by two 2018 alumni Joshua Burt (drums) and Whitley Gerlach (double bass).  It was a sublime performance and a tribute to the partnership between a dedicated talented student and his wonderful Music teachers.   Matthew was our music captain.  He was awarded a study score of 47 for VCE music performance, which is the highest mark we have ever had for the subject at Frankston High School and it is one of the highest marks for music in the state last year.  He has successfully auditioned for entry into Monash University’s Jazz stream and was told at the end of the audition that he would be nominated for a Monash scholarship.

Furthermore Class of 2018 Student Calvin Gu was invited to come back to our school to be filmed for the Victorian Global Learning Awards. Calvin has been nominated for this award for his exceptional ability to capture life on film.  We wish him all the best

Zoe Cox (Year 12) - Future Mayor of Frankston 2030

Thank you to a team of teachers who gave of their Sunday afternoon (31 March), to cheer on Zoe Cox, who represented Frankston High School with a team of luminaries on a panel who spoke about what Frankston would be like in 2030.

This panel was interviewed by Rev Tim Costello to find out about Frankston and Zoe was required to imagine she was the Mayor in 2030.  Zoe spoke very well to a packed audience at Cube 37 arguing for equal gender representation in leadership roles and the importance of honouring our indigenous community whilst the need to balance growth and development of the city, preserving the environment we are so fortunate to enjoy.  She also spoke of the importance of honouring our cultural heritage, particularly that provided to us by our indigenous people.

Meet and Greet:  A Huge Success!

The large number of parents who attended our recent Meet and Greet evening is certainly a reflection of the quality of our 2019 Year 7 cohort who, we have all agreed, are an exceptional group of students.  I hope everyone had a terrific evening meeting Year 7 teachers and other parents.

Melwood Hike Challenges the Old Man!

I am truly requiring a rest over Easter after attending the Melwood Hike with two classes of Years 9 and 10 students.  It is a relief to report that despite his age Mr Rowan Cameron completed this challenging hike without holding up the team to any significant extent.  Mr Cameron mentioned to the students that they should be in awe of me completing the hike, since I am apparently not young anymore.  This was a great challenge for all of us and as well as becoming more appreciative of our wonderful land the students learnt and practiced our school values exceptionally well. 

A Wonderful Story of our Boys Showing the School Values of Empathy and Respect

Liam Hughes, Jerome Hughes and Marcel Pfitzner (German International student) were recently travelling on a Melbourne bound train to attend Moomba.  There was an elderly lady (Patricia) sitting near them who looked to be asleep.   She began to vomit and  it turned out that she had fainted.  The boys raced to her aid along with fellow train passengers.  Liam demonstrated great initiative by promptly calling for the ambulance. 

The button to alert the driver was not working and finally the train stopped at Armadale station.  Marcel also showed initiative by sprinting  from the back of the train to the driver to alert him regarding  the situation.  After stopping the train, Patricia was guided to a seat on the platform, conscious now but continuing to vomit.   The boys all volunteered to look after Patricia so everyone could go about their day even though they had other friends waiting at Moomba for them. They comforted Patricia on the platform for the 40 minutes it took for the ambulance to arrive.  Marcel and Liam called Patricia's family to alert them of the situation.  Jerome acted as the look out for the ambulance.  The ambulance arrived and the boys informed the paramedics of everything they needed to know.  This is a great story that highlights why I know our future is in great hands with such fine young men as described leading the way.  

Working Bee Involves an Eager Group of Parents, Friends and Students

A huge thank you to the many parents, students and friends who came along and volunteered a Sunday morning at our recent working bee.  A terrific amount of energy and enthusiasm was devoted to mulching, weeding and hedge trimming.  As a result, our grounds are looking better than ever with great attendance of parents and students. 

Don’t forget to book online for the Parent Students Teacher (PST) Conferences early next term.  If you are having trouble making a booking please feel free to ring our ever helpful office staff. 

Wishing everyone a wonderful relaxing Easter with family and friends.

Mr John Albiston

Principal