Half a year gone already!

Congratulations to our staff and students for all their positivity, energy, and contributions to the school in Semester 1 this year. There have been some challenging times with illness and wet weather at times but so much has been going on for students and school community!

Some of the successes we celebrate with our school community include:

An outstanding school production of Sweeney Todd
School Athletics Carnival (highest attendance and participation in years)
Year 8 Summit Camp (without huge numbers of COVID cases!)
Return of the mid-year year 10 and 11 exams
Vocal Evening
Junior and Senior Winter Concerts
Year 11 Drama Night
Year 12 Formal
Year 11 Study Skills program
Year 9 Morrisby Interviews
School Open Afternoon
IDAHOBIT Day
Solar Car and Robotics Programs
Band Camp
Year 12 GAT
Year 8 RAISE Mentoring (15 students for 6 months)
Active lunchtime clubs
Numerous student excursions across subject areas
Chess competitions
Lunchtime market stalls and music performances
Staff versus Student lunchtime sport competitions in the gym
Successful School Financial Audit (external auditors) – great results!
Successful compliance audit with the Victorian Qualifications and School Registration Authority (VRQA) of the Minimum Standards and Child Safe Standards
International Students Program Audit

Parent engagement with the school

We are committed to improving our partnerships with parents at Box Hill High School and are keen to hear feedback from our diverse community of parents and carers about how to make the school more accessible and connect more with our parents. We know from some of the feedback collated from the School Council parent feedback forums run in Term four last year that there are some areas of the school, including student reports and parent communication, where there is room for improvement.

Annual Report to the Community

Every year, we produce an Annual Report to the Community that highlights the successes in student achievement, engagement, and wellbeing for the previous year. You can access this Report on the school website and there is the opportunity for parents to attend an information (and Q&A) presentation of this report and the school performance data on Thursday 20 July at 5pm – 5.30pm. This will be run on the same night as the VCE Expo. Interested parents can register their attendance on the Trybooking link below.

Parent Nights for Term 3

Thursday 13 July – online parent subject selection presentations (separate for each year level)
Wednesday 19 July – VCE Expo at the school (5.00-6.30pm) for all Year 9-11 students and parents
Wednesday 19 July – Annual Report to the Community onsite presentation (see item with trybooking link)
Wednesday 19 July – Box Hill HS Art Show in the School Hall (3.00pm – 6.30pm)
Thursday 31 August – Connected Parenting with Lael Stone Parent Night
Wed 16th August - GAPP parents meeting (Pathways)
Tuesday 12th September – Spring Concert at the Box Hill Town Hall

Improving the school

Updated Box Hill HS Homework Policy – currently under review and final policy to be communicated to all students and families in Term 3.
Year 7 Assessment Schedules – All Year 7 students and families will now have a semester assessment grid that provides a clear overview of major assessment tasks in each subject. This will help our Year 7 students plan their weeks and allow parents to support their children prepare and meet deadlines.
Term 2 holiday break works– establishing 4-square courts around the school and more outdoor furniture for students. School signage will be installed around the perimeter of the school, including along Whitehorse and Middleborough Roads.
More choices for Year 9 and Year 10 students in 2024 subject selection – as part of our focus on improving student engagement in Year 9 and 10, next year more electives will be offered at Year 9 and 10, and Year 10 students will have the opportunity to choose semester-based subjects to allow them to explore more areas of study and personal strengths. Parents and students should refer to the new course handbooks for more information.
Student Reports – we are undertaking a review of the current student reports, including Compass learning tasks in semester 2 based on parent feedback. We will be seeking parent input next term to improve our reporting on student achievement and learning growth.

Toilet upgrade update

It was such a relief to see the earlier issues with the construction contract resolved between the VSBA and the builders and to see renovations resume in the remaining male and female staff and student toilet blocks. I have been regularly meeting with the Department to ensure that progress is being made. The latest information is that these renovated and upgraded toilets will be open in July (start of Term 3) and we can see the end of the temporary toilet blocks at the school!

The works on the additional block for males and female students (due to the increase enrolment numbers over the last 10 years) will begin in semester two.

I’m sure all staff and students will be so happy to finally have these upgraded toilets open!

Good news - changes to time-in-lieu and camps

We are very excited to hear that the Victorian Government has allocated additional funding of $29 million per year ongoing to support the running of camps in schools. This is good news indeed and will allow us to continue to run camps without significant financial burden to the school.

In 2024 we will be running the following camps:

Year 7 Orientation Camp to Mt Eliza
Year 9 Camp – TBC this camp has moved from Year 8 to Year 9 for 2024 so there is a camp at each sub school
Band Camp
Year 10 Duke of Edinburgh Camp
Year 11 Central Australia Camp
Year 12 Retreat

We continue to investigate future overseas camps and opportunities to run camps at each year level. Staffing camps remains a challenge as they require high numbers of staff willing to attend. Staff have expressed concerns about COVID and disruption to their senior classes. The Principal team and Sub School leaders are currently exploring opportunities.

How do we manage and respond to student behaviour incidents?

At Box Hill High School, we have always prioritised student wellbeing and respectful behaviour in and out of class to maximise student outcomes, social-emotional development and to ensure students want to come here. It is essential that schools provide a safe and orderly environment for good teaching and learning to occur. Schools are the sites of identity formation, and we are experienced in supporting a diversity of student needs – either in learning, behaviour and mental health.

There are times when there are behaviours that are of high concern, and we are very responsive in addressing these incidents to ensure that there are appropriate supports and actions. We involve parents and other external agencies to better support the diverse needs of our students and take our responsibility of raising good citizens very seriously.

To ensure that we provide a positive climate for learning we have:

Established large, experienced sub school teams and wellbeing team to support all students – resourcing the time and staff necessary to provide responsive actions, follow-up, and ongoing support for students.
Clear policies and processes for promoting and responding to student misbehaviour including the student code of conduct, student engagement, discipline, and classroom management (Polices including the BHHS School Engagement Policy are available on the school website, and excerpts in the student diary).
Followed up on all known incidents that impact the psychological and physical safety of our students.
Established student support groups, parent meetings, and Individual Education Plans (including attendance, safety, and behaviour plans).
Identified and supported students who require case-management for additional needs.
Partnered with allied health professionals and other professionals to better support students at risk.
Educated students on the impact of bullying, cyberbullying, and prejudice (including racism).
Adhered to Child Safe Policies and Duty of Care (policies available on the school website)
Provided professional development for teachers and coordinators on classroom. management, trauma-informed education, teen mental health, restorative practices, and Child Safe Standards.
Explicit expectations of our ‘no-tolerance’ stance on bullying, violence, racism, sexism, and homophobia.
Incorporated Respectful Relationships curriculum into our RESPECT wellbeing programs.
A strong focus on inclusive education and education of the whole-child.
School values that drive our work – respect, resilience, growth, and creativity.
Adhered to all Department of Education policies and procedures with reporting and management of critical incidents.

For any serious incidents the following actions are also taken:

A report is made to the Department’s Incident Support and Operations Centre (ISOC).
A report is made to the police when there is any criminal activity (assault, drugs, vandalism, weapons etc) .
A mandatory report is made to Child Protection with any suspected child abuse or family violence.

Schools are provided Education Department guidance and supports, including legal and wellbeing (psychologists and other).

Positive partnerships with parents

We strongly value our positive relationships with our parents and seek to work together to raise respectful and well-rounded people who contribute positively to their communities. All schools have experienced some challenging student behaviours following the events of recent years, and we are focused on supporting all our students to be the best they can be. Parents are encouraged to contact the relevant Year Level Coordinators when there are any concerns about learning, wellbeing or school attendance and we will ensure supports are put in place.

We also ask that parents support school consequences when their child has behaved in ways that breach our student code of conduct or behavioural expectations and not undermine the school by dismissing some behaviours as ‘just joking around’ or justifying why some behaviours are warranted. We care for all our students and strive to make balanced decisions that allow students to learn but also to stop unwanted behaviours in our community. As all parents know, raising teenagers can be tricky at times and they might not always show the empathy and understanding we would like, and some have low self-regulation. We utilise a number of strategies to guide and monitor behaviour, including student behaviour improvement goals and we have had many successes in behaviour improvement.

We welcome parent communication and feedback on how to better support their child at Box Hill High School 😊

Staffing Update

We say farewell to some of our teachers at the end of this term and in the coming term:

Congratulations to Ms. Bear, Ms. Sporri, Ms. Muston, and Ms. Ioannides – they will be taking family leave with the arrival of a new baby!
Farewell to Ms Sorenson and Ms. Labib who will be retiring – thank-you for your many years at Box Hill High School. You will be much missed!

Welcome to our new Assistant Principal – Mr. Greg Breese

Mr. Breese has been a School Leader and Head of Mathematics in Glen Waverley Secondary College for many years, and we are very excited to have him join Box Hill High School in Semester two.

Principal Team Semester 2:

Principal – Kellie Ind

Assistant Principal – Shareen Bottrell

Assistant Principal – Greg Breese

Acting Assistant Principal – Nathaniel Smith

Alumni News

Congratulations to Keith Skilbeck (a past student) for receiving an Order of Australia Medal in the King’s Birthday Honours List this year for his service to the Croydon and Mooroolbark communities. On behalf of the school, congratulations Keith!

Adult Learning Courses