Associate Principals' Report 

We want our students to tell us what they think!

We value student voice as a means to improving student engagement, wellbeing, and quality teaching and learning, and are conducting a survey to find out what our students think about their school. This year we have already held student workshops with students from each Year Level to discuss data from previous years in order to help inform decisions about improvements to the teaching and learning at Fairhills. Continuing to collect this feedback is an important part of this ongoing process of reflection.

The AtoSS is an annual student survey offered by the Department of Education and Training to assist our school to gain an understanding of students' perceptions and experience of school. Students will be asked about their thoughts and feelings in relation to their school, their learning, peer relationships, bullying and life in general. 

Students from Year 7 to Year 12 will participate in the survey. They will complete the survey online during school hours using a purpose built secure online survey tool.  It is important to note that we are not in any way “testing” students. Each student has the right to refuse or withdraw from the survey at any time, but we would appreciate their participation (and need and value each response). 

Each student will be provided with a unique login to complete the survey. The student login is an assigned identifier that may be used to link data for statistical and research purposes only. All responses to the survey are kept anonymous in the response file. Personal identification data will not be recorded in the survey response file. This ensures that the confidentiality of your child’s responses is protected at all times.

This year the Attitudes to School survey will be conducted at our school over the period Monday 31 May to Friday 11 June. The survey takes around 20-45 minutes to complete and occurs during your child's class time. The survey results will be reported back to the school in an aggregate form throughout the survey period. All survey data that is made available in reports are for groups of students only so that no individual student can be identified. 

This Student Survey is part of a series of data collection forms schools undertake each year, including a Teacher Survey and Parent Survey, which will be conducted later in the year.

If you would like more information, please contact the school or visit: https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/data-collection-surveys/guidance/attitudes-school-survey

Paul Donaldson

Associate Principal 

Professional Development Day - Fairhills High School Instructional Model

The school held an engaging Professional Development Day last week.  Staff participated in a range of activities including the final development of the Fairhills High School Instructional Model.  The model is a set of guidelines, or strategies, on which the approaches to teaching and learning are agreed upon by all staff.  This model reflects best teaching and learning practices for staff and students.  We are confident that the model will result in a higher level of consistently in teachers’ classroom practices.

Mobile Phones

We are aware that there are students who have their mobile phones out during the school day.  The regulations around mobile phones are as follows:

• Students who choose to bring mobile phones to school are required to have them switched off and securely stored in their Lockers during school hours (8.40am to 3.07pm)
• Exceptions to this policy may be applied if certain conditions are met (see below for further information)
• When urgent contact is necessary, parents or carers are able to reach their child by calling the school office (97585022) any time during the school day. Non-urgent contact can be achieved by sending a text message which the student can read when they switch their phone on at the end of the day (3.07pm).
• Student learning is not disadvantaged by this rule as clocks are provided in most room and all students can access the internet during class time using their laptop computers which all students are expected to bring to all classes.

Personal Mobile Phone Use

In accordance with the Department’s Mobile Phones Policy issued by the Minister for Education, personal mobile phones must not be used at Fairhills High School during school hours, including lunchtime and recess, unless an exception has been granted.

Where a student has been granted an exception, the student must use their mobile phone for the purpose for which the exception was granted, and in a safe, ethical and responsible manner.

Please refer to the Fairhills High School Mobile Phone Policy

Karen Dean

Associate Principal