From the Principal

Dear Parents, Staff, Students and Friends

This term has been a roller coaster of great success, challenges to face and sadness.  However our sense of community has never been stronger with students, staff, and friends, joining together to celebrate achievements and care for one another during the more difficult times.  Life does throw us curve balls which we have to deal with but I fondly quote one of our younger students who said ‘Frankston High School remains a beacon of hope and light for us all’. 

Senior Stage Band Star at Cruden Farm Thrilling Audience!

Our Senior Stage Band certainly have not lost their touch over the holidays.  They were the star performers at Cruden Farm a few weeks ago.  A huge audience were in attendance to appreciate our talented young people (I also include our teachers in that statement!).   The combination of our magnificent band with the beauty of the Cruden Farm gardens certainly made for a wonderful twilight event.  Many thanks to Mr De Bruin, Mr Sharp and Mr Duniam who gave up weekend time to ensure our students had this great opportunity. Music is thriving at Frankston High School with almost 70 Year 7 students joining our training band.

Rowing Team:  State Champions

Many thanks to our rowing coaches, Mrs Mary Hunter and Mr Glenn Fischmann whose unbelievable commitment in coaching our rowing teams enables our students to participate in this great sport.  These coaches take our students for training at 6am in the morning when most of us are tucked away in bed and also support our students in entering events during the holidays and weekends to help them develop their skills and fitness to an elite level.  Frankston High School recently had a number of rowing crews compete in the SSV and Head of School Girls Regattas. 

A particular highlight of the events was the results of our senior girls crew. Saskia Dekker, Bethany Mainland, Louise Kelly and Elizabeth Simpson recorded the school's first ever State Title win in the Senior Quadruple Scull at the SSV Regatta. This is a phenomenal achievement.

I also cheered for our girls’ teams at the Head of School Girls Regatta, which is the largest regatta of its type in the Southern Hemisphere.  I was so proud of our students, who were very competitive against all of the elite private schools from across Victoria.  Thanks to our dedicated teachers, we are one of the few government schools able to offer rowing as a sport.

Students Selected To Attend Prestigious School In Japan

Congratulations to Leo Pregnell and Dylan Sbogar, both of Year 10, who have been selected to attend the highly esteemed Fukuoka Daiichi High School in Fukuoka City in Japan.   They are off for 9 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.   

Frankston High School: Yet Again Division Champions In Sport!

Thanks very much to Ms Tierney, Ms Molloy, Ms Shepherd, Ms Burgess and Ms Douglas, who led our champion team of elite swimmers to triumph at the Division Swimming Sports last week. Thanks especially to Ms Anderson for expertly convening this event.     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.  It is also exciting that all of our sports teams apart from one over the last few weeks have reigned supreme as Division Champions and are off to compete at a regional level.  However, it is not all about winning, it is about maximum participation and learning good sportsmanship, making lifelong friends and discovering the importance of leading a fit and healthy lifestyle which is our priority at Frankston High School.  

Elite Student Athletes do Frankston High School Proud in National and State Championships

Recently a squad of talented student athletes competed in the Australian Junior Track & Field Championships in Sydney.  Congratulations to Lawson Power (Year 11), Jordan McConchie (Year 11), Cassie Cain (Year 10), Daniel Vella (Year 10), Brad Butler (Year 9),   Lewis Bailey (Year 9), Kaelah Elvish (Year 9), Isabella Phanivong (Year 8), Ronin Barrett (Year 7), Charlotte Cain (Year 7),   and  who together achieved a number of first, second, third and fourth places.  We also had our boys relay team compete last weekend in the Schools Relay Challenge at the IAAF Melbourne World Challenge.  They were competing against the most elite private schools in the state and furthermore they won.  Accolades to Lawson Power (Year 11), Matt LaFontaine (Year 11), Patrick Coates (Year 11)and Lewis Bailey (Year 9).  I am in awe of these students’ dedication and talents that place them up there with the best in Australia.  They would not get this far if it was not for devoted parents and our fantastic teacher and coach, Ms Chloe Edwards, a former National Athletic Champion, who has supported these students with coaching and training regimes and competition opportunities on weekends and school holidays. 

Eco Team of Students Raising Awareness of Environmental Impact on Bay

Our Eco team of students, led so passionately by their environmentally conscious teacher Mr Brendan McKinnon, have undertaken a study of the impact of plastic on our bay beaches.  They have found that many of the small particles on the beach are actually plastic and the toxins from these plastics are being consumed by marine life and humans.  Their discovery was published in the local paper to raise awareness.  Also their enthusiasm enabled the film ‘The Baykeepers’ to be viewed by all Years 7 to 10 students recently.  Hopefully all members of the Frankston High School community will ensure they dispose of plastic properly so it doesn’t end up in the bay. See The Baykeeper  article. Due to this team’s efforts they have been awarded a $1,000 scholarship by the St Kilda Eco Centre and Polperro Dolphin Swims to take part in a dolphin cruise!  

Tiana Atkinson; Champion Cricketer and Environmentalist

Tiana Atkinson (Year 7),in her role as Dolphin Research Institute Ambassador,recently was a presenter in opening the Australian Coastal Council’s Conference on 7 March.  Tiana, apart from being a dedicated environmentalist is a talented all round cricketer and has been the first girl ever to be selected for the Mornington Peninsula Cricket Association UK tour in 2016.  If you wish to read more about Tiana please follow this link: http://www.cricketvictoria.com.au/news/article/terrific-tiana-goes-to-the-uk

Patrick Coates receives Victorian School Award

Patrick Coates (Year 11) has been honoured recently by receiving a Victorian School Sports Award. Such an award recognises excellence in sport.  Patrick receives this award for his outstanding achievements in hockey.  We wish him every success as he prepares to represent Australia at World Championships in Europe in the near future. 

Parent Teacher Student Interviews a Huge Success!

The feedback from parents during parent teacher student interviews has been overwhelmingly positive.  It was impressive to see most students with their parents for the interviews as required.  Such a three way conversation is critical in forming a strong partnership between home and school to support our students in striving for ongoing improvement. A huge attendance clearly demonstrates that our community values learning and this is why our students frequently achieve beyond our expectations. 

Working Bee – Staff, Parents And Students Make It A Great Success!

Thank you for the exceptional turn up of staff, parents and students to our recent Working Bee.  A great deal of effort resulted in significant improvements to the school grounds. It was wonderful to see the friendship and enthusiasm as parents, staff, students and friends worked tirelessly alongside one another. This high aerobic activity certainly saved a trip to the gym.  Special thanks to Ms Lee Anne Smith, who worked with great energy and enthusiasm to organise this event.   Thanks especially to all those new families who attended.  We hope to see you at the next Working Bee in Term 2. 

Osaka High and Osaka Seikei Girls High School Enjoy Their Stay 

Over the last ten days, we have had the pleasure of hosting staff and students from Osaka Seikei Girls High School.  Thank you to our host families and students for your warm welcome and especially for generously opening your homes to host.  Our visitors enjoyed their stay due to the wonderful support and friendship offered by our students and their families.  I am sure this has once again proven to be worthwhile intercultural exchange for everyone.  We remain indebted to Mrs Anne Thomson for her excellent coordination of this most successful visit.

In Conclusion

We have had a frenetic term of learning with students and teachers making every precious moment count.  I hope everyone has some time to relax and enjoy family and friends over Easter.  

Stay safe and I look forward to welcoming you back for another term of excellence in teaching and learning at Frankston High School. 

John Albiston