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Footscray High School Council carries ultimate responsibility for setting the direction and ethos of the school. It decides on broad policy issues and oversees the structure of the school’s curriculum. Success of the School depends very much upon the efforts of a united and effective School Council. Representatives are expected to consult with others so that the views of the school community, rather than those of an individual, are reflected in the decisions of Council.
Each member of council serves for a two-year term before being eligible for re-election. Half of the members retire each year, hence the need for annual elections. A notice of election for 2025 was posted on Compass on Wednesday 19 February.
Footscray High School will be engaging in a School Review in Term 2 this year. Once every four years a review is conducted in every government school.
A panel for the Review that represents the school community will be formed to guide the process. Good schools regularly evaluate their progress, celebrate their success and look for further opportunities for improvement. As part of the review the school community will have the opportunity to participate in the review process. This opportunity will be offered to families early in Term 2.
The outcome of the Review will be the development of the School Strategic Plan for the next four years.
Jillian English
Acting Executive Principal
Last weekend’s Nagambie Regatta proved to be a true test of resilience for our senior rowers, as harsh winds swept across the open lake, making the 2000m course a serious challenge. With conditions deteriorating throughout the day, racing was suspended before ultimately being cancelled for small boats in the afternoon.
Despite the tough conditions, Tom and Charlie were the only Footscray High crew to complete a full day of racing—an impressive feat considering that two boats in the races before them tipped over.
Meanwhile, Aster and May bravely raced up a category in the School Girl Doubles, putting up a strong fight despite the crosswinds pushing them dramatically across the course. Commentators even noted that they may have covered an extra 100m as they were blown from lane 6 to lane 3 mid-race!
In the singles, Levi put in a gutsy performance, placing second in his heat to qualify for the A final—only for the worsening conditions to force its cancellation. Similarly, Indiana and Renne were unable to race as their events fell victim to the weather.
While the conditions were far from ideal, Footscray High’s athletes showed incredible determination and adaptability, proving they are more than capable of handling whatever race day throws their way. A fantastic effort from all—on to the next regatta!
This Saturday, 22nd March, our Footscray High School rowers will take to the water in Geelong for the 2025 RV Junior & Inter Schoolgirls State Championships. With just one regatta under their belts, our athletes are eager to bring their growing experience and determination to this highly competitive event.
Representing Footscray High will be two single scullers, Sophia (Year 9) and Aster (Year 10), a Year 9 double made up of Lillianne and Pip, and a Year 9 quad featuring Izzy and Ada, Matilda, Hazel, and coxswain CC. Each crew has been training hard, fine-tuning their technique and race strategies after their season debut.
With one regatta behind us, we head into this championship event with more confidence, experience, and a hunger to perform at our absolute best. Best of luck to all our rowers—let’s make it a regatta to remember!
We are excited to be celebrating the 100-year Barkly Campus 2025 centenary this year by holding an array of fabulous events to involve past students and staff, our students, staff and the whole community – and acknowledge, while we are at it, the fifth-year anniversary of Footscray High School with the graduation of our first Year 12 students this year!
A Centenary Celebration Working party, headed by Jill & Oki, has formed up with current staff and former girls school students. We have also been consulting with key stakeholders such as Friends of FHS and the Footscray Historical Society. So far we have a Morning Tea event scheduled for Wednesday 4 June for former staff and students involving our current students, and a bigger whole of campus community event on a Sunday mid year with the date to be shortly confirmed. We will keep you posted on several other exciting initiatives happening around this.
Please see the link below for a history of the background of Footscray High School being the seventh school operating in a school setting that has educated our next generations for the past 100 years!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/13atvged56K4EEWyN_5kjmZaaU2us7kKV/edit
As part of the Community Inquiry Project, all Year 9 students participate in a unique and hands-on Farm Intensive, focusing on food production and food inequality. Based at the school Farm, this program offers students the opportunity to cultivate fresh produce while exploring the broader issues of food security and access to nutritious food.
A key aspect of the intensive is the partnership with the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC). Students not only gain valuable farming skills but also contribute directly to the community by donating fresh, school-grown produce to those in need. This year, students have successfully harvested and delivered over 50 kilograms of vegetables and herbs, including zucchini, chili, citrus, basil, cucumber, and other seasonal produce.
Through this experience, students engage in meaningful discussions about the challenges many communities face in accessing fresh, healthy food. They also reflect on the impact of sustainable farming and how small-scale efforts can create significant change. The program encourages critical thinking, teamwork, and responsibility, as students care for crops from planting to harvest.
Beyond the hands-on farming experience, the intensive fosters a strong sense of social responsibility. Seeing their produce go directly to those facing hardship allows students to connect deeply with the issue of food inequality and develop a greater appreciation for the role they can play in supporting their community.
We are happy to announce our 2025 Photo Days!
Photos will be available for parents to order via Compass. When this becomes available, a Compass post will be made with information on how to order photos.
Huge congratulations to a former student, Eddy Edwards, on being accepted into Top Arts – Season of Excellence at the National Gallery of Victoria! This is an outstanding achievement and a testament to their talent, dedication, and hard work in the Art Making and Exhibiting class.We are incredibly proud of Eddy and can’t wait to see their artwork showcased at the NGV. Well done!
Each year on February 14th, libraries around Australia celebrate Library Lovers’ Day, and the FHS Library team joins in the fun. We encourage students to fall in love with books; the stories, characters and authors. Last week, our junior students nominated books they love which were then anonymously displayed for other students to “take out” on a blind date. At Kinnear, students were encouraged to “Read Your Heart Out”. FHS Staff reading crushes were revealed to all when we asked, “Who do you love?” and made a little video from the responses. We remind students that they can always find love in the library, from stories with happily-ever-afters to broken hearts and everything in between.
Has your VCE student checked out our 3-Day-Loan section in Kinnear library? It’s full of subject specific study guides and supplemental resources for many VCE subjects, with a large range of Checkpoints newly added this term. This is a relatively new collection but we’re always adding new resources, and we’re planning to introduce more alternative textbooks to those booklisted this year. A great section to check out when you need to revise or study for a SAC / exam.
We will shortly be calling for nominations from students interested in public speaking to enter the annual Wynspeak competition. Two students will be selected from each campus to represent FHS in both prepared and impromptu speeches. The competition will be held in May at the Altona Civic Centre. Interested students should start writing some ideas now! For more information, they can see any of the library staff at their campus.
The library team also ensures our community stays informed of a range of student opportunities. You can save the links below to follow what’s on throughout the year:
Student clubs and activities (school events)
Student events and opportunities (external events)
Students who would like to connect with others via shared interests and hobbies can speak to library staff about starting a social club. This is a great way to find new friends from different classes and year levels. We’ve seen friendships form over crafts, games, music, trivia, puzzles and more. We’re happy to help with finding a space, materials and advertising.
From the FHS Library Team
On the 5th of February, local author Maxine Beneba-Clarke gave a talk to our Year 12 English cohort to help inspire their creative writing for their first major assessment task of the year.
Maxine gave our Year 12 cohort great advice on writing with an authentic voice and drawing upon local place and identity in creative writing.
We thank Maxine for her time and well done to our Year 12’s for your engagement and thoughtful questions about the writing process.
Brendan Fry (Learning Area Leader – Senior English)
Nicole De Garis (Learning Area Leader – EAL)
Tennis selection and training has started for term 1 at the Barkly Campus, Tuesday mornings from 7.30am.
So far we have had a great turn out, with students from all 3 campuses playing and training with FHS’s best.
If you are still interested in playing for FHS this term please let Robbie Spencer know.
Attendance Reminder
Students are expected to be at school. If your child is absent, it is the responsibility of parents and Guardians to record reasons for their child’s absence via the Compass App.
Medical notes
If you are putting up medical appointments as a reason for absence, you will need to provide a medical mote, and this needs to be provided to your child’s Learning Community Leader.
Adding an Attendance Note
For help in adding an attendance note to Compass here is a guide.
Lateness
If your child will be late, a note needs to be added to Compass via a Parent or Guardian.
When your child arrives after being late, they need to check in at the office, so we are aware your child is on Campus in case of emergency.
If your child is late unapproved or unexplained, your child’s attendance will be affected, and your child will receive a detention.
Early Departure
If your child needs to leave early, this needs to be noted on Compass via a pare or guardian prior to your child leaving early so that their teacher van view this not on Compass and allow them to leave at the allocated time.
We would like to remind everyone of the importance of attendance in all year levels. Being on time to all classes is crucial to ensure students receive all necessary information.
Thank you for your ongoing support in the matter.
As part of the Willy Lit Fest, the Young Adas prize is now open. This prize is open to writers between 14 and 18 years of age who live, work or study in the western suburbs of Melbourne.
Each writer can submit a single story that is no more than 1000 words in length. The winner will receive $250. Applications are open until March 21st, 2025.
Please go to https://www.willylitfest.org.au/home/writing-prizes/ada-cambridge-writing-prizes/ for more information.