Links
I had the honour and privilege of attending The Head of the Schoolgirls’ Regatta in Geelong last weekend. The regatta is the pinnacle event of the schoolgirl rowing season in Victoria, and one of the most prestigious rowing competitions in Australia. Constituted in 1984, it has grown into the largest schoolgirls’ regatta in the country, bringing together more than 2,200 girls from over 45 schools each year. Its inclusive nature reflects the spirit of the event, where athletes of all backgrounds come together to celebrate teamwork, dedication, and athletic achievement.
This year, Footscray High School is one of the very few State schools who have a rowing program. Over the weekend six of our school’s rowing crews had the honour of participating in this renowned event. I would like to extend our warm congratulations to all the rowers for their outstanding performances and perseverance. Your commitment to demonstrating our school Pillars of Unity, Respect, Creativity and Endeavour was truly inspiring.
A special thank you also goes to the Kasey Jobling our rowing coach and the parents who supported our teams along the banks. Your encouragement and dedication play a crucial role in our athletes’ success, and we are deeply grateful for your continued involvement. We look forward to the continued growth and success of our rowing program in the future!
I am thrilled to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the newly elected members of our Student Leadership Collective! This dedicated group of students has shown outstanding commitment and passion for making a difference in our school community.
Year 12: Sylvie W, Noah R, Herbie G, Jennifer N
Year 11: Molly S, Cara M, Jarvis R
Year 10: Scully H, Leila T
Year 9 Barkly: Celine T, Zahra A, Thomas E
Year 9 Pilgrim: Treowe L, Lucy T
Year 8 Barkly: William R, Freya H
Year 8 Pilgrim: Olive S, Gabe M
Year 7 Barkly: Vivienne P, Joshua G
Year 7 Pilgrim: Cooper E, Anna L
The Student Leadership Collective plays a vital role in shaping our school culture, organising events, and ensuring that student voices are heard. We are confident that this dynamic team will bring fresh ideas, enthusiasm, and a strong sense of responsibility to their roles.
We look forward to seeing all the great things they will accomplish this year and are excited to support them as they work towards creating a positive and inclusive environment for everyone.
Once again, congratulations to all the Student Leadership Collective members.
Jillian English
Acting Executive Principal
What an absolutely thrilling weekend for FHS Rowing at the prestigious Head of the Schoolgirls’ Regatta in Geelong! Our incredible athletes brought their A-game, and we are so proud of their performances against some of the biggest and best rowing schools in the country. Here’s how our six FHS crews performed:
A huge shoutout to all of the amazing and supportive parents who came out from dawn till dusk, through the rain and the sun, to cheer on FHS and all the other crews. Your energy and encouragement mean everything to our athletes, and we couldn’t have done it without you!
And a special thank you to Principal Jillian English, who took time out of her weekend to come down and support our rowers. Your presence and encouragement were truly appreciated by everyone!
All of our rowers gave their absolute best, putting on an impressive display against some tough competition. But guess what? The season isn’t over yet! This weekend, our rowers will be racing at the Footscray Saltwater Regatta on the Maribyrnong River, just down from Kinnear Campus. If you have some free time, come out and cheer them on! Drop an email to the rowing account, and Kasey will send out race times once the draw is released on Thursday. We’d love to see you there this Saturday supporting our amazing FHS rowers!
Let’s keep this momentum going – the best is yet to come!
Our talented VCE Theatre Studies students have been working tirelessly to bring Lord of the Flies to life. As directors, actors, and designers, they are taking full creative control to craft a bold and innovative interpretation of the play. From intense rehearsals to intricate design work, every aspect of the production is driven by their passion, talent, and dedication. Expect striking visuals, raw performances, and a fresh perspective that makes this story more powerful than ever.
A group of students crash on a deserted island, free from rules and authority. What starts as an adventure quickly turns into a brutal fight for survival as they form rival factions, struggle for power, and descend into savagery. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a timeless exploration of human nature, civilisation, and chaos – a story as relevant today as ever.
Don’t miss the opportunity to support these hardworking students and witness their incredible efforts on stage.
Playing May 1st–3rd at the Kinnear Campus Theatre.
Tickets available now at TryBooking.com.
Tickets are very limited, book your seats today and experience Lord of the Flies like never before!
On Friday 7th of March, two ofour Yr 12 students, Max B and Jaydon C participated in the annual Beach Schools Cup, organised by Volleyball Victoria at South Melbourne Beach.
Participation in this event was organised by Max B, as part of his ongoing Community Engagement Project, which forms the core of his studies for the VCE Vocational Major Pathway. His project is targeted toward the need for increased student participation in school-based sporting events, as over the years there has been a decline in the number of events and overall sport participation. But with the help of teachers and the community, it’s more than possible to foster a resurgence in sport, tapping into Footscray’s history (both as FCC and Gilmore College) of diverse engagement in sporting events.
Despite the quick organisation of FHS’ participation, and the minimal training undertaken by Max and Jaydon, they were able to exceed all our expectations, and place in the top 16 for the Yr 12 Boys competition, ranking 9th place overall. This is an outstanding achievement, highlighting the Endeavour and Creativity of students at FHS, and has helped lay the groundwork for future collaboration between Footscray High School and Volleyball Victoria.
With luck, there will be further participation on volleyball competitions later this year, so if any members of the School Community wish to be involved, be on the lookout for future emails and posts on Compass. Also, if you have any questions or inequities, please contact Adrian Panckhurst (Learning Area Leader – Vocational Education) at adrian.panckhurst@footscray.vic.edu.au.
Well done to the intermediate boys and girls at the divisional tennis tournament today. The boys won every match securing a spot in the Regional Final held at the famous Geelong Lawn Tennis Club.The girls won 1 match and lost 1 match. They had many great rallies and games throughout the day.Flynn, Eney, Oscar, Mark & Bond will be representing the FHS boys team next round on May 12th in Term 2. Congrats and good luck boys.
A perfect day for Cricket at McIvor reserve saw Captain Matt A take charge and lead the fellas into the final against Southern Cross.The first game was the Atari L show dismantling Creekside with 6-6 and a hat trick ball in the first game backed up with Jed G top scoring hitting 42 not out, Matt A and Hudson V with supportive knocks at the other end. Into the final against Southern Cross, Matt A was our pick of the bowlers with Southern Cross setting 121 for the win. Matt and Atari opened with a 50-run partnership before Jed hitting a few majors made the last couple of overs juicy, with 10 required off the last 3 balls, we fell just short with Hudson hitting a late big 6 to go down narrowly by 8 runs.
Always great fun out in the middle with the fellas, best of luck to our skipper Matt A who is off to play under-16 national Hockey in Adelaide later this term.
16 Year 9/10 girls modelled school spirit and teamwork on the volleyball courts at Recwest this week. Final scores don’t capture the serving prowess or the overall improvement shown by both teams as they made their opponents face fierce competition across the fixture. Our Year 9 team won their second game in straight sets to end the day on a high. Congratulations to everyone for a great day out repping the black and red.
The year 9 & 10 mixed volleyball teams battled it out on Thursday but were unfortunate not to make it through to the next round. Some amazing skill was on display! The year 9s were unlucky to not pick up a win as they faced some really tough and organised opponents, next year they will be looking for redemption. The year 10s fought hard for their 1 victory, and were really unlucky not to make it through to the final, one of the best volleyball sides I’ve seen at Footscray High School.
A massive thank you goes out to all students that came along on the day, you should all be extremely proud of yourselves!
Girls Volleyball: Barkly team won against Yarrabing with Evie M starring but not making the final. Crystal L being the standout for the Pilgrim team but both teams not making the finals.
Year 8 Tennis: The boys were unsuccessful in their pool games, but Malaki was a standout performer winning his singles matches.
Year 8 Cricket: Boys were close but not close enough going down narrowly to Braybrook and then Yarrabing. Reuben F was a standout with the bat, Logan H was excellent with the ball as well as Ned H captained the side.
Boys Volleyball: The fellas also went down in the pool games but can hold their heads high as they improved as the day went on taking their last game to a tiebreaker.
A day enjoyed by all, thanks to Khadir, Kathryn and Robbie for leading the sports in the lovely March sun.
On Thursday 13th and Friday 14th Pilgrim and Barkly Year 8s travelled to the surf coast for lessons as Torquay, Anglesea and Ocean Grove.
Expect instruction provided by Go Ride A Wave saw students standing on the feet and their heads by the end of the session.
Excellent to see the students being challenged, encouraging each other and whooping every time they caught a wave.
To celebrate Harmony Week, our Kinnear library staff created a ‘Recipes for Harmony’ display, to showcase some of the multicultural cookbooks we have available for loan to inspire your tastebuds. These books are all available to borrow, and there are plenty more on the shelves and in our junior campus libraries as well.
If videos are more your style, then we have some fabulous foodie programs available to watch on ClickView. ClickView is our school’s educational video and film streaming service that all FHS students and staff can access 24/7. It’s basically like Netflix for schools, containing thousands of curriculum related programs that staff can share with students.
Where possible, we’ve added links to the recipes from the programs in the video descriptions. Some highlights include (click the titles to go to that page):
Food Safari: Maeve O’Meara travels around Australia, taking you into kitchens and restaurants to showcase the multicultural feasts on offer. 45 episodes available in the original series, with multiple offshoot series.
Kriol Kitchen: Blending food, culture, and family stories, sisters Ali and Mitch Torres sample the culinary delights of Broome, a melting pot of Aboriginal Australia and Asian influences. 11 episodes available.
Middle East Feast: Melbourne-based Maltese-Australian chef Shane Delia sets out on a journey through an array of Middle Eastern dishes, from Turkey to Oman, Israel & Lebanon. 10 episodes available.
Strait to the Plate: Aaron Fa’aosa sets out on a journey to discover signature Torres Strait Islander cuisine, providing a snapshot of the food, people, and life of the tropical region. 11 episodes available
…and many more are available in the Food Technology/Hospitality folder!
If students are unsure of how to log in to ClickView, they can follow these instructions or email Meg MacFarlane.
Happy cooking!
A reminder to any budding writers out there that the Insight Writing Competition opened yesterday and submissions can be entered until Sept 1st. Entry is free and cash prizes are up for grabs for each year level, so if you’re interested, you can download the Conditions of Entry and Submission Form here.
Finally, below are some links to find a range of other student opportunities throughout the year:
Student clubs and activities (school events)
Student events and opportunities (external events)
From the FHS Library Team
Our students were asked to create designs for their school house crests. We had some incredibly creative entries and the winners are below!
Winner! Lu A, Y12, Ngamayi
Second place, Mila C, Y11, Wurru-Wurru
Third place, Hartley T, Y9, Yaluk
Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy and the Schools’ Privacy Collection Notice.
Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy, describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn.
For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ privacy policy: information for parents. This information is also available in ten community languages: