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Footscray High School has commenced the new academic year with energy, optimism, and a shared sense of purpose across all campuses.
Students have settled smoothly into routines, demonstrating positive attitudes toward learning. This strong start reflects the dedication of our staff and the culture of high expectations that continues to define Footscray High School.
We would like to acknowledge the support of families and carers who have played a vital role in ensuring students are ready to learn each day. Strong partnerships between home and school remain central to our students’ success.
As we look ahead, Footscray High School remains committed to providing a rich, inclusive, and challenging learning environment for every student. With such a positive start to the year, we are excited about the opportunities ahead and confident that 2026 will be a year of growth, achievement, and shared success.
The achievements of 2025 are a source of inspiration. The VCE results are a credit to the students, their teachers and families. Congratulations to the College Dux of 2025, Francis White, who achieved an ATAR of 99.55.
Footscray High School Celebrates Outstanding Year 12 Results Compass post here.
As a school we are also very proud of our students’ pathways post their secondary education.
Main destinations (VTAC applications only) are:
Australian Catholic University – 6% students
Deakin University – 10% students
La Trobe University – 7% students
Monash University – 8% students
RMIT University – 25% students
Swinburne University of Technology – 9% students
University Of Melbourne – 14% students
Victoria University – 21% students
Congratulations to the Careers Team and all staff for helping our students achieve their goals.
Jillian English
Principal
We hope to see you at our Community Breakfast on Tuesday, 10 February. This will be a wonderful opportunity to meet our staff and connect with other families.
Each campus will host its own event from 9:00am to 9:40am, with classes commencing at 9:50am for Session 2. The Campus Principal’s welcome address will take place at 9:15am.
A selection of egg and bacon rolls, as well as vegetarian and vegan options, will be available. There is no cost for families to attend this event.
We understand that many parents and carers may be working or have other commitments during this time. Please be assured that there will be other opportunities to visit the school throughout the year.
Students whose families are unable to attend are asked to arrive at school at 9:40am, ready for the beginning of Session 2. The remainder of the school day will run as normal.
To help minimise traffic congestion in the local area, we encourage families to walk or ride where possible, as there is no onsite school parking available.
The breakfast will be held at the following locations:
Kinnear Campus: The Cafeteria
Pilgrim Campus: The Hub
Barkly Campus: The Quadrangle
Please RSVP below via the Compass Tix link below:
Barkly – https://compasstix.com/e/1mj3380ds3
Kinnear – https://compasstix.com/e/ueo17z8nqg
Pilgrim – https://compasstix.com/e/py8ui1jwrh
We hope to see you there! Please contact the office on 9112 9500 if you have any issues registering for this event.
Monday 2nd February, Footscray High School came together with our first whole school event: The 2026 Swimming Carnival. Dressed in plenty of house colour our school’s best swimmers showcased their talents and all participants added value to the growing totals for the house cup. Congratulations to Ngamayi (Yellow) House who claimed the day with the winning total of 115 points. WurruWurru in 2nd and Yaluk in 3rd.
Thank you to all students and staff for kicking off the year with a blast.
In the first week of term, all of the year 7 students at each campus were given the chance to try playing a woodwind or brass instrument. Three of our Instrumental Music Teachers, Marc Matthews, Karen Doyle and Chris Brown, demonstrated each of the instruments they teach, then, after a short performance involving five instruments, students were invited to try playing sax, flute, clarinet, trumpet or trombone.
The interest was strong, and all students will be followed up in the next two weeks to see if they would like to join the instrumental music program by participating in the Rookie bands at each junior campus.
The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) helps eligible families with the costs of camps, sporting activities and excursions/incursions.
Families with a valid Centrelink pensioner concession OR Health Care card number (CRN) can apply. You can list more than one student on the same application form if they are attending the same school.
We can accept and process CSEF applications until 26 June 2026. Please find below the link with more information, and also a downloadable form to apply:
https://www.vic.gov.au/camps-sports-and-excursions-fund
Please send forms and supporting documents to 7842-familyfinances@schools.vic.edu.au
Nominations are now OPEN for the 2026 SLC!
The SLC is a great opportunity to develop your skills, meet like-minded people, and make our school better for your peers.
Please see the important information in the Google Form and fill in your details.
NOMINATIONS CLOSE: WED 11th of FEB – WEEK 3
GOOGLE FORM: APPLICATION LINK
Key Dates:
World Wetlands Day was celebrated on Monday, 2 February 2026. The theme this year is ‘Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage’.
Wetlands are more than just ecosystems – they are cultural landscapes. For thousands of years, people have relied on wetlands for food, water and connection to Country. In Australia, First Nations Peoples have cared for wetlands for millennia.
This week our Year 12 Environmental Science class visited Burndap Park, Edgewater Wetlands, a constructed wetland and had the opportunity to immerse themselves in their learning. Students stepped into nature to learn about the types of ecosystem services that a wetland provides and their importance. During the visit, students explored firsthand how wetlands function as natural water filters, flood control systems, and vital habitats for diverse wildlife. They observed native plants and waterbirds and even spotted an Egret, they examined how these ecosystems contribute to climate regulation by storing carbon. The hands-on experience deepened their understanding of the critical role wetlands play in maintaining environmental health and supporting biodiversity.
We are grateful to the traditional custodians of the land for their ongoing care of these precious wetland areas.
We’d like to welcome students back to school and remind everyone about the many services the FHS Library can provide. All of our campuses have a dedicated and welcoming library space, with friendly staff who are eager to help you with anything you need. We can help you with book recommendations and requests, to sign up for an extracurricular club or to assist with your research assignment….
The library’s collection, as well as lots of other useful resources, can be accessed through the FHS LIBRARY WEBSITE – click “Login with School account”. We have a vast range of fiction (novels, comics, short stories, etc…) and non-fiction (biographies, reference, textbooks, info books) on our shelves to satisfy all readers. We also subscribe to Wheelers eBooks and Audiobooks if you wish to consume your books in digital formats, and also have a selection of online databases to help with assignments or for personal interest. Remember that you will need to be logged in to your school account to be able to access any of these online services. Please let us know if any links don’t work for you so we can look into fixing them.
If you need any help with access or have any library related questions please contact your campus librarian or use this general Library email: 7842-library@schools.vic.edu.au
For year 7, 8 and 9 students JP Books will be attending our junior campuses this Monday 9th Feb to distribute any available back orders from Booklist purchases. If you have been told you have back orders from JP Books, then these should be available for you to collect at the following times:
PILGRIM LIBRARY – Recess: 10:40 to 11:10am
BARKLY LIBRARY – Lunchtime: 12:50 to 1:35pm
If students are unable to attend those sessions, any uncollected items will be kept in the relevant library and can be collected afterwards.
Senior student backorders from JP Books are due to be delivered to Kinnear Library sometime this Monday and we’ll send out a Compass notification when they are available for students to collect. You should also receive a notice from JP if you have back orders to collect. If you’re unsure or have any questions about the status of your order please contact JP Books on 9314 0529 or email: sales@jpbooks.com.au
Apart from the important work undertaken with our senior students at the Kinnear campus, Footscray High School’s career service also empowers our Year 7-9 students across its Barkly and Pilgrim campuses through early pathways planning.
This initiative aligns with Victoria’s push for comprehensive career education, helping our junior students build self-awareness and set future goals.
During Term One, Year 7-9 students will create personalised Career Action Plans, a core Victorian requirement from Year 9 onward, but extended for our juniors.
These plans involve self-reflection, goal-setting, and documenting interests using tools such as Morrisby assessments, which are paired with one-on-one counselling.
Later in the year, our year 9 Students explore strengths, work options, and decisions, fostering lifelong career management skills. As one 2025 Year 9 participant noted, “It made everything feel less overwhelming,” turning uncertainty into actionable steps.
During term 1, all year 9 students will visit Victoria University. Students will be exposed to both TAFE and University streams.
You are never too young to start thinking about your future career. Every student will have access to career materials from their year-level careers Google Classroom.
Year 10 to 12 students at Kinnear Campus have made an outstanding start to the academic year. Classrooms are settled, routines are established, and learning is well underway. Attendance levels have been consistently high, with students arriving prepared, focused, and ready to engage. Of particular note this week, our VCE Environmental Studies students conducted a hands-on wetlands investigation at Newell’s Paddock, applying fieldwork skills and celebrating World Wetlands Day 2026 through real-world environmental learning and conservation.
Teachers are reporting strong participation, positive learning behaviours, and a real sense of purpose across the senior years. This momentum matters. Regular attendance builds understanding, confidence, and connection, while missed days quickly add up. We remind families to avoid organising holidays during term time, as absences interrupt learning and impact progress.
Pilgrim campus held their welcome assembly in the sunshine outside, where it was great to see so many happy faces of new and returning students. Uniform was worn proudly and students displayed our Pillars of Unity and Respect as new year 7s were given a warm welcome from year 8 and 9 students. It has been great to see everyone settling in so smoothly to a new year of learning and achievement.
Thank you for your continued support.
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.
We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use [Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education] safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using [Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education], please contact the school on 9112 9500.
For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ privacy policy: information for parents. This information is also available in eleven community languages: