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A huge thank you to everyone who came along and supported our FHS Rowing Teams at the Bunnings West Footscray BBQ last Sunday, 24th August.
Your generosity and community spirit made the day a great success, and every sausage sizzle sold helps our rowers continue to thrive.
We’d especially like to thank our wonderful students and parents who volunteered their time on the day, your help made this event possible. A very special mention goes to Ray Varone, parent, for her efforts in arranging and coordinating this fundraiser on behalf of the school.
We are grateful for your ongoing support.
A friendly reminder to complete the Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey before it closes on Friday 19 September 2025.
An email with the survey link was sent to one parent / caregiver / guardian in each household on Monday 18 August from the school’s info mailbox.
Your feedback is important and will help our school better understand families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. Our school will use the survey results to assist in identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies.
The survey is optional but highly valued. It takes only 20 minutes to complete and can be accessed online at any time using a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
The survey is available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese. Resources are also available in additional languages to assist parents / caregivers / guardians who speak a language other than English at home. Please reach out to Kaylene Tanti via info@footscray.vic.edu.au for survey guides in your language.
Jillian English
Principal
40 of our Year 9s & 10s across all 3 campuses, spent 4 days on the slopes of Mount Buller learning either skiing or snowboarding. For some, it was the first time seeing snow and for others, they’d done it before, but the fun and excitement were the same for all. What a special moment it was hearing the bus erupt with ‘ooos’and ‘aaahs’ when we first approached the mountain. From snowball fights, to night skiing, to hot chocolates by the fire while watching it snow outside, to getting skiing/snowboarding lessons and everything in between, it truly was an unforgettable experience!
Frankie, in Year 9, had this to say about their amazing trip:
‘The Mount Buller snow camp was an amazing experience and we made a lot of new friends and memories. The Ski/Snowboarding lessons were good for people on all skill levels and all of the instructors were so nice. We had the whole day to snowboard or ski or just experience the snow. We even had a chance to go night skiing! Skiing wasn’t the only thing you could do, though! Going on the scenic ski lift, making snowmen and playing pool in Ajax’s game room was so fun during our breaks. We all had an amazing time at Snow camp!’
Book Week is a celebration of all things literary, from the classic to contemporary. A big thank you and congratulations to the many students who participated in the Dress Up Day parades and the various other competitions we ran throughout the week. What a thrill it was to see students entering into the spirit of the week and showcasing their creativity, unity, endeavour and respect! We also loved seeing staff dress up and be part of these special events. We recognise the time and effort that people put into planning and creating their costumes.
Our Library staff had the very difficult task of declaring winners based on creativity, enthusiasm and attention to detail. The students listed below all put in outstanding efforts and were rewarded with prizes and house points, but there were sooo many other great costumes on the day!
Kinnear: Kowsar A – as The Lorax, Lily T – as Jack from Lord of the Flies, Kiana C & staff members – as Willy Wonka, Violet Beauregarde, Veruca Salt, Augustus Gloop & Mike Teavee from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Barkly: Lola N – Fancy Nancy, Billie S & Claire S – The Lorax, Amy V – Minion, Amelia C – The Apothecary Diaries
Pilgrim: June WJ – The Mad Hatter, Mavis M – Fancy Nancy, Bela P – Finn from Adventure Time
Guess the Book in a Jar Competition Winners
Barkly (To Kill A Mockingbird): Julie N, Ka Hii C & Pfizer S
Pilgrim (Skulduggery Pleasant): Henrietta, Phoebe S & Hugh L
Kinnear (The Handmaid’s Tale): Lily M, Andres EH & Lola S
Book Week Quiz Winners
Barkly: 1st: Momo, Jimmy, & Matilda; 2nd: Tom; 3rd: Arrow & Anoushka
Pilgrim: 1st: Esme & Jasmine; 2nd: Ivy, Roxy & Maya; 3rd: Alexander & Tahmid
Kinnear: 1st: Lily & Wilhelmina; 2nd: Celeste
Abridged Classics Competition Winners
Kinnear: Cam S; Pilgrim: Roxy P
Virtual Scavenger Hunt Winners
Barkly: Tom M & Joseph P
Pilgrim: Jim P & Julian DB
Thanks again to everyone who participated! Only 50 weeks until next year’s Book Week and we can’t wait!
Jigsaw Puzzle Competition
Did you know that there’s a World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship each year? World champions can complete 500 piece puzzles in under an hour! For our students who love puzzles, we’re holding the inaugural FHS Jigsaw Puzzle Competition next week. Teams of up to four from each house will compete to finish the same puzzle in the fastest time. Sign up sheets are in each campus library.
From the FHS Library team
Year 8 Boys basketball at RecWest was swept up by our A team today. Undefeated and moving into regionals the boys went 4-0 and won the final over Braybrook by 16 points.
A fantastic team effort with everyone stepping up and doing the fundamentals to thrust the team into this position.
Our B team can hold their heads high as well, with some raw talent and experienced players mixing together, learning the skills. You could see the improvement and enjoyment from all the players, winning their first game of the day to get the ball rolling.
Regionals is October 30 for our winning team of Year 8 boys.
A great day for Year 8s today, seeing FHS in the finals.
Best of luck in the next round for our regional teams.
FHS entered two campus based teams in the competition this year – a Barkly team and a Pilgrim team. Both sides showed great determination, each recording one win and one loss in their pool matches. This placed them 2nd in their respective pools, setting up an all-FHS showdown in the consolation final.
The final was a thrilling contest. Pilgrim started strong, racing to an early lead, but Barkly fought back and levelled the score by full time. With the game sent into a tense two-minute overtime, neither team gave an inch, and fittingly, the match finished in a hard-fought draw.It was an incredible day of basketball, played with energy, spirit, and sportsmanship. FHS is extremely proud of all players’ efforts.
A special mention goes to Hazel, who showed outstanding character by putting the wellbeing of an opponent first, helping her back to her feet during play.Standout performers:
• Pilgrim: Hazel, Penelope, Scarlett, Meili• Barkly: Ella, Alice, Evie, Lily
Well done girls – a fantastic effort all round
Our Barkly team of 6 boys beat Yarrabing B, Braybrook B and Creekside to progress to the Grand final. The final against Braybrook A team was tough for the boys, but a great effort to get there.
Year 7/8 VU Basketball gym this week and between themselves, the students decided to have a totally inclusive game with everyone that came. It was great to see them together!
We had ‘Wild Action’ come to Footscray for the Year 7 students, basically bringing the zoo to the school!
As you can see below, the students had an incredible time interacting with the animals and learning all about them.
This incursion will be happening 8 times over the next 2 weeks, one for each Year 7 cohort.
As part of our respectful relationships curriculum in Year 10 health, students have been exploring concepts related to gender and sexuality. Students put on their competitor hats and completed a pre-assessment of their knowledge of associated terminology. This was a team-driven game to pull apart the nuance captured by using appropriate terminology. The Year 10s did a phenomenal job discussing where and why specific terms are used! Great job, folks!