Parent Newsletter – Issue 9, 2025
Principal Report
Celebrating 100 Years of Education at Barkly Campus of Footscray High School
This year, we proudly celebrate a remarkable milestone in our school’s history—100 years of educational excellence, tradition, and transformation. Founded in March 1925, Footscray Domestic Arts School was completed on June 4th, 1925. Since then, the site has been home to seven schools. In 2020, Footscray High School became the first coeducational school to continue the legacy on this historic site.
On 4th June, our alumni from the six Footscray Girls schools were invited to return to the school for a Morning Tea to celebrate the centenary.
The celebration featured:
- An opening and welcome from the current principal and Katie Hall, state member of Parliament for Footscray.
- Inspiring speeches from a distinguished alumnus, Jan Russ and a current Year 12 student, Indi Beattie.
- A historical exhibition, showcasing archival photographs, old uniforms, trophies, and class memorabilia that captured the spirit of each era.
- Morning Tea and Alumni sharing of key artifacts.
- School tours conducted by current students.
Perhaps most touching was the alumni sharing their memories and their delight in seeing different parts of the school.
Join Us in Celebration!
On 22nd June, we warmly invite all past and present students, staff, and members of the wider community to join us in celebrating this important milestone. The event will begin at 11am and is open to everyone.
The Chef’s Dinner
This event was a showcase of the talent, dedication, and creativity of our senior students in the VET Cookery program. Guests were treated to an unforgettable dining experience featuring a 4-course menu crafted and served by our students, using fresh, seasonal ingredients from our very own school farm.
Under the expert guidance of our staff and industry mentor, Howard Stamp, owner and chef of Bar Thyme, students delivered a culinary experience that was enjoyed by all.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to our school community for their enthusiastic support.
Katie Hall, MP for Footscray, attended this event and posted the following.
Jillian English
Principal
Barkly 100 Years Centenary Morning Tea
The Centenary Morning Tea was a super rich experience for attending past Footscray Girls High School alumni to go down memory lane and meet and be served by so many of our wonderful FHS students. They were inspired by our guest speakers, including an Acknowledgement to Country by Dahnika, and Indi B, sharing her inspiring FHS journey as a Foundation student.
Brigitta and her Year 11 students provided a magnificent morning tea supported by Allison; media students captured alumni stories on video; student school tours proved popular; Hung provided his painstakingly newly digitalised slide shows of past photos, along with uploading new treasures from attending alumni and Footscray Historical society, who provided us with artifacts to celebrate this momentous 100th Birthday Party.
Please support the upcoming Sunday, 22/6 Community event any way you can where there is an exciting program of events from 11 am. See you there FHS!
Kindred Studios Bands Night
On Monday June 2, thirteen bands from across years 9 to 12 entertained a full house at Yarraville’s premier music venue, Kindred Studios. This twice yearly event has become a much anticipated performance opportunity each semester for many of our music students.
Once again, the real world off-campus context and an enthusiastic audience brought out the best from each group that took to the stage, from the less experienced but well prepared year 9’s through to the gig seasoned year 12’s who are well on the way to developing their sets for an October performance exam.
Paul Dooley
World Environment Day
To celebrate World Environment Day, students from our English Language Centre learnt about the importance of caring for our planet. This special day encourages everyone to show love and respect for the environment. People around the world use this day to promise to protect the Earth and to share messages about why our environment matters—often through fun and engaging activities.
Our students participated in a digital scavenger hunt at the farm, where they explored nature and learned more about environmental issues such as air pollution, global warming, and climate change. They also used their creativity to design powerful posters that promote caring for the Earth and encourage others to take action.
Jak Dunstan provided an extra special native tree, planted by Year 9 student Addicus, and others present, for FHS to put their mark on World Environment Day. We hope this tree grows from strength to strength – just like FHS students!
A plaque was also placed, reading:
FHS – World Environment Day – June 2025
Native Australian Callitris Glaucophylla (White Cyprus Pine)
Hand grown from rare seed on banks of Maribyrnong River – as used extensively by Woi Wurrung and the Boon Wurrung Peoples of the Kulin Nation.
Interschool Sports
Senior Sport
The Senior Boys headed to Altona Sports Stadium on Monday for Interschool Basketball.
We had 2 teams entered (11’s & 12’s), each in separate pools.
The 11’s started with a strong win against Braybrook and then took on Lakeview for a spot in the final. Toma K dominated at both ends for us but unfortunately Lakeviews solid shooting was too much to overcome and we went down by 11 points.
The 12’s had a crushing win over Southern Cross ( 71-22) to confirm their place in the Final, where they took on the Lakeview side that knocked out our Year 11 team.
It was a shaky start, with the Lakeview players hitting a couple of 3 pointers before we even scored. We were down early but the boys kept grinding and worked their way back into the game. After some clutch 3 point shooting from Nate L and Richard M, we hit the front and continued to apply the pressure. We ended up 11 point winners and we move onto the next round in Term 3.
Intermediate Boys Soccer
Record: 2 Wins, 1 Loss
The Intermediate Boys Soccer team showed grit and determination across three tightly contested matches, finishing the day with two wins and one loss.
- Game 1 vs Brookside – Win (2–1)
The boys started the day with a hard-fought comeback win. After going down 1–0 early, they regrouped and responded with two well-worked goals. Strong team spirit and composure under pressure sealed the 2–1 victory. - Game 2 vs Lakeview – Loss (0–1)
In a tightly contested game, the team battled hard but couldn’t find the equalizer after conceding a first-half goal. Despite several chances and sustained pressure late on, the boys were edged out 1–0 in a tough loss. - Game 3 vs Maribyrnong – Win (Penalties)
The final match was an intense affair that ended in a draw, sending the game to penalties. The boys held their nerve in the shootout, converting their spot-kicks with confidence and securing the win.
Standout Player: Justin P
Striker Justin P was outstanding throughout the day. He scored in the opening comeback win and remained a constant attacking threat. His movement, control, and calm finishing played a crucial role in the team’s success.
Overall, a strong and encouraging performance from the team, showing resilience, skill, and unity.
Girls Soccer
Results:
0-0 V Creekside
1-0 V Braybrook
5-0 V Southern Cross.
An excellent display of unity from the girls recently on the soccer pitch, great communication and support for each other in both attack and defence, with 1 short, it was a really proud showing. Well done, girls!
Intermediate Badminton
Well done to our intermediate Badminton Girls & Boys teams. We had many wins with so many standout performances. Our Kinnear Boys team won every match leading into the final and came up short against a very strong Braybrook A team.
Alex lead the A team with solid performances and skill shown all day.
Footscray High School as a whole showed great sportspersonship, respect and encouragement.
Year 9-10 Netball
Today was really well done. We all did so well and saved our best until last with a huge 38-3 win! We communicated amazingly and it was so lovely spending time together to connect with other year levels and campuses. It was a fun experience meeting new students from different schools whilst bonding over netball, plus the new dresses were a nice surprise.
– Penelope V, Pip L, and Dahnika
Upcoming Events
- Regional Cross Country – Thursday 19th June @ Keilor Park
- Year 7 Interschool Sport – Tuesday 24th June
- Regional Junior Boys AFL – Wednesday 25th June
Also, check out these incredible shots taken by one of our students, Seni C:
Community Inquiry
Year 7 Community Inquiry projects are well underway as we hurtle towards the end of the Semester! This last fortnight, a group from the Social Justice class donated items to ‘Reaching Out in the Inner West’, a charity organisation across the road from Pilgrim Campus at VU that provides meals and pantry items to families in need in the community.
Students also spent the day with Maribyrnong Park Ranger Martin Forster, planting over 100 native groundcovers in the community-built Cruickshank Park, thanks to the vision of a group of climate justice students and their project. All student projects will be celebrated at the Year 7 Community Inquiry Celebration Day in Week 11.
Year 9 Consent Workshops
Last week, Year 9s across both junior campuses participated in a range of different workshops run by ‘Consent Labs’ (https://www.consentlabs.org.au/) & FHS Health staff.
Students learnt about a range of different things including – what affirmative consent is, the importance of boundary setting and words & phrases that ask for and revoke consent. Male/male identifying students participated in a ‘Positive Masculinity’ workshop, which focused on exploring what masculinity actually means and how to challenge masculine ideas around consent, while female/female identifying students participated in a ‘Healthy Relationships’ workshop, which focused on empowering students to unpack healthy & unhealthy relationships and how to spot consent-challenging behaviours.
Consent Labs Co-Head of curriculum Noah Bloch is also running a free webinar that discusses the deeper social factors influencing young men, what healthy versions of masculinity looks like and some practical takeaways that can apply to challenge harmful narratives and foster cultural change.
This is a free, online event, and you can register here.
More information can be found here:
Italy Study Tour 2026
Footscray High School has a rich history of providing international experiences for our students, including study tours to Italy and Japan to support the study of a foreign language.
I am delighted to announce that we will be offering an Italian Study Tour in 2026. We are doing preliminary work at this stage and are seeking expressions of interest.
The tour is open to students who will be studying Italian in Years 10, 11 and 12 in 2026.
Such an experience will undoubtedly give an edge to the students’ Italian and deepen their awareness of how the culture, values and lifestyle of Italy and its people may differ from their own. Such exposure to the country is invaluable in helping students prepare for VCE studies. Students are expected to engage in the appropriate language and cultural tasks led by Footscray High School Staff in order to maximise their exposure to and use of the language.
Study Tour Details
The Italian Study tour will take place from:
Saturday, 28th of November 2026 – Saturday, 12th of December 2026.
Cost
The approximate cost of the tour will be between $7,600 and $8,600.
This includes:
Return international economy airfares including pre-paid taxes and charges:
- Melbourne / Venice / Rome / Melbourne 3 nights’ accommodation at a hotel in Venice with breakfast and dinner
- 4 nights’ accommodation at a hotel in Florence with breakfast and dinner
- 5 nights’ accommodation at a hotel in Rome with breakfast and dinner
- Day trips to Pisa, Lucca, and Pompei with tour guides.
- All transfers from airports to hotels, train tickets, buses for day trips, museum entries, and public transport costs. Italian language classes in Florence over 3 days.
Students will need to bring extra spending money for lunches, snacks, souvenirs, or shopping (approximately $80 a day).
Expressions of Interest
Once we have confirmed numbers, we will let you know when the deposit of $1500 is due. This will be followed by an information night at the school.
Please complete the EOI Form by Monday 30 June.
If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Maddalena Sofia at the school or via email
maddalena.sofia@footscray.vic.edu.au
Yours sincerely,
Maddalena Sofia
Head of Languages