Parent Newsletter Issue 14 2026

Community Feedback Night on our new Instructional Model

Wednesday 9 September, 6.30pm–7.30pm, Kinnear Campus

One of our school’s strategic plan goals, is to develop a new Instructional Model. The model provides guidance to both teachers and students across the different stages of a lesson. Our model aligns closely with the latest educational research. Teachers and students have already had the opportunity to provide feedback, and we now warmly invite our wider school community to do the same.

FHS leadership, in collaboration with Friends of Footscray High School (FoFHS), invite you to join us at the Kinnear Campus following the Vocal Soiree (5pm) for refreshments and the FoFHS monthly meeting from 6.30pm. The evening will include a presentation on the new Instructional Practice Model and a chance to share your thoughts and feedback.

It’s also a great opportunity to meet Pilgrim Campus’s new Acting Assistant Principal, Amy Murphy and mingle with school leaders, including the Pilgrim Acting Principal Jen Bashford, and members of the Learning Specialist team.

No RSVPs required. Come along, put faces to names, ask questions, and have your say.  We’d love to see you there.

Battle of the Bands

Congratulations to all the students, staff, and parents who took part in this year’s Battle of the Bands, held across our three campuses.  It was wonderful to see so many members of our school community come together to form bands and perform in front of enthusiastic audiences.

The standard of performances was excellent, and it was clear how much preparation and enthusiasm went into every set. Thank you to everyone who took part and to those who came along to support their peers and colleagues.

This event was organised by the FHS Student Leadership Collective, who did a fantastic job bringing the whole competition together. 

REMINDER – 2026 Parent / Carer Opinion Survey: Closes Friday 18 September

The 2026 Parent/Carer Opinion Survey is still open and closes Friday 18 September.

Run by the Department of Education, the survey helps us understand families’ views on school climate, student behaviour, and engagement. It’s optional but we’d love as many families as possible to take part as we use the results to guide school planning and identify areas for improvement.

A few quick details:

• Takes about 20 minutes, on any device, any time
• Login details were emailed from 7842-info@schools.vic.edu.au to one parent/guardian per household
• Families living together are asked to complete one survey jointly; those living separately can each complete their own
• Available in English and 10 other languages, including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese

Need a survey guide in another language, or have questions? Contact Kaylene Tanti at 7842-info@schools.vic.edu.au.

Last Day of Term 3

The last day of term 3 is Friday 18 September and students will be dismissed at 12.50pm.

I hope all our students, families, and staff enjoy a well-deserved break. Term 4 will be here before we know it, and I look forward to seeing everyone back for the last term of the school year.

Jillian English

Principal

On Friday 28 August, our senior international students visited the Monash University Clayton Campus for a special campus tour organised by Monash University.

International students from Years 10, 11 and 12, together with students from our English Language Centre (ELC), had the opportunity to explore the Clayton Campus and experience university life first-hand.

Our day began at Robert Blackwood Hall, where we were warmly welcomed by the Faculty of Education. Students participated in a presentation delivered by Monash staff and current students, introducing the Education courses and pathways available at Monash University.

This was particularly inspiring for many of our FHS international students who are interested in becoming teachers in the future. Current Monash Education students shared their own experiences of studying at university and explained what students can expect throughout the four-year course, including the opportunity to undertake teaching placements each year.

Following the Faculty of Education session, we divided into two groups for a guided tour of the Clayton Campus led by the Monash team. The campus is enormous, and although we did plenty of walking, we were only able to explore a small part of it! It gave our students the opportunity to see and experience for themselves what studying at a world-class university can look like, including the learning environment, student life and facilities available.

We also had the wonderful opportunity to catch up with some of our Footscray High School alumni, who are now studying at Monash University’s Clayton Campus. It was great for our current international students to see former FHS students continuing their study journey at university and to hear about their experiences after graduating from Footscray High School.

After the campus tour, we enjoyed lunch together at one of the cafés on campus and greatly appreciated the warm hospitality provided by Monash University.

After lunch came another highly anticipated part of the day, our visit to the Faculty of Engineering.

Current Monash Engineering students divided us into three smaller groups and guided us through some of the Faculty’s incredible facilities and learning spaces. Even from our brief visit, our students were amazed by what they saw. They learnt how university students can work together in teams, use workshop spaces, design and build new ideas, recreate and improve existing products, and participate in engineering competitions with other universities across Australia and around the world.

Our students also learnt more about the opportunities available beyond university study, including industry placements, practical experience and pathways towards their future careers.

The entire visit was a wonderful and inspiring experience for our international students. It gave them a much clearer picture of university life and encouraged them to think about their future study and career possibilities.

A huge thank you to Monash University and everyone involved in organising and hosting our visit. Our students and teachers thoroughly enjoyed the day, and we hope to have more opportunities like this in the future.

In Weeks 4 and 5, our Year 10 Food Studies students put their culinary creativity and budgeting skills to the test during a visit to Footscray Market.

Their challenge was to design and prepare a healthy dinner for four people, catering to specific dietary restrictions, for under $10.

Our students rose to the occasion, demonstrating fantastic resourcefulness, creativity and outside-the-box thinking. From pizza and wonton soup to vegan banh mi, stir-fries and pasta dishes, students showed what can be achieved with careful planning and smart ingredient choices.

We were incredibly impressed by the variety of delicious and affordable meals they created and the enthusiasm and independence they demonstrated throughout the challenge!

Kate Letexier & Daria Samis (Year 10 Food Studies teachers)

Intermediate Table Tennis Thursday 20th August

Well done to the Year 9 & 10 boys who hit the tables at Loops Sunshine. Although the lads didn’t make the finals, a stop past KFC on the way home helped heal the wounds. Credit to the boys attending training and working for their spots to represent FHS. It’s a tough division in all sports but especially Table Tennis. 

Year 7 Sport Monday 24th of August

Well done to our Year 7 boys who fought hard on the Basketball court at Altona this past week. Franklin S was the standout performer with some great 3’s and attack on the rim. The Year 7’s also played at Loops with a boys and girls team representing FHS. No teams progressed to finals, but some great individual wins from Sonny F, Jowan H and Catherine S. Both teams had great fun. The Year 7’s and 8’s can now switch their focus to Volleyball, Cricket and Tennis in term 4.

Athletics at Moonee Valley on Thursday 3rd of September

Year 8 Table Tennis Inter-School Sports Competition

On Tuesday 1st of September, our Year 8 boys and girls proudly represented the school at the Table Tennis Interschool Sports Competition.

Students competed in teams of four, taking part in both singles and doubles matches. Everyone played exceptionally well, showed great determination and, most importantly, had fun representing their school.

Our students also took on the responsibility of umpiring and scoring many of the games, demonstrating maturity and teamwork throughout the day.

It was fantastic to see everyone display great sportsmanship, skill and enthusiasm. We are incredibly proud of the way our students represented the school and supported one another throughout the competition.

Well done, Year 8

 Year 9 Career Expo Sparks Future Thinking

The Careers Service recently hosted our first Year 9 Career Expo across both the Barkly and Pilgrim campuses, engaging all Year 9 students in an inspiring exploration of future pathways.
The expo reinforced a key message: it’s never too early to start thinking about your future and learning about potential occupations.  

Presenters from the service industries, with help from the Footscray Council, The Phoenix Centre and Learning Precinct, shared personal stories about how they entered their fields, the educational qualifications required, and what a typical day in their role looks like. 

Many speakers also reflected on what they would tell their younger Year 9 selves—offering candid advice on subjects to focus on, skills to develop, and opportunities not to miss.
A highlight was the session by RMIT University, which gave students a realistic glimpse into university life, showcased potential courses, and announced a significant ATAR bonus scheme exclusively available to Footscray High students during Year 12. 

As parents, you are your child’s first career advisors. Consider asking your son or daughter what they think about the future.

• The subjects they enjoy most
• Activities and tasks they find engaging
• Future occupations they might want to explore

Your discussion could be the springboard they need to start shaping their dreams into achievable goals.
 

The Morrisby Program

Coming up in Term 4, the Year 9 Morrisby Programme, a Victorian Government initiative that helps students discover their strengths, interests, and career options, will be taking place.
Through the online Morrisby assessment and a one‑on‑one session with a qualified career consultant, students gain personalised insights to guide future subject choices, senior pathways and future study or work plans. 

 Author, Lili Wilkinson, attended FHS to speak to students about her new book, Unhallowed Halls, and her writing process.

Lili is an award-winning author of more than twenty books for young people and on Monday 31 August she spoke with Year 7 and 8 Enrichment students about her latest book, Unhallowed Halls and her writing process. It was a terrific and inspiring session.

On August 28th, the Year 10 History classes went to the Melbourne Holocaust Museum to learn more about the Holocaust in relation to the World War II topic the classes are studying currently.

The cohort was split up and taken on small group tours around the museum with volunteers, many of whom have relatives who were affected by the Holocaust, guiding us through various exhibits. These exhibits contained various images and artefacts from the WWII period. We were shown what life was like for Jewish people in the ghettos and the various Nazi camps.

The classes listened to Peter Gaspar as he shared his experiences growing up as a holocaust survivor. He re-told his story and talked about his family, friends and the unfathomable pain and struggles he went through. As well as sharing the bravery and kindness from the people who helped him and his family survive. Leaving a message and story to inspire further generations.  

Mischa C and Charli S

A wonderful range of literary games and activities were enjoyed as we celebrated Book Week.   

The amazing creativity of our students was on full display, not only through costumes but also our Dress-a-Duck challenge. What seemed to be a somewhat impossible task of dressing a rubber duck as a literary character turned out to inspire remarkable problem solving.  

From Rapunzel to Pennywise the Clown, students rose to the challenge.  Our shameless shredding of novels proved once again to be a favourite puzzle while trivia participants learnt that Dorothy’s shoes in Oz were in fact silver in the original novel. 

Our junior campuses also enjoyed Book Zoom and Book Bingo. Staff wore mini book covers of favourite reads and reports of many sparked conversations have reached us.  

The library team would like to thank everyone who joined us in this annual celebration.  It wouldn’t be a success without you all.  We congratulate the following costume winners for their stellar efforts. 

Costumes 

Barkly  

• Jacob M – Witch King of Angmar (The Lord of the Rings) 
• Exequeil G – Crunchy Chip Cookie (The Art of Cookie Run) 
• Amelia C – Chell and Glados (Portal 2) 
• Highly commended  
• Anneliese W, Adalyn H, Nadia C – My Little Pony

Pilgrim 

• Henry L – Rubik’s Cube (Cubed: The Puzzle of Us All)
• Mae S – Puss in Boots
• Elsa O – Kitty Softpaws (Puss in Boots)

Kinnear 

• Cameron S – Sherlock Holmes 
• Abby J and Levi P – Chopper and Luffy (One Piece) 
• Sage R and Sunny L – Snoopy and Charlie Brown from (Peanuts) 

Book-in-a-jar solutions 

• Barkly – Gangster Granny by David Walliams 
• Pilgrim – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl 
• Kinnear -1984 by George Orwell