The Arrow, Term 2. No 1

As we move further into Term 2, it has been wonderful to see students re-engaging with school life, learning routines and opportunities for personal growth. Every term beginning provides the opportunity for students to reset with fresh energy, re-establish routines and habits that we know enable them to be successful in their learning and participate in a series of self-reflection opportunities to constantly working towards purposeful goals.

A strong sense of belonging, positive relationships and consistent learning behaviours continue to play an important role in helping every student thrive at Auburn High School. Since welcoming students back for Term 2, we have been diving into new units of learning and reconnecting with our Ready to Learn routines to ensure every student is set up for success each day.

In Education for Life (E4L), students have been:

• exploring the Auburn High School Pillars of Positive Wellbeing, with a focus on building positive relationships and creating a strong sense of belonging within our school community and engaging with careers education to consider future pathways and purposeful growth in their learning journey.
• actively reflecting on their learning and taking ownership of their strengths and areas for growth, by engaging with their Learning Behaviour Reports. Through this process, students identify goals and consider practical strategies to support their progress.

In Tutor Group, students have been engaging positively with the new Tutor Group routines introduced across Years 7–10 this year. Providing students with a positive connection at the beginning of each day, along with an opportunity to settle in and organise themselves for the day ahead, is one of the ways we aim to create a calm and successful start to learning. A big thank you to our Student Tutor Group Leaders for supporting student led sessions and activities on Tuesdays and Thursdays!

A reminder to families that your child’s Tutor Group Teacher is your first point of contact at Auburn High School. Tutor Group Teachers play an important role in supporting students by monitoring attendance and uniform, sharing key information, and helping students begin each day in a positive and organised way.

Peer Support Program

Our Peer Support Program continues to provide valuable support for students transitioning into high school. The program is facilitated by a dedicated group of Year 10 students who volunteered for the role and completed training to support our Year 7 cohort.

Each term, Peer Support Leaders facilitate workshops focused on topics such as:

• time management and organisation
• building positive relationships with peers and teachers
• contributing to a positive school environment
• understanding the role of being an “upstander”

This week’s learning culminated in our annual Year 7 connection activity, where students worked together across classes in a scavenger hunt challenge. It was wonderful to see students building connections, demonstrating teamwork, and engaging positively with one another outside the classroom environment.

I have been incredibly impressed by the leadership, empathy, and care demonstrated by our Year 10 Peer Support Leaders in making this experience meaningful for our Year 7 students.

A sincere thank you to our Year Level Leaders, Year 7: Fanny Beck and Badi Sheidaee, and Year 10: Jacqueline Wongfat and Caroline Hardy, for coordinating the program, as well as to all of our fantastic Year 10 students involved.

Celebrating Our Students – Auburn High School Badges

Our extra-curricular clubs are once again up and running for the term. Thank you to Mr Brochet for coordinating such a diverse range of opportunities for students, and to all staff who generously contribute to these programs.

Extra-curricular activities are visible on Compass, and students are enrolled in each activity so families can see the programs their child is participating in.

In 2026, we have also “Compass-ified” our student badge system, making it easier for students and families to track progress and celebrate involvement. It has been fantastic to see students earning points each week across a range of areas including:

• Sport
• Art
• Philanthropy
• Communication
• STEM

You can view some additional ways students can continue earning badges below and can see on your child’s Compass any points they have earned towards their badges:

Since welcoming our Senior School students back at the start of Term 2, our focus is on enabling our students to truly ‘think beyond’ – whether that’s looking forward to their 2027 programs or developing a larger vision for their own futures after school.  We are working to support all AHS students to be able to:

• Develop and refine their own personal aspirations
• Consider their own place in our broader community, and to
• Take an active role in working towards achieving excellence through their learning.

In week 2, our Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12 communities attended the Career Expo Excursion at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre.  This was a rich day where students inquired into the possibilities available to them, connected with different universities and employers, and reflected on their future study and career aspirations.  In the afternoon, students selected from a range of differentiated excursions that best matched their personal goals – including the Australian Sports Museum, Medical History Museum, DAX Centre, Old Treasury Building, Victorian Institute of Sport and Melbourne Aquarium.  We were so incredibly proud of how our students represented the AHS community, and to see our DARE values in practice throughout the day.

Andrea Ganotis (Leading Teacher – Curriculum 9-10), Peter Ryan (IB Coordinator) and myself had the pleasure of engaging with many of our families through our Senior School Programs information evening last week.  We know that when staff and families can work in partnership, our young adults are then best empowered to make informed and intentional decisions in relation to their own learning.  Families who were unable to attend are encouraged to explore this presentation, to learn how best to support students in navigating students’ decisions around course counselling, VCE, VCE VM and IB programs and our Year 10 curricular programs.  Students and families can register here for our IB / VCE VM Night this coming Wednesday 13th May to find out more.

This week also marks National Careers Week, with a range of career and pathways related activities occurring throughout Tutor Group, E4L and throughout lunchtime, to provide further opportunities for students to expand their horizons of what is possible.

As we look ahead to the rest of the term, our end of semester exams are fast approaching for our Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12 students in weeks 6 and 7.  As many classes are now close to completing their final CATS and SACs, the focus now turns towards effective revision strategies.  The exam experience can be a challenging yet highly rewarding one for learners. Students are able to test ‘how well learning sticks’, and to reinforce the link between effort and achievement.  Importantly, regular exposure to exams develop the unique set of capabilities required for success in a range of senior pathways and beyond.  Students often learn a thing or two about themselves and their learning throughout the process.

Hear some of the wonderful reasons why our Year 10 students love being a Peer Support Leader: 

“Watching the year 7s use teamwork to participate in problem-solving activities was fun. It was great seeing them enthusiastic and competitive about finding more clues and trying to work together to solve the puzzles fast. I was assigned to “Decode-It” with Nick and it was amazing to display our leadership skills as well as develop communication skills with the younger students”.

Mithil M, 10D.

“On Wednesday’s community building session with the Year 7s, we challenged them with activities where they n eeded to use their Auburn Learner Quality of creativity and collaborate with others to get clues to figure out a code. This sessio n was our second time working with the Year 7s this year. In Term 1, we taught them engaging lessons about bullying and frie ndships and spoke to them about how it’s encouraged to speak out about any troubles and feel comfortable to talk to any of the Auburn High staff or the Year 10s when they need help”.  Participating in this program has helped me to improve my speaking in front of large groups of people, and it helped me gain insight from a younger cohort about their experiences in the first semester of Year 7”.

Zara L, 10C.

“Peer support is an amazing opportunity to display our leadership skills through working with Year 7s”. “We focus on building and nourishing connections through games on the oval and lessons we get to facilitate in the classroom. Through this experience, we were able to improve our public speaking abilities and have all gained insights into each other’s lives and built valuable connections with younger year levels”.

Tilly D, 10B

Term 2 in the area of sporting excellence continues to go from strength to strength!

Congratulations to State Swimming Champions:

• Cedric W – Silver Medal, 400m Freestyle
• Jolene C – 5th, 50m Breaststroke
• Jordan C – 2nd, 50m Breaststroke
• Jordan C – 1st, 50m Freestyle, breaking the SSV record in 25.58 seconds

At Division intermediate tennis, Tully Dick and Anastasia Ivanchenko won every game for the day!

A fantastic achievement that places AHS firmly on the SSV swimming map at state level.

Well done to our Intermediate teams who braced Football, Netball, Soccer & Badminton in the pouring rain last week!

Thankfully our Girls Football & Boys Netball teams were treated with some sunshine this week, well done for making it though the Netball finals on Monday!

On Friday 8^th May our inaugural House Cross Country Competition took place. It was wonderful to see so many students running, jogging or walking their way to the 3km finish line. We look forward to sharing the champions as they head off to Division later in the term.

On Tuesday 5th, three Auburn High Students had the opportunity to attend the 94^th annual ANZAC Commemoration Ceremony for Students, held at the Shrine of Remembrance in the city. There were thousands of fellow high school students and primary school students who gathered to commemorate our service men, women and families. The ceremony was held by Legacy and many legatees, students and the Lieutenant Governor of Victoria, Professor James Angus, talked about the importance of ANZAC day to them. There were also musical performances by some fellow high school students. There was a particularly moving moment when many students laid wreaths to commemorate the service that our ANZACs provided to us for the peaceful country we live in today. Some things that really stood out to me were not just how much our service people sacrificed for us but also how much the families of these people sacrificed. Furthermore, the importance of passing on stories to younger generations, who need to be keen to learn about the past in order to understand the current world we live in.

Grace M, Year 10 Student Leader

It was a different kind of experience to what I was used to where instead of standing and paying our respects as the sun rose we were seated in rows of white chairs in broad daylight. The commemoration commenced with an introduction from Legatee Kerry Jenke and was followed by the guard of honour, the arrival of the Lieutenant Governor and other important people including the shrine trustee and the legacy president who addressed with warm welcome to all the attendees of the significant day. Throughout the commemoration there were a number of significant Australian songs, including ‘Waltzing Matilda’, ‘I am Australian’ and ‘Advance Australia Fair’ which were sung by the Mac. Robertson girls high school choir and Melbourne High school band. The commemoration continued with historic poems and recitals such as ‘In Flanders Fields’, ‘The Ode’ and ‘The Answer’. The wreath laying was then concluded by the ‘Last Post’ and ‘Reverie’ leading into the conclusion of the torch ceremony, where the eternal flame was lit and the ANZACs were commemorated.

My favourite part of the ceremony was the guest speaker, Ajay Sonti who read a piece of his own after the legacy president’s address called ‘Listen to Remember’. In his piece he spoke about his own personal experience of how his dad loves to talk, and talk, and talk about topics that make him roll his eyes, until one day where he stopped and listened to what his dad had to say, which was something more significant than he imagined. It was about the past war and the experiences within it. From this he learned and taught that although dad’s love to talk about nonsense, sometimes they are worth listening to because they have been around for a lot longer than we have and have experienced a life we will never experience.

This has influenced my reflection of ANZAC day as it has made me realise and appreciate how lucky we are as humans now, as teenagers to live in a world where our biggest issue is not knowing where our phone is instead of not knowing if we are going to come home in one piece or at all and potentially sacrificing everything. This day should not only be commemorated as a day of remembrance but also a day of appreciation to those who have served and suffered.

 Catelin V, Year 11 Student Leader

I would like to extend a warm welcome to all prospective students and families who attended our 2027 Prospective Families Information Expo. This evening is an important annual event in the Auburn High School calendar, providing an opportunity not only to welcome new families into our community, but also for our staff and students to come together and celebrate the strengths of our innovative teaching and learning programs, as well as the extensive engagement and community opportunities that support the holistic development of our students.

Throughout the evening, families had the opportunity to:

• hear about our whole-school vision and the ways we support all students and staff to Think Beyond, 
• visit subject area stalls to speak with teachers about curriculum programs, participate in hands-on learning activities, and discuss opportunities for extension and real-world connections,
• speak with our senior program coordinators about VCE, VCE Vocational Major (VM), and the International Baccalaureate (IB)
• hear directly from our students about their experiences at Auburn High School and what makes it their school of choice

As applications for Year 7 2027 enrolment closed on Friday 8 May, we now invite families seeking enrolment into other year levels for 2026 or 2027 to join us for a school tour:  https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1535503

As you may be aware, there were updates made to the school uniform policy for Victorian Government schools that commenced in 2026. The changes affect items worn from the waist down (such as shorts, pants and socks). These changes are designed to make uniforms more affordable.

What hasn’t changed:

• Auburn High school logo/branding remains part of required uniform for items above the waist, such as shirts, tops, jumpers, dresses, hats and bags.
• The primary distributor for these items is Dobsons, and our second-hand uniform store on-site will continue to provide families with more economical options. https://dobsons.com.au/schools/auburn-high-school
• Students who already own uniform items with branding on waist-down items will and have continued to wear them. They remain part of the uniform.

What has changed:

From the beginning of 2026, shorts, pants and socks are not required to have the school logo or branding.

What this means for you:

• When purchasing below the waist items, you will have the option to buy plain, non-branded (no logo) generic versions.
• The school uniform policy contains the following guidance and reference to the required colours and fabrics to assist you in buying the correct items:

Academic Uniform – Trousers and shorts:

• Trousers are a tailored pant made of cotton twill (woven weave) in the colour grey
• Knit fabrics: e.g. jersey, fleece and spandex are not acceptable. A knit fabric is the type of fabric tracksuit or yoga pants are made of.
• Any pants from the Auburn High School Dobson’s Uniform store that are charcoal grey are acceptable, as are the grey shorts and trousers that are provided by State Schools Relief.

Trousers in the colour black are NOT acceptable

PE/Sport uniform – pants and shorts:

• Plain black sport shorts (no logo/branding) – these must be loose fitted and above the knee and lower than mid-thigh.
• Plain black tracksuit plants (no logos/branding) must have an elasticised band at the bottom as wide legged track pants pose an OHS tripping issue for sport.

Leggings and tight fitted yoga pants or bike shorts are NOT acceptable. 

Helpful visuals:

Black Leather School Shoes:

Sock colour guide:

If you require any assistance in purchasing additional uniform, please submit your request via the 2026 State Schools Relief Uniform Request Form

I want to thank all families for seeking to understand the updates and to ask questions along the way. If anything is unclear, please don’t hesitate to contact your relevant Year Level Leader for clarification.

Kind Regards,

Dannielle Gibson

Laptop Free Mondays in the Library!

To encourage students to visit the library and engage in browsing, reading and borrowing books, this laptop-free policy has been introduced to support a calm and welcoming environment. It also encourages positive communication within the quiet library space and participation in activities such as board games and chess in a device-free setting.

Recently, in my professional reading, I came across research highlighting the benefits of creating spaces free from digital distractions, particularly in supporting reading engagement, social interaction and student wellbeing.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and support in helping us maintain a consistent and enjoyable library environment for all students.

It is exciting to have Auburn High School participating in the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge this year. All students in Years 7–10 have now been registered for the challenge. In partnership with the English teaching team and wider school community, I look forward to promoting the challenge through English classes across the school. The theme of this year’s challenge is “Stories to discover, stories to tell.”

Thank you to English teachers Marina Pena-Rossier, James Gordon and Jesse Weymouth for providing excellent completed book reviews. There are currently book reviews from the Year 7F class (Miss Weymouth) on display in the library, showcasing a terrific standard of work.

Congratulations and thank you to the students from Year 7F, Year 8D and Year 7B who completed book reviews. If you are looking for your next great read, be sure to explore the reviews on display for recommendations from your fellow classmates.

Everyday Counts – Important Attendance Information

Going to school every day is an important part of your child’s education. Children and young people learn new things at school every day, connect with friends, have fun and develop good habits that help them to succeed. Attending and participating in school will help your child:

• develop important skills and knowledge to help them learn
• develop social and emotional skills such as good communication, resilience and team-work
• establish friendships with peers which help develop self-esteem and a sense of belonging.

There is no good number of days for missing school. Being away from school for 1 day a fortnight adds up to missing 4 whole weeks of school a year. Where possible, you should avoid your child missing school, for example, make appointments for your child outside of school hours and keep family holidays to outside term time.

The school must be informed of ALL absences, whether it be illness, appointments, holidays or any other reason. You can do this by entering the absence on Compass at the earliest opportunity. If it is a planned absence, this can be done in advance. Parents are asked to submit a Holiday Notification Form to the relevant Assistant Principal in the event of a planned family holiday during term time.

If a student is absent on a particular day and the school has not been previously notified by a parent, or the absence is otherwise unexplained, Auburn High School will notify parents by SMS. The Year Level Leader, Tutor Group teacher or Attendance Officer will attempt to contact parents as soon as practicable, soon after a short period of unexplained absence, allowing time for the parent to respond.

If you have any attendance concerns or questions regarding an SMS message you have received, please call the school and leave a message with your child’s details and we will follow up your enquiry. Please do not reply to the SMS as this service is not available.

Unwell

Please remind your children not to contact you directly during the day to let you know they are unwell.  Instead, if they are feeling unwell, they need to ask the teacher to visit our Sickbay, and our First Aid Officer will contact you accordingly.  If you need to pick them up this will be organised via Sickbay.

VCE/IB/VM students

Please remember to provide Medical Certificates for VCE students for any medical absences.  This is to help maintain their VCE Attendance requirements for all students who are in Year 11 and Year 12 and students that are in Year 10 and completing a Year 11 or 12 subject.  Please forward certificates to our school email address auburn.hs@education.vic.gov.au 

Protocols around students arriving late to school:

Arriving to school for the day after 8.51am (i.e. Late arrival to school):

• All students are expected to arrive at school in enough time to get organised for Periods 1 and 2 and to be punctual to Tutor Group. Students can enter the school building via the student entrance at 8:30am and have 15 minutes to organise themselves.
• Any student who arrives at school after 8:51am must report to the front office to sign in prior to going to timetabled classes. Staff at the front office will log the arrival time in Compass and instruct the student to go straight to class. A staff member will also enroll students in a lunchtime detention when students do not provide a note: IE lateness is ‘unapproved’.
• If students arrive late to Tutor Group, they will not be required to report to the front office (either in the Main Building or Senior Building). Tutor Group teachers will log the lateness/absence on Compass.

Arriving to Class (Tutor Group, scheduled class or activity) late with no approval:

If a student arrives late to any Tutor Group, scheduled class or activity the teacher will mark the student ‘late’ on Compass. Our teachers will engage in a conversation with the student and establish strategies to prevent ongoing lateness.

Regular lateness or non-attendance to Tutor Group will be monitored by a staff member on Compass and a staff member will enrol the student in a lunchtime detention for regular lateness (3 or more times) to Tutor Group, scheduled classes or activities.

Early departure from school:

All students must sign out of the school via the front office where they have an approved reason for early dismissal. Approval will be granted with a parent note via Compass prior to signing out.

CSEF 2026 Applications

Dear Parents/Guardians,

This is a reminder to complete the 2026 Camps, Sports, and Excursions Fund (CSEF) application form by 26th June 2026. Eligible families who hold a valid Centrelink or Health Care Card will receive $400 per student.

Please ensure the completed form is submitted to the school by the deadline either via email or in person. Any applications not provided in time will not be accepted.

If you qualify for CSEF and have not yet applied since your student started high school, please fill in the attached form and return it to reception or email it though to carla.broughton@education.vic.gov.au

CSEF Application Auburn High School 

Applications automatically roll over as long as you remain eligible and funds come though at the start of Term 2.

Would you like to access FREE dental care for your child(ren)?

Did you know the Victorian Government funds a free school dental program called Smile Squad? For more details about the program visit: https://www.health.vic.gov.au/smile-squad

Smile Squad isn’t visiting your school, but you can still access this high-quality service, completely free of charge.

The Dental team from Access Health & Community are accepting students at their dental clinic in Ashburton.

This means ALL students can get a free dental check-up, preventive services, and treatment.

                  (Including: teeth cleaning, x-rays, fissure sealants, fillings, tooth removal)

Access Health & Community

(Craig Centre)

7 Samarinda Ave

Ashburton VIC 3147

PH: 9810 3000 Option 1 then Option 4

Sign up to Smile Squad at: https://bit.ly/smilesquadvic, or use the QR code below:

You can visit Access Health at their community dental clinic. Please contact the team at any time to book an appointment. Just let them know you would like to book a Smile Squad appointment.

Second Hand Uniform

We operate a Second-Hand Uniform Shop at the school, open on Tuesdays from 1:15 PM to 1:55 PM for students and on Thursdays from 3:00 PM to 3:45 PM for parents and guardians.

Please note that at times, due to unforeseen circumstances, our Uniform Shop may not be open as it is volunteer-run. Please phone 9822 3247 on the day to confirm that it is open.

We accepts eftpos and cash however, please note we are unable to give change when payment is made by cash.

Donations of second-hand uniforms are warmly welcomed and can be dropped off at the main reception office.

🍎 School Canteen 🍎

Our school canteen provides a variety of fresh, nutritious, and affordable meals for students each day. We offer a balanced menu including sandwiches, wraps, salads, hot meals, healthy snacks, refreshing drinks, and tasty, sweet treats.

The canteen also caters for a range of dietary needs, including vegetarian and Gluten Free options. Daily specials and seasonal items add variety and excitement to the menu.

We accept both card and cash payments; however, please note that large notes of cash are not permitted for transactions. Students are reminded that using phones to purchase food is not allowed. For added convenience, we offer lunch orders through Flexischools. To place an order, simply visit https://flexischools.com.au/parents and follow the provided steps.

🚸 Stay Safe Around Schools! 🚸

Busy school zones need extra care—especially during drop-off and pick-up times. This important poster reminds us all to slow down, stay alert, and follow simple rules that keep everyone safe.