Term 1 2025
Tuesday 18 February- Photo day
Wednesday 19 February - Governing Council Meeting
Thursday 19 February - Photo day Catch up
Thursday 27 February - Open Evening
Monday 3 March - Sports Day Heats
Tuesday 4 March - Fun Run
Friday 7 March - Sports Day
Monday 10 March - Public Holiday
Friday 21 March - Formal
A Fantastic Start to the Year!
What an incredible start to the school year! From day one, our students have shown a fantastic attitude and amazing behaviour, setting the stage for a positive and successful year ahead. Even though it’s still early in the term, we’re already seeing students embracing our school values—being United, Passionate, and Accountable—in the way they support each other, engage in their learning, and take responsibility for their growth. It’s been great to see such a strong sense of school spirit from the very start!
Year 7 Incursion: Making Connections
Our Year 7 students kicked off their high school journey with some exciting incursion activities designed to help them get to know one another and build positive relationships. These hands-on sessions encouraged teamwork, communication, and confidence, helping everyone feel welcome and settled in their new school environment. It’s been fantastic to see friendships forming and students embracing this new chapter with enthusiasm!
Year 12 Retreat: Setting Up for Success
Meanwhile, our Year 12 students had the opportunity to take part in the annual Year 12 Retreat at Victor Harbor—a valuable experience designed to help them prepare for their final year of high school. Across the retreat, Year 12 teachers and special guest speaker, Olivia Savvas MP, ran workshops focused on essential skills like study techniques, managing stress, and setting goals.
Beyond the workshops, the retreat was also a great chance for students to connect with their peers and teachers in a different setting. Building strong relationships is such an important part of this final school year, and the feedback from students and staff has been overwhelmingly positive. We’re looking forward to seeing our Year 12s take on the year with confidence and focus!
Parent Information Evenings
Over the past three weeks we have held our Parent Information Evenings for all year levels, providing families with the opportunity to hear from year-level leaders and meet their child’s homegroup teacher. These sessions were a valuable way to share important information and strengthen the partnership between home and school. We sincerely thank the parents who took time out of their busy schedules to attend and engage with us. A special thank you also goes to our dedicated staff for their time, commitment, and efforts in fostering positive connections with families.
Year 12 Achievement Celebration
We were delighted to welcome back our 2024 Year 12 students to celebrate their outstanding achievements at the 2025 Year 12 Achievement Celebration. The event recognised students who attained three or more A grades, those who achieved an ATAR of 90 or above, and the announcement of the 2024 Dux. The Dux 2024 Award was presented to Oscar Elder who achieved an impressive ATAR of 99.25. Oscar delivered an inspiring reflection on his high school journey. We sincerely thank all parents and invited guests for joining us in celebrating the achievements of our students.
Governors Commendation Award
I had the privilege of attending the Governor’s Commendation Awards alongside Mrs. Woolford where we proudly watched as Kahlan Mashford received this prestigious honour from the Governor of South Australia. It was a proud moment for Kahlan, her mum, and grandad, as well as for Mrs. Woolford and myself. The Governor delivered an inspiring speech, encouraging students to continue giving back to their communities and making a positive impact. It was a wonderful celebration of dedication, service, and achievement.
Why Attendance Matters
Coming to school every day is one of the most important things students can do for their learning and personal growth. Regular attendance helps students stay on top of their studies, build strong friendships, and develop good habits that will benefit them well beyond school. Missing even a few days can make it harder to keep up, so we encourage families to support their child in attending every day unless they’re unwell. Please contact us if you have difficulty getting your child to school. Together, we can make sure all students have the best chance to succeed and attend school.
School Uniform: Building a Strong Community
Our school uniform plays a big role in creating a sense of belonging and pride in our school. When students wear their uniform correctly, it helps foster a positive school culture where everyone feels included and connected. We appreciate the support of parents and caregivers in making sure students wear the correct uniform each day. If you need any assistance with uniform requirements, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the school.
I look forward to working with you to support your students and ensure their success.
Ms Joanne Costa
Principal
The Year 10 Work Experience program is a crucial opportunity for students to gain firsthand insight into the working world, develop essential skills, and explore potential career pathways. Taking place from 16–20 June 2025 (Term 2, Week 8), this five-day placement is not only a valuable learning experience but also a compulsory part of the Exploring Identities and Futures (EIF) subject, contributing towards students’ SACE credits.
With thousands of students across the region searching for placements at the same time, competition is fierce. The best placements fill quickly, so students should act quickly to secure a meaningful opportunity in their chosen field.
Students must treat this like a real job. This means:
Failure to meet these expectations may impact a student’s ability to complete the EIF subject successfully.
Students should check their school email regularly for updates and ensure they have access to all required documents. If assistance is needed, they should reach out to IT support, their Home Group Teacher, or the Work Experience Coordinator.
We strongly encourage parents and caregivers to support their child in securing a placement as soon as possible. Every day counts—delays could mean missing out on the best opportunities!
For any questions, please contact Nick Apostolou, Work Experience Coordinator Nick.Apostolou731@schools.sa.edu.au
The 2025 Year 12 retreat marked the perfect opportunity to kick off the school year with fresh connections and new friendships. Held at Cooinda Retreat Victor Harbour, on the first three days of term, the retreat offered a welcoming space for students to get to know each other and bond before the challenges and excitement of their final year. Surrounded by nature and away from the distractions of daily life, everyone had the chance to engage in activities that fostered trust, teamwork, and meaningful conversations. The year 12’s participated in the Amazing Race, collecting clues around the camp in record time and the Beach Olympics, where each home group versed each other in a bunch of games such as a sandcastle building challenge, and the crab walk race. Each day a special guest gave a talk in the homestead, encouraging the new year 12’s to take the year head on; Olivia Savvas, MP, was especially inspiring sharing her own personal story and journey along to where she is now, expressing how year 12 although challenging, is not the end. This retreat helped everyone settle in and make stronger connections for the upcoming year ahead. Big thanks to those who made it so special for the year 12 cohort.
By Elise Harmer
Our year 7 cohort started their first day on Wednesday, January 29th
This year we had students come in during week 0 to get their laptops sorted with Daymap, printers etc – special thanks to our ICT support staff for managing this as it contributed to a smooth transition for our new students. On Wednesday, week 1 our Peer Support students gave up their final day of the holidays to come in and welcome our Year 7s. Along with our amazing year 7 home group teachers, they ran activities designed to encourage new friendships and generally help make our new students feel they belong to our MHS community.
On Thursday and Friday of week 1 our year 7s participated in the incursion program, led by the Active Education instructors, enjoying activities designed to promote positive relationships through team building and problem solving. To continue the tradition, we received excellent feedback from the Active Education team in regards to the behaviour and enthusiasm of our new year 7 cohort.
Week 2 saw our year 7s starting their new subjects, meeting new teachers and finding their way at MHS. Rob Yeend (AP) and I have received so much positive feedback about our new cohort, their enthusiasm to learn, make new friends and contributing to the overall positive vibe we can all feel starting this new school year.
Mr Yeend has been nominating home groups for the cleanliness of classrooms at the end of the day, which has been met by a strong sense of competitiveness from both staff and students. It helps that a ‘pizza party’ at the end of the term is up for offer for the home group with the most consistently tidy room.
This term we still have Open Night, (Feb 27) sports day (March 7) and Harmony Week (week 9) to look forward to, as well as loads of other activities across subjects. Overall, so far, we have seen excellent attendance, behaviour and enthusiasm from our new year 7s, with encouraging results from our student wellbeing survey. I look forward to seeing what they can achieve throughout the year. What a fantastic start to 2025 – let’s keep it up! 😊
Vanessa Tricker
7/8 Year Level Leader
At the beginning of every year, we value the opportunity to celebrate our achievements of our Year 12 students from the previous year.
Monday 10th February saw a modified version of our annual Celebration and Achievement Assembly conducted in the STEM Centre. Unfortunately, due to the forecast hot weather, it was decided not to risk the health of all our students and staff, let alone guests in the Gym, and a scaled back version of this assembly was arranged.
We had 18 of our outstanding Year 12 students join us, along with members of the family and invited guests / award sponsors to celebrate the achievements of the 2024 cohort. In short, we acknowledged and celebrated
· 100% SACE Completion
· 4 merits achieved by three students across four subjects (Jasmin Andrews for Psychology, Anton Kastanos for Research Project, Oscar Elder for Specialist Maths and Physics)
· A Governor’s Commendation Award of Excellence (received by Kahlan Mashford – one of 33 students state wide who received this award)
· 79.5% A and B grades (3% above state average) and best ever results for our school (including 28.1% A grade achievement)
· 20 students achieved 3 or more A grades
· 51% of all Year 12 students attained at least one A grade.
Merit students were presented certificates by their subject teachers, while Kahlan Mashford as recipient of the Governor’s Commendation Award was presented by Ms Joanne Costa. All of these students were officially recognised by the SACE Board at the Merit Ceremonies conducted at Government House. Other students were acknowledged and presented certificates for receiving 3 or more A grades and/or an ATAR of 90 or above.
We were also fortunate to be joined by Steve Howell, one of the first Modbury High School students who started in 1965! He spoke to many of the students, chatting about his experience and sharing stories of his time at the school.
Congratulations to our class of 2024. We are very proud of your amazing achievements!
Ms Madelin O'Brien-Dent
Year 11/12 Leader
Mrs Louise Woolford
Assistant Principal
We are excited to announce the kick-off of the much-anticipated Pedal Prix 2025 season! This unique program is not just about racing; it’s about teamwork, engineering, and the thrill of competition, all while promoting a spirit of sportsmanship and collaboration.
Pedal Prix promotes not only competition but also camaraderie. Students will forge lasting friendships as they work together towards a common goal.
Engaging in physical activity is vital for everyone’s health. Pedal Prix encourages students to stay active and fit, all while having a fantastic time.
We will be competing in the Fast Cats Racing Velodrome Experience, as well as races at Mount Gambier’s McNamara Park, The Bend, Victoria Park, and our season finale, a 24-hour race in Murray Bridge.
Parents and community members, we would love your support! Whether it’s helping with building the vehicles, helping with catering, or marshalling at races, there are plenty of ways to contribute. Please reach out if you’re interested.
Interested students can see or Daymap message Jess Hanlin for more information.
Let’s gear up for an exciting Pedal Prix season! Together, we can achieve great things, build incredible memories, and, most importantly, have fun!
Dear parents/caregivers,
To support our school’s commitment to student wellbeing and engagement in learning we have funded a School Based Social Worker who is an employee of the Departments Student Support Services, School Buy In Service to be located at our school.
The School Based Social Worker works closely with our school staff, some activities they may be involved in include include groups, programs, classroom visits, assessment, counselling, home visits, participation in school events, consultations with school leadership and staff and/or meeting with parents.
The School Based Social Work service is voluntary and so if you and/or your child do not want to access support which is offered, they will respect their/your decision. In these instances, the School Based Social Worker may still provide advice to school staff about possible strategies and support options for your child.
If you or your child do receive support from the School Based Social Worker they will discuss the limits to confidentiality and how certain information may need to be shared, especially when it involves risk to the your child or others.
In most instances, students are often happy for their parents to be informed that they will, or have, received support from the School Based Social Worker and will be encouraged to discuss it with their parent/guardian. And there may be some instances where support occurs before communication is possible with the parent/guardian, however communication will occur in a timely manner afterwards.
In situations where a student does not want their caregiver/parent to be informed this will be carefully considered and discussed with leadership, as the student’s safety and wellbeing is paramount.
If you have any questions about the School Based Social Worker, please chat with your child’s Year Level Leader in the first instance.
Congratulations to our year 11 student, Dhroovi Shah, who recently featured in a column in The Advertiser for 2025 Teen Parliament.
We believe in a culture of achievement in a respectful and rigorous learning environment
