Dear Parents / Caregivers
As we approach the end of another remarkable year, it's time to reflect on the incredible journey we've had together. The 2023 academic year has been filled with academic achievements, cross-curricular successes, and many enriching experiences for our students.
Academic Excellence
I extend my heartfelt appreciation to our dedicated staff, hardworking students, and supportive parents for their unwavering commitment to education. Together, we have achieved remarkable milestones in academic pursuits, setting a high standard for excellence that will resonate for years to come.
Cross-Curricular
Term 4 has been particularly productive, showcasing the spirit of collaboration and the diversity of talents within our school community. Currently 30 of our students are representing us in an international basketball tournament in America, fostering cultural exchange and sportsmanship on a global scale.
Week 9 Program
The last week of term was nothing short of extraordinary, with students actively participating in a range of enriching short courses designed by our dedicated teachers. These courses, including excursions to the museum, city scavenger hunts, visits to Cleland Wildlife Park, game-making, Christmas card creation, arts and crafts, Christmas cookie baking, a whole day of trivia, mini-Olympics, swimming, and a whole day of stem provided our students with new and exciting learning opportunities outside the traditional classroom setting. To end the week and celebrate the last day of the year we had a disco in the gym.
Our students embraced these experiences with enthusiasm, gaining valuable skills and forming lasting memories. It is heartening to witness the passion for learning that our students demonstrate, and I am immensely proud of their accomplishments.
Thank You
As we finish the year, I extend my deepest gratitude to our exceptional staff for their dedication, our students for their hard work and enthusiasm, and our parents for their continued support. Your collective efforts have made this year a success, and we look forward to building on this momentum in the coming years.
As we enter the holidays, I wish each and every one of you a joyous and relaxing holiday season. May this time be filled with laughter, love, and the warmth of shared moments with family and friends. I look forward to seeing all of you in the new year, ready to embark on another year of learning, growth, and success.
Thank you for being an integral part of the Modbury High School community.
Regards
Joanne Costa
Ms Costa
Principal
In the Term 3 holidays, our dedicated teachers Ms Amanda Kampes and Mr Ryan Ricci, along with 16 students from years 8 to 12, embarked on a captivating journey north to Japan – the land of the rising sun! They explored the vibrant metropolis of Tokyo, the historic allure of Osaka, the country hospitality of Asakuchi, the poignant history of Hiroshima, the cultural richness of Nara and the timeless beauty of Kyoto.
From navigating the bustling streets of Tokyo to exploring serene temples in Kyoto, we learned about the profound history and rich traditions of Japan, deepening our appreciation for this remarkable nation.
We’re grateful for the meticulous planning and dedication put into this trip by Amanda Kampes, who ensured that every moment was educational and an unforgettable experience. Through these extraordinary journeys we can broaden our students’ horizons, and we eagerly anticipate more overseas adventures in the future.
Japan has left an incredible mark on these students and we look forward to offering this to experience to others in future years.
Ms Amanda Kampes
Coordinator of Languages and International Education
Earlier this year, some of the Year 7-10 Art classes participated in creating a float design for National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant miniature float competition.
Congratulations to the following students who have received honorary mentions from National Pharmacies for their designs placing in the top 10 and top 40 selections from over 700 entries!
Top 10:
Top 40:
Year 8 and 9 Japanese classes finished off their year of studies by making and eating onigiri (rice balls). Students experienced this simple yet filling dish in week 8. Consisting of rice, sushi vinegar and seaweed, students realised that you don’t need many ingredients to make a fulfilling meal. Many students said that they were going to try making these at home over the summer break!
Kampes Sensei
Ms Amanda Kampes
Coordinator of Languages and International Education
We recognised and celebrated approximately 160 students from Years 7 – 11 on Thursday 30th November for their contributions and achievements throughout 2023. We were very fortunate to be joined on the day by guest presenters and Award sponsors, parents and family members of the prize winners along with the staff and students from our school.
The newly elected student leaders for 2024 – Lawrence French, Kaiwen He, Kahlan Mashford and Anton Kastanos, confidently and certainly very capably led the proceedings.
Our school band, conducted by Mr Gareth Budd, led the music entertainment for the assembly sharing pieces they had played at this year's ABODA Bands Festival, while accompanying the choir for the National Anthem.
Payton Richardson provided us all with his very insightful perspective on his first year at Modbury High School as a year seven student. Owen Wythe and Caitlin Fraser then both spoke on behalf of the year eleven students, providing highlights of the year and some words of wisdom to the year ten students as they move into the senior school next year.
Students were recognised this year for their contributions to their home group and student life program, the school and community programs, those who have shown academic improvement over the year, and of course outstanding academic achievement both in specific learning areas and consistently across the board in all subjects, achievement in the AMT Mathematics Competition and participation in the F1 in Schools program State Finals, Nationals and World Finals recently in Singapore.
We would like to thank the following sponsors of some of the awards presented:
Our guests and award winners were provided a beautiful and very tasty morning tea, prepared and served by our Home Economics staff and students.
Congratulations to all our students for 2023!
Home Group Teacher Award Recipients
| Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 | Year 10 | Year 11 | Special Options Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 701: Samuel Harris | 801: Lily Davey | 912: Alexander Jones | 1010: Kiera Evans | 1117: Will Bui | John Fraser |
| 702: Grace Dykstra | 802: Alyssa Dyett | 913: Josh Lay | 1011: Rachel Burgess | 1118: Ravneet Kaur | Linkin Tuohy |
| 703: Jack Luijckx | 803: Riley Hutchinson | 9A1: Brooklyn Harris | 1015: Jaxon Harris | 1119: Abbey Clarke | |
| 704: Hudson Mentha | 804: Sanvi Sanvi | 9A5: Hannah Merrett | 1016: Raven Walters | 1120: Jade Pelton | |
| 705: Skye Parrish | 805: Riley Heffernan | 9A6: Izzy Dube | 10H1: Het Shah | 1121: Ryley Copeland | |
| 707: Jasmeet Sammi | 814: Lachlan Connolly | 10H2: Reagile Hlatshwayo |
School Community Service Award Recipients
| Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 | Year 10 | Year 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fergus Bell Felix Brotherton-Collins Liam Horn Jacob Kakko Joshua Merrett | Elliot Crabb Ava Huettenrauch Vivaan Rajpal Paige Sharpe Ella Taylor | Melissa Benton Jess Freebairn Rylen Hay Ethan King Lucia Lewis Zanele Mangava Thomas Mills Emily Piacquadio Kash Saxena Lohit Singh Leila Suche Elliot Webster-Brown Tom Whistler | Regan Carter Rei Cook Keira Copeland Molly Cox Jed De Koning Marco Ebrahimi Emily Habgood Angus Haren Lauren Jolly Isla McGraw Xavier Paulson Noah Piutti Harvey Spencer | Sanjam Bhujbal Caitlin Fraser Lawrence French Carlos Gray Claveria Kaiwen He Kahlan Mashford Hana Wong Owen Wythe Luke Zawada |
Finem Respice Award Recipients
| Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 | Year 10 | Year 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maddison Hall | Grace Grindle | Jason Johnson | Lia Kais | Andrea Sualog |
Meritorious Award Recipients
| Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 | Year 10 | Year 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armaan Babwani Fergus Bell Jack Clyma Chelsea Green Samantha Heward Sienna Hutchinson Brea Jijo Sibella Kastanos Benika Kaundal Payton Richardson Rachel Wagener Eileen Zhang | Liam Bairstow Hayley Byrne Tyler Gaskin-Osborne Liam Hanlin Ava Huettenrauch Brendan Keast Roshani Rajkumar Vivaan Rajpal Paige Sharpe Demi Snider Kaitlyn Sollis Jules Sualog Gargee Vyas Evan Zawada | Isha Bane Isabelle Cox Alex Dinedios Jess Freebairn Lily Grant-Allan Amerson Green Erika Griffiths Charli Hodson Ariel Lim Angelica Lizaso Hannah Lock Peter McMillan Saarakshya Sharma Aki Sicoy Leila Suche Scarlett Taylor Emily Totani Elliot Webster-Brown Tom Whistler | Charlotte Bland Breanne Button Rei Cook Siba Ghamrawi Cameron Green Soheil Haidari Keilah Haldane Elise Harmer Luke Haskard Amber Hayward Imogen Janicki Christopher Kastanos Jade Kolman Danika Low Mia Ly Holly Manoel Isla McGraw Imogen McNamara Mika Osborne Belle Parrish Rania Saitov Bryce Sanders Caitlyn Scott Madhav Sharma Liezel Wong Emily Zhang | Jasmin Andrews Madison Benton Jack Counihan-Abbott Sarah Crozier Asha Duldig Oscar Elder Kaiwen He Anton Kastanos Kahlan Mashford Lesedi Morupisi Jazsmin Smith Hana Wong Owen Wythe |
All-Rounder Award Recipients
| Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 | Year 10 | Year 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fergus Bell | Vivaan Rajpal | Jess Freebairn | Molly Cox | Kahlan Mashford |
Dux for 2023
| Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 | Year 10 | Year 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armaan Babwani | Demi Snider | Aki Sicoy | Christopher Kastanos Liezel Wong | Jasmin Andrews Hana Wong |
Junior Sports Award Recipients
| Kade Monteleone | Maddison Carter | Sydney Pocock |
ADF Award Recipients
| Year 10 Future Innovators Award | Angus Haren |
| Year 10 Long Tan Leadership & Teamwork | Xavier Paulson |
Year 11 Award Recipients
| Award Name | Student Name | Award Name | Student Name | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZONTA Award | Caitlin Fraser | Languages | Owen Wythe | |
| IDEA (Iannucci Design and Excellence Award) | Quinn Duncan | Mathematics | Anton Kastanos | |
| Music Award | Jack Counihan-Abbott | Sciences | Lesedi Morupisi | |
| Cross Disciplinary | Hana Wong | Technologies | Mason Green | |
| English | Hana Wong | Future Physicists Award | Oscar Elder | |
| HASS | Lawrence French |
Mrs Woolford
Assistant Principal of Year 11 & 12
ACRUX Racing is Modbury High School's F1 in Schools National Final team. Apart of the competition is raising money through fundraisers and sponsorship and designing and manufacturing a car.
Do you keep losing your jewellery? ACRUX Racing are selling Jewellery Holders that are the perfect gift for Christmas or for yourself!
Order them now using this link: https://forms.gle/dpr23qA2edK3hvJ96
The Australian Government has established the School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI) to provide free home internet for one year for up to 30,000 unconnected families with school age students, creating an opportunity for students to access fast and reliable broadband internet at home. Research shows that children who can access online learning as part of their education are more likely to be engaged in classroom activities and have better educational experiences and opportunities.
nbn is leading implementation of this initiative and to date has been working closely with nominating organisations such as education authorities, national charities and community organisations who identify and nominate students and families who could benefit from the SSBI.
Access to the Australian Government SSBI is now easier for families, with the launch of the new National Referral Centre (NRC).
To be eligible, a family must have a child living at home that is enrolled in an Australian school, have no active broadband service over the nbn network, and live in a premises where they can access a standard nbn service. Families must not have had an active nbn connection during the previous 14 days.
Families can contact the NRC directly to check their eligibility and be supported to access the one year of free home broadband, rather than relying on being identified by a nominating organisation.
Help spread the word
The SSBI program is primarily intended as an affordability measure to help those with school-aged children who may be experiencing financial hardship. If you know someone who may be eligible for the SSBI, please help us to spread the word and share these three simple steps:
You can find more information about the NRC on Anglicare Victoria’s website available here: Student Internet Program - Anglicare Victoria
We believe in a culture of achievement in a respectful and rigorous learning environment
