Dear Preshil Community,

Welcome to another edition of Preshil Weekly.

As we move into the second week of the academic year, we are beginning to find our rhythm and groove in the learning spaces. Our students are building their stamina, settling into routines, and finding their flow.

A highlight this week has been the swimming program at Arlington, which has brought much joy to our younger students—especially with the warm weather making a splash in the pool all the more refreshing. Beyond that, what has been most rewarding is seeing the continuity and momentum of our learning spaces as they return to full swing across the school.

Breakfast Club & Our Educational Principles
This week was the first of our Breakfast Club sessions with staff. These sessions provide a space for us to come together and explore the guiding principles of our educational approach—not in abstract definitions, but in real, practical applications.

This week, we unpacked the first of our nine Preshil Educational Principles: Individualised Learning. Our discussions centred on how we, as educators, show up in the learning space to enable and facilitate this principle in meaningful ways. The conversation was rich, filled with reflections and storytelling about what the lived experience of individualised learning looks like at Preshil.

Below is the current working definition of Individualised Learning, which we will continue to refine as we explore how it applies in practice:

Individualised Learning
Preshil values the uniqueness of each child and aims to respect and accommodate individual differences, needs, and learning styles. Students are encouraged to learn at their own pace and in their own way, without being held to fixed expectations or unnecessary comparisons with others.

As we continue these conversations throughout the year, we look forward to sharing more insights and evolving our collective understanding of what makes Preshil’s approach so distinctive.

Please note, Preshil Weekly will be taking a short break and will be back with updates on Friday the 7th of March.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week ahead!

Warm regards,

Aaron Mackinnon
Principal

IBDP Art Exhibition
The 2025 IBDP Visual Art exhibition opened on Thursday 13th February at the Glen Eira City Council Gallery and featured the artwork of students from the Victorian and Tasmanian class of 2024.

This exhibition is an annual event that showcases the diverse talent and creativity of Year 12 Visual Art students. The 5 Preshil students that have work exhibited in the show are Isabelle Hayes, Ajax Abrahams, Darby Wells, Jesse Weinberger and Shion McDonald. Exhibition details for those who would like to visit are:

Location: Glen Eira City Council Gallery, Corner of Glen Eira and Hawthorn Roads, Caulfield VIC.
Dates: 13 February – 9 March 2025
Times: Monday to Friday 10:00am – 5:00pm, Saturday and Sunday 1:00pm – 5:00pm

Wellbeing Week
This week has been Wellbeing Week for Year 11/12 – an opportunity to provide some safe and informed spaces for our students to explore a range of age appropriate themes that are often challenging to navigate in the Senior Years.

On Monday, we welcomed Remy from Elephant Ed who created a safe and informed space to explore the societal climate around sexual violence. Students were incredibly respectful and thoughtful with their questions and responses and we were really proud of their approach to a deeply raw and intimate topic.

On Wednesday, we welcomed Sharon from The Drug Education Project who was accompanied by Joelly, a paramedic based at the St Kilda branch. Sharon’s expertise in this space as a health teacher and a volunteer for DanceWize, a peer-based alcohol and other drugs (AOD) harm reduction program at music events and festivals across Victoria, was a game changer for this discussion.

There was some incredible discussion and data around vaping, in particular. Having a paramedic to address substance use from a medical perspective was a real asset to the session and provided an opportunity for the cohort to address myths surrounding calling Triple Zero and the role an ambulance plays in a crisis.

On Thursday, we welcomed Sean from EACH who explored the fundamentals of financial literacy and money management – budgeting, spending, borrowing and saving, as well as raising an awareness of the financial risks of gambling given the rise in disposable income during the Senior Years.

To finish the week, Nat and Rob joined 20 students at Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq Arcades in Melbourne Docklands to connect as a cohort in a high energy day of arcade games, dodgem bumper cars and bowling. In your senior years, there aren’t many school based opportunities to connect in a fun way and we felt that this would be a great excuse to create some cross cohort memories.

With all our sessions this week, we wanted to empower and equip our students with knowledge and skills so that they have the autonomy to make informed choices in judgement free spaces that encourage open discussion.

Kindergarten and Togetherness
This week the kindergarten program has had a focus on togetherness. The children are exploring relationships with their peers and what is to be part of the group. This group dynamic is especially important when working as a team during our excursions around the Arlington Campus and at tidy up times. Group games and explorations are happening too, and the children are learning to take turns and help each other.

OSHC program is starting to take more shape and the children are finding experiences and interactions that suit them after or before their school day.

Arlington Annual Swimming Program
Each year our children take part in a 4 day swimming program at the Hawthorn Aquatic and Leisure Centre, and this year, we were blessed with lovely hot days. For the children, they can experience an unsettled feeling, as the days become topsy-turvy, and so we take care to give as much predictability, across the week, as we can.

Across the program, our children grow in their capacity to organise themselves within a group, and expand their experience of school life.

In true Preshil fashion, children participate at their point of readiness, with no child being pushed to conform; a child can travel to the pool and decide not to swim, a child can change their mind and jump in with their group when they feel confident, and some children simply choose to remain on campus. At Arlington, there is space for all of us to do things in our own time.

1:1 Study Support
Term 1 Study Support at Blackhall is being offered as a 30 minute 1:1 time slot.

All you need to do is click on the time you’d like to meet, fill in the details you’re asked for and then you are booked in for 1:1 support! (parents can’t book on students behalf unfortunately).

We have times available before school and after school. If you don’t need this time any more, please be respectful of our staff time and cancel the booking – someone else might need that slot and they can then book in.

Who will be on each session?

Monday AM: EmK, Monday PM: Nat K

Wednesday AM: Alex, Wednesday PM: Ana

Thursday AM: Nat A, Thursday PM: Ana

Thank You Morning Tea
What a lovely surprise it was for the Arlington staff to enjoy a morning tea provided by our wonderful families. This was a show of gratitude for the amazing amount of work that went on over the summer to improve the buildings and grounds. We even managed to ensure that Rob downed tools to enjoy a slice of cake!

Chess at Preshil
Chess master Leonid Sandler will be back teaching chess this year. Open to all year levels. Join him on Thursdays from 3:30pm to 4:30pm. Learn more and fill out this form.

Chess at Preshil
Chess master Leonid Sandler will be back teaching chess at Arlington this year. Join him on Thursdays from 3.30 to 4.30pm. Open to all year levels. Learn more and fill out this form.

Preshil Careers Hub
Discover everything you need to make a successful transition through high school and into the ‘real world’. Sign up to receive our Pathways & Careers Newsletters, access the latest guides on life and money management, work experience opportunities, and parent resources. You can also connect with the Careers and Pathways Team for personalised support. Click the link below for more information on Preshil’s Careers Hub.

Preshil Careers Hub