Dear Preshil community,

Welcome to another edition of the Preshil Weekly!

Celebrating Environmental Art Across Campuses

It was a delight this week to see the opening of the collaborative Arlington and Blackhall exhibition – Environmental Art – held in the Kevin Borland Hall at Arlington on Thursday 8 May.

This thoughtful and inspiring exhibition brings together the creative work of students from the Loft Room and the Years 7-10 Art Odyssey and Art Explorer classes. Over Term 1 and the start of Term 2, students have worked across campuses in a shared inquiry into the theme of Our Environment.

Guided by the principles of form, texture and abstraction, as well as drawing inspiration from artists such as Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, the students have explored both the natural and built environments that surround them each day at Preshil. The result is a rich and varied collection of works that reflect not only their growing artistic skills but also their deepening connection to place and to one another.

This exhibition also marks the beginning of what promises to be an exciting month of student art across the school. Coming up, we look forward to our Senior Students’ Works in Progress exhibition, as well as a Years 7-10 showcase at the Good Shepherd Chapel, Abbotsford Convent.

We encourage all members of our community to take the time to visit these exhibitions and celebrate the creative voice of our students.

Sydney Opera House Play Awards

We are proud to share that Preshil has submitted an application to the 2025 Sydney Opera House Play Awards, showcasing our unique and deeply held philosophy of play as a vital mode of learning. Our submission, titled A Backyard for Our Children, celebrates the rich diversity of play that takes place across our Arlington campus. It reflects our long-standing belief that play should not be confined to prescriptive structures, but instead be open-ended, child-directed, and inclusive of all learning styles and personalities.

Our campus offers children the freedom to explore, imagine, and create—from building cubbies with real tools to transforming a tree into a helicopter or spaceship. With access to kitchens, gardens, libraries, and administration spaces, children shape their play on their own terms. We support the differentiation of play, ensuring that every student can find belonging and agency. This approach nurtures wellbeing, builds confidence, and prepares children to return to their learning ready, refreshed, and self-directed.

If successful, the award which is announced on the International Day of Play, 11 June, would help us further develop our Bush Nook area by working with Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Gunditjmara Traditional Owner groups to embed Indigenous knowledge into our play spaces. We hope to create a stone structure inspired by traditional Gunditjmara architecture and engineering, providing meaningful, culturally rich play opportunities that celebrate First Nations perspectives and technology. This project is an extension of our commitment to respecting and expanding the role of play in education at Preshil.

You can see part of our application which is in the form of a short video below.

Wishing you a lovely weekend ahead!

Warmly,

Aaron Mackinnon
Principal

Preshil - For Sydney Opera House Play Award

Year 10 Careers Week Recap
Last week, our Year 10 students participated in our annual Careers Experience Week—a vital opportunity for young people to begin exploring their future pathways. The vast array of career options can be daunting, which is why real world experiences like this week are so valuable.

This year’s program included a rich mix of activities. Our students took part in virtual work experiences through Mindflight7 and attended presentations on pathways, course research, transferable skills, and the labour market. They heard from guest speakers representing institutions such as Swinburne University, Deakin College, Kangan Institute, and LCI Melbourne’s Design School. A special highlight was a workshop from the Victorian Young Workers Centre, which guided students through their workplace rights in preparation for part-time employment and work experience. We were also thrilled to welcome Preshil alumna Myfan Jordan, who shared her inspiring career journey.

In addition to these sessions, students had the opportunity to complete two accredited certificates: Barista and Food Handling. These hands-on courses covered espresso preparation (including latte art), hygiene practices, contamination prevention, and safe food storage. They also provided transferable skills and practical experience, enabling students to pursue part-time work in many industries or explore further careers in hospitality, tourism, events, and catering.

The week concluded with an excursion to the Victorian VCE & Careers Expo at the Melbourne Convention Centre, where students explored a wide range of post-school options and gathered resources to support their planning.

Overall, it was a fantastic week. We truly enjoyed delivering these experiences, and curating their special goodie bags, and look forward to seeing how our young people apply their learning as they begin pathway planning next semester.

Kindergarten Check In
This week, our kindergarten team hosted an afternoon catch-up to share an overview of our program and how it is shaped by Preshil’s Educational Principles. The goal of the event was to give families a clear understanding of:

The values guiding our curriculum decisions
How our approach supports each child’s unique learning journey
The connection between our philosophy, pedagogy, and daily practice

We appreciate the families who attended and engaged with our team. It was a valuable opportunity to deepen the connection between home and school, and to demonstrate how our guiding principles come to life in the kindergarten setting.

Art Exhibition
The Collaborative Project Art Exhibition opened on Thursday, 8th May, in The Kevin Borland Hall at the Arlington Campus. The exhibition features artwork created by children from the Loft Room alongside young people from the Years 7 – 10 Art elective, all exploring the theme Our Environment.

The exhibition will be on display until 19th May, and everyone is warmly invited to visit and enjoy the works.

Peppercorns Civics and Citizenship
The Peppercorns have been studying Civics and Citizenship during the recent federal election campaign. It’s the perfect time to do so as they have access to authentic texts, media content and public discourse. In our imagined scenario, Prime Minister Steve Marlington (Sinan, left) and his team, currently holding a narrow majority, are trying to get re-elected while Opposition Leader Jack Barkers (Hugh, right) is trying his best to become the new PM.

The Peppercorns class picked a handful of issues to focus on, produced campaign material and held leaders’ debates moderated by election expert Georgie Mount (Katie, centre). Some students role-played journalists and podcasters, asking questions at press conferences and interviewing the politicians about their plans for the nation.

A Mathematical Exploration in Fitzroy Gardens Tudor Village
We recently visited this historical and somewhat quirky installation in Fitzroy Gardens. The children’s challenge was to gather as much data (photographs, estimations using iPads and rulers) that would allow them to return to Arlington and construct a recreation of their chosen village structure using a 1:1 scale; a jumping off point for further fun, exploring measurement and scale through design/construction based projects. More on this soon!

Open Mornings
We invite prospective Preshil families to tour our Secondary, Primary and Kindergarten campuses in one of our Open Mornings. To register your attendance and find available times please visit this link. Please note these times do book out.

If you are interested in visiting Preshil in a different capacity or have other questions please email registrar@preshil.vic.edu.au or call +613 9817 6135.

Upcoming Workshops For Families With Positive Partnerships
Positive Partnerships is a national project funded by the Australian Government Department of Education and delivered by Aspect (Autism Spectrum Australia). They are hosting a couple of upcoming free workshops for families which you are welcome to join.

Executive Functioning Webinar

Be part of an interactive 45 minutes where you get the opportunity to listen, share and learn with parents/carers, teachers and others who support autistic individuals.

When: Tuesday 20th May 2025, 7:00 PM – 7:45 PM AEST

Full Day Parent/Carers workshop for Autism

A workshop for parents, full-time carers and grandparents to join other local families to learn more about autism and ways to strengthen the home-school partnership.

When: Wednesday 21st May 2025, 9:15 AM – 3:00 PM AEST

Carpooling
Looking for a carpooling option or a travel buddy for your child? Our *Bus/Train/Tram and Carpooling group* on WhatsApp is here to help! Families in our community are keen to connect with others on similar travel routes.

If you’re interested in joining or lending a hand, we’d love to have you in our commuting group for parents!

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