To our wonderful Preshil community, welcome to another edition of the Preshil Weekly!

Thank you for your patience as we took a short pause over the past fortnight. We’re now back and ready to roll as usual for the rest of the year!

Over the past two weeks, the first of our cohort camps for 2025 occurred. The Peppercorns recently explored Sovereign Hill, immersing themselves in its experiential history, while our Middle School students spent time on the Mornington Peninsula, connecting with nature and each other.

At Preshil, we are intentional about providing rich experiences beyond the classroom. As you may know, our cohort camps run from Years 2 and 3 all the way through to the much-anticipated Year 9 Central Australia trip. In the Senior School, we also offer a variety of optional study tours each year. In 2025, these include a New Zealand Ski Camp and a potential Tasmania Arts and Humanities Study Tour, running from June 23–27. The latter presents a unique opportunity for students to immerse themselves in Tasmania’s rich cultural, artistic, and historical landscapes.

These experiences are invaluable in fostering the deep sense of connection we aspire to as a radically human and connected place of learning. Being in a new environment exposed to different ideas and ways of thinking, strengthens these connections. Time away from home, surrounded by peers, also provides an opportunity to develop the trust and inclusivity that define our school culture.

Put simply, these trips are a lot of fun, and they will remain in the highlight reel of our young people’s memories for many years to come!

I hope you enjoy reading more about these and the other wonderful experiences we’ve shared together as a community of learners over the past fortnight.

Warm regards,

Aaron Mackinnon
Principal

P.S. If you get the chance to pick up The Age this weekend, you’ll find a feature on Preshil’s unique approach to nurturing creativity within learning. Take a look!

International Women’s Day Bake Sale
This International Women’s Day, we celebrated by holding a bake sale across recess and lunchtime. Wellbeing Committee members helped to sell the cakes and asked students to write down personal pledges around how they can, and will, support women this year. We sold all the cakes and raised some extra money that we will be donating to a charity that supports and empowers women. We have also been able to create a display on one of the student notice boards with the pledges. Cupcakes were purchased from, ‘Cake Creations By Kate’.

Year 12 Psychology Body Doubling
The Year 12 Psychology class have been enjoying the “Study with…” Body doubling videos when we are doing quiet study or extended writing. Body doubling is a great option for students because it provides accountability and reduces procrastination, helping them stay focused and motivated during independent study sessions – and sometimes the novelty and anonymity of a virtual one can work just as well.

New Swing in the Kindergarten
The wait is finally over, our new swings for Kindergarten and Out of School Hours Care are ready. Our Kindergarten children tried them out today, and gave them the stamp of approval. The Kindergarten children declared, “No adults are allowed, they’re only for kids”, but Sandra has had a go too!

Sovereign Hill Camp – Peppercorns
The Peppercorns went on camp to Ballarat, and spent two days in the immersion program as students of the Ragged Orphan’s School. Nick and Cressida became Mr and Mrs Jones, who visited the Ragged School to select two fine young children to join them as apprentices at their Criterion Shop. Master Frank and Mistress Kate displayed strong character, and despite the Doctor saying that Katie and Rachel may not survive their cough, although a cow pat poultice applied to the chest may be just what is needed, and Frank having poor eyesight, which could only be cured with rotten apples applied to the eyes, Mr and Mrs Jones felt they would make excellent apprentices.

Student reflections:

“I felt like a living experiment, but it wasn’t as strict as I expected it to be.”

“The Chinese Temple visit was really cool. I thought it was interesting how they made good food, even though they were mistreated.”

“I noticed that there were different toys for boys and girls”

“I found some specks of gold”

Cello Ensemble
Every Thursday morning before school, the Cello Ensemble gets together to make music and have fun. Led by the talented Samantha Wong – a cellist, singer, arranger, and performer – the group enjoys playing a mix of well-known tunes and Samantha’s own arrangements. It’s a great way to start the day, and their hard work is really paying off! We can’t wait to hear them perform soon—keep an eye out for their upcoming performances!

Boroondora Literary Awards
Do you have a story to tell? It’s time to get writing for the 2025 Boroondara Literary Awards, presented in partnership with the Rotary Club of Balwyn.

The Young Writers competition is open to students from Year 5 to Year 12, and young people not in secondary school aged 15 to 18 years (as of 1 January 2025), who live, study, or work in the City of Boroondara. A maximum of one prose and one poetry piece may be entered per person. Winners of the Young Writers competition will share a prize pool of more than $5000 and will have their work published in the 2025 Boroondara Literary Awards Anthology.

For more information and to submit your entry, visit: www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/literary-awards

Entries close Sunday 11 May 2025.

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

The Week Ahead

Monday 17 March

12pm – 8pm: Three-Way Conferences – Online. No classes and no students to be onsite.

Tuesday 18 March

9:00am – 10:05am: Blackhall – Year 7 – NAPLAN Numeracy Catchup

Wednesday 19 March

9:00am – 10:05am: Blackhall – Year 9 – NAPLAN Numeracy Catchup
9:15am – 10:45am: Open Morning – Arlington Campus
12:10pm – 12:30pm: Whole School Meeting – CAGE 1

Thursday 20 March

No special events

Friday 21 March

9:00am: School Photos – Arlington
9:15am – 10:15am: Open Morning – Blackhall Campus
11:30am: School Photos – Blackhall
11:30am – 1:30pm: Young Curators Electivity – Arlington – Melbourne Galleries

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