Our School
Our school motto Ad Lucem Crescimus – Growing towards the light, is central to our core values. Our purpose is to engage the school community in a positive culture that embraces team work, innovation and excellence. We empower our students to be active learners by developing their capacity to take control of their own learning, whether working independently or with others.
Our School
Our school motto Ad Lucem Crescimus – Growing towards the light, is central to our core values. Our purpose is to engage the school community in a positive culture that embraces team work, innovation and excellence. We empower our students to be active learners by developing their capacity to take control of their own learning, whether working independently or with others.
Mentor Model of Learning
Blackburn High School is committed to establishing a sense of family and belonging for every student. Each student is a member of a specific House and each House is divided into Mentor Groups. Mentor Groups are a mix of students from Years 7 to 12, allowing connections to develop between students and Mentor Teachers. Through these connections, students new to the school will quickly develop friendships with students from all year levels.
Mentor Groups
- Allow students to relate to others in different age groups
- Assist in developing student social skills
- Facilitate cross age and peer group learning
Mentor Groups meet each morning for 20 minutes where students take part in a variety of activities and learning experiences that include:
- Dissemination of important school information through the daily messages
- Setting individual learning goals
- Regular silent reading to enhance literacy and concentration
- Well-being and help seeking strategies
- Inter-house competitions
- Literacy and numeracy activities
- General knowledge quizzes
- Pathways – guidance for subject selections and careers
- e-Smart – understanding the use of technology in society
The Mentor Teacher is the first point of call for parents and students with any questions or concerns. Students will, in most cases, remain with the same Mentor Teacher for their time at Blackburn High School. This allows the Mentor Teacher to get to know their students well as both a people and as learners, to establish strong links with each student’s family and to provide valuable support to the students in their Group.
Booklist and Uniform
Year 7 to VCE Booklist 2023 have now all been published and are available online for student ordering.
The webmaster link for the lists:
https://order.campion.com.au/index.html#resourceListListView?code=352BAD20
This link will assist you to go straight to the home screen for placing your orders.
Blackburn High School has a smart, distinctive, compulsory school uniform, which forms an important part of the overall Blackburn High School education. Wearing the school uniform correctly demonstrates the pride and respect we have for our school and, more importantly, for ourselves. Attention to personal presentation develops habits of self-discipline and responsibility which are skills essential in a 21st Century education.
Other Uniform Requirements
Skirt or dress
To be worn just above the knee.
Hair and accessories
Neat and tidy and tied back with black, dark green, or white ribbon/ties. Hair colouring to be in natural shades.
Jewellery
Piercings must be discreet and limited to small studs.
Make-up
Must be minimal and unobtrusive. Students will be required to remove make-up that is judged to be conspicuous. Dark nail polish is not permitted.
Gloves
Blackburn regulation. Black to match scarf (with academic uniform term 2 & 3 only).
School Facilities, Map and Clubs
Blackburn High School is situated on 12 hectares of land. The school’s facilities include flexible learning spaces, a newly finished modern STEM Centre which includes Science laboratories, 3D printing laboratory and much more, a modern Music Centre, Food Technology Centre, Student Canteen, Gymnasium/Auditorium, a Fitness training room, Resource Centre, First Aid and Student Welfare facilities, sports fields and the newly constructed Covered Sports grounds.
Xuno School Management System
Blackburn High School uses the XUNO school management platform for all of its school communications. XUNO allows parents to readily track their child’s school work, attendance, school reports and overall progress, and provides easy communication with school staff.
When you join the Blackburn High School community you will receive your own log-in details to access this information and stay in touch 24/7 with all aspects of your child’s schooling.
School Council & Annual Report
Blackburn High School Council is responsible for setting the policy of the school, and managing the budget. The school is accountable to the Council for its performance in terms of the goals set in its Strategic Plan. There are four sub-committees: Building and Grounds, Education and Policy, Finance, and Publicity and Promotion.
Building and Grounds
Sets policy in relation to building and grounds development and oversees implementation of major projects. Responsible for Working Bee organisation.
Education and Policy
Develops all policies. Oversees the Triennial Review, the development of the Strategic Plan, the Annual Report and the Annual Implementation Plan. Deals with issues relating directly to learning and curriculum.
Finance
Monitors that the school’s spending is directed towards the school’s priorities. Sets and monitors the Annual Budget. Oversees fee and levy setting and whole-school fund raising.
Publicity and Promotion
Oversees the way the school presents itself to the public. This includes Year 6 to Year 7 transition activities, relationships with the community and particularly with primary schools. Oversees advertising.
Further information
For more information or if you want to get involved in the School Council, please contact The Principal, Mrs Joanna Alexander or our School Council President Mr Geoff Hugo: blackburn.hs@education.vic.gov.au
House System
Blackburn High School is based on a House System which is essential to building a sense of community and providing support to staff, students and families. Students and families will remain in the same House for the duration of their time at Blackburn High School, which further enhances the sense of belonging and connection.
Across our school we have four houses, Dunlop, Freeman, Hollows and Melba.
Each of these Houses is comprised of over 300 students and around 15 Mentor Groups.
Throughout the year numerous whole school activities are conducted with House representation, from Swimming and Athletics Carnivals to our House Performing Arts Festival, the House spirit is immense.
Our Houses also dedicate an annual fundraiser to generating funds for a chosen charity. These fundraisers are often a highlight for our school community and frequently feature BBQs, music and games.
Dunlop House
Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop, a prisoner of war who in 1985 led the creation of the Sir Edward Dunlop Medical Research Foundation. This foundation allows medical researchers to study health conditions that affected war veterans and their foundations.
Weary Dunlop’s characteristics of ‘courage’ and ‘unselfishness’ are also reflected in our School Value of Citizenship. It is for these reasons our school community is proud to continue our support of Weary and his foundation.
House Leader: Mr Mark Pasquali
Assistant Leader: Mr Kazi Mapuranga and Ms Brittany Milner
Hollows House
Hollows House is founded based on Fred Hollows, a professor at the University of NSW who drastically reduced the cost of eye care for communities across the world.
Fred’s mission was to ensure that no one across the globe was unnecessarily blind.
Each year Blackburn High School donations ensure that for every $25, someone has their sight restored.
House Leader: Ms Laura Brock
Assistant Leader: Ms Rajpal Kaur and Ms Hannah Wilson
Freeman House
Our Freeman House is based on the Community Spirit Foundation, formally known as the Cathy Freeman Foundation.
This foundation works closely with First Nations Communities to ensure their young people have access to the best opportunities and achieve their best outcomes through education and lifelong learning.
House Leader: Mr Liam Tobin
Assistant Leader: Mr Rod Bate and Ms Shona Perrin
Melba House
Melba House is named after famous Australian opera singer, Dame Nellie Melba. During the First World War, Dame Nellie Melba raised large sums of money to support a number of charities.
At Blackburn High School we are embodying the spirit of Dame Nellie Melba to continue supporting charities and our community.
Not only are we continuing to raise funds for the Eastern Emergency Relief Network, but our school community also bands together to collect non-perishable foods and toiletries for those in our community who are less fortunate.
House Leader: Mr Adrian Ferres
Assistant Leader: Mr Merric Butler and Ms Clare Leavold
Green Team
Who are the Green Team?
We are a group of passionate students and teachers dedicated to creating a more sustainable school. We aim to educate the Blackburn community on the impacts of climate change and how to implement environmentally conscious practices. We invite students from any year level to join us, regardless of any current knowledge about environment and climate issues!
When and where meet
We meet in RC5 (near the Resource Centre) every Thursday lunchtime. We welcome anyone and everyone.
Our recent achievements
- We installed two new compost bins in the school yard to reduce food waste
- We created a school-wide micro-recycling program for pens, batteries and bread tags
- We attended multiple virtual climate conferences in 2020 and 2021 to learn about climate change and what we can do to help
- We achieved our first star in the Resource Smart Schools program, and are on our way to achieve our second
- We have promoted leadership opportunities for younger students and have provided opportunities for students to create and lead programs and activities throughout the school
Our goals for this year
- To create an environmentally responsible school in the areas of waste, water use, electricity use and biodiversity
- Educate the school community on how to implement sustainable practices in our community
- Continue to expand the micro recycling program and composting systems
- Aim to achieve our next star in the RSS program by reducing school waste
Employment
Two Tutor positions:
Numeracy Teacher Tutor
Literacy Teacher Tutor
Please contact Amanda Dixon for further information at:
amanda.dixon@education.vic.gov.au