PRESHIL WEEKLY
Dear Preshil Community,
Today was all about school photos. It was a delight to see our children arrive with a little extra sparkle and spunk, ready to capture the moment. For me, it was also a first—being part of the staff photo while a crowd of curious and enthusiastic onlookers peered through the Kevin Borland Hall windows, cheering us on! What a lovely reminder of the joyful spirit in our school community. Thank you to our wonderful children for making us feel like total celebrities!
I hope you enjoy reading about all that’s been happening this week.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
Warm regards,
Aaron Mackinnon
Principal

THE WEEK IN REVIEW
One Man, Two Guvnors
We’re thrilled to announce our cast of One Man, Two Guvnors for August 2025! Over the last two weeks, we’ve held auditions, callbacks, a poster photoshoot and our first production meeting. Congratulations to all auditions – we had one third of the school sign up to audition!
We want to congratulate everyone who put up their hand to audition. Auditions are hard! And especially a huge congratulations for this year’s cast! Not just talent, but dedication to the craft of acting, preparing and inventing.
This show is going to be so much fun. We can’t wait for it already!
Cast
ROLE – Cast member
Francis Henshall – Archie
Rachel Crabbe – Marlene
Stanley Stubbers – Tuesday
Alan Dangle – Ethan
Pauline Clench – Elliot
Dolly – Frankie
Charlie Clench – Duke
Harry Dangle – Hamish
Lloyd Boateng – Oli
Gareth – Sam
Alfie – Mina
Ensemble – Rafi (Understudy), Mia (Understudy), Toby, Marlo, Lucinda, Ocean, Sammy, Joyee, Jasmine, Maxie
Kindergarten Exploring Identity and Diversity
During this week, the kindergarten children continue their journey of exploring identity and diversity. As this week is cultural diversity week (also known as Harmony week) we have been learning about what makes each of us unique. The children are learning about their cultural heritage, they are learning that even though we all look and sound different, everyone should be treated with kindness and respect. We have had talks about Korean, Danish, Chinese and Colombian cultures.
Arlington and Blackhall Collaborative Art Project
This term, the Lofties children from Arlington and the Art Odyssey and Art Explorer young people from the Secondary campus have been working collaboratively each Thursday, exploring ideas connected to the theme Our Environment
These young artists have visited both campuses, taking part in a range of art activities. One week, they observed and sketched their surroundings using different drawing materials. The next, they worked with clay to represent elements of their environment in three-dimensional form. They then experimented with charcoal and conte to create 2D images of their sculptures, and this week, they have been developing these ideas further into small individual soap carvings.
Each week, they have worked in pairs or small groups, allowing the older artists to connect with their Arlington Art buddies. It has been great to see the sharing of ideas and connecting while creating art. We look forward to continuing this collaboration and sharing the finished artworks with our community in a small exhibition towards the end of term.
Author, Dragyn Jane visits English students
Year 9 & 10 English students were treated to a visit by fantasy author Dragyn Jane last Friday. Dragyn talked about the process of writing, norse mythology and fantasy, creative commitment and publishing. Dragyn is also a table top heavy metal role playing game master (TTRPG) and alumni of Preshil. It was wonderful to see students connect with Dragyn after the session.

Debating Team
On Monday night our Year 11 debating team were victorious over Camberwell Girls Grammar in the first round. Hamish, Ethan, Kai, and Tuesday presented a strong case for why “all school and university exams should not be open-book” and responded decisively to their opponent’s position. They were supported by Kayson, who was a member of last year’s highly experienced team. After the debate Kayson and the team debriefed to sharpen their tactics for the next round. Congratulations to all of the team on a fantastic start to the season!
Hey History Podcast
In late 2023, creators of the Hey History podcast, UTS impact studios, visited Preshil to record a handful of students talking about history. The podcast has just been nominated for best child / young adult program in the New York Festival radio awards. You can listen to the episodes here.

Year 11 Chemistry
Our Year 11 chemistry class worked in the kitchen today exploring sucrose.
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.
THE WEEK AHEAD
- All Day: BK – Year 7 & 8- Middle School Wellness Week
- 9:00am – 3:15pm: BK – Year 7 & 8 – The Man Cave
- 9:00am – 3:15pm: BK – Year 7 & 8 – The Big Sister Experience
- 10:00am – 3:00pm: Arlington – Kindergarten Excursion – Melbourne Museum
- All Day: BK – Year 7 & 8 – Middle School Wellness Week Continues
- All Day: Arlington – Year 4 & 5 – Sunroom Camp – Halls Gap
- 10:00am – 11:00am: BK – Year 7 & 8 – ‘Dealing with Conflict’ – with Toolbox Education
- 11:30am – 12:30pm: BK – Year 7 & 8 – Mental Movies – with Toolbox Education
- 3:20pm – 4:20pm: BK – Year 11 & 12 – Theatre Ensemble Training
- All Day: BK – Year 7 & 8 – Middle School Wellness Week Continues
- All Day: Arlington – Year 4 & 5 – Sunroom Camp Continues – Halls Gap
- 12:30pm – 1:30pm: BK – Year 7 & 8 – Careers Curiosity Workshop – with Arrive and Thrive
- 1:30pm – 2:15pm: BK – Year 7 & 8 – Jewellery and Keychain Making – with headspace
- 2:15pm – 3:15pm: BK – Year 7 & 8 – Choices and Changes – with Elephant Ed
- 2:15pm – 3:15pm: BK – Year 9 & 10 – Applying for Work workshop
- All Day: BK – Year 7 & 8 – Middle School Wellness Week Continues
- All Day: Arlington – Year 4 & 5 – Sunroom Camp Continues – Halls Gap
- 9:15am – 10:15am: BK – Open Morning
- 11:30am – 12:30pm: BK – Year 7 – Consent Foundations – with Consent Labs
- 12:30pm – 1:30pm: BK – Year 8 – Consent in a Digital World – with Consent Labs
- 1:30pm – 2:15pm: BK – Middle School – Friendly Game of Soccer
- 1:30pm – 2:15pm: BK – Middle School – Giant Games
- All Day: BK – Year 7 & 8 – Middle School Wellness Week Continues
- All Day: Arlington – Year 4 & 5 – Sunroom Camp Continues – Halls Gap
- 9:00am – 2:00pm: BK – Visual Art Excursion – NGV
- 9:30am – 3:15pm: BK – Year 7 & 8 – Arcade Games – Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq































