Our School

Our school prides itself on instilling the importance of our core values ‘Aspiration, Respect & Kindness’ in our students and staff in all that they do. We aim to develop students who will be resilient, responsible, highly motivated, lifelong learners. Through upholding our school values, and establishing positive relationships and high expectations, students will be encouraged to reach their full potential. The Years 7-10 curriculum is delivered using our Significant Teacher Model which provides each student with the opportunity to make strong connections with their teachers. This model ensures that 80% of a teacher’s classes are undertaken in one year level to provides enhanced opportunities for teachers to build strong relationships with their students and to better know the learning needs of the students in their classes.  Each year level teaching team is overseen by a year-level Team Leader who also supports our students’ wellbeing needs, promotes a positive learning culture, and the overall learning of the cohort. We have two sub-schools at Upwey High School; our Middle Years (7-9) and our Later Years (10-12). Each of these sub-schools have a Leading Teacher overseeing the students in the three year levels and supporting our Team Leaders.

In addition to our unique school structure, we provide each year level with a ‘Learning Common’ which ensures students feel comfortable and make meaningful connections with their peers in their year level. Each Learning Common has a year level staffroom located centrally as well as a kitchen with microwaves and space to sit during break times. We also provide supportive services for all students including our Wellbeing Services delivered by Wellbeing Leader and Mental Health Practitioner, our IT team who assist students with IT-related services and our Learning Support & Learning Enhancement Teams who work with students requiring learning support or extension.

We are extremely proud of the breadth of opportunities we provide through our teaching and learning and extra-curricular programs for all students through their journey at Upwey High School. In their first two years all students explore the wide range of core and practical subjects available across the school, while in Year 9 and 10 students begin to make decisions about their educational experiences through our extensive elective program. All students in Year 7 – 9 also participate in our languages program which focuses on Japanese – with many of our students choosing to continue this into their later years. Our students are afforded outstanding opportunities and educational pathways in their later years, including the option to undertake a VET (Vocational Education & Training) course from Year 10, access to include a Year 11 subject in their Year 10 program and in Year 11 and 12 the option to study the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) or the Victorian Certificate of Education – Vocational Major (VCE VM).  We provide extensive support and course counselling for students in Year 10 as they enter their final years of schooling and our Pathways Team work with students across the school to help ensure that they have the most up-to-date information about careers and possible pathways.

Outside of the classroom, all students are encouraged to become active citizens of our school community in many different ways including our extra-curricular programs, our Camps program and our Student Voice & Leadership programs. We offer a breadth of extra-curricular activities for students in all year levels including our well renowned Instrumental Music Program, our  outstanding Volleyball Program with training sessions run onsite outside of usual school hours or at lunch times, our annual School Production, and our Surf Lifesaving Program which is delivered in partnership with the Woolamai Surf Life Saving Club. We also provide all students the opportunity to attend several camps across their educational journey with us. Students can participate in our year level camps which support the development and learning of the level at which they are run as well as our interstate and international tours. At Year 10 students have the opportunity to travel through Central Australia, while every two years students studying Japanese have the opportunity to travel to Japan and stay with host families of our Sister School in Mito. In addition, students in Year 9 who participate in our Volleyball program are afforded the opportunity to join our New Zealand tour to play volleyball as part of an international tournament. We embrace student voice at Upwey High School and have an active Student Representative Council overseen by our four School captains, one from each house. Each year level has four House Captains, and we also have nominated Music, Production and Sports Captains. Students have multiple opportunities throughout their school journey to develop their leadership skills through various leadership positions to support their peers and work collaboratively on school improvement.

We welcome the opportunity to invite you tour the school and look forward to speaking with you soon about your child’s high school journey.

Warm regards

Rachel Lynch

Principal

Upwey High School

The Leadership Team

Amanda Flink

Business Manager

I have been working in the education sector since 2006, accumulating 18 years of experience in both primary and secondary settings.  Prior to my career in education, I spent 17 years in various industries, including media print, finance, and international trade.  My passion for children’s development and education led me to transition into the educational field.  Since 2011, I have been a part of Upwey High School, where I greatly value the school community and our dedicated team.

Vision and Values

At Upwey High School, our community and how we relate to each other is underpinned by three core values; Aspiration, Respect and Kindness.

We aim to develop students who will become resilient and responsible young adults, and highly motivated, lifelong learners. Through the establishment of positive relationships and consistent expectations, students will be encouraged to aspire and reach their full potential.

The House System

Our house system allows students to collaborate and compete across all year levels with points being awarded in class and at events throughout the school year. Our four houses; Bleazby,  Chandler, Crow,and Knox, honour and remember four key figures who were highly influential in the establishment of Upwey High School. All four participated in a meeting with the Minister at the time, forming a deputation to request a permanent school in Upwey. our School was established in 1937 and these people were very active in the early years of development. The school continues to use these names today as a mark of gratitude for the wonderful school they built for us. 

Colonel E.H. Knox, M.L.A also attended the deputation and continued to be actively involved in the progress of the school. He opened the bazaar which was held to raise funds for the purchase of the school and was a prominent figure in its early community.

Facilities

Set in the hills of the Dandenong Ranges, Upwey offers a uniquely beautiful high school experience. Although a well-established part of the Upwey community, the campus has undergone vast changes over the past 5 years with major developments that have transformed our historical site into an exceptional environment that caters to the needs of contemporary learners.

Modern workshops – including our state-of-the-art Music centre and photography lab– support The Arts and Technologies in teaching students industry-level skills that will prepare them for their chosen pathway. As well as shared specialist rooms, each year group has a dedicated area for open learning and a designated break-out space where they can build relationships with their year-level team leaders and peers.