To see: Photos of our happy Year 12s celebrating their last day on campus.
To Read: What about the year after those last days, exams and graduation - what do they look like? We asked Nadia. In ‘One Year Out’, she says that for her, it’s been a series of very fortunate events because ‘you never know where different opportunities might lead you.’
To RSVP: For those of us still here, Spring Musicale 2026: Animated ought to cheer us somewhat. These tickets are harder to get your hands on than a greased pig, though. So pop on your gloves, and get grabbing.
To Put In The Diary: At the other end of the school journey is Playgroup - Penbank and Minimbah Campuses in 2027 are open now to expressions of interest - but be quick.
To Know: In 1993, a little pig was smuggled into the SCG with a misspelled Pluga scrawled on one side and Tony Lockett’s number 4 on the other. Sandy Roberts did declare, There’s a pig at full-forward! Swans player Darren Holmes managed to get his hands on the slippery little fellow and end the chaos. Slippery things are hard to catch.

Year 12 Morning Reflections

The Year 12 Morning Reflection is one of Woodeligh’s favourite traditions.

No staff gave speeches, and no one at the front told students what to say or what their time at school meant. Instead, our graduating class looked back on their years here together and told us, their parents and each other, in their own words, of the people and experiences that shaped them, the teachers who believed in them, and the times that made Woodleigh what it was, for them. It was funny, candid and humble.

And then it got silly...

Before silly

Last Days on Campus

Y12 Final Day 86 — Its a good sign when the teachers have as much fun as students

Before exam stress and nerves, there is a moment in time to relish. It happens only once in your life, your last day of senior school!

It’s a time to feel so proud, so nostalgic, so in the moment and so unsure of the next bit, together. Everyone is behind you, the future is before you, and it’s a moment in time that feels just joyful. It’s a precipice, your last day.

Can you remember yours (without cringing)?

During silly

ReimaginED, ReEverything

ReimaginED has been and gone again, booked to full capacity over the two-day festival. Not bad for an event where the main activity is, um, thinking. So much thinking.

Educators, school leaders, researchers and students came together at Woodleigh’s Senior Campus to really pull apart the big, beastly ideas of today: AI, climate, belonging and what young people actually need from school. Not just to talk about them, but to listen to them. They were participants too, so we can learn from them, our future stewards.

The speaker list read like a dot-to-dot on the world map. Among them, Dr Otto Scharmer, German-born and now at MIT, Professor Chris Speed, Director of RMIT University’s Regenerative Futures Institute and Professor of Design for Regenerative Futures, Dr Ginie Servant-Miklos of the Netherlands, Australian Keren Caple, Nathalie Ryan from the US National Gallery of Art and Harvard Project Zero, with Timorese singer-songwriter Ego Lemos handling the evening vibes with music.

Misogyny in school cultures, the case for curiosity, AI’s footprint, re-engaging young people who have left school, giving teachers room to take risks and what a living university might look like. The usual chit-chat, yes?

Country and Connection

This week, our First Nations students went on an excursion to Cranbourne Botanic Gardens for the Briars Junior Ranger Program. The program aims to empower First Nations young people through culture, Country and connection. This Indigenous-led initiative brings students together to learn about land management, cultural practices and environmental stewardship on Country.

Led by their Indigenous Facilitator, the students walked gently through the gardens and learned from Aunty Jaffa. They explored lemon myrtle tea, ochre art, tools and the benefits of different skins used for thousands of years.

Charlotte’s Year 9 Community Project

While some of us are graduating, others are still here, still building skills, capacity and connection to a bigger, broader world, preparing for their own graduation into their lives beyond school.

The MYP Community Project Expo was a few weeks ago, but its ripples are still rippling. So many stories to spotlight, and first up is Charlotte, a Year 9 powerhouse.

For context, her teacher says, and to quote: 'Seeing Charlotte lead and organise an event this size was incredibly impressive. She was calm, firm and on top of everything. She’s the best boss I’ve ever had and she’s 15.'

So what on earth did this Herculean teen do (hang your heads, adults)? For her Community Project, Charlotte organised a marathon walk to raise $30,000 for Christmas gifts for disadvantaged children. At last count, she had already reached $44,000 (and counting).

She’s the best boss I’ve ever had and she’s 15.
— Ms Craven

Woodleigh students and families who caught wind of it turned up in force, and what an experience it was to see so many come along to support their fellow student. More on Charlotte’s MYP Community Project soon.

Minimbah Book Week

Last week, Minimbah celebrated Book Week. A massive thank you to Hayley, our Library Technician, who expertly coordinated the week’s activities and squeezed Rod into a bear suit. Activities included mystery readers, guessing staff members’ favourite children’s books, a Where’s Wally treasure hunt, a visit from musician and storyteller Valanga Khoza, and, of course, our annual Book Week dress-up day and assembly. Celebrating all things literary and connecting with the theme ‘Symphony of Stories’, the staff shared a dramatic retelling of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. It was less symphony and more cacophony, but nonetheless a lot of fun.

Pesta Day at Penbank and Minimbah

Year 9 students who are now speaking (fluent, of course) Indonesian visited their younger friends at the junior campuses, which for many is their old stomping ground – where they too were visited by Year 9s. And while yes, everyone loves to speak Indonesian, everyone also loves to eat Nasi Goreng. A delicious lunch menu was a part of the celebrations. Enak sekali.

Hari yang hebat

To Read:
One Year Out, Nadia 2025 Graduate

Sheppy

Therapy dog at Woodleigh School — Hello Shep!

If you need a smile, read on.

Woodleigh now has its very own good boy.

Sheppy is two and a half, and he’s a short-haired border collie. His life’s purpose to be a cattle dog was pretty quickly given the flick when Shep decided he was better at cuddles and attention.

Sheppy has formally passed his training and is now allowed to come to school! He’s made friends everywhere; a dopey, handsome fellow, already very popular.

From here on, Sheppy will be on campus under the excellent care of Allison, our Head of Counselling and Psychology. He will support the regulation and engagement of students as part of the counselling team’s services, and only for those who like the company of dogs.

In time, he will visit our junior campuses too. Shep’s adventures will be closely watched by all.

To RSVP:
Spring Musicale 2026: Animated

RSVP Here

Year 2 Sleepover

Last Friday, our Year 2 students enjoyed their first camp experience with the Year 2 Sleepover. The children visited Koonya Beach in Sorrento for a stunning coastal walk and an exploration of the rock pools, followed back at school, by an archery session with Olympic medallist Alec Potts and a paper plane competition with James. They enjoyed a delicious dinner, a movie and at least ‘some’ sleep before being collected on Saturday morning. Many thanks to Laine for organising this special experience for the students.

Sorrento

To put in the diary:
Playgroup 2027

Be quick

PYP Expo at Penbank

The Year 6 PYP Wugubank Exhibition demonstrated just how the partnership between Wugullar and Penbank enriches lives and minds. The experiences our Year 6 students shared educate parents, grandparents, siblings, friends and the wider community about the richness of First Nations peoples, cultures and histories.

Year 6 student Oli Keen, supported by his teacher, Emily Greenberg, recently visited the Outer East Melbourne Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) to present to staff.

Oli spoke with depth of thought and compassion about connection, community, socio-economic status, wealth, happiness and loneliness, and explored what these concepts can mean for people and how they influence our experiences of the world around us, following his engagement in the Wugubank program.

Hearing a young person speak so thoughtfully about these ideas in a room full of adults, in an unfamiliar environment, and with such compassion and confidence, strengthens are optimism, he encouraged a room full of adults to stop, reflect and think differently.

His reflections were incredibly sincere and thoughtful. I found myself becoming quite emotional while listening to him speak, and I know I was not alone in that response.”

Our Woodleigh and Wugularr students will be the leaders of tomorrow. They will draw on their relationships, knowledge, respect and critical thinking to help move our nation towards reconciliation, foster inclusion and greater understanding, and champion the right to self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In doing so, they will help create opportunities that make a positive difference to the health, wellbeing and education of all.

Next week, we look forward to welcoming six Wugularr students and four Wugularr staff members to Penbank, continuing the educational immersions that are an aspiration of the Wugularr community. When you see our Wugularr friends around the campus, please join us in welcoming them back to Penbank for their final visit this year.

We are incredibly proud of initiatives like this, where our students engage with the complexities of our nation and advocate for positive change and connection.

I was absolutely blown away by Oli, and I know this was a shared sentiment across the wider staffing group. In the conversations following his presentation, staff repeatedly reflected on how impressive and thoughtful they had found his contribution. There was a real sense that many of us were tremendously moved by what he shared.
For a Year 6 student, Oli’s ability to speak about such complex and mature concepts was remarkable. He spoke about connection, community, socio-economic status, wealth, happiness and loneliness, and explored what these concepts can mean for people and how they influence our experiences of the world around us, following his engagement in the Wugubank program.
Oli spoke about his connection to the Jawoyn people and his experiences at Wugularr School. What struck me most was the depth of thought and compassion with which he spoke about his connection to community and culture.
There was something particularly special about hearing a young person speak so thoughtfully about these ideas in a room full of adults, in an unfamiliar environment, and with such compassion and confidence. Oli did not just share information with us; he encouraged a room full of adults to stop, reflect and think differently. That is a remarkable contribution for a Year 6 student to make.
I was also deeply struck by the way he spoke about Aboriginal people and culture – with wonder, compassion and respect. His reflections demonstrated an appreciation of the impacts of colonisation and systemic disadvantage, while also recognising the strength and richness of connection to Country, community, culture and one another.
His reflections were incredibly sincere and thoughtful. I found myself becoming quite emotional while listening to him speak, and I know I was not alone in that response.
— excerpt from a letter of gratitude from the DFFH

Are there things you would like to know more about, less about, tell us about, remind us of or reminisce about?
Tell us here.

Until we go Around the Grounds again next time...

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