Farewell 2025
2025 has certainly been among the more tumultuous years this decade – and that is saying something! We’ve worked our way through school closures due to flooding and fibres; navigated the first full year of our (very successful) Beach Volleyball @ Hills program, and seen the regeneration of our Golf program as Golf @ Hills. We’ve also spent time preparing for the new legislation relating Child Safe Organisations, and – perhaps most significantly – provided training, information, and guidance around the tectonic shift in social media usage from 2026 for all students under 16.
Thankfully, the Wellbeing Team at Hills has once again demonstrated that they’re more than up to this (or any other) task. The team has unstintingly reached out to support parents, families, students, and staff, and this is reflected in the glowing praise directed at the team during student and parent feedback.
In 2026, our team has provided pre-prepared food for some of our families. We’ve also raised funds for a range of local, school-based, national, and even international causes. Indeed, even now, we’re putting the finishing touches on our Share the Dignity drive to support women and children experiencing homelessness and dislocation over the Christmas break.
Rosie and Skye continue to support so many of our students and staff, and our handlers, Mr Ablitt, Mrs Rosevear, Mrs Ogoti, Ms Schreurs, Ms Salmon, and Mr Gratton, continue to help the dogs help our community.
In Secondary, we’ve seen the full rollout of our Switch4Schools platform. This software allows us to track individual student wellbeing, as well as gain a real-time ‘energy meter’ for each class, each morning. With this software, students can request one-to-one support, and staff can provide individualised or class-based resources to our students.
The Volleyball and Golf programs continue to produce athletes of the highest calibre. More importantly, they’re developing the social and team skills; resilience; and training consistency that are so often identified as the most accurate predictors of success and happiness in later life. Danny Lin (Golf@Hills) is graduating with multiple offers to American Colleges with the NCAA scholarship support our team has provided. Even at this late stage of the year, we’re seeing success with our BV@H program, with 6 of our athletes selected for state pre- and selection. This is an astonishing achievement considering that our program is yet to celebrate its first birthday! In 2026, we anticipate an even more successful year!
The Arts Production “Will you be my Nemesis?” was an absolute smash! Dr Pope, Mrs Clifton, Ms Goyne, Mr Gratton, Mrs Perrett and all the crew presented a hilarious and beautifully produced comedic masterpiece, and had the audience in stitches for all three performances.
Our Hills Wellbeing Community continues to serve as one of our foundational sources of support and parental feedback, with a core group of parents from all year levels providing guidance, advice, suggestions, opinions, and – most importantly, and pleasingly – approval of all the initiatives and programs we have at Hills. Without this group, we would be a poorer community, and I’m so very proud and humbled to have such strong advocates for our College Values.
Finally, at this time of the year I always find myself reflecting on our graduates. The graduating class of 2025 is one that is very dear to me, being the very last class I will have taught as a regular classroom teacher. I have known almost half of these young people since their very first day of Prep. In fact, I’ve known our amazing 2025 captain, Annie Parer, since she was born! I know that, with students like Annie and her peers, the reputation of Hills, and the future of our community, are in very good hands. Really, that’s what this is all about: knowing that our community has helped them build a better future for all of us.
A Season of Celebration: Honouring Our Year 12 Graduates
November was a month of milestones and memories as our Year 12 students marked the end of their learning journey at Hills with a series of unforgettable events.
The festivities began on November 15 with the much-anticipated Formal at Mantra on View. It was an evening of elegance and joy, where students and staff came together to celebrate not just the end of schooling, but the friendships, growth, and resilience that have defined these years. The atmosphere was electric—laughter, music, and heartfelt conversations filled the room as our graduates shone in style. Mrs Parer's speech was - as every - full of humour and pathos, as she farewelled her latest cohort - including Annie, the last of the Parers to graduate from Hills.
The following week, we gathered for the Awards Ceremony, a moment to recognise academic excellence, leadership, and the unique contributions each student has made to our community. It was a proud occasion for families and staff alike, as achievements were celebrated and futures envisioned. The highlight was the badging of our 2026 student leaders, led by Savannah Swami and Jared Waters. We'll provide a full list at next year's Leadership induction ceremony.
Soon after came the Valedictory Lunch and Last Roll Call, a tradition steeped in emotion and gratitude. Students shared stories, thanked mentors, and reflected on the journey that brought them here. It was a time of connection—a final chapter written with warmth and pride, and capped off by a tune from Max Garner - our very own virtuoso.
And then, the moment everyone waits for: the traditional procession through the ‘tunnel’ formed by P–11 students. As our graduates walked through a corridor of cheers and applause, the symbolism was clear—this is a community that lifts each other up. Younger students looked on with admiration, inspired by those who have paved the way.
These events weren’t just celebrations; they were affirmations of what it means to belong to Hills—a place where learning is more than academics, and where every student leaves with courage, character, and hope for the future.
Real Talk and Resilience Program
Over the past three days, our school has been buzzing with energy and purpose as we hosted the Real Talk and Resilience Program for our Year 7 and 8 girls. This initiative was thoughtfully devised and delivered by Mr Pope, with the invaluable support of Mrs Comerford, Mrs Ogoti, and Mrs Parer. Together, they created a safe, empowering space for students to explore some of the most important challenges facing young women and girls today.
The program focused on managing emotions and navigating the complexities of self-harm and disordered eating—whether personally or within a friendship group. These are tough topics, but they were approached with sensitivity, evidence-based strategies, and practical tools that students can carry forward in their daily lives.
One of the most inspiring aspects was the involvement of our Year 11 and 12 girls as mentors. Their leadership and empathy brought a powerful peer-to-peer dimension, showing younger students that resilience and self-care are not just ideals—they’re achievable realities. The older students modeled openness and strength, creating a ripple effect of trust and encouragement.
Across the sessions, students engaged in interactive activities, honest conversations, and reflective exercises designed to build emotional intelligence and foster a culture of support. The atmosphere was one of courage and connection—girls learning not only how to care for themselves but also how to stand beside their friends in times of need.
This program wasn’t just about information; it was about transformation. It reminded us all that resilience is a skill, empathy is a gift, and together, we can create communities where wellbeing thrives. I'm so incredibly proud of our young women, and thankful to the parents who supported the program. We have definitely started a new tradition here at Hills!
House Star Weaving Competition
Following on from the culmination of the One Million Stars to End Violence project in 2018, the founder Maryann Talia Pau launched the ‘One Billion Stars to End Violence project’ in 2020, with a pledge to weave one billion stars by 2032 to line up with the Olympic Games in Brisbane. Hills International College became involved as a star weaving community in 2021 with an initial goal of weaving 5000 stars.
When we held the House star weaving competition last year, it lasted for 3 weeks, and a total of 1430 stars were created - which was impressive. This time we only ran it for a week. In just one day, (Wednesday of Week 8), 1055 stars were counted! What a record! A total of 2031 stars were woven by the four Houses over the week. Such an amazing achievement!
The purpose of the competition was to see which house could weave the most stars. We kicked off the competition on Wednesday 19 November to run until 26 November. Over this period, we saw the ‘steady strong’ house, the ‘start strong’ house and two houses that were ‘late starters but went like the wind in the end’ houses.
What was most amusing was the motivation involved in each house. There was the kind, encouraging steady voice of staff leaders and student leaders that lead by example, then we had the kind of staff that were horrified at their place in the race and sent out a ‘call to arms’ from members, then there was the ‘determined individuals’ who didn’t want their house to lose so they took their stars to sporting events and made their team mates participate. For the staff leaders who realised they didn't want to come last, their tactics were the most interesting. There was 'anyone who weaves 5 stars to get a lollipop', then 'the most stars turned in will get tuck-shop paid for,' or, 'if you’re misbehaving, your punishment will be to weave 3 stars for my house'.
Our adoration and admiration goes out to the students who were committed to the project and just went for it, for their houses, not to mention the parents and grandparents and little brothers and sisters that learned the skills of star weaving and stayed up late at night in support of their children and our school. The legacy of being united certainly shone brightly as we as a community weaved our little hearts out.
Weaving creates a bond. It nurtures mental health, encourages conversation, and builds a connection between all ages. It was lovely to see the upper Primary students getting involved with the weaving even though it was aimed at Secondary, and it has made us think of how we can extend the competition to include some Primary years in the future.
Our goal was to reach 5000 stars by the end of this year and whatever tactics were used during the competition, it worked, and the total number of stars woven as a school community is now 6872! Our next goal is to see if we can reach a total of 10000 stars.
The results of the House competition are as follows:
Fourth place is FUJI, with 352 stars; third place is HALLA with 428 stars; second place is JADE: 466 and the winning house for the second year in a row with a total of 785 stars is ULURU!
A huge thank you to everyone who got involved and please keep weaving.
Mrs Isla Perrett and Ms Caroline Barnard
Road Safety Awareness
We’re excited to invite your community to Road Safety Awareness' FREE online event happening on 3 December, from 7:00pm to 8.00pm (AEDT).
Your will learn how to:
Unlock the Mysteries of the Teenage Brain: What Makes Driving a Challenge?
- Decode Risk Factors for Young Drivers
- Learn the art of Coaching a Learner Driver
- Help you support the transition to solo driving
- Set a plan for collaborating with Driving Instructors
- And much more.
Register for free now