Aintree Secondary School (interim name) has officially appointed its principal, John Mitsinikos. Located in Woodlea, which was recently crowned Victoria’s Best Masterplanned Community, the school is being delivered by the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) and is scheduled to open on day one of Term 1 in 2024.
Serving as principal at Kurunjang Secondary College for the past seven years, John Mitsinikos is focused on maximising outcomes for every student and building a strong learning culture for all students and staff at Aintree Secondary School (interim name).
Woodlea Project Director, Matthew Dean, said that John’s commitment to, and knowledge of the local area will be an asset as he helps drive the success of this exciting new school.
“The development of Aintree Secondary School (interim name) is an incredible milestone, as we continue to deliver on Woodlea’s vision of lifelong learning and access to quality and affordable education for the community,” Dean said.
“The Woodlea community is established and growing at a record rate, with 14,500 residents set to reach 25,000 upon completion. This Secondary School will provide students with a quality education, all within our flourishing neighbourhood.”
Located north of the intersection of Taylors Road and Frontier Avenue, Aintree Secondary School (interim name) is a central component of Woodlea’s future Sports and Education Precinct. It will join two existing primary schools, including the expanding Bacchus Marsh Grammar and Aintree Primary School, which just celebrated its enrolment of 1,000 students.
Facilities that will be available at the school include a design, arts, technology, and science (DATS) building, a learning neighbourhood, and hard courts. Siteworks are now underway, with construction of the intersection in progress, opening up access to the future school. Upon completion of the first stage, the secondary school will be able to accommodate 550 students and will be open to enrolment for Year 7, progressing by year level thereafter.
Next to the site will be a Specialist School, designed to provide educational programs for students with mild to profound intellectual disabilities. The school is also scheduled to open on day one of Term 1 in 2024, delivered by the VSBA. The move has been welcomed by disability advocates in the Melton and Moorabool area, who have been calling for more services to accommodate the needs of the disabled community in the region.
The planning process saw the VSBA consult with local Traditional Owners, represented by the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation, to endorse the design of the new schools. The sites will include local Indigenous plantings, cultural stories and histories, translations of Indigenous words, and other design elements, which will enhance the cultural education and understanding of the students.