Principal- Jodie DobleCollege Council President- Phillip DwyerAssistant Principal- Mike JaremczukAssistant Principal- Estelle AlderBusiness Manager- Jayne Thompson

Emerald Secondary CollegeThe Bush Telegraph

Emerald Secondary College is a Learning Community

Term 2 - 2017:26th May 2017 Issue 15Important Dates:

Every Thursday: Homework Club 3.20pm - 4.30pm in A7

MAY:Mon 29th - Fri 2nd June: Wellbeing WeekTues 30th: Yrs 9 & 10 Sports DayWed 31: Yr 12 TIS Excursion

JUNE:Tues 6th-Wed 8th: VCE Production - 7.00 pm EPACFri 9th-Fri 16th: Years 10 & 11 ExamsMon 12th: Qeens Birthday Public Holiday (No School)Wed 14th: Yr 12 GAT Exam

In this Issue:• From the Principal• Assistant Principals Report• Important Information - Slow

Down• Model United Nations

Assembly at Parliament House

• Year 7 Girls Volleyball Program

• Cyber Safety Presentations to Yr 7 to 10 Students

• Year 7 Camp• Year 12 Retreat Day• STEM at ESC• Beleza Uniform Sale and

Change of Address

From the Principal:Working BeeOn Saturday 20th May it was wonderful to be joined by more than twenty enthusiastic School Council members, staff, parents and students to help out on our working bee.

Garden beds were pruned and tidied up, new garden beds were planted and mulched, rotten retaining walls were removed and replaced and over hanging trees were either removed or cut back.

It is always a great pleasure to see the interest and pride our community has towards our College.In the near future we have further opportunities for our staff, families

and students to help with painting, gardening and building. VandalismIt is heartbreaking to report to our community that on Saturday night at approximately 10.30pm two local members of the Emerald area came on site and caused malicious damage to our beautiful school. Taking rocks from the new Japanese garden they smashed the library windows and the new entrance doors.The Police have CCTV footage from our College cameras and from Woolworths, but if any member of our school community has any information can you please call the police or the College. Your assistance in the matter is greatly appreciated.

MP VisitOn Monday 24th May I invited Brad Battin our local MP and Nick Wakeling the Shadow Minister for Education to our College.Our teaching staff are all working above and beyond to develop

meaningful programs supporting our STEM pathway at Emerald Secondary College. This work has been an ongoing development for over 12 months and through the staffs work and students engagement in their learning we have seen improved learning achievement in Mathematics, Sciences and new and emerging technologies such as Coding, 3D Printing and Engineering.Supported by our growing partnership with Mt Burnett Observatory our STEM program is leading the way for our students learning and engagement in this exciting field of study.It is very unfortunate that the recent announcement for funding from our State Government for school improvements has not deemed our Science and Mathematics facilities in need of development (E block and G block) even after tours and photographs have been organised with both State and Federal MP’s.School Council is encouraging parents to write to the Minister of Education seeking financial support for our STEM program buildings. Please contact Phillip Dwyer our School Council President for more information.dwyer.phillip.p@edumail.vic.gov.au

Cardinia Mayor supporting the CollegeOn Tuesday 23rd May, our Mayor, Brett Owen, supported by the ward Councillors, Cr Leticia Wilmot and Cr Jeff Springfield, came to our College to listen to our Future Problem Solving team present their ideas about how to make our College community more inclusive and accepting.The Mayor and the Councillors were all very impressed with the students work, and have offered to support their project by promoting their work and writing letters to key community members such as our MP’s.

Parliament VisitOn Wednesday and Thursday this week I was invited to Federal Parliament in Canberra to visit a number of politicians to discuss funding in State Schools, and specifically funding at Emerald Secondary College for all our students educational and learning needs. Over a number of years schools have pushed for both State and Federal governments to support the ‘Gonski funding model’. This model has seen an increase in funds provided by the State to support all our students learning needs with a focus on Literacy and Numeracy. Using these funds at Emerald Secondary College we have been able to put in place a number of highly effective interventions and support programs that have seen the increase of our student’s ability and success in Literacy and Numeracy grow on an individual level and above the State averages on a school level.The current Federal government is proposing to implement a revised model of funding to schools resulting in our College not receiving the agreed Gonski funds with a loss to the school and our student’s education of $700,000.00 The original model would enable our College to employ more staff to support student’s specific learning needs and purchase additional resources to ensure all our student’s not only achieve great results but exceed them.I would like to encourage our school community to speak or write to our local Members of Parliament, Brad Battin and Jason Wood, encouraging them to support the original Gonski funding model. Jodie Doble, Principal

Junior School Student of the WeekCongratulations to our student of the week this week: Jack Phillips - Year 9Jack has been nominated by Mr Crowley for his excellence in music which includes him continually striving for a high level of competency on his instrument – which is the flute. Over the past few years Jack has been continually involved in multiple ensembles, and recently at the Autumn concert he gave an incredible performance with the rest of the Stage Band. Mr Crowley has also recognised Jack for his involvement in classroom activities that promote the wider music program – and a clear example of this was when Jack went into Mr Crowley’s Yr 7 Music classes to showcase his instrument and what can be achieved here in the music program at the College.

Outside the classroom Jack is a regular in the music room with his mates at lunchtime to practice, improvise, rehearse pieces and create their own music compositions. Jack displays a high level of commitment to his lessons and ensembles by always being attentive and punctual to his scheduled music commitments. Overall Jack is a clear example of a fantastic student who contributes to our College in a positive way.Congratulations Jack for your nomination as student of the week. Well done!

Every Day CountsWe continue our series of parent tips this week on supporting our students to attend school regularly and maintain the expectation that it is not okay to stay away.

Parent Tip – ESC does provide an assessment calendar for students in the senior school and all exams periods are advertised. Parents should encourage their son/daughter to mark these on the calendar so that they, and their parents, are aware of these important periods. Having a conversation with them about their study plans and managing their workload at home can also avoid late night stress and bad work habits where things are being completed or studied for at the last minute.

SRCThe College Student Representative Council (SRC) are continuing this year to work hard behind the scenes to represent their constituents – the students, and provide a voice around important issues in the College. The SRC have also successfully held and run numerous whole school assemblies which are always engaging for the student body. Currently the SRC is working with the College Wellbeing team to roll out Wellbeing week. This is a week that will focus on building ways to maintain one’s own positive mental health. There will be a range of activities throughout the week that students can get involved in. Monday starts with an Assembly and also a Staff v’s Yr 12 students netball game!

Child SafetyEmerald College has fully implemented the new Child Safety Standards and has developed a Child Protection Program that supports staff to identify the key risk indicators of abuse and understand their obligations to report such concerns to the College leadership and the relevant government authorities. Students have also been supported with Child Safety information sessions that empower them to understand what child safety is and how they can make a report if they feel unsafe. Over the past few weeks Felicity, the Wellbeing Leader, has been visiting Junior classes to remind students about the support that is available to them and their friends. Students have access to College Chaplains and other supports. Parents are also able to contact the College if they have concerns about their child’s education.

Farm School Term 2This Term we have four Year 8 and 9 boys who are currently undertaking some leadership training at Woori Yallock Farm School every Wednesday. The students are Cody, Lochie, Zac and Mitchell. The boys have been involved with students from other schools in a program that sees them undertaking various leadership and team building activities, going on walks around the Warbuton Ranges where the idea is to challenge each other in various tasks around leadership. Students are also learning the importance of the indigenous history of the area and have discussions about native vegetation, animals and the area. All of the boys love the staff at the school because they are nice and they are friendly. They also like the opportunity to learn out of a classroom environment in the outdorrs.

Student RemindersThe College has recently posted on the College’s newsfeed a reminder to all students the following information below and we wish to make parents aware of these items also.Finger Spinners– These have become a recent fad and are a distraction in class. Students have been informed that they will be treated like a mobile phone – so if seen in class the student will be required to hand it in to the teacher and the student may collect if from the YLC at end of the day. This ensures that both students and teaching staff have an effective learning environment.Septum Nose Rings – The College has a clear policy on piercings. To that end students who have a septum nose ring have been informed that if they wear these hanging down from their nose (i.e. they are visible) it will be treated as a non-clear piercing and student is sent up to the Front Office team.

Who to Contact – Key PersonnelThe use of Compass by staff parents and students has brought major benefits in terms of communication to our College community. Whilst parents have the ability to access the list of their son/daughters teachers they often also wish to communicate with other members of the College staff. Below is a list of key staff who have various roles at the College.

Principal Jodie Doble Assistant Principal Mike Jaremczuk Assistant Principal Estelle Alder Business Manager Jayne Thompson Junior School (Yrs 7-9) Leading Teacher Minna Kanoa Senior School (Yrs 10-12) Leading Teacher Jason Nicholas Pathways Leader Leading Teacher Nik Smith Inclusion Leading Teacher Tanya Ryder Barnes Building Capacity Leading Teacher Janine McMahon Literacy Leader Carrie Wallis Numeracy Leader Jacqui Lee Wellbeing Leader Felicity Wooden ICT Manager Brett Jorna English Domain Leader Virginia Nugent Mathematics Domain Leader Jacqui Lee Science Domain Leader Brad Gibbs Humanities Domain Leader Rebeca Bonaccorso Visual Arts Domain Leader Cindy Mikieciuk Performing Arts Domain Leader Claire Hanley Languages Domain Leader Daisuke Kawakami Health & PE Domain Leader Matt Pringle Technology Domain Leader Bev Williamson Year Level Coordinator Yr 7 Michelle Galli Year Level Coordinator Yr 8 Sarah Deer Year Level Coordinator Yr 9 Ritu Arora Year Level Coordinator Yr10 Michael Nelson Year Level Coordinator Yr11 David Carnie Year Level Coordinator Yr12 Tanya Moran School Chaplin Darryl Bridges Sport Coordinator Marion Donders

Estelle Alder & Mike Jaremczuk - Assistant Principals

IMPORTANT INFORMATION SLOW DOWN!!!

Over the coming months the police will be monitoring the school’s 40 km/h zone to ensure your children arrive safely to school.

It is not okay to speed anytime, please take road safety seriously.

Sergeant David CalkinEmerald Police

Model United Nations Assembly at Parliament House

Two of our Year 11 students, Marley Gusts and Luke Hehir, participated in the Model United Nations Assembly at Parliament House in Victoria on 6-7th May.

The two students did an amazing job representing their nominated country (Pakistan) at an assembly which is modelled on the format and function of the United Nations. Their debating skills, confidence and public speaking more than matched their peers from other Secondary Schools around Victoria (many of which were private schools), and the resolutions they proposed were genuine and extremely well prepared and thought out.

They each spent many non-school hours learning, studying and writing speeches about their country’s viewpoints on issues such as education, environment, health, human rights and terrorism. They dressed in the national costumes of their represented country.

Well done Marley and Luke on doing such a fantastic job!

Year 7 Girls Volleyball ProgramThe Emerald Secondary College volleyball program got underway on Monday 22nd May with a practice match at Berwick after school. The Year 7 girls played several sets against Berwick College’s Year 7 girls and came away with valuable experience and practice. The girls have a tournament on Monday 29th May which will be their first taste of competitive volleyball.

We are currently raising money for uniforms so we would welcome sponsorship in exchange for logo space on the uniforms.Tom Watson

Susan Mclean is Australia’s foremost expert in the area of Cybersafety and young people. She is a mother of three

and was the first Victorian Police Officer appointed to a position involving Cybersafety and young people. She took her first report of cyberbullying in 1994

and since then she has conducted extensive research and has completed advanced training in this area in both

the USA and UK and is a sought after presenter and advisor to Schools, elite

sporting bodies such as the AFL, GP’s, and both State and Federal

Governments. She has authored resources for the Victorian DET, writes

and reviews school Policy, provides crisis management/advice to schools, and is afforded ‘expert’ status on the

Safer Internet Programme Data Base. She is also a member of the Australian

Government's Cybersafety working group and a published author. Her book 'Sext's Texts & Selfies', is the definitive parents' guide to helping their children

stay safe online.

Growing up Online: An informative & entertaining session for students is delivered with Susan's famous 'no nonsense' approach & will cover the positive benefits of technology as well as what parents need to be aware of:-

What are kids doing online – The popular social networking sites and apps such as KiK, Musical.ly and Instagram. What they are, what are the legal ages to use them & why these rules should be obeyed. The difference between an 'online friend' and a 'stranger'.

Online Grooming – What is it and when/how does it occur? What are the warning signs & what to do if you suspect this is happening to your child.

Cyberbullying - What it is, where it happens, what it looks like, how to prevent and what to do if it occurs. Also the legal consequences and the possible criminal charges.

‘Sexting’ – the taking and sending of explicit images...what are the REAL consequences. (Primary school kids too).

Potential dangers and safety tips – how to assist the children in your care to stay safe online via parental controls and restriction passcodes

Problematic internet use and gaming issues.

Office of the eSafety Commissioner – Role, Resources & Reporting.

Be confident in setting rules and boundaries around

internet use in the home. It's OK to say NO!

The session will conclude with time for Questions.

Cyber safety Presentations to students in Years 7-10Emerald Secondary College is lucky to have Australian Expert, Susan McLean, presenting sessions on Cyber safety to students in Years 7-10 on Wednesday 14th June in EPAC. Parents are welcome to attend one of the following sessions and can register their attendance with Sue Batham on 5968 5388. Students will be attending a session at the following times:

Session 1 (9.00-10.40) will be for students in Years 9-10Session 2 (11.05 – 12.45) will be for students in Years 7-8

Year 7 CampOn Wednesday 17th to Friday 19th May, the Year 7 students were taken to Camp Marysville for 3 days of bonding with their peers and teachers. Staff and students had an enjoyable time and here is some photos and reflections from our students.Michelle Galli - Year 7 Coordinator

On Wednesday, all the year 7 students went to Camp Marysville. When we got off the bus we got into our groups and meet our activity leaders and the people in our groups. We had some lunch and found out our cabin group. It was fantastic because all the students where well behaved. The students where happy and they had fun with all the activities, the food was fantastic and the duty groups did a good job setting up the tables and filling up the water for all the students. At night, the staff at the camp put together some fun activates, we did a trivia and games night. The students all played games and a lot more. We did some activities including, cycling through the bush we also got to go to the lolly shop and buy some sweets, canoeing in the lake, the vertical wall, low ropes and rock climbing, cooking, we went on a bush walk, and through a crystal garden, and on the way, we played camouflage. All the students had a good time, but we were all happy to go home to have a rest. By Chelsie Gunther-Kemp

Camp Marysville was brilliant! We had so much fun doing all the activities, but my favourite part of camp would have to be the vertical wall, towering 22 meters high, and I got to the top, twice!! Some of the other activities at the camp included canoeing on the lake, rock climbing, a low ropes course and making scones. We also cycled through the bush and into town to buy lollies. We did a long bush walk through paddocks and visited a crystal garden. It was great to get to know lots of other people, as well as hanging out with all my friends. The teachers also organised a games and trivia night which was really fun. The food wasn’t great though, especially the leftovers soup. Camp was fabulous and I had a wonderful time with all my friends. By Ruby Pugh

My camp experience!On Wednesday the 17th of May, we left to go to Camp Marysville for 3 days. As soon as we arrived we had our lunch and then went straight into our activities. We did

plenty of activities like bike riding, a low ropes course and much, much more!One of the activities that I did was the bike ride into town. We took a steep track and I enjoyed it so much! It took about an hour to get into town but once we arrived we were so happy. We got to go to the lolly shop. Everyone bought a couple of bags of lollies and then we headed

back to camp.Another activity that I did was the vertical wall challenge which is a giant climbing wall. It’s massive! It’s the biggest in Victoria! The vertical wall is 22 metres high. I got to the top and kissed the sausages at the top! This was probably my favourite activity.But not everything is about fun and games we also have duty group either before or after every meal. This is where we have to set up or pack up our meals.

Overall, we all had a great camp experience and loved it so much! But by the end I think we were all very tired and needed a big rest!By Jacob West

On Wednesday, the 17th, most of our year 7 students went to camp Marysville. They all waved and said their good byes. And off they went for 3 amazing days at camp. Everyone was so excited to get to camp. When they got to camp they grabbed a suitcase and put it under the veranda and everyone followed one of the leaders and had lunch. After lunch we found out whose cabin and teacher we were with. Then we all started the first activity. The activities were the vertical wall, bike riding, cooking, canoeing, low ropes, low rock climbing, hut building and fire making. After the first day, we had our first breakfast and it was amazing. And then duty group did really good at cleaning up. That night we did trivia and everyone had a fantastic time. The people that went on the bike ride went to the lolly shop and brought some delicious lolly’s and enjoyed the lolly’s.Jayde McCartin

On Tuesday 23rd May, Year 12 students participated in a series of wellbeing workshops and activities aimed at helping them develop strategies to draw upon if, and when, they experience stress. The pace and complexity of modern life has greatly challenged our ability to live healthily and fully in the present moment. We are challenged by demands of time, expectations and competing interests. Learning to recognise stress in our lives, the triggers that cause our stress and developing strategies to cope with stress are all essential to our overall wellbeing – physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual.The morning sessions split the cohort in half, each spending a session on the many facets of stress management, as well as developing and maintaining a growth

mindset. The afternoon sessions allowed students to select two of four activities as potential pastimes beyond this day, as ways to relieve stress, promote the

production and release of the feel-good hormones in the brain and build in physical activity into daily life. Students could select from:• Boxing – promoting core strength, coordination, good heart-health and effective stress relief• Let’s Get Physical – promoting social and physical wellbeing through low-stakes, high energy activity• Relaxation Massage – promoting emotional wellbeing through guided massage therapy• Yoga & Meditation – promoting spiritual, emotional and physical wellbeing through connecting the mind and body, building strength in bothThank you to students for participating in the activities across the day. It seems we uncovered some hidden talents in students, many of whom were trying some of the activities for the first time. There was great comradery among students.Thank you also to the following local community members for providing your services on the day:• Bec Bates from Vibe Health and Fitness (Boxing)• Lisa Baker from Mindstream Yoga (Yoga & Meditation)• Jo Foster from Hills Physiotherapy (Relaxation Massage)

Tanya Moran - Year 12 CoordinatorJason Nicholas - Senior School Leader

Year 12 Retreat Day #2 – Managing Stress and Building Resilience

STEM at ESCSTEM is an initiative to get students involved more in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics. As our world continues to change students need to become more proficient in these areas if they are to succeed in the workforce. We are striving to cater to these changing needs in society.STEM education has taken some massive steps forward in our school over the last few months, with many programs starting and opportunities for our students. Here are a few highlights and programs to get involved with.

ESC Astronomy ClubOur Astronomy Club is growing and has hosted 2 massive events over the last few months. This includes the Victorian Amateur Astronomy Convention, and the PAVE Festival ‘To the Moon and Beyond’. These events have brought many people to our school and our students have done a fantastic job representing us. These events have happened because of the relationship we have with Mount Burnett Observatory and could not have happened without the assistance of many people in our community. There are far too many to list in order to thank but to everyone at MBO we offer our sincere thanks for all your support!As a result of these activities, the Astronomy Club is looking to buy a new telescope to make viewing quicker and easier for all students (parents and siblings). With a huge amount of help from Mount Burnett Observatory we have raised over $500 from the last two events.We are expanding into Astro-photography in the hope of improving our skills so we can contribute to the iTelescope program with their Asteroid hunt and Variable Star search.

Students have also taken a keen interest in the constellations and the myths and stories attached to them.All are welcome to attend. We start after school every second Tuesday and run until 7.30pm. The next sessions run on the 30th

May, and 13th June. For more information see Mr Gibbs or contact the school if you’d like to join us!

VASTROCVictorian Amateur Astronomy Convention From the Opening Night at Mount Burnett, to the events at Emerald Secondary College and the Conference Dinner at Beaconhills Golf Club, this was a huge and highly successful event, featuring sessions on Galaxies, Supernovae, Occultations, Constellations, Gravitational Waves, Indigenous Astronomy, Gender Imbalance in Astronomy, Astrophotography, STEM Education, Light Pollution and the way forward for Amateur Astronomy. Academics from Swinburne, Monash and more, mixed with amateurs from the ASV, Ballarat, Mornington Peninsula and the fabulous team from the Bright Astronomy Club who travelled all the way to the Dandenongs with their Outreach trailer. Add to that students, teachers and politicians and you have an eclectic mix, who enjoyed not only their astronomy but all the wonderful facilities in Emerald and the local area. To quote James Murray, MBO President, ‘42 hrs, 100 participants, 23 presenters, a dozen volunteers and lots of food’.

Maker Space!The Maker Space program will be starting this Tuesday

and running every Tuesday lunchtime in the short term. We will have a selection of projects that students can contribute to including Game Making/App Design, Robotics and 3D Printing. The Maker Space is a safe space for students to come and explore their creative side where the goal is just to produce something. The structured activities may include external competitions that will enable students to win prizes.

If students do not wish to partake in the structured programs they are still welcome to come and join in as long as they are trying to “produce” a product and learn a new skill. Students can do anything from learning to knit

origami to creating robotic soccer players, as long as they are “Making”. The Maker Space will be running in B10. For More information see Mr Gibbs, Mr Vear or Ms Mikieciuk.

STEM Engineering Problem SolvingThe Year 10 students have just undertaken a project

where they will be creating hydraulic powered fighting robots “JudoBots”. This is just one of many projects the students have completed to test and improve their problem solving, engineering, mathematical and scientific skills. These JudoBots are a fantastic way for students to learn about design and engineering process as well as dipping the feet into 3D printing. They are able to model components in 3D software and then create these components on a 3D printer before they are used on their JudoBot. This is just the first phase of our new abilities with the printers. As time goes on many more exciting projects will be created and we will create products of grander scales. The JudoBots will have their finals played out in the quadrangle in the coming weeks as a best of three bouts. Make sure you’re there to see these epic battles!!

Thanks for your time! As you can see there is a lot going on with STEM in our school. Be sure to be on the lookout for upcoming events, including:- Science Expo Week in the 2nd week of Term 3- National Science Week 14th-20th August (Future Earth Theme).Brad Gibbs- Science Coordinator

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