College Theme for 2015 ‘Seek God with all your heart’

Prayer for Christian Unity in Australia 17-24 May 2015 God of all peoples, teach us to spend time with our brothers and sisters from other churches and faith traditions. Allow us to go there with open hearts so we may learn from every church, culture and religion. We confess that you are the source of unity and peace. Grant us the unity that Christ wills for us, the peace that Christ offers us. Amen.

College Vision Thomas Carr College is a dynamic Catholic learning community, guided by the Gospel.

Excellence and opportunities to develop are pursued.

Through our hope and service to others we shine our light into the world.

Volume 19 Issue 7: May 22 2015

From the Principal Dr Watson Malaya and Borneo Veterans Service On Monday May 11, we celebrated the Malaya and Borneo Veterans Service at the College. Thomas Carr College has been associated with the Malaya Borneo Veterans for over ten years. Veterans were initially invited to the College to speak to students as part of the History program instigated by Mr Diamond. This marked the beginning of a great partnership between Mr John O’Regan from the Malay Borneo Veterans and the College. Together they implemented a plan for the Veterans and the students to develop a relationship which would do two things; promote knowledge and understanding for the students and recognition for the Veterans, something that at the time had not been forthcoming amongst the community at large. Every year since, students from Thomas Carr College have participated in the ANZAC Day March. We are one of only two Victorian Colleges that are permitted to carry a banner for the Veterans at the Melbourne ANZAC Day March to the War Memorial. We also regularly participate in memorial events with the Veterans, including an annual event held at the College every May. The memorial stone in our grounds is the first memorial to the Veterans in Victoria and is sited at the eastern end of the College’s Information Centre. The Veterans have expressed many times their thanks and support of the College and the role that we have played in trying to raise the profile of their involvement in the Malayan Borneo Emergency. Students that have participated in these events have always expressed a great sense of honour and pride at being able to assist and support our Veterans. It has been extremely rewarding for the College to see this relationship develop and witness the connection between our students, the Veterans and our Australian War history. The service this year was a wonderful occasion led by our College Captains. Thank you to the students and musicians who supported the moving ceremony, in particular Mr Rattigan who played the Last Post. Many thanks to our College Ambassadors who were also on hand to provide wonderful support throughout the event.

Coming Events

MAY

Fri 22: ACS Athletics Carnival

Mon 25: ACS Chess Championships

Tues 26: Board Meeting

Wed 27: Big Science Comp Yr 7-9

JUNE

Mon 8: Queens Birthday Public Holiday

Tues 9: Parents & Friends Meeting 7.00pm

Wed 10: GAT Exam

Fri 12: Staff Correction Day

(Student Free Day)

Tues 23: Board Meeting

Thurs 25: Year 12 Careers Day

Fri 26: Last Day of Pentecost Term

Mon 29: Bursary Applications Close

JULY

Mon 13: Assumption Term Begins Student Free Day

Tues 14: Students Return for Term 2

Fri 17: AFL Victorian Girls Football Tournament

Sat 18: St. James Dinner Dance

Tues 21: Parents & Friends Meeting 7.00pm

Thurs 23: Year 9 Parent Information Night – COMPULSORY 7.00-8.30pm

Fri 24: College Cross Country and

Winter Sleep Out 6.00pm – 9.00am

Mon 27: Careers Development Week begins

Tues 28: Year 7 Subject Selection Assembly and Board Meeting

Wed 29: Year 11 Subject Selection Assembly

Thurs 30: Staff Faith Day – Student Free Day

State Budget The Victorian Treasurer, the Hon. Tim Pallas, MP, delivered the Andrews’ Labor Government’s first Budget on May 5. A key element of the 2015–16 Budget includes $3.3 billion for education, including $2.9 billion for schools.

Non-Government Schools Capital Works

The 2015–2016 Budget delivers on the government’s commitment to provide $120 million over four years to Catholic and independent schools, to contribute to the cost of building new schools in high-growth areas and upgrading facilities in existing schools. Both the ALP and the Coalition committed to the program prior to the last election. The program will be funded as follows:

2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19

$10.0 M $25.0 M $35.0 M $50.0 M

Catholic education will be working with the state government to finalise the guidelines for the program and it is anticipated that project announcements will be made in the coming months. Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund was announced as part of Labor’s election commitments in 2014. The program is designed to assist disadvantaged families to cover the costs of school trips and activities. This funding will support students from Prep to Year 12, and will be determined using the same criteria as the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). Under the program, eligible students will receive a school credit of:

$125 for primary school students;

$225 for secondary school students. Victorian Government Gonski Funding

The Victorian Government has committed to the full allocation of Gonski funding for the 2016 and 2017 school years through the Education State funding program. Most of this funding will be directed towards government schools. However, Catholic education estimates that the system will receive an additional $60 million in State funding each year in 2016 and 2017. 2014 Annual Report to the School Community Last week, I completed the Annual Compliance Report for the School Community which is a government mandated document that schools are required to complete. The document is available on the College website under “About our College” or as a hard copy from the Administration Office. It includes the following information:

Summaries of achievements and value added activities in each of the five core areas of the College being Catholic School Culture, Learning and Teaching, Student Wellbeing, Leadership and Management and School Community.

Staff attendance data

Staff retention rates

Teacher qualifications

Expenditure and teacher participation in Professional Learning

NAPLAN and VCE results

Student retention rates

Post school student destinations

Observations on parent, teacher and student satisfaction

Financial performance

Please find a copy of the report on the College website www.thomascarr.vic.edu.au

Kayla Koropejckyi

Malaysian Netball Competition

Maryrose's Team

Pharell Peni

Student Achievements Congratulations to Kayla Koropejckyj (Year 10) who was selected for the Victorian State Football Team. Congratulations are also extended to Maryrose Vitale (Year 10) who has been competing in an International Netball Competition in Malaysia. The team came 3rd in the Under19 International Netball Challenge in Malaysia. Congratulations to Pharell Peni (Year 7) who was selected in the Under 12 National Baseball Team to tour Japan for the International Baseball Championships in July.

From the Deputy Principal Ms McDonald Thomas Carr Day Another successful Thomas Carr Day was held on Friday 15 May. Such an enormous event requires a team effort. Many thanks to the Thomas Carr Day Committee, particularly Aleena Hinso (7 Green), who ensured the success of this day and the many staff who went above and beyond. I also take the opportunity to thank the following parents who gave their time to help with the food preparation: Helen Thomson, Ann Bennett, Tanya Tesoriero, Mary Childs, Fran Terranova and Terese Smith. We were fortunate to have so many students who stepped up to take on additional responsibilities on the day. Once again, Thomas Eleftheriadis provided the music for the ever popular disco. We also thank the students who controlled the College’s PA system. They were responsible for playing music and providing information about what was happening throughout the Carnival. These six students did an amazing job: Nathan Chote (7), Teresa Maria Mauro (10), Avin Antony (7), Shaelyn Camilleri (12), Ruby Aylett-Duffin (12) and Matthew Lloyd (10). Other students took some terrific candid photos throughout the duration of the carnival: Aaron Jones (11), Nathan Keo (11), Christian Gonzales (11), Lina Umberto-Adriano (8), Chelsea Dennis (7), Georgia Rankins (8), Barbara Hodnik (10) and Adal Molow (12) Thank you, also to the many students who bravely performed at ‘Thomas Carr’s Got Talent’. These students truly did shine! We look forward to being able to provide information regarding the amount of money raised for each of our year level charities in the next edition of The Beacon. Malaya Borneo Vets Service Many thanks to the following College Ambassadors who assisted in welcoming, ushering and assisting with lunch on this special occasion: Lara Davis Alex Lapina Jorji Louer Rianna Muscat Laura Roulston George Quispe Audrey Wong Maria Bayta Robel Ermias Patrick Estepa Audrey Dalauidao Jade Murrell Georgia Rankins Drashti Shah Estelito Agatep Jordan Brodie Renee Dayao Felicity Guerzon A Night to Shine Now that Thomas Carr Day has come and gone, planning will soon be underway for our annual ‘A Night to Shine’. On this special evening, we celebrate and acknowledge the wonderful efforts and achievements of so many students in our College. Each year at ‘A Night to Shine’, we present a slideshow of all the many achievements of our students beyond the school. These include efforts such as being selected to play for a State or National sporting team, winning a debating competition, etc. We receive many positive comments from staff, students and parents but also some disappointment that certain students are not acknowledged.

Thomas Carr Day

If your son or daughter has achieved an excellent outcome in a pursuit outside of the College, we encourage you to share the exciting news with us. We require the name and Homeroom of the student and some details about the particular achievement to be highlighted. A photo would also be great to include in our slideshow. Please forward these details to the relevant Year Level Co-ordinator or Head of School by the end of the Assumption Term so that we can ensure its inclusion in our presentation. The Beacon Award The Beacon Award recognises achievements of our students. Selected students will be presented with a certificate of commendation and their names will be published in each edition of the Beacon. A maximum of 5 students per level may be recognised each fortnight. The criteria is:

Evidence of learning which is consistently exemplary or displays great improvement.

An action performed by a student(s) that supports the Catholic ethos of the school

Evidence of behaviour which is consistently exemplary or displays great improvement

Active and purposeful involvement in a college or community event Congratulations to the following students:

Year 7 Janina Basit, Cid Morales, Evalina Mabeny Bai, Alysha Barlow, Emily Arioli

ear 8 Lyam Abergos, Michael Lapina, Farhan Aamer

Year 9 Sherene Brodie, Kreshmeh Memari-Azad, Kerry Wang, Chevron Joseph, Anthony Tiricola

Year 10 Chiara Gulinello, Matthew Lloyd

Year 11 Alexie White, Ebony Laws, Khallen Micallef, Nathan Glossa, Janet Basioni

Year 12 Russell Menezes, Jake Oorloff, Christopher Micallef, Stephanie Vazquez

From the Director of Catholic Identity Ms Berardinelli "Once again we are asked to respond with generosity to the humanitarian crisis faced by over 8 million people in Nepal. Caritas Australia has opened the Nepal Earthquake Appeal and I encourage your communities to support this appeal through solidarity in prayer and generous financial assistance." Archbishop Hart In such overwhelming circumstances, our continued thoughts, prayers and support are with those affected by this devastating earthquake. In response to this disaster, the College Vinnies Conference hosted a fundraiser on Tuesday 12 May. They encouraged students to wear a fashionable beanie, scarf or hat with their full College Uniform for a gold coin donation. Over $300 will be donated to the Caritas Australia Nepal Earthquake Emergency Relief Fund providing basic needs for Nepal earthquake victims.

$110 provides three families with water and sanitation kits

$200 provides two families with food and hygiene packs

$250 provides two families with critical emergency shelter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgfOdi9HFxs

Thomas Carr Day Mass – Building our Story “I chose to be a priest not for social reasons, not for parental pressure but in the answer to a call from the light of Christ” - Archbishop Thomas Joseph Carr Each year, on Thomas Carr Day we walk a day in our patron’s shoes by starting our morning with meditation, followed by Mass and thanksgiving. Archbishop Thomas Joseph Carr believed that ‘prayer was the dynamo of action’. Therefore, we too departed our Mass to raise much needed funds for our Year Level Catholic Agencies. “I see my sole mission to be charitable” - Archbishop Thomas Joseph Carr Our Thanksgiving Eucharist was celebrated by Fr Jude and Fr Pius; allowing us to stop to appreciate all the good things in our lives and give thanks with gratitude for Thomas Carr’s spirit and legacy which continues to shine upon our College. “No one is more blessed than an Archbishop who is strong in the strength of a united and affectionate people” – Archbishop Thomas Carr Directly after Mass, we took a look at the history of our four Houses which play a vital role in building upon our Thomas Carr story. They not only provide us with greater opportunities to participate in sporting and cultural events but a constant reminder of our patron’s life journey. Moylough (Thomas Carr’s Birthplace) ‘Committed Catholic from a strong Irish Family’ Maynooth (Thomas Carr’s place of formation)‘Theologian who trained the clergy’ Westport (Thomas Carr’s first parish)‘Humble priest who supported the poor’ Galway (Thomas Carr’s first episcopal appointment)‘Strengthening the faith as a leader of the Church’ To conclude, Mrs Rosalie Jones, Manager of Curriculum and Secondary Services at the Catholic Education Office spoke to the College community about ‘A Time to Shine’; a Catholic School Performing Arts Gala in 2016. She encouraged expressions of interest from singers, musicians and any interesting acts to submit their name to our Head of Music, Mr. Morse. Pentecost Whole School PA Liturgy – Receive the Spirit We celebrate the feast of Pentecost in our parishes on Sunday 24 May therefore as a College community we will ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’ by making Pentecost with a Whole School PA led Homeroom-based liturgy on Monday 25 May from 9.00-9:30am. Our College Vinnies Conference will lead this service over the PA which will be inspired by Archbishop Denis Hart’s Pentecost Letter to Youth “The higher we go the better we shall hear the voice of Christ”. http://www.cam.org.au/youthletter Pentecost means ‘fiftieth day’ and is celebrated fifty days after Easter. This great festival marks the birth of our church; the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples and filled them with a deep desire to share the Good News. In order for our Pentecost Term to really come alive (as with all our naming of our terms), we must all play an essential role in maintaining and using the relevant language with each other. We will use the liturgical colour of red as it recalls the tongues of flame in which the Holy Spirit descended on the first Pentecost. The colour red also reminds us of the blood of the martyrs. These are the people who through their belief of the Holy Spirit hold firm to the true faith even at the cost of their own lives.

From the College Chaplain Mr Burn College Sacramental Program – Sacrament of Confirmation Eight Thomas Carr College students will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation at St James the Apostle Church, Hoppers Crossing North on Sunday 31 May. This is an important day in their lives as they receive the third Sacrament of Initiation. The Sacrament of Confirmation will be conferred by Bishop Vincent Long. Receiving this sacrament confirms the initiation of the person into the Church at Baptism and opens them up to receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit in a special way. Please pray for the following students and their sponsors:

Emma Quinn

Jonathan Saligari

Ebonie Ganley

Olivia Wait

Joshua Salise

Tate Blackhurst

Michael Saligari

Arjan Mata As part of the sacramental preparation process, Dr Watson, Ms Berardinelli and I will meet one last time with each of our students on Friday 29 May in our College Chapel. Each student will be presented with their Confirmation stole; as symbol of ministry as each of us are called through Baptism to minster and serve Christ.

From the Head of Senior School Ms Knurek All Senior School students participated in assemblies on Tuesday this week relating to examination protocols and to the program undertaken during the exam period. Please support your child in their preparation for this period by encouraging regular revision of classwork. Effective study habits include:

Having a quiet work area free from interruption

Setting goals (short, medium and long term, as they help keep focus and motivation)

Organization of time so that nothing is left to the last minute

If large amounts of work to learn, break it up into chunks of information and use highlighters for each section to help them stand out.

Completion of set work by the due date. Now is the time to start revision and study for the examination period which commences on Wednesday June 3. Please encourage your child to seek additional assistance from their classroom teachers when they do not understand something. As in all things, good results largely depend upon the effort individual students put into their preparation. Year 12 Graduation Information Evening on Thursday August 27 A compulsory meeting for all students graduating from Thomas Carr College will be held on Thursday August 27 at 7.00pm. At least one parent/guardian will need to attend this night where the College will outline it’s expectations of students over the final week of their secondary schooling. There will be a number of guest presenters, including a representative from the Victoria Police. Students who do not attend with a parent/guardian will not be able to participate in the graduation events and ceremonies. Please note that the Graduation Mass and Dinner will be held on the same evening: Friday November 20, 2015. Full details are outlined in the letter which was handed to all Year 12 students last week. The letter is also available on PAM. Year 11 Examinations and Unit 3 and 4 classes A reminder that during Semester 1 Year 11 examination week, there will be no Unit 3 and 4 classes for Year 11 students. At the end of the year, when Year 12 classes

Yr 10 Dinner 2014

have concluded, the Year 11 Unit 3 and 4 classes will continue until the

commencement of the Semester 2 Year 10 and 11 examinations. Year 11 VCAL Students in Examination week. Please note that during the week Wednesday June 3 – Friday June 12, while Year 11 VCE students are undertaking their examinations, Year 11 VCAL students will not be required at the College on Friday June 5 and Tuesday June 10. Friday June 12 is a student free day. VCAL students are expected to be at their TAFE and work placement on the Wednesday and Thursday of these weeks. As many of the VCAL students have been and will be involved in holiday blocks for VET courses, this is an opportunity for VCAL students to catch up on any outstanding work requirements at home and to ensure they are meeting all requirements for their TAFE or VET course. Year 10 Dinner Dance Information relating to the Year 10 Dinner Dance will be issued to students shortly. This is an important occasion in the life of the Year 10 cohort and the students are excited and looking forward to celebrating together on Thursday August 6. Please read all information carefully and note the deadlines for the return of payment and forms.

From the Head of Middle School Mr le Roux Year 9 City Experience Both 9 Green and 9 Jade participated in their week long city experience. It was a very positive and exciting time for them and they thoroughly enjoyed it. “Going to the city was a bonding experience for the whole class. Everyone used teamwork to get to the places we needed go. The best part was that we were independent, and it really taught us how to use our time wisely and finish the tasks we had to do. It was a new experience to take different types of transport around the city, and go to places we haven’t been to before. We learnt many things like where young people would go if they were homeless and what they would do. We also experienced what it’s like to be a criminal and go to jail and many more things. I would really recommend this for the future Year 9’s because it really teaches us how to get to places on time independently and overall it was really fun.” Mary Macauba 9-GREEN “Melbourne, a city full of big hopes and big dreams. Some may say it's our speculation of "the city that never sleeps". This year the Year 9's have been lucky enough to be able to experience Melbourne for themselves. When we were in the city I personally enjoyed finding our way around and reaching the destinations. I liked the feeling of freedom and independence. This task helped us with our navigation skills and helped us to use public transport. I also learnt what trams and trains to take, where they were going and I had a good sense of where we had to go by the end of the week. One thing I had never done before was take the city loop. I also hadn't been to the Shrine of Remembrance. Overall I thought the task was unique and could easily be the highlight of my year so far.” Jenna Borg Year 9 Country Experience “Camp gave us the opportunity to build relationships and friendships with people we would never thought we would. The classroom activities allowed us to participate as one coordinated team, to reach a goal that we could not reach alone. This type of activity proved difficult but the end result left us feeling included and proud of ourselves and each other’s efforts, performances and abilities. Upon leaving the Good Samaritan Campus we saw the year level more as friends and we were more open to new expectations.” Trent, Trae and Christopher “Going to the Good Samaritan Campus for 3 weeks truthfully did surprise me. I had doubts about it at first but going for that first week was probably the best week we had. Despite the soreness and how tired we were after, the activities did really give

Front L-R Julia Scrofani, Nicholas Zammit, Niva

Limbu, Georgia Haitas, Sarah Sigismondi

Back L-R Iris Del Rosario and Alexia Zafiris

Absent:

Sarah Nguyen and Michelle Park

Ms Whelan explaining the International

Student Exchange Program through Rotary

us a boost of energy and let us experience new things that we or I don't usually do. Other activities such as bushwalking and bike riding was a great experience as we got to enjoy nature and learn skills that are useful for the future. I would have to say that there’s no other group of girls that I would have wanted to go to camp with than 9 Gold because they were such a friendly and hilarious group of girls. We all became so much closer, especially during free time and made so many memories as each day was a new adventure. Deb, our chef made delicious meals every night so there’s nothing to complain about there, but some of us were a bit hungry in between meals which the staff are working on to fix this. If you enjoyed camp like I did then 3 weeks it’s a good amount of time to spend at camp and I think camping should be changed to the 2nd week for next year just to break up the weeks because having it on the second last day of camp was a bit stressful. I found the staff amazing, especially because they were still quite young and could relate to us more and I hope most of them will be there for next year.” Ebony Farrugia

From the LOTE Department – Indonesian, Japanese and Humanities Teacher Ms Febrinaldi The Japanese Project

こんにちは、（Konnichiwa-Hello）

Recently, nine students represented Thomas Carr College to participate in a state-wide video contest called 'The Japanese Project' which aimed to promote Japanese learning. This competition is run by JLTAV (Japanese Language Teachers' Association of Victoria INC). The winning video will be shown and published on their website. (http://www.jltav.org.au/) Our time spent making the video was fun and exciting and we would like to share our experience making it, from when we entered to when we won. Entering the Japanese video contest was an exciting and new experience for all of us. Each school is only allowed to send one entry. At the start, there were only three of us but quickly the group expanded and we gathered to brainstorm ideas. At the end, they were nine of us creating the video. We spent weeks on this video. The most memorable part for all of us was watching the final product with everything finished. All the effort and hard work put into the video was being played then, right before we handed it in. On Friday, May 8, when we received our results from Ms Febrinaldi our message read: I have bad news...My hands are so sore from clapping because we won! We immediately freaked out in front of everyone in the locker bay and ran off to find everyone else to tell them the good news. We had a fun and memorable time making the video. All nine of us appreciate the opportunity and we look forward to do this again in the future.

ありがとうございます （Arigatou gozaimasu – Thank you）

Julia Scrofani

From the Middle School Year Level Co-ordinator Ms Sarif Last week Year 9 students had the wonderful opportunity to listen to the experiences of two students who have been involved with the Rotary International Youth Exchange Program. Ms Judy Whelan from Essendon Rotary Club explained the program and how it works. She then had the pleasure of introducing two lovely young people who shared their experiences with our students. Ingrid was from Sweden, via Essendon Rotary Club, and has been studying in Australia for nearly 12 months and Mitchell a student from Westbourne Grammar via Point Cook Rotary, has spent 2014 in Brazil.

Ingrid and Mitchell speaking to Year 9s of their

experiences

They talked about living away from home in a strange country, learning a new language, trying different food, making new friends, coping with being homesick, experiencing different cultures, living with host families. A life changing experience one that will be remembered for the rest of their lives. This opportunity is also open to our Year 9s to apply for this Rotary International Youth Exchange Program and we hope to see many of them apply.

From the Director of Student Services Ms McCarthy Being Absent from School A recent article in The Age newspaper reported on studies which indicated that, even missing just one day of school has negative consequences for a student’s academic achievement. This was the first major study which linked poor attendance to lower NAPLAN results. The reports also suggested that school attendance patterns established as early as year 1 can predict how often a student will show up to class right throughout high school, according to the research. “Australia,” The Age reported “is alarmingly slack when it comes to school attendance, with high school students skipping more days of school than almost any other developed country.” Regular school attendance is a critical factor in student success. For learning to take place, students have to be at school, in class and paying attention. Students who regularly miss school miss valuable opportunities for education that often cannot be regained. When considering the numbers of days your son or daughter misses from school, it’s helpful to see how this compares to the State average and the long-term implications this has for their education. Did you know:

A student who misses between 0–6 days each semester is likely to take full advantage of the teaching and learning opportunities available to them. This rate of attendance falls within the normal range.

A student who misses 7–10 days could miss approximately 60% of one year of schooling between Prep and Year 10.

A student who misses 11–20 days could miss out on nearly one year and one term of schooling between Prep and Year 10.

A student who misses more than 20 days per semester could miss over two years of schooling between Prep and Year 10.

Research has shown that students who regularly miss school are at greatest risk of dropping out of school early, becoming long-term unemployed, being homeless, being caught in the poverty trap, dependant on welfare, and being involved in the justice system. Absence from school not only affects the absent student, but can also affect students who attend regularly. High absenteeism rates for a class often disrupts a teacher’s ability to plan and present class work in a sequential and organised way. Make sure you:

provide the school with an explanation if your child is away;

contact the school if your child does not want to go to school;

arrange doctor and dentist appointments out of school hours;

arrange personal shopping trips with your son/daughter or birthday celebrations out of school hours;

do not allow your child to stay at home for minor reasons;

If your child refuses to go to school or is truanting, the College can offer a range of support options. Please make contact with your child’s homeroom teacher, the Year Level Coordinators, or the Student Team Leader for further information.

From the Student Wellbeing Team Leader Ms Ward Sleep is essential to physical and mental wellbeing. Yet research shows, adolescents are often sleep deprived, as they balance a myriad of things including schoolwork, part-time jobs, and busy social lives. For many of the students I work with as a counsellor, getting enough sleep is an ongoing challenge. Adolescents need between 9-10 hours sleep every night, but research shows they often get far less than this. One recent Australian study in Melbourne schools found that 15-18 year olds were generally moody and lost up to two hours sleep per night during school term. Causes of Sleep Deprivation There are many different reasons adolescents regularly do not get enough sleep. These include:

Leisure activities – the lure of stimulating entertainment such as television, the Internet and computer gaming can keep an adolescent out of bed

Hormonal time shift – puberty hormones shift the adolescent’s body clock forward by about one or two hours, making them sleepier one to two hours later. This can lead to a ‘sleep debt’ during the week.

Hectic after-school schedule – homework, sport, part-time work and social commitments can cut into sleeping time.

Light exposure – light cues the brain to stay awake. In the evening, lights from televisions, mobile phones and computers can prevent adequate production of melatonin, the brain chemical (neurotransmitter) responsible for sleep.

Vicious circle – insufficient sleep causes the brain to become more active. An over-aroused brain is less able to fall asleep.

Social attitudes – in Western culture, keeping active is valued more than sleep.

Sleep disorder – sleep disorders, such as restless legs syndrome or Sleep Apnoea, can affect how much sleep an adolescent gets.

Impacts of Sleep on Learning Sleep deprivation has an impact on learning. If a student is not awake enough to take in new information, their knowledge acquisition will be impaired and their ability to retrieve information reduced, because what has been learned gets consolidated during sleep. Research also indicates that sleep deprivation can lead to increased sick days and a higher risk or truancy among school students. Tips for Parents There are a number of things parents can do to help prevent their teenagers becoming sleep deprived.

Helping with the scheduling of after-school commitments to ensure there is adequate time leftover for rest and sleep.

Ensuring they are not overcommitted with too many activities.

Encouraging an early night every Sunday. A late night on Sunday followed by an early Monday morning can push the body clock forward for the following nights and lead to drowsiness at the start of the school week.

Deciding together on appropriate time limits for any stimulating activity such as homework, television or computer games. Encourage restful activities during the evening, such as reading.

Being aware of the signs of fatigue in young people during the day (withdrawal, anxiety, depression, aggression, poor learning and attention)

Being realistic with bedtimes.

Suggesting an afternoon nap after school if there is time (napping 20 minutes at about 4.00pm is better than sleeping-in TOO much on weekends to pay back a sleep debt

Promoting good sleep hygiene

Consulting with your GP to rule out any underlying causes. Further Information: www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au

From the Head of Learning: Arts and Technology Mr Dalley Battle of the Bands

Don’t forget to get your tickets to see Battle of the Bands on 18 June, 7:30pm-9:00pm. Ticket prices are $5.00 and ALL proceeds go to charity!

Parents and Friends Association Second Hand Uniform Shop Open during term time on Thursdays from 3.00pm – 4.00pm. Cash and cheque payments only (no eftpos available).

Community News Uniform Shop Scarfs will College logo available now for only $20.00! Normal trading hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8.15am – 4.00pm.the Uniform Shop will be closed for school holidays on Wednesday June 24 at 4.00pm and reopen on Monday July 13. Over the holidays we will be open on Friday July 10 from 9.00am-4.00pm only Any questions please phone Natalie on 9749 5969.