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Newsletter Mount Eliza Secondary College

Canadian Bay Road Mount Eliza 3930 Tel: 9787 6288 Fax: 9787 9888

Email: info@mesc.vic.edu.au Internet www.mesc.vic.edu.au

Website http://www.mesc.vic.edu.au

Editors: Angela Pollard & Heather Hiam 21 February 2014 Volume 1 - 2014

This Newsletter is available in colour electronically on the College website and on the College intranet.

Dear Parents, Students, Teachers and Members of the Wider School Community,

Welcome back to the 2014 school year. I am pleased to report that we have had an excellent start, and that students in years eight to twelve have picked up where they left off in Jumpstart, and resumed their learning with enthusiasm. Our newest members of the school community have also commenced successfully, well supported by the year seven teaching team, and already safely home from their first secondary school camp. Significant work has occurred during the break, with a new grassed recreation area developed near the Art and Design classrooms, outdoor furniture painted and repaired, classrooms painted, food

technology teaching spaces expanded and modernised, a new year eight learning centre developed and freshly carpeted, and year level specific teaching spaces developed at years nine and ten. We have significant additional plans for facilities work throughout the year and whilst we do not believe that facilities define a school, we do believe that students and staff deserve a quality learning environment. I would also like to report that now that the Education Department has concluded its investigation into the land clearing that occurred along the Mount Eliza Way boundary of the college last year, we are about to form a working party to commence the development of a proposal for its use. We will be consulting widely with our school and local community, and look forward to the creation of an area that meets the needs of our students, as well as the broader community.

Staffing

I would like to welcome Bree Hudson who is leader of the year 11 program, Arturo Tallarida who heads up year 8, and Micah Davis who leads the year 9 student and teacher team. They join Stacey Sullivan, Aaron Prior and Elena McLuskie leading years 12, 10 and 7 respectively. I would also like to welcome Danielle Vaughan to the Principal Team. Danni is overseeing years 7 to 9, and comes to the college with considerable experience and expertise. Stephen Majera and Michael North have also joined the MESC team, and as Grounds, Facilities and OH&S managers, have been responsible for much of the work described previously. Brenda Barker has joined the team as our new Business Manager, and as is the case with all new staff, has already made a difference to our operations. We have also commenced the Real Time Learning Program at years 7 and 8, with Luke Kerr as program Director, and Cathy Norman, Despina O’Connor and Terry Cantwell working together. Staff for the Hands on learning program have also been selected, Kylie Andrew, Loren Flemming and Graeme Ferguson will commence at the college next week. Brent Kitchin is another additional to our staff profile, and he is teaching in the PE/Outdoor Ed/Health area.

Uniform

Thank you to the many parents who have responded so positively to the changed expectations we have put in place regarding the wearing of uniform. Policy regarding uniform, and the manner in which it is worn is developed and refined by School Council, and supported by the Department of Education. Whilst there are always some that have different views, we have been overwhelmed with parents who applaud our stronger stance and understand that whilst our focus is absolutely on high expectations for learning and teaching, having similar expectations for presentation prepares students well for the world of work and indicates respect for and pride in their school.

College Community Group

For many years the school has welcomed the contributions of the CCG. This parent group meets monthly primarily as a way of connecting socially, and is an especially good way to meet others and get involved. The group at times organises social events and fundraisers and is an important element of the extended life of the college community. Please contact the general office if you are interested in joining this group.

Information evenings

Thank you to the many parents who attended our recent year 12 and 11 information evenings. These opportunities are an important avenue for effective communication between home and the school, and we strongly encourage parents to take every opportunity to become informed and ask questions about your son’s or daughter’s learning program. If you were unable to attend, please contact Bree Hudson for year 11 students and Stacey Sullivan for year 12 to ensure that you have all the necessary information to support your student’s leaning, and to meet college expectations.

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FOCUS ON YEAR 12

In each newsletter I will provide an overview of a year level, to help parents understand the focus of the learning and the structure of the opportunities provided by the college. In year 12 students will be participating in the VCE [Victorian Certificate of Education] or VCAL [Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning] as a means of gaining their year 12 certificate/qualification. Some VCE students and all VCAL students will also include one or more VET subjects [Vocational Education and Training] as part of their program.

In order to achieve a year 12 certification, students must receive an ‘S’ [satisfactory] for each of their studies over the period of

their involvement with either the VCE or VCAL course. Both programs have a minimum requirement for the number of

subjects undertaken and successfully completed for this purpose.

Both programs are equally respected as a means of completing year 12 successfully. VCAL students attend school three days

per week and generally proceed to full time work, apprenticeships, traineeships and/or TAFE courses of further study. Their

VCAL qualification is well regarded by employers due to its strong focus on employability skills, and the requirement for

students to be self-motivated and pro-active. VCAL students also complete a regular weekly work placement component, so are

well attuned to the demands and expectations of the workforce.

VCE students attend school five days per week and can complete their year 12 certificate through a selection of subjects of

interest and/or strength. The program is generally fully based within the school, with the exception of VET subjects that can be

undertaken externally. The majority of students who chose the VCE pathway do so because of their interest in proceeding to

tertiary education, predominantly at university. The completion of the VCE course results in an ATAR score [Australian

Tertiary Admission Rank] which is used to select students for university courses where a degree can be undertaken.

The tertiary education landscape is changing fairly rapidly, and students who complete a VCAL year 12 qualification and

proceed to certain TAFE courses, can now move into some degree courses using their first year of TAFE as the entry

mechanism. This is opening up broad possibilities for students and allowing multiple points of entry to further learning.

At MESC students have 24 year 12 VCE options to choose from, allowing them to tailor their program based on interest, or to

accommodate university entrance requirements for courses linked to their preferred pathway. All VCAL students study

Literacy, Numeracy, Personal Development and Work Related Skills. In addition to the opportunity to pursue areas of interest

within the three days per week of the school program, their particular interests are catered for through their VET course and

their work placement.

AT MESC we view year 12 as a very important year, and our goal is to assist students to achieve their very best. We also

understand that there are many options available to students beyond year 12, and encourage students and families to view the

year with a healthy perspective where study, recreation and part time wok are appropriately balanced.

Angela Pollard, Principal

COMPASS We are excited to introduce a new service for families called ‘Compass’. This will become the primary means of communication between the school and home. Parents are able to login to Compass via the ’Compass Portal’ link located on the school website (www.mesc.vic.edu.au). Each family with up to date contact details has recently been sent a login to this new system. If you have not received a login, please contact the College. There are a number of parent modules available in Compass and the school will be introducing these over the next twelve months. Compass provides the school community with a range of facilities which will streamline communication and provide enhanced access to information. It will also improve many of the school’s administration processes. Parents will play an important role in this initiative. It will be important that parents log in

consistently to ensure they are kept up to date with their child’s progress. It is also essential that the Username and Password is kept in a safe place, and not made available to students. Compass is intended to be self-explanatory and easy to use, however if you require assistance please contact the College.

1. Update email address and mobile phone number upon logging in for the first time you will be prompted to update your details through the portal. The details listed will be used to send emails and SMS alerts. 2. News Feed the school will post news to parents to remind you about events and activities at the school. Your news feed will be customised, showing only the information relevant to you and your children. 3. Attendance view your child’s attendance online, approve absences, and indicate future absence. 4. Reports View your child’s reports as electronic PDF files. 5. Consent for activities – This function will be allow parents to pay online for excursions.

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THE SUMMIT CAMP

From the 10th to the 12th of February the year 7s went to The Summit for a 3 day camp. We were welcomed warmly and I am pleased to report we all had a marvellous time. The camp started off with everyone completing an activity to practise team work, persistence and strategy. After dinner the fun didn’t stop with red faces, some of the acts we saw comedy, singing, instrumental, magic which were all truly brilliant. The next day the year 7s had the “Monster challenge,” which composed of lots of small challenges we had to complete as a team. One of the hardest of the courses was the mud pit which everyone had to swim through and drag four car tires along with us. By the end we were exhausted, soaking and a bit cold, so you can imagine our reaction when the camp instructors told us we were doing it all again! And we did, in the end all the teams improved their time enormously. We would like to thank all the year 11s who came up to lend a hand. Lucaya Rich

On Monday the 10th of February all the year 7’s went on camp to the Summit! It took about an hour and a half to get there; as soon as everyone saw the sign our entire bus started screaming so loud! On the first day at camp we got to do 2 activities. Our group did the Flying Fox and Inflatable City. They were both so much fun! That night all of the year 7’s went to the lodge to go and watch all the contestants in Red Faces. In 3rd place was Kailen ( singing ) and in equal first place was Matt and Eliza ( piano ). On the second day all the year 7’s got back into their activity groups and got to do 2 more activities. Our group had rock climbing and Sky Bridge they were both so much fun! After lunch all the year 7’s raced in the Monster Course. We had to do heaps of little challenges; my favourite was when we had to swim through the mud, IT WAS SO FUN! We were all so muddy and dirty after finishing the mud coarse and then we had a massive surprise! WE HAD TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN! J The team that bet there first time the most was team 4! That night we were all so tired and the teachers put on diary of a wimpy kid in the lodge! On the last day we got to do 2 more activities, which were the Shine and the Giant Swing! My favourite activity at the summit was definitely the Giant Swing! Charlie and I went together and we went to the green post which is the highest! We were both so scared we couldn’t stop screaming! It was so funny. At the end of the day all of us were extremely sad to leave It was definitely one of my favourite camps! Anais Everitt

On the 10th of February the year 7s and I went to a camp called The Summit for 3 days. At The Summit we went on 8

activities, the activities we did were the flying fox, giant swing, inflatable city, rock wall, sky bridge, monster course, red

faces and some went on the tank and the water slide. My favourite activities were the giant swing, flying fox and the

inflatable city. On the second night we watched Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3 and it was fantastic. The cabins and the food

were great as well, especially the dessert. Overall I thought The Summit was the best camp I’ve been to because there

were so many activities you could participate in, the cabins were very clean and the whole camp was fun and exciting.

Nathan Delcampo

The Summit Camp was the best camp I had ever been on, and I’m sure that the rest of year seven could agree with me. We did many team building activities such as, Sky Bridge, Monster Course and Giant Swing. Within all of these activities we had to use teamwork, encouragement and you couldn’t really doubt yourself or it would be a disaster. Different skills were shown during this camp like, Balance, strength, bravery and just plain talent, (red faces) The main purpose of this camp was to make new friends and get to know each other better. My highlight of the camp was seeing my friend get in a real army tank that crushed a few cars. You see, at the start of camp, in our activity groups, we had to come up with a team name and 5 team values. My team name was The Teletubbies, and the 5 team values were, cheer, respect, responsibility, communication and open minded. At the end of camp each individual voted on who they think displayed the team values, and GAS, (give it a go, ability, support) the best, and my best friend Amy one from my team, so she got to go for a ride in the tank and it was pretty cool, if I may say so myself.

Sophie McQuie

Peer Support—Year 7 Summit Camp

On Tuesday 11th February twelve Peer Support Leaders, accompanied by Mrs Smith, made their way to the Year 7 Summit camp in Trafalgar, to assist with all of the great activities scheduled for the day. After an early start and long drive we arrived at the camp. The kids were waiting and ready to start their activities, and after a quick talk by the camp leaders the year 7’s took off with their Peer Support Leaders to jump into their first session. Some of the activities were the flying fox, giant swing, rock climbing, floating city and the sky bridge. As the kids made their

way from activity to activity, they had their Peer Support Leaders to encourage and help push themselves harder and work better as a group. This was also a good way for us to get to know our Year 7 groups. With two activities down it was time for some lunch with plenty of carbs to see us through the afternoon (pie and chips).

After lunch the Year 7’s broke into their groups again and got changed to participate in the monster challenge which ended in a mud bath. It was great to see the students having so much fun and getting really dirty. And some of the Year 11 Leaders were hard to recognise too. We headed back to school after a long and very active day. It was a great opportunity for the Leaders to join in with their younger peers and it turned out to be a very worthwhile day. Hopefully, the Year 7 group enjoyed it as much as we did! Nick Carrick,

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2014 Student Leaders

School Captain Vice Captain

Brendan Young & Sarah Jeanes James Beckett & Dominque Waight

2014 Sports Captains Congratulations to the following students who are now representing their Year levels as Sports Captains. They will be working closely with the Sports Faculty staff and will be encouraging all students to participate and enjoy a variety of sports at school. Year 7 students will be given the opportunity to apply for a Student Leadership and a Sports Captain role once they have settled into the school and have had an opportunity to get to know their fellow students.

Year 8 Amie Lawrence Bethany Camillo

Year 9 Sarah Whyte Sophia Beardmore

Year 10 Sophie Strickland Liam McLoughlin

Student Leaders

Year 11 Celina Mack Nick Carrick

Lizzie Gill Lochie Gay

Year 10 Mirra Kimpton Remmie Bye

Ikeylia Dryfhout-Kokaua Angus Christie

Year 9 Sophia Beardmore Oscar Leonard-Fox

Ella Wright Jordan Colvin

Year 8 Eliza Wilson-McDonald Fyn Cioban

Bella Fenton Ryan Cooper

Year 11 Nick Christopforou Chelsea Verlinden Year 12 Tamika Joy Sarah Beardmore

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YEAR 9 AND 10 SCUBA CAMP

April 28 – 2nd May In 2014 the annual SCUBA camp for year 9 and 10 students is being run in early term 2, taking advantage of the warmer waters left from summer. The aim of the camp is for students to take advantage of our local seas and

gain the SSI Open Water Divers License – an internationally recognized certification that will allow them to dive to a depth of 18 meters. Gaining such a qualification is the first step to a range of opportunities such as SCUBA guiding or instructing, Tourism and Hospitality, Marine Science or simply for recreation. The cost of the camp is set at $950 which includes: SSI open Water Dive Course, Boat dives Pool and theory training All manuals and tables Meals, Return transport from Sorrento to Queenscliff and four nights accommodation at the Queenscliff Dive Center. There are limited number of places for this optional camp, please reserve your place as soon as possible.

Mr Andrew Mains It has been a busy start to the year so far! By this stage, Year 11 students should be: In the appropriate course (subject changes closed on Friday 7th Feb). Be in the correct uniform! Have the correct equipment in each class, including a laptop that is fully charged at the start of each day. Be aware of attendance requirements. Students in Year 11 are subject to a 95% attendance requirement; this

means that students can only miss 1 period each month, without an approved reason. Be in the Senior Learning Centre whenever students have study periods. Thinking about signing up to the Debutante Ball committee. Working hard to develop good study habits which will provide a great foundation for year 12. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child’s mentor teacher.

Bree Hudson Head of Year 11

LIBRARY NEWS Congratulations to the following Year 8 students who have been appointed 2014 Library Captains – Bethany Camillo, Eloise Smith and Amie Lawrence. These three girls were part of our Library Monitors team last year and their commitment to the library is to be commended. They are looking forward to working with a new team of monitors in 2014 and if any Year 7 or Year 8 students are interested in joining them please come to the Library to collect an application form. This year we are also launching a new “Between the Covers Book Club” shortly which will be open to all students and staff. The Library Captains are finalising their ideas on how this will run – so watch out for some posters and information on the Library website soon.

This month we are celebrating ‘Library Lovers’ Month’ which is held each year by libraries (both public and academic) throughout the world. It is a celebration of what a library has to offer in terms of resources available and staff who are willing to assist in their users’ needs. All students are invited to enter our competition by telling us in 50 words or less why you love your library and/or reading – Email your entries to library@mesc.vic.edu.au. There are 3 student prizes to win and entries close on Friday 28th February. Please check out our MESC Library Website to see just what we have to offer our students both onsite and online. Happy Reading!

Lynn Swannell, Head of Library

YEAR 11 NEWS

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EMA ELIGIBILITY FOR 2014:

The Education Maintenance Allowance is paid to parents of eligible students under 16 years of age, and enrolled at a

Government or non-Government School in Victoria on census day, 28 February 2014 for instalment 1 and 1 August

2014 for the second instalment. The Education Maintenance Allowance will be paid in two instalments and to be

eligible you must: on the first day of 1st Term (28 January 2014) for the first instalment and on the first day of 3rd

Term (14 July 2014) for the second instalment: (a) be a parent or legal guardian of the student; and (b) be an eligible

beneficiary within the meaning of the State Concessions Act 2004, that is, be a holder of Veterans Affairs Gold Card or

be an eligible Health Care Card (HCC) or Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) holder, OR (c) be a temporary foster parent

AND (d) submit your application to the school by the date/s listed below. Parents who receive a Carer Allowance

(formerly known as Child Disability Allowance), or any other benefit or allowance not income tested by Centrelink are

not eligible for the EMA unless they also comply with one of (a) (b) or (c) above.

Submission dates The application form must be lodged at the school by: 28 February 2014

ACCIDENT INSURANCE

Parents are reminded that DEECD and Mount Eliza Secondary College do not provide personal accident insurance for students. Parents and guardians are responsible for the cost of medical treatment for injured students and transport costs including Ambulance transport in an emergency situation. Student accident insurance policies are available for purchase through a number of insurance companies. Mount Eliza Secondary College is not in a position to recommend an insurance company as this is a personal choice depending on your circumstances. Parents are also reminded that DEECD and Mount Eliza Secondary College do not provide insurance for personal possessions of any description including motor vehicles, for damage or theft at the College or on the College grounds. If insurance coverage is required we recommend you contact your insurance provider for further information.

PARENT VOLUNTEERS The Food & Technology department would love to get parents involved in helping in the kitchen during practical lessons in 2014. Mums, Dads and Grandparents if you would like to get involved and help out during our cooking lessons we would appreciate your assistance. Please email the Food & Technology co-ordinator Karyn Foran at kforan@mesc.vic.edu.au for further information

SCHOOL IMMUNISATION PROGRAM FOR 2014 The 2014 vaccination program will begin on Monday 24/02/14 at 9am.

Year 7 students and Year 9 boys will be given their 1st HPV vaccination.

Please note that year 7 students will now be given the Chicken Pox vaccination in on 6/10/14.

Please return all vaccination cards signed, whether your student is having the vaccination or not. If for any reason your

student is absent on vaccination day , they can attend a catch-up session at The Mornington Shire Council on the 4th

Wednesday of the month between 5.30 and 6.30 pm.

It is very important to update the school with any changes in medical conditions , injuries or psychological problems.

We are always here to help in any we can, so please keep us informed. Jill Stainforth ( School Nurse)

Jetts Mornington are looking to promote the health and wellbeing of children within the local community. We have developed a school membership incentive program where by way of partnering with Mount Eliza Secondary College we can raise money to purchase new sports equipment and support improvements in the schools sports facilities. Through this program we believe we can contribute to providing an environment that encourages children to be active and keep healthy now and into the future.

School Membership Incentive Program To support your school we will donate $9.00 from every new joining fee back to the school in the form of sporting equipment and sports facilities upgrades. In addition Jetts Mornington will donate a further 10% of the new membership fees ongoing on a yearly basis and match it dollar for dollar. We believe this to be a great way to support the local community and take care of the future health and wellbeing of our children. If we can get just 100 new members it will mean $13,380 worth of new sports equipment for Mount Eliza Secondary College per annum. Please feel free to give Jetts Mornington a call on 5975 9929 for further information.

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Year 7 and 8 Information Evening On behalf of the Year 7 and 8 teams, I would like to invite families of Mount Eliza year 7 and 8 students to a Community Event and Information evening on Thursday 27th February. The evening will showcase the renovated learning areas for years 7 and 8, while presenting the Real Time Learning program for 2014 as well as what students have achieved already. Here at Mount Eliza Secondary College we are excited about a unique learning opportunity for our students, which has commenced in 2014. Students in years7 and 8 are participating in an innovative inquiry based learning program which embraces their own passions and individual potential.

Year 8 Report

As Year 8 Sub School Leader, and as a new member of our college community, I would like to say a big thank you to our year 8 students for their warm welcome. Indeed, I am very pleased to report on behalf of the Year 8 Team that our students have had an excellent start to 2014. Already so many students have demonstrated an enthusiastic approach when undertaking new challenges, and most importantly a respectful attitude toward their teachers, their peers, and their own learning. In particular, it has been great to see students actively engaged in our recently launched Real Time Learning program – this is an exceptional educational opportunity and I cannot wait to see each and every one of our students pursue their passions and tackle new challenges with the capacity to achieve their very best. As part of this new program an information night will be held on the 27th of February. Starting at 5.30pm, the evening will involve a student-run BBQ and school tours, a Year 8 team meet-and-greet session at 6.00pm, and a comprehensive presentation from the Real Time Learning team at 6.30pm. At the information night, the Coordinator and Mentor team will be on board to meet parents, answer questions, and discuss the year ahead. Amongst other things, I will also be on hand to give parents further guidance and advice with regards to accessing and using our new Compass portal (an essential tool for all parents). I must admit we are also keen to show off our Year 8 Centre – a wonderful new space which year 8 students will help to further shape and design in 2014. Please take note of our Year 8 team outlined below; we all sincerely hope to get the opportunity to meet with all parents at our upcoming community event and discuss the many programs and innovations planned for our year 8 cohort in the year ahead.

Arturo Tallarida

Year 8 Team Arturo Tallarida: Year 8 Sub School Leader (atallarida@mesc.vic.edu.au)

Ros Williams:Year 8 Co-ordinator & 8D Mentor (rwilliams@mesc.vic.edu.au)

Katie Montinaro: 8A Mentor (kmontinaro@mesc.vic.edu.au)

Ange Banfield: 8B Mentor (abanfield@mesc.vic.edu.au)

Andrew Mains: 8C Mentor (amains@mesc.vic.edu.au)

Community BBQ: 5.30 pm in Quadrangle

Year 7 ‘Meet the Team’: 6pm VCE Study Centre (Year 7 families)

Year 8 ‘Meet the Team’: 6pm Year 8 Learning Centre (Year 8 families)

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TERM DATES 2014

Term 1

STUDENTS RETURN 30 January – 4 April 2014

Term 2

22 April -27 June

Term 3

14 July - 19 September

Term 4

6 October - 19 December

“You can now follow us on Twitter and Facebook to find out about upcoming events

at the College” http://twitter.com/mtelizasc

IMPORTANT DATES FEBRUARY & MARCH 2014

Tuesday 25 February Find you Trade Expo-VET & VCAL Students

Thursday 27 February Year 7 & 8 Real Time Learning Information Evening-Community BBQ commences - 5.30pm

Tuesday 4 March Whole School Swimming Carnival

Thursday 6 March Intermediate Sport Years 9 & 10

Monday 10 March Labour Day Public Holiday

Tuesday 18 March Thursday 20 March

Pre-Enrolment Information Evening - 5.30pm-7.30pm OR 9.00am—11am

**ABSENCE LINE**

STUDENT ABSENCE LINE PHONE NUMBER IS

9788 6290

Introducing the new initiative from Medicare replacing the teen dental scheme that provided dental services to teenagers. ‘CHILD DENTAL BENEFITS SCHEME’ children from the age of 2 up until 17 are entitled * to $ 1000.00 worth of dental treatment every two years. Healthy Smiles @ Mt Eliza, provide a bulk billed service and timely and periodic reminder for dental care. We believe that ‘prevention is better than a cure’. Educating and empowering our children to look after their pearly whites is one of our highest priorities. We are located in Mt Eliza in Mount Eliza, with ample parking spaces and close to shops, cafeterias etc. Help your children get their dental health checked and maintained at Healthy Smiles @ Mt Eliza

Entitlements based on eligibility for family tax A}

116 Mt Eliza Way, Mount Eliza. 3930 Tel:97874889 healthysmilesatmounteliza@bigpond.com