Issue 2 MARCH 2018 1
The View ____________________________________________________________
“Delivering excellence, innovation and success”
106 Mount View Road, Cessnock NSW 2325
T (02) 49902566 F (02) 49911728
E [email protected] www.mountview-h.schools.nsw.edu.au
Issue 2 MARCH 2018
2018 CALENDAR TERM 1
Week 7
Wed 14th Mar - Elevate Study Program Yr 9 & 10
- P&C Meeting 6.30pm
Thurs 15th Mar - Close the Gap Day
Fri 16th Mar - National Day of Action Against
Bullying & Violence
Week 8
Mon 19th Mar - Deadly Streaming
Tues 20th Mar - School Photo Day
- Open Touch Football—Maitland
Wed 21st Mar - U15s & Open Hunter Region Rugby
League Trials—Raymond Terrace
Thurs 22nd Mar - U14s Rugby League Buckley Shield
- Project 10 Session 2
Fri 23rd Mar - Girls U14s & U16s Rugby League 9s
Week 9
Mon 26th Mar - Deadly Streaming
Tues 27th Mar - Fieldwork excursion—Yr 11 Geography
- Bill Turner Cup
Wed 28th Mar - Rugby League Knights 9s
- Art Express - Art Gallery of NSW
Fri 30th Mar - Good Friday
Week 10
Mon 2nd Ap - Easter Monday
Tues 3rd Apr - Yr 7 Immunizations
Thurs 5th Apr - Cross Country Carnival
Sun 8th Apr - State swimming Carnival
Week 11
Mon 9th Apr - State swimming carnival
- Bangarra Dance Workshop
Tues 10th Apr - Youth Week Big Breakfast
- My School Rules—cooking
competition
Wed 11th Apr - U18s Rugby League University Shield
- Captains visit to Parliament House
- P&C Meeting 6.30pm
Thurs 12th Apr - Athletics Carnival
Fri 13th Apr - Anzac Day Assembly
- Last day of Term1
Term 2
Week 1
Tues 1st May - School returns for students
Admin—Craig Jarrett (Relieving)
CAPA—Jessica Schafer / Tanya Howells (Relieving)
English—Rebecca Bartlett (Relieving)
HSIE—Nicola Steiner
Maths—Ben McCartney
PD/H/PE—Sue Ford
TAS—Brian Means
Science—Natalie Death
Support—Leanne Triggs
Teaching/Learning—Liz Alder
Wellbeing—Julie Myers & Steve Quigley
Year 7—Lisa Hunt
Year 8—Ainslie Martin
Year 9—Melissa Parish
Year 10—Jodie Scheffler
Year 11—Rebecca Conn
Year 12—Nathan Russell (Relieving)
FACULTY LEADERS YEAR ADVISORS
Issue 2 MARCH 2018 2
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Ms Desley Pfeffer
Hello MVHS families! There is so much news to share with you in this edition. I hope you will enjoy
reading about our students’ successes and endeavours.
Pentessellate
Congratulations to our F1 in Schools State Champion team, Pentessellate, who represented NSW and MVHS at the
recent National Championships in Tasmania. They finished 4th overall which is an amazing achievement! They were
competing against much older students, more experienced teams and teams with some enviable budgets and
resources available to them as the competition is open to public and private schools across Australia. They also were
presented with the prestigious Sportsmanship Award.
Mr Mark Bassett and Mr Grahame Chamberlain (ret’d) were also presented with Honorary Fellowships of REA (Re-
engineering Australia Foundation) in recognition of their continued dedication and success in the F1 in Schools
competition.
Pentessellate are now starting their campaign to once again compete at state championships, hopefully National
championships and are keen to quality for the World Championships in 2019.
Enhancing the HSC Strategy
Under our new strategic plan our school is committed to enhancing the HSC experience for students. Mrs Jeffery
outlines some of these initiatives in her column but please be aware that this includes:
Employment of a dedicated senior tutor – Ms Jess Schafer – 4 days/week and available for students to access
in the library
Provision of supplementary support through Elevate Education – focusing on study habits; and The Sleep
Connection – focusing on our senior students’ sleep habits to ensure that they are working optimally
The engagement of Elevate Education and The Sleep Connection is provided at no cost to students, unlike other
schools who charge students up to $20/session for this support. I encourage our students and parents to take full
advantage of these opportunities as they arise.
There will be more on the “Enhancing the HSC” strategy shortly.
Banned Items in School
At tonight’s P&C meeting I will be seeking endorsement for the publication of a list of items that are banned to bring
to school. This was initially discussed with the P&C last year, has been approved by the Department of Education’s
Legal Services and will now (hopefully) be endorsed by the P&C for publication.
New enrolments & Non-local enrolments
Mount View High School’s student enrolments continue to be on the rise – at present we have just over 1000
students officially enrolled.
Requests for non-local (previously called ‘out of zone’) enrolments are very strong. We have an enrolment ceiling
and are required to have a buffer in place for each year group so as to accommodate any additional local enrolments
throughout the year – our buffer sits at 10% of the enrolments in each year group. At present we are unable to
accept non-local enrolments in Years 7, 9 or 10 and there are only a very few spots left in Year 8 for non-local
enrolments.
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Generally we accommodate all enrolment requests for new students to the area in Years 11 & 12 as the alternative
‘college model’ at Cessnock High School makes it difficult for students to engage successfully with their students if
moving part way through the school year.
We recognise that this is disappointing for some families and try to work with them and their locally zoned school to
ensure the best possible outcome for all. Waitlists are established for non-local enrolments where necessary.
Check-In
As mentioned in my last column ‘roll call’ has now been changed to ‘check-in.’ The focus is on checking in on not only
attendance – students’ wellbeing is hugely important and this time is used to work on our positive education
strategic direction, with students. To date this term students have had the opportunity to:
Consider and discuss why the idea of ‘checking-in’ with each other is important
Participate in some activities to get to know others in their check-in group
Share ideas on what is working well in the school
This week we are linking the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence (NDA) with the idea of ‘wellbeing’.
The NDA have some great video resources which we are using to open up the discussion about bullying and conflict
and to consider how this impacts on our, and others’, wellbeing. Later this term we will start to introduce the “Five
Ways to Wellbeing” framework to students.
G.P. Clinic
Our School Chaplain, Andrew Murray, has instigated investigation into the development of a GP Clinic at Mount View
High School. This is a fabulous initiative but one which needs careful consultation with the Department of Education
and our families. We hope to be in a position to start consultation with families in Term 2.
Easter & School Holidays
I would like to wish all of our students and their families a Happy Easter break – travel safely, relax and enjoy.
Term 1 finishes on Friday 13 April and will resume, for students, on Tuesday 1 May.
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DEPUTY’S REPORT
Mr Shane Hookway—Deputy Yrs 8/10/12
Understanding and assisting students with assessment - Mount View High School working with students, parents and the community. Assessment Policy and Schedule A great place to start looking at the assessment policy and requirements of assessment that relates specifically to your child is the school website http://www.mountview-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/. Select “Curriculum and activities” from the top menu then “Assessment and Reporting” from the side menu. From here you will find documents specific to students in each year group at Mount View. Click on the document that you want to view and it should either download or open in a new tab. Each document is interactive and allows you to click on headings to link straight to the information that you are seeking.
The document once opened will look like the example to the lower left. It is also able to be saved for access offline. One of the most valuable pages in the document is the “Whole year overview”. This will give you a good indication of the assessment tasks that you child will participate in each week of each term. This is a great tool for parents to use with their child to help them plan and organise their time and resources so that they give their best effort in each task. Student results guide teaching staff to plan learning so that maximum growth can be achieved.
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2. Individual Subject schedules – drilling down Knowing that your child has an assessment task that they should be completeing or studying for is one thing. Knowing the specific details is another. Each subject or course in the assessment schedule has more detailed information that includes: What unit of study is relevant to the particular assessment task; What mode of assessment will be used – case study, assignment, class test, etc; and how much weighting is given toward the student’s final assessment mark for the course from this task.
3. Getting to specifics: Assessment Notifications, Tasks, Marking Criteria and more. To further enable you to understand and support the different tasks that are asked of your child we have set up personalised assessment information via the Sentral Parent Portal. The Sentral Parent Portal has been set up for each family for each child. New families are mailed periodically throughout the year with account information. The website can be accessed via the following link: https://web1.mountview-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/portal/login Navigate to detailed information relating to your child by clicking on the image of your child. From there look for the menu item on the left that says “Continuous Assessment”.
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Accessing this menu item will bring up access to digital copies of Assessment Notifications, the actual Assessment Tasks, Marking Criteria, Resources and more depending on the nature of the task. For obvious reasons class based examinations would not be published. Click on the various attachment links for each task to download and view that content as illustrated below.
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Mrs Larayne Jeffery—Relieving Deputy Yrs 7/9/11
Year 7 Camp
No doubt you will have more details in this edition from Mrs Hunt but I visited the campers on Monday afternoon and saw a wonderful group of young people challenging themselves to try new and daring experiences.
These included the leap of faith, mud world and survivor activities.
I was more than happy to be an observer and offer encouragement in all of these but did manage to catch Mr Jarrett having a sneak peek of the horizontal bungee jumping activity provided for another school.
It was wonderful to see students supporting each other over the three days, making new friendships and working as a team.
Staff Common Room – Collaborative Working Space Some improved design measures and a recent upgrade to the staff common room have allowed for more flexibility in the use of the space and an increase in functionality. Now the space caters for laptop ‘hotspot’ tables for short meetings and interviews, 4 computer workstations, booth seating for small group activities and modular mobile seating for collaborative and interactive smartboard presentations. Mr Lindsay and his Year 12 VET Construction class were given the task of floor plan layout and installation and were well rewarded for their efforts!
Mr Lindsay with some of his Year 12 VET Construction class enjoying a light lunch
after completing the furniture installation. L-R: Tahlia Hughes: supervisor, Jessica James, Mr
Lindsay, Lucas Fisher, Dakota King, Josh Ingle, Brock Wallace, Georgia
Bailey.
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Senior Study Tutor As part of our multi-layered HSC support strategy for 2018, we have employed Ms Jessica Schafer as a senior study tutor 4 days per week to provide assistance and academic support to all senior students with a wellbeing focus. Ms Schafer is situated in the library until 4.00 pm from Monday – Thursday with flexible availability during the day. Students can check in with Ms Shafer to book a session or ask for advice during these times.
Every student will have an individual consultation to form a plan of action. This plan will include:
Reviewing and updating their Secondary Education and Training Plan (SETT) in
association with the Futures Centre Adviser Coordinating assessment schedules and tasks Assisting with study skills and timetables Maintaining regular communication with parents Providing a list of supports available for students This learning plan would be given to students and communicated to parents.
Ms Jessica Schafer
Students will also be supported through Elevate (an external study skills provider) and the Sleep Connection and have had sessions in both areas at the end of February. You will hear more about these strategies in later editions but this is a brief explanation of their goals to improve both academic outcomes and positive wellbeing in our students. Elevate has been transforming the way study skills programs are run across Australia by drawing upon over 15 years of research into the habits of the country’s top students. Their high impact seminars & workshops help students improve their study techniques, increase motivation, build confidence, and lift exam performance. Elevate’s reputation for achieving behavioural change has led the company to become an international leader in education working with schools in many other countries. In their first session of the Sleep Connection, students learnt that over 70% of teenagers are sleep deprived. As a group, Australian adolescents rank as the third most sleep deprived in the world. Improved sleep patterns can affect overall health, resilience and performance in teenagers. Focusing on sleep health in schools is vital as we become increasingly aware of the relationship between sleep deprivation and poor academic outcomes, psychological problems, reduced school attendance and increases in risk-taking behaviours. Good quality sleep helps: Optimise learning, memory and concentration Support our emotional health and wellbeing Promote positive behaviour and decision making Improve energy levels and promotes healthy growth, metabolism and immune system
NSW Educational Standards Authority (NESA) update Changes to the HSC minimum standard
The Minister for Education recently announced that Year 9 NAPLAN tests will no longer be available as an early way for students to demonstrate the minimum
standard of literacy and numeracy needed to receive the HSC from 2020.
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This change has been made to ensure NAPLAN remains focused on its original diagnostic purpose and reduce unnecessary stress on young people.
The NSW government remains committed to requiring a minimum standard to receive the HSC due to the importance of literacy and numeracy skills for success in everyday life.
Students will show they have met the HSC minimum standard by passing online tests of basic reading, writing and numeracy skills, which are available for them to sit when they are ready from Year 10 until a few years after Year 12.
Year 10 students and NAPLAN 2017 test results
Please be assured that if you have a child in Year 10 this year, who achieved a Band 8 or above in one or more of the 2017 Year 9 NAPLAN reading, writing or numeracy tests, they are recognised as having met the HSC minimum standard in that area/s and will not need to sit the corresponding online test/s.
Minimum standard online test periods available for Year 10 students
• Term 1: 19 February to 23 March 2018
• Term 2: 21 May to 22 June 2018
• Term 3: 13 August to 14 September 2018
• Term 4: 5 November to 7 December 2018
* Students will decide with their teacher when they are ready to attempt each test.
For more information, including sample online test questions, visit www.educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/HSCminimumstandard
Staff Professional Learning As part of our positive education journey we have engaged in an executive partnership with Dan Haeslar from ‘Cut Through Coaching and Consulting’. Dan presents keynotes and workshops around the world on issues relating to engagement, mindset, wellbeing & leadership and will be working with our executive staff and positive education team on a series of coaching sessions throughout the year culminating in a whole staff presentation in Term 4. Dan has already visited twice as part of the discovery phase and setting the direction for our school. He has met with groups of staff and students in focus groups and will incorporate their feedback into our planning. We are taking this initiative in order to raise our positive education journey to the next level and support our strategic directions over the next three years.
Dan Haeslar from ‘Cut Through
Coaching and Consulting’
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P & C NEWS
P&C - COME AND JOIN US!
P&C meet on the second Wednesday of every month and all members of the
Mount View High School’s community are welcome to attend. The AGM will
be held on Wednesday 14th March at 6:30pm in the staff common room and
all are welcome to attend.
CANTEEN
Our school canteen is available every day for students—it is recommended
that recess and lunch orders be placed before school to avoid
disappointment. Below is the 2018 price list is effective February 13th.
Issue 2 MARCH 2018 11
MAKING PAYMENTS—WHAT WAYS CAN I PAY ?
Payment for fees, excursions or extra-curricular activities can be made in a variety of ways and can be paid off
in instalments or a lump sum.
Online Payments can be made via the school website www.mountview-h.schools.nsw.edu.au under the heading $Make a Payment. This is a secure payment page hosted by Westpac. Follow the prompts to make a payment via Visa or Mastercard. In Person (parent or student) at the Administration Office. We accept cash, cheque or EFTPOS.
By Post by sending a cheque together with your Statement of Account to:
Mount View High School
106 Mount View Road
Cessnock NSW 2325
For enquiries regarding your Statement of Account please contact the School Administration Manager.
SCHOOL ADIMISTRATION
Reinforcing safety in school zones Seven new school zone offences enforced from 1 February 2018. To help schools keep the school zone safer for all pedestrians and drivers there are seven new traffic offences with new fines. None of the seven offences attract demerit points when committed elsewhere on the road but now in a school zone they each come with two points. The changes are: 1. Stopping in intersection - Under the changes if a driver commits this offence in a school zone they will receive a
penalty of $439 and 2 demerit points. 2. Stop within 20m of intersection (traffic lights) - Under the changes if a driver commits this offence in a school zone
they will receive a penalty of $439 and 2 demerit points. 3. Stop within 10m of intersection (no traffic lights) - Under the changes if a driver commits this offence in a school zone
they will receive a penalty of $439 and 2 demerit points. 4. Stop near bicycle crossing lights - Under the changes if a driver commits this offence in a school zone they will receive
a penalty of $439 and 2 demerit points. 5. Obstruct access to ramp/path/passageway - Under the changes if a driver commits this offence in a school zone they
will receive a penalty of $330 and 2 demerit points. 6. Not parallel park in the direction of travel - Under the changes if a driver commits this offence in a school zone they
will receive a $330 fine and 2 demerit points. 7. Parallel park close to dividing line - Under the changes if a driver commits this offence in a school zone they will
receive a $330 fine and 2 demerit points.
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YEAR ADVISERS’ REPORTS
Year 7— Lisa Hunt
Year 7 Camp
Week five set off to a thunderous start. Year 7 and year 10 students embarked on a three day
adventure to Morrisset Outdoor Education Centre. The wet weather only added to the excitement
and ensured mud world really lived up to its name. Over the next two days students engaged in a
series of outdoor activities that developed resilience, increased confidence, teamwork skills and
making new friends.
Zoey Denning - Year 7
Some of my favourite things about camp were the flying fox, the leap of faith and the giant swing. The food was
really good! I stepped out of my comfort zone a lot. At the start I thought I would not do anything. I even asked by
the end of the camp to be the person that demonstrated how to use the giant swing. I also made new friends and
loved hanging out with Macy, Chelsea, Sophie and Keely but was not keen on the quick showers!
After mud world Phoebe O’Brien and Chelsea Hamid
Noah Fairfull- Year 7
I went to camp a bit scared of heights and then I conquered my fear by
jumping off the 10 metre high pole at the leap of faith. Commando was
really fun, I was a hostage and enjoyed watching Mrs Hunt shoot everyone
with the water guns.
Noah Fairfull and Jayden Egan at camp
Teachers at commando night! Mr Quigley and Connor Spurway relaxing
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Year 9— Melissa Parish
Year 9 for your children is already passing quickly. We are already half way through Term 1.
Here are some key dates leading up to the end of Term 1:
School photos will take place Tuesday 20th March.
Thursday 5th April will be our whole school Cross Country Carnival.
Thursday 12th April will be the schools’ Athletic Carnival.
Feel free to contact me via the front office if you have any questions.
Year 7 Welcome BBQ
It was lovely to see Year 7 and their families attend the welcome barbeque on Wednesday evening. There were a
lot of excited students who showed their parents around the school, stopped to have their photo taken at the
photo booth and gave Brando, the school’s therapy dog a pat. Parents had the opportunity to visit the library and
learn how to use the parent portal. While many mums, dads and grandparents were learning, the staff at Mount
View kept the students and their siblings entertained with the giant parachute, lawn games and a drones display
on the oval.
Below are some comments from some of our year 7 students who attended the evening.
Sarah Davies- Year 7
“The activities included were very good, I liked that we were allowed to go to the ag farm, the food was very
good and the music students were amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed the night.”
Anastasia Gesell
“The sausage sizzle was lovely and it was great idea to let everyone into the ag farm. Mum thought it was
nice to be able to meet some of my teachers.”
Year 8— Ainslie Martin
Hi everyone! Term 1 of 2018 is moving along quickly and we are already half way through. I can’t believe it’s been a year since Year 7 Camp – how time has flown. I’m really noticing how Year 8 are growing, both physically and in maturity – it’s wonderful to witness.
Earlier this month Year 7 were invited to listen to inspirational speaker, John Coutis. His remarkable story on overcoming personal adversity with dignity and humour was well-received by our students. Year 8 took many life lessons away from the hour long session and I was very proud of their mature responses to what was an emotional and sometimes confronting story. Assessments have commenced for Year 8 students across all subjects. Full assessment schedules can be found on
our school website in the user friendly document. Every student does receive an individual Notification in class too,
so please remind your child to use a hard copy calendar or their phone in preparation for all tasks.
A heads up for Parents and Carers: Year 7 Immunisation takes place soon. If your Yr 8 child missed an injection in 2017 there will be a catch up session for Year 8 students. Keep your eyes on the Parent Portal for more info.
I wish you all a very happy Easter and hope the Bunny is good to everyone! Happy Easter egg hunting and have a safe, indulgent and relaxing long weekend.
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Year 10 — Jodie Scheffler
Welcome everyone. What a busy month February has been.
Some of our Year 10 peer support leaders along with myself went
along to support with Year 7 at camp. We had an absolute ball. It
was so incredible to see some of our students all grown up and
supporting the younger ones. It made me so proud to see.
Kayla Holden-Robinson and Alexia Vowles
Bohdan Thorley, Martin Cathcart, and
Ben Ling
Sophie Craft, Paige Hickey and Emelia Lawler
2018 Year 10 Careers Camp Term 2, Week 4
Tuesday 15th to Friday 18th May A reminder to the students attending the Careers camp
this year FULL payment is due no later than the end of this term.
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Homework Club runs from 3.00pm to 5.00pm on Monday afternoons in the Library. Students are encouraged to attend to use the computers or get help with assessments.
Year 12 — Nathan Russell—Relieving
Hello Year 12 students, parents and carers. I can hardly believe that we are halfway through the
term – that means we are almost halfway through Year 12 already! It has been a very busy term for
everyone, but I have been pleased to see the effort that students have been putting into their
studies. I think we can see the finish line now and it has inspired many students to look at their goals
and ensure they are working towards them.
We have had a number of special guests speak to year 12, each bringing advice, encouragement or strategies to
assist students achieve their very best. All students should be filling out their Sleep Diaries and considering what they
are doing to get the very best night’s sleep they can. Personally, I have been putting my electronic devices away
earlier each night and made my bed time half an hour earlier and it really has made a difference – I wouldn’t say
there is a bounce in my step but I certainly am waking up feeling more refreshed! If any students do not have a sleep
diary, I have a couple of spares.
All students will have assessment tasks due very soon and should be engaged in preparation for them. If they need
additional assistance, there is plenty of support available. As well as classroom teachers and the Monday afternoon
homework centre, Ms Schafer is available to assistance students in the library Monday-Thursday every week until
4pm. When students are not in class they should be in the library studying, completing homework or preparing for
assessment tasks – with just a few short months until the HSC there is no sense in wasting time.
Fundraising is on my mind, too, and our first major fundraiser is coming at the end of term with the senior BBQ at the
athletics carnival. All Year 12 students are encouraged to attend the carnival (it’s their last one!) and drum up
business! I will be meeting with students over the next few weeks to discuss other ideas. We traditionally use the
fundraising to buy the school a gift and supplement the cost of the Year 12 Formal…. (More on that in a future
newsletter.)
I encourage all of Year 12 to keep working hard, ask for assistance when needed, and look out for one another. Have
a great Easter break and successful remainder of Term 1.
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ATTENDANCE
Craig Jarrett—Relieving Head Teacher Administration
Attendance enquiries: Phone 49902566 ext 1 or call into the Attendance Office
Sport Attendance Sport and Physical Activity has been part of the government school curriculum since the 1880’s and various policies, curricula and resources have been developed to guide schools in this area. During the mid-1980’s and 1990’s; the 1986 Sport Policy guided schools across this important area. In 1999, a hardcopy resource – Guidelines for the Safe Conduct and Sport and Physical Activity in Schools was provided to schools to assist in their preparation and implementation of sport and physical activities. Thursday afternoons are designated school sport afternoons at Mount View High School and students’ participation
in school sport is a requirement of the Department of Education. It is a concern that a large number of requests for
early leave passes are received each Thursday.
I acknowledge that many of these requests may be for valid reasons. This notice is to remind parents of the
responsibilities of attendance and of the processes for requesting leave. As one of the 15 schools in the Cessnock
Community of Great Public Schools (CCGPS), we are committed to ensuring that all students attend school regularly.
The Education Act (1990) requires parents to ensure that children of compulsory school age attend school on each
day that the school is open for instruction. Parents are also responsible for explaining the absences of their children
from school promptly and within seven days to the school.
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MATHEMATICS FACULTY
Ben McCartney — Head Teacher
Term 1 is in full swing, but I’ve just returned this week after the birth of my third son in Week 2. As a faculty there are some staffing changes with Michelle Van Wees returning for this term while we wait the outcome of an advertised position and Saju Abraham is with us this year full time as well.
Manga High is a numeracy initiative that was introduced last year to all students in Years 7 to 10 and will be continued this year. There is a competition running during weeks 7 and 8 across Australian schools with points earned by gaining bronze, silver and gold medals (each high medal is worth more points). There are school and individual rewards for high achievers.
There are still a number of students who regularly attend classes without scientific calculators. They are an essential part of a Mathematics classroom and we recommend students bringing a SHARP scientific calculator. Calculators can be purchased from the front office for a cost of $20.00.
Maths and Science fun day for Year 6 students is being relaunched as a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) day and will be reworked for 2018. Stay tuned for the date of this event. The Luna Park excursion at the end of 2017 was an excellent way to finish the year and students who participate in Mathematics faculty activities in 2018 will get an invitation during term 4. So keep an eye out for the Mathematics Competition, Numeracy Groups and other numeracy focussed opportunities.
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Agriculture 2018—Mrs Samantha Jarrett—Agriculture Teacher
The agriculture department has started the year with a bang. There is no time for resting on the
farm in Term 1, here’s a brief outline of what our classes have been up to.
Year 9-2 Egg collection and grading
Year 8 vegetable gardens
Year 12 planting density trials set-up Year 10-1 WHS dress-up day
Natalie Death — Head Teacher
SCIENCE FACULTY
Two new Suffolk ewes have joined the flock and will join our breeding program later this year with Barry the
ram.
The Year 8 vegetable gardens have been overhauled and replaced with 30 new raised garden beds. These have
already been a hit with the students and the first lot of Year 8 classes have been allocated their gardens and
vegetables have been planted.
Year 9-2 have been caring for their layer hens and collecting eggs daily to sell to staff. There is an in-class
competition currently underway for the best and most consistent layer hen.
Year 9-1 have been busy planting their potato crop. It is now enjoying the rain that has finally follow over the
region.
Year 10-1 have successfully completed their first unit of work on WHS and are busy taking care of the Suffolk
flock, getting the ewes ready for mating.
Year 10-2 have been learning about viticulture and why it is important to our local region. Taste testing of
different grapes has been the highlight in this class so far.
Year 11 Ag have settled in nicely and are learning about the history of Agriculture in Australia.
Year 12 Agriculture are currently working hard on their assessment task, looking at how planting density
affects plant growth.
Year 11 Primary Industries have just finished an in-depth topic on Workplace Health and Safety and have now
begun chemical use and weed control.
Year 12 Primary Industries are learning all about livestock care and handling with the Suffolk flock.
Issue 2 MARCH 2018 19
Nicola Steiner—Head Teacher
HSIE FACULTY
With a great start to the year, students in HSIE are experiencing a range of opportunities inside and
outside of the classroom!
“The legal trip to The Downing Centre was an extraordinary experience that
for all of the years involved will be a trip that won't be forgotten. The theory
of the Year 12 Legal Studies course was put into practice and demonstrated
through a range of cases as well as an informative Q and A with Acting Judge
William in the District Court who discussed areas in law for improvement and
the career path in becoming a Judge.”
YEAR 9 HISTORY, MYSTERY & CONSPIRACIES
“This term in the Year 9 History, Mysteries and Conspiracies elective class we
are learning to analyse various history mysteries, to find out the who, what,
when, where and why. For example the disappearance of the Sodder children
who went missing under strange circumstances in 1947. Many say they were
kidnapped, while others believed they died in a house fire. The murder of Jon
Benet Ramsey is another example of a history mystery. Jon Benet was a child
beauty queen, who was murdered Christmas day in 1996. There are a lot of
LAW DAY OUT:
“The Law Day Out excursion furthered our understanding of the processes in the local and district courtrooms at The
Downing Centre, Sydney. It was an eye-opening experience in which the theory of legal studies was put into practice
and demonstrated in the most fascinating cases. The insightful experience demonstrated what being a legal
profession encompasses and the weight of being a member of the jury in achieving justice.” – written by Year 12
Legal Studies
theories as to what happened, people say her mother and father did it, it was also thought her brother did it and her
parents tried to cover it up. What happened though we may never know.
This elective is perfect for anyone who is interested in mysteries or conspiracies, as we get to have great discussions
about all the different conspiracies throughout the world. The next topic we are doing is Jack the Ripper where we
will work in groups using case files to try and figure who Jack the Ripper really was.” By Grace Pettit, Year 9
“What has the history mystery class learnt? Our class has discovered that a history mystery is one that has shocked
the world. Examples of history mysteries include the assassination of JFK or the Bermuda Triangle. Our class has
learnt about the Black Dahlia and the Zodiac Killer and we have discussed many theories about what happened to the
victims of the Zodiac Killer and who killed the Black Dahlia.
Our class had to do a project to show the class a mystery that we were interested in. I chose the Zodiac Killer, who in
my opinion is the most fascinating case in America. After scrolling through FBI files, biographies and pop culture, I
came up with a power point full of information about the murders, the suspects and the letters the Zodiac sent to the
newspaper. The FBI files were the most effective at gathering information as they were the real files from the 60s and
70s. I used historical skills to read through the information to work out what was reliable and the differing
perspectives.
We as a class have learnt so much and we are only five weeks in. I can’t wait for Jack the Ripper.” By Daniel Sherlock,
Year 9
Issue 2 MARCH 2018 20
Chloe Hunt and Daniel Sherlock, - Year 9 Liam Callaghan—Year 10
Erin Jackson—Year 9
Lilly Stace—Year 9
Coles – sports for schools program
Mount View is registered to participate in the Coles Sports for Schools program. During this program, our families
will be able to collect Coles Sports for Schools vouchers from Coles stores across Australia. When the program ends,
we will be able to exchange these vouchers for sporting equipment to encourage our kids to get healthy and active
at school.
Every $10 spent at Coles during the program will earn a Coles Sports for Schools voucher. The more vouchers we col-
lect, the more gear we could receive. This equipment will be available for our students to use during recess and
lunchtime breaks.
A collection box for your vouchers is available at the Cessnock Coles shopping complex. Alternatively, students can
bring their vouchers to school to hand in at the PDHPE staffroom and at the Attendance Office.
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TAS FACULTY
Brian Means—Head Teacher
TAS … part of the ever-changing educational environment.
Whilst acknowledging that one should be wary of change for the sake of change, one should also
pursue opportunity and change when it arises.
In the coming weeks our Year 9 and Year 10 iSTEM classes will be the fortunate recipients of a complimentary drone
workshop. A parent of a Year 7 student at MVHS operates a drone operation company and has offered to showcase
how drones can be used as educational tools. The value of practical experience and close, hands on utilisation of
unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) will be invaluable as the students learn about aeronautics, aerodynamics,
mapping (certain drones can be programmed to be contained within a zone through GPS mapping), computer and
camera use to name just a few areas of study in TAS. Add this to the developing use of drones in the field of
Agriculture and Primary Industries and the educational benefits are enormous.
In somewhat of a contrast, traditional skill development is just as valuable for our students to learn and be aware of.
Our senior Industrial Technology – Timber Products and Furniture Technologies students are beginning the
development of their major projects and our VET Construction students are continuing to design and build the new
Outdoor Learning space that can be used by all classes on a pleasant day rather than be restricted to a classroom
with 4 walls.
Keep an eye out for the April VIEW newsletter for images of the drone workshop.
“I have always had this view about the modern education system: we pay attention to brain
development, but the development of warmheartedness we take for granted.”
Dalai Lama
FOOD TECHNOLOGY- WHAT’S COOKING with Mrs Freeman
The food labs have had a productive start to the new school term. We welcomed Year 7 students to the kitchens and
introduced them to learning about the importance of health and safety. Food Technology students have been
developing skills in the kitchen and guess what?! These kids can cook! Year 7 students have been busy producing
impressive practical work. It pleases me to see them enjoying themselves, working together as a team and showing
pride in their achievements. I look forward to seeing their amazing ideas for the Designer Cup Cake assessment task
in the coming weeks.
Year 7 ‘Mini Pizza’ Jessica Johnson & Chloe Goldstraw
Year 9 Food Technology students have made an impressive start to
the term as they apply their previous knowledge as well as
exploring a range of new skills to produce some outstanding
practical results. I have observed the efficient way in which they
work together to produce some quality recipes and taking pride in
presentation. As part of the program Year 9 are learning about food
preservation, developing an experiment which will compare
different techniques involved in producing the most suitable
method of producing dehydrated tomatoes and in the coming
weeks making delicious jam.
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Reese Earl
Mia Dallen and Raya Costello with Spicey Beef Salad
Yassmin Lemarseny making ‘Laksa’
Across our classes in the past week lots of our students have been designing and working on a banner for the “National Day of
Action Against Bullying and Violence”. As you can see the students get right into it and really take notice.
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Pentessellate has done us proud at the Nationals Championship! – by Mark Bassett, F1 Coordinator
Diary from the Nationals The F1 in Schools National Championship this year was held at the Conference Centre in Launceston, Tasmania from March 5th to 8th. This is the largest STEM program in the world that involves over 40 countries and more than 17 million students competing to be the world’s best team. Billie Taylor, Ben Galvin, Tobias Astill-King, Fei Fei Webster and Harley Patterson from Pentessellate have successfully represented Mount View High School once again at the nationals for the fourth year in a row – a great achievement for a public school.
The first day involved meeting all of the REA organisers at 9am and submitting the event elements. Thankfully we were early and well prepared as Deborah was rousing on teams arriving late and not having all of the documents ready for submission. When we returned to the apartments the rest of day was spent rehearsing the pit display setup and making some final adjustments. Tomorrow we have a busy morning sitting through a number of lessons covering the marking criteria for everything involved with this STEM event. REA have organised some of the best presenters for public speaking, writing a verbal presentation, engineering workshops for future engineers, Defence Industry collaboration activities and portfolio writing. Late in the afternoon we will be setting up the pit display (in a two hour time frame) and then having a BBQ to meet everyone at the competition.
Monday morning was an early rise for an 8am start at the national finals in the Launceston Conference Centre. We had a tight schedule of intense learning sessions starting with public speaking, writing a verbal presentation and structuring a presentation. The Defence Industry activities involved learning about the current impact on the Australian government from our northern neighbours and their weapon testing, and how our submarines will be the main focus of renewing our defence forces and their equipment. In the graphics design activity we were shown how things are done in its industry as well as the multimedia industries.
The portfolio writing session showed some new innovative ways of presenting data and information in a persuasive manner. This will help us to succeed in impressing the judges as well as people in the multimedia industry. Late in the afternoon we had to set up the pit display (in the two hour time allocation) which involved a mad dash to Officeworks to replace a damaged monitor before enjoying a social BBQ to meet everyone at the competition. We returned to our apartments at 7.30pm to start the evening with a tough session of finalising our verbal presentation for Tuesday and changing things to match what we had learnt in this morning’s lessons.
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Tuesday racing at the F1 in Schools STEM National Challenge was a busy day for Pentessellate. Our first task was the verbal presentation and it is the most important of all of the events this week. One of the judges was in tears at the conclusion of the presentation, she was so pleased with our team’s body language, verbal expression, gesturing, selection of words and grammar, showing and explaining things using real models and samples as well as the passion and energy from the team was exactly what they wanted to see and hear at a verbal presentation – well done Pentessellate!! Next was the first automatic car race. Our car’s best time was 1.159 seconds which has put us in 12th place out of the 31 teams (9th in the professional division). We are really pleased with this time (the best time was 1.102 secs) considering the wheels were put on the car at the last minute without any physical testing. The three judges seemed really interested in the pit display and what the team had to show and explain. Often the judges were speaking at the same time to different team members (which is unusual) but they seemed to really enjoy themselves discussing the software used for posters, graphical designs, data
In the reaction racing Tobias achieved some very good reaction times. His focus and concentration was perfect for the stressful role and his reaction times were in the 0.180s, which put us in the top quarter of the times recorded by all teams.
The engineering manufacturing interview involved explaining the car manufacturing process to a panel of judges who have years of experience working in companies’ that manufacture quality parts. The only fault in our manufacturing system was quality control. We need to better document our quality control processes and evaluate the effectiveness of each process. The CAD & CAM analysis went well with both judges pleased to see that we are still using CATIA software, which is the fundamental program for the F1inSchools STEM Challenge. Our car achieved 77/80 in the scrutineering judging which placed us in the top 10% of all of teams.
Finally …. Mount View High School came fourth in the F1 in Schools STEM Challenge. Pentessellate have done themselves, the school and community proud with such a great result in the world’s largest STEM competition. The many new friendships as well as networking with new businesses has made this journey worthwhile in an effort to compete at the national level. I am very proud of Billie, Ben, Tobias, Fei Fei and Harley for stepping up and moving forward with this STEM activity – well done team!
The top three places were:
1 - Horizon from Brighton Secondary School South Australia 2 – IOATA from Tumut High School in NSW 3 – Zero Friction from Trinity Grammar School in Victoria The awards ceremony was a great learning experience speaking with parents, politicians and dignitaries from all over Tasmania who love this program. Tasmania has had many successes in the past but the night belonged to NSW teams, winning every category and criteria. We were the quiet achievers who surprised everyone with our fourth place which made us popular at the end of the late evening. Our team offered advice, support and sportsmanship to all teams, even when we were under the most pressure.
Billie, Tobias, Ben, Harley, Fei Fei and Ben would like to thank the local community for their support financially as well as emotionally. A special thanks goes to the following sponsors for their generous support – Hedweld Engineering, ME Program RDA Hunter, Rover Coaches, ABEC357 Bearings, LJ Hooker Maitland, Myrtle House, Happenstance Family & Counselling Services, Signwave Printing, Wollombi General Store, Down Under Crewing, Marshall Scott Surveyors, BINK Creative and Varley Engineering. Special thank you to the team mentors – Jack Stephenson and Jake Taylor for their untiring support and advice with this great competition. I would also like to thank Mr & Mrs Chamberlain for their generous support, time and advice (and for driving our gear down to Launceston and back again) as well as the boys’ parents who made this great opportunity possible for the team – a huge thank you for your unwavering support, advice and time.
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CAPA—STATE OF THE ARTS
Jessica Schafer— Relieving Head Teacher
(Mon, Wed & Thurs) Tanya Howells— Relieving Head Teacher
(Tue & Fri)
Music
Year 7 Welcome BBQ Evening – A fabulous evening full of entertainment and a music block tour as well as an art
gallery exhibition took place for Year 7 students and their parents. We also welcomed many Year 6 students and
their parents. All were very impressed with the state of the art facilities that Mount View High School has to offer.
We would like to thank the students who volunteered to perform for the exhibition.
Fees – A reminder to all parents/guardians that fees are now payable as soon as possible.
Instrumental and Vocal Lessons
We have had many students starting private tuition in drums, guitar or vocals. For those students who have
expressed interest in piano lessons, we can confirm that a piano tutor will be starting within the next two weeks. All
lessons start from $30.00 per week and are delivered on a rotational basis so students do not miss out on other
subjects. The teachers are listed below. Please see Mrs Howells for further information.
Melanie Rees Singing - Monday Stephanie Threadgate Drums – Tuesday Patrick McMahon Piano - Wednesday Eddie Garven Guitar - Friday Elective Vocal Ensemble - Years 9, 10, 11 & 12
Opportunities are still available for students to participate in the Elective Vocal Ensemble which rehearses every
Wednesday at lunch in the LEAP centre. The vocal ensemble performs in a variety of settings including school,
community and state festivals. Please see Mrs Howells or Mrs Myers for more details or just turn up! You will not be
required to sing solo.
Junior Vocal Ensemble – Years 7 & 8
Opportunities are still available for students to participate in the Junior Vocal Ensemble for Year 7 and 8 students.
This group is rehearsing every Monday at recess in the LEAP centre. The junior vocal ensemble will perform in the
school setting and further community events. Please see Mrs Howells for more details or just turn up! Students will
be rehearsing a range of popular contemporary songs in a relaxed environment in a group to develop confidence.
Reprise Excursion
Year 12 students accompanied by teachers Julie Myers and Drew Daniels attended
‘Reprise’. It was a fabulous opportunity for our HSC students to view the best HSC
performances in the Hunter. This was held at Newcastle Conservatorium. Staff and
students would like to thank Mrs Liz Alder for driving the school bus transporting
students to be part of the audience.
Visual Arts
Year 9 Photography have been exploring the basics of wet photography. Students
have enjoyed learning about darkroom equipment, light and light sensitive
materials in the production photograms and contact prints. Students are currently
making their very own pinhole camera and will endeavour to use these
successfully in the coming weeks.
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STUDENT WELLBEING
Julie Myers - Head Teacher Wellbeing (Yrs 8/10/12)
‘Your life is priceless’
“Have goals in life’ ‘Direction, Purpose, Strength’
‘Treat people the way you wish to be treated’
Responsibility – ‘Know what is right, Know what is wrong, It’s your choice’
John Coutis – Inspirational speaker
On Thursday 1st March, our school community were privileged to witness an amazing presentation.
Born with a severe disability that rendered his legs useless, John defied medical opinion that he
would die. He shared many stories including the most unimaginable bullying and violence inflicted on
him. Despite his painful journey to adulthood, John shared with our community some very important
lessons:
Mr John Coutis with Daniel Lambkin, Georgia Bailey, Tahlia Hughes and Brock Sinclair
NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST BULLYING AND VIOLENCE – ‘My world’ free from bulliyng
This Friday 16th March is the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence. A special assembly will be held to
raise awareness of the anti-bullying campaign within our school. Our Anti bullying banners will be unveiled as well as
student and staff member speeches reflecting on the definition of bullying, the negative impact of bullying and the
need for our school to always be aware of providing a safe and caring environment which promotes personal
growth, achievement and positive relationships for everyone.
Issue 2 MARCH 2018 27
Throughout the lead up week, our ‘check in’ time will be used to provide all our students with:
Current information focusing on bullying, social conflict, by - stander behaviour and cyber safety
Watching and analysing current video clips and stories of anti social behaviour from the bullyingnoway.gov.au
website
Delivery of a planned lesson focusing on cyberhttps://studentwellbeinghub.edu.au/resources safety and the
role of a bystander in a ‘bullying’ situation
Making banners and buntings to decorate our school, displaying significant and important reminders around
the negative impacts of bullying.
There are a wealth of supports to assist students and families listed below:
https://studentwellbeinghub.edu.au/resources
https://studentwellbeinghub.edu.au/parents/secondary
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John Coutis visit—written by Sam Craft Year 12
Today I was inspired by a great man. John Coutis came to our school and told us a bit about his life.
When he was born he was so small that he could fit easily in to the palm of a person’s hand, now that’s quite
remarkable. From birth he had something wrong with his legs. The doctors said that he wouldn’t survive the first day
but he did, than the doctors said that he wouldn’t make the first week. Again they were wrong. Next they said that
he wouldn’t make the first month but once again he proved them wrong. After all that the doctors said that he
wasn’t going to make his first birthday. After he had told us this he said I’m still here 40 year’s later and where are
those doctors now? They are all dead! John went on to explain how back when he was young, a kid with a disability
usually ended up going to an institution instead of going to a normal school. John’s parents were against him going
there so when he was 10 years old he was placed in a normal school which was right out of his comfort zone.
During his schooling days John had to face some really difficult situations. For example a kid picked him up off the
ground and tied his arms around behind his back and prevented him from talking by putting some tape across his
mouth, and if this wasn’t bad enough that kid than threw John into a rubbish bin and set the bin on fire. Because his
legs were not normal he really couldn’t defend himself. Eventually a teacher risked their life and got John out of the
bin and by that time the bin was burnt to the ground. Another incident John told us about occurred during an exam.
After the exam had finished John made his way out of the room and one kid said “John your legs”. John’s legs had
been slashed by a razor. John learnt that if someone is giving you a hard time you shouldn’t retaliate.
I think that John is an inspiring man because even though he has a physical disability he won’t let it limit him.
John Coutis giving his motivation speech to our Senior students
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Steve Quigley - Head Teacher Wellbeing (Yrs 7/9/11)
STUDENT WELLBEING
This month our school recognises the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence with a
number of activities organised by Julie Myers and Jodie Scheffler. To further support their incredible
efforts, here are some additional resources for parents and carers.
The following information is from the NSW Department of Education website:
Defining bullying
Bullying is defined by three key features:
it involves a misuse of power in a relationship
it is ongoing and repeated
it involves behaviours that can cause harm. Having a disagreement with a friend, or a single incident or argument is not defined as bullying. These behaviours may be upsetting, and should be resolved, but they are not bullying. Physical and verbal bullying, such as kicking or name calling can be easy to see (overt). Other types of bullying, such as social exclusion or spreading rumours are not as easy to see (covert). A person can be bullied about many different things such as how they look, sound or speak; their background, religion, race or culture including being Aboriginal; they have a disability; their sex; being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex (LGBTI); their size or body shape; their schoolwork, hobbies or achievements; or other ways they may be different. How can I tell if my child is involved in bullying?
Children who are bullied or are bullying others may respond and act differently. Your child’s behaviour and mood can change for a variety of reasons. Be alert to the possibility that the change may be related to bullying. You may notice your child:
doesn't want to go to school or participate in school activities
changes their route to school or becomes frightened of walking to school
drops in academic performance
changes sleeping or eating patterns
has frequent tears, anger, mood swings or anxiety
takes money from home
has unexplained bruises, cuts or scratches
loses or brings home damaged belongings or clothes
asks for extra pocket money or food
arrives home hungry. The signs of online bullying can be the same as signs of other bullying but may include other behaviours with phones and computers. For example, your child may:
be hesitant about going online
seem nervous when an instant message, text message or email appears
be visibly upset after using the computer or mobile phone, or suddenly avoid it
close a laptop or hide a mobile phone when others enter the room
spend unusually long hours online. Often children do not report bullying to their parents. This may be because they are afraid of upsetting their parents, feeling ashamed, afraid of making things worse, or worried that they may lose privileges such as access to the internet. If you recognise any of these warning signs in your child, please contact our school wellbeing staff.
Issue 2 MARCH 2018 31
The Bullying Project – https://thebullyproject.com.au This website provides parents with a number of useful resources which also including
research articles from Australian and the USA. The Parent Action Toolkit may assist
families with having difficult conversations with children and how to talk with kids of all
ages.
(http://thebullyproject.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/ParentActionToolkit.pdf ).
For further parental information and resources, using the following link. Resources are
located at the bottom of the page: https://thebullyproject.com.au/parents/
The National Centre Against Bullying (NCAB)
https://www.ncab.org.au/bullying-advice/bullying-for-parents/
The National Centre Against Bullying (NCAB), an initiative of the Alannah & Madeline Foundation, is a peak body
working to advise and inform the Australian community on the issue of childhood bullying and the creation of safe
schools and communities, including the issue of cyber safety.
The web address provided will link parents directly with a range of resources including definition of bullying,
different types of bullying, strategies and many more articles of interest. We would encourage parents to visit the
website to enhance their own understanding of bullying and strategies to assist their child if they are experiencing
bullying or are bullying others.
School A to Z Practical Help for Parents
http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/wellbeing/behaviour/bullying-advice-for-parents1
For those parents who would prefer to listen to information, the departments School A to Z website is another useful
resource. NSW public school counsellor Caroline Powell talks about the various aspects of bullying - what it is, what
to look for and how you can help your child to deal with it.
Year 7 Immunisation Forms
This week all Year 7 students will be receiving their immunisation forms. For your child to be eligible for
immunisations, parents should complete the form and return them to the front office. The forms require three
parent signatures for your child to be immunised on the day. All forms need to be returned by 23rd March.
Immunisations are held 3rd April in the school library.
Year 7 Student Swipe Cards
Year 7 student swipe cards were handed out to all students on 12th March. Their swipe card can be used as their
library card and to scan in when arriving late through the Attendance Office.
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CAREERS AND FUTURES ADVICE
Rebecca Rounsley - Futures Adviser
YEAR 10
2018 CAREERS EXCURSION
TUESDAY 15th MAY TO FRIDAY 18th MAY 2018
The careers camp is not far away ! 8 school weeks to go!
Year 10 students attending please remember the balance for the excursion will need to be paid by the end of
Term 1.
The school holidays would be the perfect time to think about the clothing you will need for the excursion—
remember you need to be dressed neat and tidy as you would wear to a job interview. This means that, when
making visits to employers or educational institutions, denim is not appropriate and neither are shorts or low
slung trousers, or any apparel that is revealing. Collared shirts for boys are required for all visits (eg like a school
shirt or dress shirt) NOT T-shirts bearing large emblems etc. The days will be cooling and at times students will
need to be wearing a neat jacket or jumper of some kind.
It is not necessary to purchase lots of clothing for this excursion; often borrowing from siblings or relatives is possible, particularly if the clothing is unlikely to be worn again in the near future.
We are looking forward to an exciting Careers Excursion where students will gain valuable information and
experience life in Sydney. Look out for more information coming home soon.
Each student will need to purchase an OPAL card with $35 credit uploaded (equates to $7.70 per day unlimited travel). OPAL cards can be obtained from Rover Coaches, Newsagencies, Ser-vice Stations or PK’s General Store.
** Students who will be 16 years of age or over MUST obtain a student travel concession card (free of charge) from the school front office prior to purchasing their OPAL card.**
Issue 2 MARCH 2018 34
SUPPORT FACULTY
Leanne Triggs - Head Teacher Support
CUBIST ART—by Miss Munden MC Class
MC and ED students have now finished a unit of work on cubist portraiture. They studied and
appropriated the work of famous cubist artists like Picasso.
CAN YOU GUESS?
Who’s that?
Match the student to their cubist
self-portrait!
ASHTYN PACE
ZAC SWINTON
ZANE CAMPBELL
ZAC WILD
Students were photographed from the front and on
profile, and they combined the images to create self-
portraits showing their faces from multiple
perspectives.
They used colour to create symbolism and represent
their personalities. Their bright and unique artworks
celebrate creativity and the individuality of each
student!
Issue 2 MARCH 2018 35
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Elizabeth Alder - Head Teacher Teaching and Learning
Issue 2 MARCH 2018 36
Work Experience—by Rowena Zakrewski, Teacher—Learning and Support
Amber Tomlinson has completed a successful work experience placement in Term 4 last year at RFBI Cessnock Masonic Village Aged Care Facility. Feedback received from Amber’s employer indicate that Amber has displayed skills appropriate for the workplace. Amber spent most of her time in the dementia ward getting to know and caring for residents. Amber was always on time and followed all instructions. She displayed a high level of maturity in the workplace and responded to delicate and stressful situations with respect and courtesy. Amber was offered to continue visiting RFBI Cessnock Masonic Village on a voluntary basis as her supervisors were impressed with the quality of relationships that she was able to build with the residents in such a short amount of time. Amber hopes to further her skills in this area as she prepares to transition to work after she completes Year 12 in 2019. Amber has been congratulated by staff and peers on her achievement.
Issue 2 MARCH 2018 37
SPORT
Mt View Swimming Carnival
Monday 13th February Mt View High School held their 34th annual Swimming Carnival. It was one of the tightest
carnivals in recent memory with only 6 points separating the second placed Grounded and Dynamic Croc from the
first placed Be Quick Be Active Vipers.
There were no records broken on the day but some very strong performances in the pool from Sienna Newsome,
Elizabeth Robinson, May Webster, Lily Stace, Katie Jeffery, Jordyn Jeffery, Lena Cartwright, Vincent Plater, Jack
Robinson and Caylan Law.
Issue 2 MARCH 2018 38
Zone Swimming Carnival
Mount View sent a large swim team to
the Coalfields Zone Swimming carnival.
The girls swim team was very successful.
May Webster was named age champion
and 3rd overall at the carnival. Chloe Hunt,
Elizabeth Robinson, Sienna Newsome and
Lily Stace were all 3rd in their age groups.
The under 14s and 16s relay team came
first.
Lucia McLoughney, May Webster, Abbi Moore and Sienna Newsome,
Mount View High School Rugby League Trials
Mount View High’s position as one of the top schools in the region is looking good with some strong performances
at the Rugby League trials held at school. Our facebook page shows a great video of the day.
Issue 2 MARCH 2018 39
Boys and Girls Open Basketball Teams:
Mr Means, Ryan Forrest, Lena Cartwright, Nikki Murnane, Ryan Stace, Boston Moore, Angus McMahon, Tom Ingram, Will Ingram, Vincent Plater, Nala
Crossie, Xanthia Crump, Lucy Peek, Taneeka Smith, Katie Sexton-Bate, Callen Sweetman, Jed Craig, Kaitlyn Willis and Lilly Stace
Open Girls and Boys Water Polo—Ms Springbett
Open Girls and Boys Water Polo teams participated in a gala day at Lambton Pool on Tuesday 27th February. Both teams represented Mount View High School with pride and even though they were not victorious in their games, they still gave 100%. Congratulations Open Girls and Boys, very proud of you for giving it your best.
Open Boys and Girls Basketball
The Open Boys Basketball team travelled to the Maitland Federation Centre on Wednesday March 7. The boys team progressed to round 2 after defeating Rutherford Technology HS 44 – 32. Round 2 saw our boys up against Swansea HS and after a slow start, the MVHS boys were never headed, taking the match 38 – 28. Round 3 saw our team match up against a team considered the surprise packet of the first two rounds – Irrawang HS. After being down by two points at half time, losing Cal Sweetman to a hip injury in the first half and Ryan Stace playing in a limited capacity, also due to injury, the rest of the team stood up, including Vincent Plater and Jed Craig who played an unfamiliar role as lock down defenders, rallying from behind to come home in a low scoring game 33 – 29. Round 4 – Hunter Region Semi Final vs Maitland Grossmann HS. Previously defeating Grossmann last year, the boys knew they were in for a difficult game, especially with some niggling injuries. We jumped out to an early 5-point lead until of lack of discipline with the ball hampered our momentum. Grossmann took full advantage of our turn overs, converting each of them into points. Down 8 points at the main break and with Grossmann’s largest lead being 12, the boys had opportunities to claw their way back, coming within 5 points on many occasions, but it was our inability to break this 5-point buffer that cost us the opportunity to progress to the final, going down 46 - 41. The team was: Cal Sweetman, Ryan Stace, Jed Craig, Tom Ingram, Will Ingram, Vincent Plater, Harrison Spruce and Boston Moore.
I’d like to personally thank the boys for their individual and team efforts. Their ability to have faith and trust in each other was pleasing to see, especially as basketball isn’t their preferred sport for the majority of the team. I’d also like to thank Mr Brian Means who coached both the boys and girls Opens teams in round 1 when I was unavailable. Also, Huge congratulations to Ryan Stace who was successful in the selection into the Hunter representative team. This is a promising sign after not having any of our team selected last year. The Open Girls team play their next knock out rounds Tuesday March 13 at Maitland Federation Centre.
Issue 2 MARCH 2018 40
Rugby League—Coalfields trials The under 13s and 15s Mount View Grapes took to the Somerset Oval fields in Thornton on Thursday to battle it out with the best of the Coalfields schools. The under 13s were playing in a round robin competition with the aim of getting some miles under their boots for the start of the schools’ rugby league season. Our 13s played some exciting football and showed some great signs of big things to come for this very young and already experienced side. Bests on ground go to; Jayden Snedden-Clark who proved unstoppable in the middle running like a Mack truck with no brakes. Cooper Jurd captained and led the team around the park proving to be an absolute workhorse & getting the job done. Special mentions go out to our 2 young boys Peter O’Brien and Andrew Barry playing a year up and completely dominating. The under 15s were competing for something far more prestigious - a position in the Coalfields representative team. Mount View High are becoming an extremely strong football school and typically do well at these trials. Since Mr Bragato & Mr Cooke have taken over school football we’ve had 3 players make it into the Coalfields representative team every year we’ve trailed at Thornton and this year was no different. Boasting by far Mount View’s strongest football squad to date, the under 15’s performed fantastically on the day beating every school in the region and going through the entire day undefeated. Mr Cooke & Mr Bragato are admittedly a little biased to the Grapes boys however they feel another 2 or 3 players were unrightfully overlooked on the day to make the team. Jayden Plummer, Sam Younger and Josh Jurd were very unlucky to not get the call up to rep duties as they all exhibited some fantastic football consistently throughout the day. Massive congratulations go to our 3 boys who were selected - Captain & halfback Liam Browne, Vice Captain & Lock Addison Peel and the rock solid line running machine Tame Karaitiana-Tua in second row. Mr Bragato and Mr Cooke have very high expectations from this squad and place a lot of pressure on them to perform well and they all stepped up and delivered on the day. Both coaches have gone back to the drawing board and are struggling to pick faults with the team’s performance to find weaknesses to improve upon as all the boys executed their roles near perfectly. Mr Bragato & Mr Cooke would like to thank all the parents on the day for their support and assistance in the smooth running of the event. Rohan Browne deserves a special mention for being a fantastic football role model and leader for the Mount View Grapes and performed his role of trainer and assistant coach expertly. Lastly all the players are thanked for their football brilliance, effort & attitude on the day.
Issue 2 MARCH 2018 41
Under 15’s Rugby League Team Mr Cooke, Mitch Schreiber, Shannon Newstead, Blaydon Laverick, Joshua Jurd, Connor Burns, Tame
Karaitiana-Tua, Jayden Plummer, Izach Walters, Sam Younger, Mr Bragato Olivia Spruce, Jake Giddings, Addison Peel, Liam Browne, Seth Koop, Mason Forrest and Cooper Patch
AMAROOKBA NEWS
Michelle Bedford—Liaison Officer -
Aboriginal Students
Some keys dates to lock into your Indigenous Students’ calendar are:
15th March – Close the Gap day 19th – 23rd March – PLP meeting for Years 7 - 10 20th March – Photo day 20th March – JAECG meeting to be held at recess 21st March – Harmony Day 26th March – National Sorry Day
9th April – Bangarra Dance Sydney 12th April – Sports carnival
Please keep an eye on our school calendar to see any further updates or changes as they happen.
Issue 2 MARCH 2018 42
MOUNT VIEW LEO CLUB—Leading for Life
Karen Blandon— Leo Supervisor/Teacher
Looking to make a difference as a LEADER !!!
Join our Mount View Leo Club if you are interested in a chance to create lifelong connections while
improving your community and the World…..
L - LEADERSHIP: Develop your skills as a project organiser, time manager and
team leader
E – EXPERIENCE: Discover how teamwork and collaboration can change your
community and the world.
O – OPPORTUNITY: Establish lifelong connections with fun, hard-working people
while you feel the rewards of community service.
We have had many new members join our club over the last month which is encouraging to see. We meet every
second Tuesday at recess in C103.
There are a few exciting things to look forward to this term :
Newcastle Beach Fun Day – Saturday 17th March 2018 - 10:30am to 4pm
Pam Bennett guest speaker at meeting 14th March – International Youth Exchange and Lion Camps
Dinner at the Australia Hotel: Now on Wednesday night 11th April 2018 at 6pm
Proposed Fundraiser night - Thursday 24th May 2018
Lions Youth of the Year
Daniel Lambkin was our Mount View High “Lion Youth of the
Year “ for 2017 and he progressed through the Zone level to
represent Mount View High at the Regional Finals on Sunday
4th March 2018 at West Maitland Centennial Lions Branch
Club.
Daniel competed against participants from Newcastle High, St
Josephs Lochinvar and Merewether High. All contestants had
two impromptu speeches and then had to give a five minute
prepared speech of their choice. Lucy Witherdin from
Merewether High took out the Regional finals and she will
now make her way towards the State finals.
Daniel Lambkin is to be commended on his performance on
the day. He delivered two confident impromptu speeches and
was on point with his five minute speech. Many
complimented his performance on the day and he was a
strong contender for the title. Daniel has now been invited to
attend the Lions Camp which is for “Lions Youth of the Year“
district winners at the end of April 2018. Daniel Lambkin
Issue 2 MARCH 2018 43
HOUSE NEWS
HOUSE LEADERBOARD
Students gain house points for a
range of activities including sporting
success, participation, attendance
and involvement in extra-curricular
activities etc.
Issue 2 MARCH 2018 44
COMMUNITY NOTICES