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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 18 February 2015 Volume 1 - 2015

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

Welcome back everyone. I am delighted to announce that our students have absolutely excelled in the manner in which they have commenced the 2015 school year. The routines and expectations established during Jumpstart have been continued seamlessly into the New Year, with the greatest majority of students completing their holiday home learning as requested, preparing them well to achieve their very best this year.

One of the factors that has contributed to our continuing success as a high quality educational provider has been the strength of parent participation on School Council. As a School Council member parents have the opportunity to represent the views of the parent community, and to be involved first hand in providing advice and feedback to the leadership team.

A number of vacancies currently exist for the next period of time, and I encourage you to consider this rewarding involvement. No prior experience is

required, just a desire to contribute to making Mount Eliza SC the school of choice in the Frankston/Mornington area. Additional information and nomination forms can be found on our website www.mesc.vic.edu.au; on Compass or by contacting hhiam@mesc.vic.edu.au nominations will close on Monday 23rd February at 4pm.

Our work over the past twelve months produced a dramatic shift in the learning culture at the college, and was well represented by our VCE results which placed Mount Eliza as an equal top performing government school in the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula areas [along with Dromana SC and Frankston HS]. Of our graduating students who lodged a university placement application, 100% received an offer! We are extremely proud of our results as it shows that we have ‘added value’ to learning and outcomes for the majority of our students.

We intend to continue to develop this culture in 2015, supporting all students to reach their potential, and providing additional assistance and challenge to those who have set their sights high. High performing and highly aspirational students will have opportunities to work with like-minded students in our 40+ club, and through the soon to be introduced Elite Performance Program. In both programs, these students will be recognised for their capabilities and work ethic, and given access to expertise and challenges that will assist them to meet their personal goals. Further information regarding these programs for high achievers will be available soon.

I would like to welcome our existing staff back to the college, and also introduce some new teachers who we are fortunate to have recruited on contracts for the year. Tiarne Hill [Maths], Hanna Nguyen [Science/Psychology], Hannah Blank [PE/Outdoor Ed/Health and Human Development], Stephen Maison [Technology], Penny Hammet [Psychology/Science], Lennon Harbour [Music/Performing Arts], and Mike Lamond, Narelle Debenham, Sarah Whymark and Angela Phillips [Real Time Learning]. All staff participated in two days’ professional learning prior to the students returning, and we worked together to further develop our team culture, consider our future direction, and build our collective skills and capacity as educators. This was important work as we believe that teachers should be learners along with students. We also used this time to set our three major goals for 2015:

Enhancing teacher capacity

Rigorously implementing a culture of high expectations

Rebadging the college as the outstanding provider of quality teaching and learning on the Peninsula

We are all very excited about what we can achieve for our students and our community in 2015, and I look forward to your input in ensuring that the school/home partnership is further developed.

Angela Pollard Principal

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On Monday the 16th of February MESC had their annual Swimming Carnival at The Pines Aquatic Centre. The clouds were hovering in the morning but eventually cleared and it turned out to be a perfect day! Good initiative by Isaac Beeby who came up with the idea of music being played throughout the day! This was a huge hit with some classics being played. Congratulations to all who participated and assisted in making the day a success. Now it’s off to division swimming on the 12th March. Best of luck to you all. CHAMPIONS OF THE DAY 13 Female: Katrina WARD 13 Male: Dual winners Cody BARDOLPH & Joshua MARTIN 14 Female: Sophie VAN DER LINDEN 14 Male:AleksandaNIKITOVIC 15 Female: Keely MCKENZIE 15 Male: James MACE 16 Female: Jessica ADAMS 16 Male: Alexander YOUNG 17 Female: Jessica VAN DER LINDEN 17 Male: Mathew BATES, Angus CHRISTIE, Jordan FINLAY 18 Female: Lauren HAWKES 18 Male: Jesse COLLINS

Amy White, Sports Captain

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YEAR 7 SUMMIT CAMP

So, would you like to know about camp? Well let me tell all about it. First of all, let's talk about the Giant Swing. There were 3 poles: 1 red, 1 orange and 1 green. The poles had hooks on them where you put the rope to brace and for safety reasons. The green was the top, orange - middle and red - low. There was a High Rope bridge over the lake that was really wobbly in the middle and was on an angle. The Flying Fox start was near the cabins and went over the lake. There was an abseiling tower, it was all to do with you not listening to your mind saying it was high and scary. Then there was Snowy Mountain where we had to get over obstacles as a team, like climbing a wall. As a choice you could go down a underground tunnel and pull yourself to the exit and for each person we got 2 minutes off our time. We had a great time at the camp the food was delectable and amazing. I rate the camp 10/10. The staff were really excited about us having enjoying ourselves and we had loads of fun. I myself loved how they helped us if we were not feeling confident, our teachers did the same. I strongly feel that going to The Summit camp made me a better person with less fears. We also learned about G.A.S. the G stands for “give it a go”, the A is for “ability” and S is for “support”. I mostly liked the Flying Fox because I always go on camps with scouts and they are all the same but with this one there were trees and the sight of the mountains was amazing. It was like someone transformed them from a photo. It was a real sight to see and the trees were right next to you if you tried, you could touch them. I am Scott Mallen I used to be the ICT captain in my old school, Overport Primary School. I love camps so you can trust me when I say don't let your fears control you like a puppet. You are a person and you hold greatness. All you have to do is to break out of your bubble of fears and live your amazing life. Who knows, maybe you can fix famine and feed people who don't have the money, or cure Ebola. These are all real problems and you are real, all you’ve got to do is believe in your heart and you can do great things.

Scott Mallen, 7C

The Summit was the most amazing camp I have ever been on. The staff were so great. You could tell that they were really passionate about the camp values and making us take the first steps to a better, more confident person and future. All the activities were the kind that makes your heart beat a million miles an hour. After going to The Summit, I’m determined to be a better person and to make people around me better as well. I hope that one day I can work at The Summit or have an impact on people in a massive way they do.

Phoebe Wilson-McDonald, 7D This year the Year 7s went on a camp in Trafalgar called The Summit. It is an adventure camp and I participated in it. My three favourite things about the camp were; the Monster Course, facing my fears and making new friends. The Monster Course is a challenge that everyone had to do in teams. You had to go around the camp, crawl in mud and do lots of other activities. The biggest challenge was to support each other as a team and not to give up. Throughout the camp I faced my fears and so did everyone else. By the end of the camp everyone got to know each other and made new friends.

Charlotte Rowe, 7D

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YEAR 10 VCAL During the Jump Start program Year 10 VCAL have been involved in projects at the Mornington Peninsula Youth Enterprises. The first project has been to turn an old VW into a living sculpture. Students sanded the VW to get rid of flaking paint and then primed it with a rust proof paint and covered it in chicken wire. During Term 1 in 2015 straw and plants will be placed under the chicken wire turning it into a living sculpture. Project 2: Students were involved in a Mangrove replanting program where soil was placed into open milk containers. The students that attended put soil and seeds into 1000 milk containers and placed them in hot houses waiting for the seeds to germinate. Once the plants grow to a certain height they will be planted in designated areas in Westernport Bay.

Michael Callander

Berry Street Christmas Appeal

Last year Mentor class 8A decided to donate money to buy Christmas gifts for the Berry Street Christmas appeal, instead of doing a class Kris Kringle. The generosity of the 8A students meant we were able to buy nearly $200 worth of gifts, giving 8 children aged between 0-16 years a Christmas present, possibly their only one to open on Christmas day. We received a thank you letter from the organisation once we were back at school.

Katie Montinaro

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LIBRARY NEWS 2015

Lots of exciting things happening in the Library this year with our new Year 8 Library Captains and Monitors. We started with a “Love your Library” display to celebrate ‘Library Lover’s Day’ on 14th February and our first “Between Covers Book Club” meeting on Wednesday 18th February at lunchtime (and every 2nd Wednesday from then) in our new Library Learning Hub. This area houses lots of resources for our teachers and will be a great meeting place. Our Library website ‘MESC Library Online’ (access is via the MESC website) has been updated and you will find lots of information on there to help you with research, bibliographies, copyright, digital citizenship, new resources/titles added to our collection, etc. etc. We also have a growing collection of eBooks which are accessible via iOS and Android devices using the ePlatform app (free and available for download from App Store, Google Play and Amazon). More instructions on how to access these are available on our MESC Library Online website. If you have any questions about the Library and what our Library Team can do to help you then please contact us on library@mesc.vic.edu.au Happy Reading in 2015!

Mrs Swannell, Head of Library

Senior Techies (Students in RTL) showcase their skills to the Westpac Foundation!

Off to a flying start with the first Senior Techies event for 2015. Real Time learning is a proud partner of Senior Techies, the newly appointed ambassador for the Westpac Bicentennial Foundation’s Scholarship Fund. There are five streams of funding within the education fund with Senior Techies being the newly appointed ambassador for “Community Leadership in Social Change”. https://info.westpac.com.au/200years/ The eleven students and Merv must be congratulated for hosting a very fun and informative session for Seniors on “Using iPads” on Tuesday 10th February. I’ll let some of the feedback from participants speak for itself.

“Thanks for such an amazing opportunity to improve my understanding and application of an IPad. Kiana and Yaz were such patient and helpful teachers”

“The overall feeling that I achieved from the event is one of confidence to allow me to explore and develop skills which I can see would apply to my interests and lifestyle. Thanks to Merv our presenter and to Kade my mentor. Great stuff!!!”

“The 1 on 1 was excellent and Tom moved at a good pace for me in explaining things…” Thank you to Rachel Evans from “Seeds” providing Seniors and Students with a beautiful morning tea. If you know family or friends who could benefit from such a program please contact Luke Kerr to find out when RTL will host the next Senior Techies Event. lkerr@mesc.vic.edu.au Checkout footage of last years event via the following link. https://mtelizarealtime.wordpress.com/projects/community-projects/senior-techies/

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YEAR 11 VCAL - COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT

On Monday 16th February, the year 11 VCAL group organised the sausage sizzle for the House swimming sports carnival. Achieving outcomes in Personal Development means students have to work in a team, communicate with each other and demonstrate leadership skills. The students that attended and ran the sausage sizzle certainly demonstrated this. Thank you to all that attended – Tim Nally, Liam McMillan, Luke Walley, Jackson Hale, Jyle Stevens, Marcus Bender, Daniel Amos, Matt Roper, Mahson Lee, Michael Herceg, Clancy Newton, Stan Williams, Tom Hanlon, Kyle Ellis, Brady Stewart and Caelum McMaster. You all did a brilliant job; I was really proud of the way you worked together and showed the school what an efficient VCAL team can achieve! Thank you especially to Matt Roper and Mahson Lee for organising donations of bread and sausages from local businesses. We really appreciate the support that Eliza Meats, Brumby’s Mount Eliza and Village Gourmet Meats continue to extend to Mount Eliza Secondary College. As a result of the group’s efforts, we raised $542. Part of this will go towards purchasing ingredients so that we can run Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea in term 2. All monies raised from this event, together with the sausage sizzle funds, will be donated to The Cancer Council. Bree Hudson, Head of Year 11

State Athletic Championships

Congratulations to Abby Schiffer in 7A for her amazing achievements in the State Athletic Championships last Friday.

Abby came 2nd in the 1500 metres and 4th in the 3000 metres. She will now progress through to the Nationals in Sydney next month.

Good Luck Abby!!

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LEVIES Thank you to families who have made payment in full or have contacted the College and are currently making payment via a payment plan. There are several methods available to make payment. For families who have not made any contact with the College regarding levies, please contact the office to discuss your family statement. All discussions are confidential. UNIFORM Can parents/guardians please label all school uniform items. It makes it much easier to return clothing

to the rightful owner. You have made a significant purchase and we would like to ensure that your uniform has the best chance of return. CHANGE OF DETAILS Have you changed your address or phone numbers recently? If so, it is vital that you provide updated details to the College. Please update your details by either logging into your Compass portal, contacting the College on 9787 6288 or emailing hfowles@mesc.vic.edu.au SICK BAY

Please note the following dates for Immunisation sessions for 2015.

Round 1

02/03/15 at 9am- Year 7 HPV dose 1 and Chicken Pox ( all students)

Year 10- Boostrix ( all students)

Round 2

04/05/15 at 9 am- Year 7 HPV dose 2 and Boostrix

Year 9 Boostrix ( all students)

Round 3

05/10/15 at 9am- Year 7 HPV dose 3

Year 8 Boostrix ( all students)

Please make sure that ALL signed immunisation permission cards are returned to the school as soon as possible. It is very

important to inform /update the school of any medical issues or problems that your student may have. We are here to take the

very best care of your students but we do need to know if they have any medical problems.

COMPASS Compass is one of 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). Families that are new to the College have recently been sent a login to this system, if you have not received your login details please contact the College. There are a number of parent modules which will streamline communication and provide enhanced access to information. Parents 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.

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 DET 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. SUSTAINABLE BOOK –SHOP

The Sustainable Bookshop provides a service to buy & Sell second-hand textbooks and uniforms www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au-the schools book and uniform lists are loaded into the system to make the

Ad listing process easy, fast and accurate. Assistance is provided to accurately price items. Buyers contact sellers to arrange where and when to transact. Contact 1300 683 337 or www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au for further information.

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 allows parents to give consent and pay online for excursions.

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“You can now follow us on Twitter and Facebook to

find out about upcoming events at the College”

http://twitter.com/mtelizasc http://on.fb.me/zWNp06

DOBSONS UNIFORM SHOP

TRADING HOURS Monday: 12.30 pm - 4.00 pm

Wednesdays: 8.30am – 11.30am

1st Saturday of each month

9.00am—12.00 Noon

Telephone 9708 8566

IMPORTANT DATES 2015

Thursday 19 February School Photo Day

Monday 2 March Year 7 & 10 Vaccinations

Thursday 26 February Year 7 & 8 Parents’ Evening

Thursday 5 March Year 7 Sport

Monday 9 March Labour Day Public Holiday

Tuesday 17 March Senior Sport

Thursday 19 March Year 11 ‘Fit to Drive’

Wednesday 25 March Year 8 Sport

Thursday 26 March School Athletics Carnival

Friday 27 March End of Term 1