Edition 3: March 9 2018

News from Wellington Secondary College

Wellington Journal

UPCOMING DATES:

Last Day of Term 1 - March 29

Athletics Carnival

Labour Day Public Holiday - March 12

Good Friday - March 30

This fortnight’s headline act was the whole school event, the Athletics Carnival. As with previous years, it was held at Knox Athletics Track and the weather was fantastic and being a slightly overcast day, it really let our competitors shine.

It was a day full of track and field events, such as high jump, long jump, shot put, discuss and all the various running events. The Year 12s were in their element with their creative dress ups, where we had Cruella deVil and (not quite) her 101 Dalmatians, Shrek (and his sidekicks Donkey, Princess Fiona, Lord Farquad and Puss in Boots), a SWAT team, a posse of pandas, some Superhero characters (Flash, Wonderwoman and Batman) and we also found Wally several times.

There were several records broken at this year’s Athletics Carnival (not by Flash), which shows the strength and commitment of this year’s competitors. The highlight of the day came from Jack Scott-Smith, who is renowned for his sporting abilities, who broke a 40 year old record in the 1500m track event! The previous record holder was Craig Ward who ran the 1500m in 4 minutes and 45 seconds. Jack managed to smash this record and ran it in 4 minutes and 26 seconds! Well done Jack!

Lastly, special thanks to our staff/student officials and helpers and the Knox Athletics Track representatives, who helped the day run smoothly and to ensure that we all had a fun and safe day.

Principal’s Report

2018 Council Membership and Executive

At the Council meeting last Tuesday, Alex Kubsch was re-elected as President, Jay Naidoo as Vice President and Cindy Pilepich as Treasurer for 2018.

The Community Voice Sub Committee will meet on Wednesday March 21 – w h e r e o n e o f t h e k e y decisions for this group will be to nominate 2 members to be co-opted onto Council for

2018. The meeting will be in the International Centre at 6.30pm.

Congratulations and thank you to everyone who is able to serve on Council.

2015 – 2018 Strategic Plan Review and 2018 Annual Implementation Plan

A copy of the 2018 AIP will be uploaded shortly onto the school website.

The 2018 AIP will be the last in our 2015-18 Strategic Plan Cycle. In Term 2 of this year we will formally conduct our 4 year Review and in Term 3 we will be writing our next 4 year Strategic Plan. Unlike the previous Review, DET selects the person to lead the review and Mr Barry Soroghan has been appointed. Barry is not known to me, however I have spoken to him on the phone. The Council President will be on the Core Review team, along with myself, Mr Allen McAuliffe from the Regional Office and two “Challenge Partner” Principals. I have invited Eva McMaster, Principal at Doncaster Secondary College, and our Wodonga Partnership Principal, Vern Hilditch, to be Challenge Partners. Both have accepted.

Currently, we have just begun the Self Evaluation component of the Review. Conversations around our Self Evaluation will be conducted with the Staff, the Students and with the Community through the Policy Sub Committee and Community Voice group over the next month.

All materials including our Self Evaluation need to be with the Reviewer one month prior to our Validation Day (scheduled for Monday May 28, 2018).

Parents may also wish to access the My School website to view a comprehensive set of data on our schools performance. ( ) – It is another digital forum http://www.myschool.edu.au/where our school's outstanding performance is documented.

Census

Brendan Dwyer and his team completed the Census on February 28. The final count was 1863.8 students, of which 101 were either International full fee payers or on other special visas. This was significantly above our “predicted” number from August last year. Importantly, once the audit is completed, this will allow more flexibility in employment options throughout the year. Well done to the Student Management team and Office Staff for managing the process so efficiently.

Athletics Sports

We were blessed with perfect weather for the H o u s e A t h l e t i c s Carnival, held at Knox last Monday March 6. The students were very well behaved with a n u m b e r o f fi n e performances recorded on the track. Special mention must be made of College Captain Jack Scott-Smith. In the 1500 met res , Jack broke (smashed!!!) the existing 37 year school record by a mere 19 seconds!! Well done Jack and to every competitor who gave their best on the day. Special thanks go to Mr Locco and his team of staff and student helpers for organising the day. Results will follow!!

Three Way Conferences

As previously reported, planning for Three Way Conferences on Tuesday March 27 is well advanced. Bookings open on Compass on Tuesday March 13 and parents are free to request interpreters through the teachers of their children.

Also on this day, we are holding several information sessions for parents. We are building on the great success of last year's Year 10 parent information session to introduce parents to the concept of VCE and the key planning steps along the way. There will be two sessions (repeated) – one at 2.30pm and the second at 5.30pm – both in the MJP Theatre. Year 10 parents are encouraged to attend one of these sessions. Interpreters will be present to assist.

There will also be a meeting for families of students who may be interested in participating in the French Language New Caledonia trip in 2019. This will be at 4.30pm for half an hour – also in the MJP Theatre.

I encourage parents to consider these sessions as you build your interview schedule for the day.

As is normal practice, we are rescheduling the school day from 1:00pm to 8:00pm. If you have any concerns or questions please contact Assistant Principal Mrs Brisbane.

I have also taken the liberty to book our local “barista van” to sell coffee to parents throughout the day. Brad and his coffee will be located in the plaza adjacent to the Fogarty gym from 1:00pm until after the dinner break.

The community flavour of our 3 Way Conference Day continues to grow and I look forward to catching up with families on the day.

Hugh BlaikiePrincipal

Sustainability Tips for the Home

At Wellington, we are increasing our awareness of being more sustainable around the College. Here are some home-friendly tips that you can try out:

Air dry. Let your hair and clothes dry naturally instead of running a machine. When doing laundry, make sure that you have a full washer load before doing the washing. Take short showers. Bathtubs require more water than a 5-10 minute shower. Freeze fresh produce and leftovers if you don’t have the chance to eat them before they go bad. You can also do this with take-away

or delivered food, if you know you will not feel like eating it the next day. You will save food and money. Compost—composting food scraps can reduce climate impact while also recycling nutrients. Recycling paper, plastic, glass & aluminium keeps landfills from growing. Buy minimally packaged goods. Plug air leaks in windows and doors to increase energy efficiency Adjust your thermostat, lower in winter, higher in summer Replace old appliances with energy efficient models and light bulbs Get a rug. Carpets and rugs keep your house warm and your thermostat low. Don’t rinse. If you use a dishwasher, stop rinsing your plates before you run the machine. Use cardboard matches. They don’t require any petroleum, unlike plastic gas-filled lighters.

South East Community Links Classroom Visit

On Wednesday February 21, two representatives from South East Community Links visited our Year 9 Global Citizenship classes to talk to our students about issues that the local community is facing.

The students were given the opportunity to discuss local issues with Youth Worker, Divya Mohan, who educated them on the challenges that some members of the community face. She also highlighted the importance in being aware of and doing everything we possibly can to help eliminate stereotypes. Youth Leader, Sarah Qumbri, inspired our students with stories of her life as a refugee and the amazing work she does in the community.

It was a valuable presentation for all students involved. The students are now being given the opportunity to decide on an issue that they are passionate about, and research ways that they themselves can help contribute to the cause in a positive way.

Jodie Costanzo and Erin DanielsGlobal Citizenship Teachers

Athletics Carnival Highlights

Athletics Carnival Highlights

Big Science Competition

The Big Science Competition is an international competition that tests students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as their Science knowledge.

The competition is open to all students of all abilities at four different year levels (7 – 10). Each student who participates will receive a certificate and detailed feedback on their performance. They will also go into the draw to win cash prizes!

The Big Science Competition will be conducted on Monday May 14 during Periods 3 and 4.

It consists of 30 multiple choice questions to be completed in 50 minutes. All students are invited to participate and it’s free of cost! Students in the following classes will be required to participate: 7M Science (Mr. Clarke’s class) 8N Science (Miss. Andrew’s class) 9M Science (Miss. Hayes’ class) Year 10 students completing an Advanced Placement in Biology

If you are not in one of the above classes but you would like to participate, please come and see Mr Jirasek in G2 before Friday March 16. Get in quick before places run out!

3-Day Science Experience Program

Swinburne University is offering a FREE 3-day Science Experience Program for Year 9 and 10 students from their In2science partner schools.

This is a great opportunity for Year 9 and 10 students whose interest in science would be enriched or extended by spending time in a university environment among like-minded peers.

The Science Experience program will run Wednesday July 11 to Friday July 13, from 8:30am – 4:00pm each day, at Swinburne’s Hawthorn Campus. Please note this is during the July school holidays and participating students will be required to arrange their own transportation to and from the venue.

This opportunity is only limited to 5 students so if you are interested you must see Mr Jirasek in G2 before April 23.

Vocabulary of the Fortnight

Word Definition

Termination The word termination is the act of ending something. For example, termination can refer to someone being fired from a job, or assassins may refer to their job of killing someone as a termination. That is why Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character was called ‘Terminator’ in the film of the same name, because his goal was the termination of Sarah Connor.

Arbitrary Something that's arbitrary seems like it's decided randomly instead of following consistent rules. For example, basketball players dislike it when their coach uses a totally arbitrary method to select players. By selecting players arbitrarily, he isn't strictly applying rules; he could just be picking names out of a hat, or choosing his personal favourites. Calling a decision-maker arbitrary is usually a negative thing, suggesting the person is making rules based on impulse rather than fairness and justice .

Regulations A regulation is a rule put in place by some authority, such as a government. Regulations are often set by governing organisations of sports. That is why, therefore, there is an accepted regulation-size soccer ball, set by FIFA, professional soccer's governing body. Schools also have regulations about things such as uniform and attendance.

Mandarin Club

The Year 9 students who are studying Chinese this year met with the Chinese International Students from WIELC at the Mandarin Club at lunchtime on Friday March 2. We had a good time playing the popular Chinese card game called Legends of the Three Kingdoms. Students used a combination of Chinese and English to communicate with each other to understand the Chinese description on the cards and the game rules.

Zoey DongMandarin Teacher

Staff Welcome Barbeque

Last Tuesday February 27, there was an opportunity for staff to stay back after school to enjoy a barbeque on the M-block deck organised by Ms Jan Mann to build staff relations. We all had a chance to meet and greet the new staff members that have joined us this year. It was also a good chance to mingle and catch up with each other after settling back in to the school year.

Special thanks to Ms Mann for the organisation of this barbeque, Mr Peter Rowley-Bates, Mr Salim Serin and Mr Simon Coles for being the barbeque masterchefs and all the other staff who helped set up and clean up.

Wellington Journal - Fortnightly Newsletter of Wellington Secondary College - Designed & Edited by Mr Simon Coles.Wellington Journal - Fortnightly Newsletter of Wellington Secondary College - Designed & Edited by Miss Teresa La

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

Every Victorian child should have access to the world of learning opportuni�es that exist

beyond the classroom. The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps ensure that no student

will miss out on the opportunity to join their classmates for important, educa�onal and fun

ac�vi�es. It is part of making Victoria the Educa�on State and the Government’s

commitment to breaking the link between a student’s background and their outcomes.

CAMPS, SPORTS & EXCURSIONS

FUND (CSEF)

School camps provide children with inspiring experiences in the great outdoors, excursions encourage a deeper understanding of how the world works and sports teach teamwork, discipline and leadership. All are part of a healthy curriculum.

CSEF is provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and spor�ng ac�vi�es.

If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. A special considera�on category also exists for asylum seeker and refugee families. The allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses rela�ng to camps, excursions or spor�ng ac�vi�es for the benefit of your child.

The annual CSEF amount per student is:

•

$125 for primary school students

•

$225 for secondary school students

MORE INFORMATION

For more informa�on about the CSEF visit

www.educa�on.vic.gov.au/csef

HOW TO APPLY

Contact the school office to obtain a CSEF applica�on form or download from

www.educa�on.vic.gov.au/csef

NEW FOR 2018!

If you applied

for the CSEF at your child's school in 2017, you do not need to complete an applica�on form in 2018 unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.

You only need to complete an applica�on form if any of the following changes have occurred:

new student enrolments; your child has started or changed schools in 2018 or you did not apply in 2017.

changed family circumstances; such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new siblings commencing at the school in 2018.

Check with the school office if you are unsure.

INFORMATION

EXCURSIONS