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Newsletter
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Friday, 6 March 2015
Legacies
During this busy week, I have had many opportunities to meet with members of our School as
we celebrate the diversity of our three campuses.
I thank the parents of both Junior Schools for their warm support of the Cocktail Evenings where
parents and staff mingled to learn more about each other in a relaxed and informal manner. It
was an ideal opportunity, away from the parent/teacher interview format, to meet other parents
and staff.
During the term, we have also welcomed new parents to a series of breakfast meetings which
provided opportunities for each family to learn more about the school and our staff in a personal,
informal setting.
Of particular note, on Thursday, we hosted past staff and students of our School at the re-launch
of the Pen-y-bryn Society. This supports and honours the work of those who have chosen to
include Firbank as part of their estate planning for the future. I am very grateful for their ongoing
encouragement and passion for the education of students at Firbank. They have chosen to leave
a legacy for others to enjoy well into the future.
2015:
Year of
COURAGE
However, each day, in every interaction, all members of our School community create legacies
for others.
Our students inspire others to achieve, parents give valuable support to staff and fellow parents
and, our staff plan learning activities, across the curriculum, which allow each student to
succeed. Legacies change lives for the better and while the concept of a legacy elicits noble
thoughts, we can all contribute to the community through simple gestures of acknowledgment
and acceptance. We are unique in our diversity and can learn to value differences as
opportunities to broaden our own horizons.
As we celebrate International Womens’ Day today, we are reminded of our opportunity to leave a
legacy for each of the girls in our school. Our young women do hold the future in their hands and
we have a responsibility to believe in their inherent ability to shape a world where women matter
and women will have the courage to make a difference. We need to reassure them that their
legacy is one which commences now, in every classroom and every interaction. Together we can
make a path for them to travel which allows them to celebrate the joy of womanhood.
I wish all members of our School community a restful break as we commence an extended
weekend.
Heather Norton
Firbank.
Aspire.
Achieve.
Newsletter
SENIOR SCHOOL
Friday, 6 March 2015
Whooping Cough (Pertussis) Notification
We have been informed that another student in Year 7 has contracted Whooping Cough.
According to the Department of Health, this is a contagious bacterial disease. It may
begin with “cold-like” symptoms that progress to a cough which gets worse over the next
week. This disease is most serious in babies under the age of 12 months, anyone that is
immunocompromised (eg low immunity due to illness, medication) and anyone not appropriately
immunised. For more information please go to the Better Health Channel through the link below
or contact your GP or the Department of Health 1300 651 160.
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Whooping_cough
Congratulations
SWIMMING AND DIVING REPORT – PRELIMINARY CARNIVAL ‘C’ 2015
On Monday, Firbank competed in the Preliminary ‘C’ Swimming and Diving carnival at MSAC
against MGGS, Sacre Coeur, Ruyton, Our Lady of Sion, Ivanhoe, Shelford and Genazzano. We
were confident of doing well, but knew that we would get good competition from the opposition
Schools.
2015:
Year of
COURAGE
Our Divers performed to a very high standard yet again and of the 14 competitions over Senior,
Intermediate and Junior, Firbank won 12 of them, and achieved second place in the other 2
events. This meant that we were convincing winners of the trophy and will now proceed to the
Division 1 Championships which we are hoping to win for the 13th consecutive year. This will be
very tough however, as the MLC divers are very good and will be desperate to beat us!
Our swimmers again faced very tough opposition, especially from Melbourne Girls Grammar
and Ruyton, but once again the depth of our team was an important factor. This was particularly
important as many last minute changes had to be made due to illness that hit some of our best
Senior swimmers! At the end of the meet, we finished 2nd behind Ruyton but ahead of MGGS
and all others. Of the 79 swimming events, Firbank finished in the top 3 in 62 of them, winning
11, which was a wonderful effort.
Congratulations to all the girls who competed, but special credit must go to the girls who
have put in effort to attend training and prepare themselves for this carnival. Again we will be
competing in Division 1 and with two weeks to continue our training, we are confident of another
fine performance.
Good luck to all Swimmers and Divers for Wednesday 18 March!
SENIOR SCHOOL TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS – SUNDAY 1 MARCH 2015
Well done to all the girls who competed in the Firbank Tennis Championships this year. We had
a fabulous turnout with lots of parents and friends coming along to support the girls. After the big
storm on Saturday night, the conditions for the commencement of play at 8.00 a.m. were perfect
and set the scene for some very close tussles.
Firbank.
Aspire.
Achieve.
Erica Layton dropped only 2 games in her lead up to the final and once again met Jessica Home
in the Grand Final. Erica secured back to back singles championship titles defeating Jessica
Home 6/0.
The doubles final was a close battle and saw Jessica Home and Genevieve Thorpe defeat
Isabella Van der Looy and Mare-Claire Mitrevski 7/5.
ROWING
The Firbank Rowing Club won 4 Gold, 5 Silver and 5 Bronze medals at the Junior and Senior
Victorian Championships.
Congratulations to the Senior 1st crew of Kimberley Petryshyn, Michaella Ballas, Elizabeth Scott,
Hannah Small and Hannah Dawes for winning Gold in the U21 Coxed Quad, Senior Division
1 Coxed and Silver in the Open Coxless Quad. The latter event was a particularly outstanding
result with the students losing only to Melbourne University Boat Club and defeating several
other elite club crews.
Further congratulations to the Senior 2nd crew of Charlotte Curwen, Jemima Gee, Lauren
McElroy, Eliza Davey and Melanie Hickey for winning Gold in the Senior Division 2 Coxed Quad
and Silver in the U19 Coxed Quad scull.
Both the Senior 1st and 2nd crews remain undefeated in their respective school divisions this
season.
The highlight of the weekend was the dominant performance of the Year 9 Bravo crew winning
Gold in the Year 9 Division 2 Coxed Quad scull. They won both their heat and final comfortably,
demonstrating true determination and resilience on their way to victory.
Medal Winners:
Gold:
- Snr 1st Crew (U21 and Snr Div 1)
- Snr 2nd Crew (Snr Div 2)
- Year 9 Bravo (Y9 Div 2)
Silver:
- Snr 1st Crew (Open Coxless)
- Snr 2nd Crew (U19)
- Snr 1st Crew Double (Hannah Dawes & Elizabeth Scott - U19 Double)
- Jaime Worboys (B Grade Single)
- Gwynneth Thomas (Y10 Single)
Bronze:
- Snr 1st Crew Double (Hannah Small & Michaella Ballas - U19 Double)
- Snr 2nd Crew Double (Eliza Davey & Lauren McElroy - B Grade Double)
- Snr 2nd Crew (U19)
- Milly Ward (Schoolgirl Single)
- Year 9 Delta (Year 9 Div 4)
WANTED FOR FIRBANK ARCHIVES - OLD BLANKETS AND SHEETS
Another call out to our Firbank community.
The school’s Archivist has an ongoing need for old woollen blankets and/or cotton sheets to be
used for wrapping and storing memorabilia.
If you are able to donate any, please leave them at the Book Room and mark them for the
attention of Jena Riordan.
If you have any queries, please email foga@firbank.vic.edu.au
CAREER NEWS
Items in the Firbank Career News 27 February include –
•
Studying Industrial Design AT RMIT University
•
National Youth Science Forum (NYSF)
•
Careers in the Rail Industry
•
Forensic Medicine Career Information Session
•
New Courses on offer at ACU in 2016
•
Vertical Double Degrees at ANU
•
High School Volunteer Programs with Projects Abroad
•
Hobsons Course Finder
•
Career as a Diplomat and useful Courses
•
The High Achievers Program at Swinburne University
Items in the Firbank Career News 6 March include –
•
Veterinary Science Open Day 2015
•
Tuckwell Scholarship ANU
•
Channel 7 work experience
•
Careers In Sports Medicine Seminar
•
Nursing Careers Allied Health Useful Links
•
News from Monash University
Enrol in a Monash MOOC
News from the Business and Economic Faculty
•
Work Experience Opportunities at Vic Roads
•
The Blue Mountain Hotel School
•
The International College of Hotel Management
•
Quick Facts: Swinburne University
See the link in eNews for information
Annette Davie Smythe
Careers Counsellor
adaviesmythe@firbank.vic.edu.au
SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
YEAR 7
Coffee catch-up:
Feel free to pop in for a cuppa and a chat after drop off on Friday mornings throughout Term 1 at
The Deck Bar, Bay Street Brighton.
Brighton Baths Lunch: Friday 13 March
Please join us for lunch at the Brighton Baths Restaurant at 12pm on Friday 13 March. RSVP
Margie Thomas on margiethomas@bigpond.com.au by Tuesday 10 March.
SSPA – SENIOR SCHOOL PARENTS ASSOCIATION
Many thanks to all the wonderful parents who have put up their hands to be class reps. We have
a fabulous team in each year level for 2015! Good luck with the cuppa mornings and events that
will be year level specific – and especially good luck with your friend raising.
As mentioned at each of the year level information nights, the SSPA’s main focus at the moment,
is to hit the ground running for the 3 Campus Gala Dinner to be held on Saturday, 16 May at the
Grand Hyatt, Melbourne. It is going to be an unbelievable night filled with colour, energy, great
food and lots of fun – don’t miss it! Personal invitations to all parents of Firbank will be sent out in
the next couple of weeks. We would love to see a full house, so don’t delay with your RSVP’s.
We are also looking for sponsors for the night – various levels of gold and silver for businesses
who would like exposure in the Firbank and Bayside community. Perhaps your business may
be interested in sponsoring a table (with advertising extras)? If you are interested, please let me
know via email and I can forward more details to you.
Any donations for live and silent auctions sincerely appreciated – again, please let me know via
email.
Toni Armstrong
President Senior School Parents Association
sspa@firbank.vic.edu.au
FIRBANK ASSOCIATION
The 2015 Firbank Association officers are:
President: Jo Hynes
Vice President: Scott McElroy
Secretary: Miriam Dexter
Treasurer: Patricia Amarilli
The next Firbank Association meeting for 2015 will be held on Tuesday, 19 May at 7.00pm in the
Turner House SMAART Meeting Room.
All members of the Firbank Community are invited to attend.
The remaining dates for the Firbank Association meetings are:
11 August
17 November AGM followed by Ordinary Meeting
All meetings will commence at 7:00pm
WORLD EDUCATION PROGRAM (WEP)
“Discover the World on a WEP Student Exchange Program!
Are you ready for a bit of excitement and culture in your life? Looking to push your boundaries
in 2015? Why not participate in a semester or year-long student exchange program to one of
over 25 countries, including popular destinations such as the USA, France, Argentina and Italy?
Applications for programs commencing in July 2015 onwards are still open but will close soon!
Don’t miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something out of the ordinary, with a
WEP high school exchange!
Find Out More!
Visit www.wep.org.au and request a FREE information pack for you and your parents. Our
brochure contains everything you need to know about WEP’s not-for-profit student exchange
programs to help you and your parents make this important decision.
If you have any questions about any of our exchange programs please feel free to give us a call
on 1300 884 733 or email info@wep.org.au.
SOUTHERN CROSS CULTURAL EXCHANGE
Term 1 Information Session - Tuesday 17 March
Bayside
Carrum Bowling Club
716 Nepean Highway, Carrum
Enquiries 1800 500 501
scceaust@scce.com.au
www.scce.com.au
TERM DATES 2015
TERM 1 - Thursday 29 January - Friday 27 March
TERM 2 - Tuesday, 14 April - Friday, 19 June
TERM 3 - Wednesday, 15 July - Friday 18 September
TERM 4 - Tuesday, 6 October - Wednesday, 9 December
ABSENTEES FOR THE SENIOR SCHOOL - REMINDER
A reminder about our absentee line 9591 5198 which is available 24 hrs, or if you prefer
you can email absentees@firbank.vic.edu.au
HOLIDAY PROGRAMS
Hear from some of the kids who have attended Sh@re programs about why they like Sh@re
holiday programs and keep returning to do them over and over again. Read the flyer attached
to find out why Annabelle enjoys making new friends and trying out roles where she gets to be a
little “bad”, much unlike herself in her real life. Hudson tells us he enjoys working on his soccer
skills with coaches that take a real personal interest in him as a person. Oscar enjoys making
friends with older boys and learning how to create apps.
So why not consider a Sh@re program for your child. It keeps them moving and thinking,
socialising and developing, avoids arguments with siblings and generally makes for happy
children.
Find the course that suits your child’s special interests in the flyer attached or see the website
www.share.vic.edu.au
2015 BAYSIDE YOUTH AWARDS
The Bayside Youth Awards aims to recognise a diverse range of achievements of young people
aged 10 to 25 in the Bayside community during this national celebration.
Who can nominate?
Nominations can come from anyone – teachers, youth workers, sports coaches, recreation
leaders, community members, parents, siblings, young people (self or other).
For each of the major winners of the five categories there are $200 visa gift cards to be won. All
nominees will be recognised.
For further information please contact the Youth Services team on 9599 4622 or youth_
services@bayside.vic.gov.au
Have you seen some bright stickerson footpaths in Bayside..??
The Bayside Youth Ambassadors (BYA) committee along with the Youth Services team launched
the 101 days of YOU mental health campaign on 1 March, which will run through until 9 June.
The campaign aims to foster positive self-image of young people in Bayside by placing footpath
stickers displaying specially chosen messages all over the municipality. Stickers can be found
around schools, skate parks, shopping precincts, public transport and more!
Messages include:
- YOU are amazing!
- There is only one YOU!
- YOU deserve to smile!
101 days of YOU also highlights the incredible work of the BYA members who have been
involved in the developing of the stickers and will now be running competitions for young people
who take a photo and share their image with the hashtag #101daysofYOU.
To keep informed of the details and how you can win, connect with us on social media via:
www.facebook.com/baysideyouthservices
www.instagram.com/baysideyouthservices
www.twitter.com/baysideys
For more information about the campaign or how to join the Bayside Youth Ambassadors contact
Kelly on 9599 4622 or kedwards@bayside.vic.gov.au