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Bentleigh Secondary College
News
PO Box 186, East Bentleigh 3165
Telephone: 9579 1044
Facsimile: 9579 2720
email: bentleigh.sc@edumail.vic.gov.au
CRICOS Provider Code:
00861K
Issue: 7 - 15 May, 2015
ACTING PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
MR ROSS BEVEGE
Funding Announcement
On Tuesday 5 May, our College played host to the Premier of
Victoria Mr Daniel Andrews, the Minister for Education and Deputy
Premier Mr James Merlino and Mr Nick Staikos, our local member to
officially announce that $9.6 million has been allocated to Bentleigh
SC as part of the School Infrastructure program. It was a whirlwind
visit, however it is wonderful to have our funding confirmed by the
Premier which is great news for our community. At this stage we
envisage the funding to be spent on the construction of new
learning area facilities, the refurbishment of some of our existing
facilities and the construction of an additional two new basketball
courts. The additional courts will allow our existing community
relationship program with the McKinnon Basketball Association to be
further enhanced.
College Tours
On Friday 8 May, the College conducted tours for some 130
prospective parents and students. The high numbers attending the
tour is another positive reflection of the interest in the community
for the educational programs which are offered by our College.
The Waiting Room
At the time of writing this report, anticipation is rising in our College
with the Senior School Play, “The Waiting Room”, due to premiere
this Thursday 14 May, with additional performances on 15 May and
16. All year levels have been treated to a snapshot of one scene
from the play presented at each year level assembly over the past
week. I know how much time and energy the group have put into
rehearsals both during and after school hours. I am certainly
looking forward to this event and anticipate that our local member
of State Parliament - Mr Nick Staikos will also be able to
attend. Hopefully the weather will be kind to both performers and
audiences alike!! Further details are on the College website.
NAPLAN Testing
Around one million students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 took part in the
National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)
Assessments for 2015. The annual national assessment helps
parents and educators to see how Australian students are
performing in the fundamental areas of literacy and numeracy, and
to track their growth and achievements in these areas over time.
ACARA’s Chief Executive Officer, Robert Randall, says parents and
teachers should place NAPLAN into context for their children.
“NAPLAN’s purpose is to identify, as early as possible, a child’s
strengths and areas for development, to make sure they are
progressing in literacy and numeracy,” Mr Randall says. “NAPLAN is
not high-stakes testing; it amounts to less than four hours, four
times in a student’s life over seven years of schooling”. Mr Randall
says that some nervousness is natural – just as a child may find
other school events or end of term tests a little confronting.
For some students, 2015 may be the last time they take a paperbased NAPLAN test,” Mr Randall says. “Moving NAPLAN online from
2017 will mean better tests that meet the needs of all students,
including those with a disability, as well as more precise results with
the use of a tailored test design. “Students taking NAPLAN this
week will receive their results from mid-August to mid-September.
Another benefit of NAPLAN online will be a faster turnaround of
information–around two weeks for results for educators and parents.
Pupil Free Days
Friday 12 June has been designated a Pupil Free Day for the
College with students not expected to attend school on this
day. The 4th and final Pupil Free Day for the year was originally
scheduled for the first day of Term 3, Monday 13 July. However
with a new Principal commencing at the College on that date,
College Council have decided that this day should be changed to
enable the newly appointed Principal more time to become
acquainted with the College community and hence be in a better
position to maximise the day’s strategic value from a long term
planning perspective. As soon as the new date has been set it will
be communicated to parents and students.
Parents Victoria Online Conference 2014-2015 (Part 2) Monday 18 May to Thursday 21 May 2015
Parents from all Australian states and territories, and from countries
beyond Australia, are warmly invited to participate in the second half
of the Parents Victoria Online Conference 2014-2015. The
conference will be held entirely on the internet and there is no cost
for participation.
Conference Program:
Six topics, with associated message boards, will run for four days:
Access to Education: What has been the greatest impact on your
family getting your children back to school this year? Possible
examples: cost of uniforms, BYOD, no EMA, location of school,
moving schools.
Parent Clubs: Is there still a role for parent clubs/associations in
schools? Does your school have a club? If not how is the parent
voice heard? How can schools encourage parents to get involved?
How can we ensure that parent groups are representative of the
school community?
Social Media: We often hear only the negative side of social media
use, what are the positives? How is social media being used in your
school? Do the students use it? Does your parent group have a
Facebook page? Jump on board and leave your thoughts about the
use of social media in the school environment.
Online Reporting: Many schools are moving to online reporting.
What do you think about this change? How do you receive your
child’s report? Do school reports provide you with the information
you want and need to monitor your child’s progress at school? What
could be improved?
Funding Education: What should the Government pay for? What,
when and how should assistance be provided for disadvantaged
students?
Additional Open Forum and Career & Pathways Guidance:
An extra discussion message board has been provided to give you
an opportunity to raise other education issues you believe are also
important. If you choose to start a new thread, please add an
appropriate subject heading so other participants can follow the
discussion. For those of you who wish to express an opinion on
Careers & Pathways Guidance, which has emerged as an area of
concern, the following questions might be considered: Are our
children being given enough advice and guidance about their
possible careers and the pathways that lead to these careers? What
more could schools do to assist students eventually realise their full
potential in the employment market?
Register for this event, at no cost, at:
http://www.straighttothepoint.co/pv/register/
‘BEING THE BEST YOU CAN BE’
Note: There is no need to re-register if you already registered to
take part in the October 2014 section of the online conference.
To view the first half of the online conference (from October 2014),
please log on to: http://www.straighttothepoint.co/pv/
conf14-15/program/ *You may need to ‘cut and paste’ this
website address into a browser.
The conference will run continuously, with message boards open
from 6am to 11pm, for four days, until 11pm on Thursday 21
May. The online conference will feature six moderated online
discussions, each of them hosted, at different times, by a member
of Parents Victoria and/or special guests from the Department of
Education and Training (DET) and different associations. Messages
posted between 11pm and 6am may not appear until the
following day.
JUNIOR SCHOOL NEWS
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
MR ANDREW BATCHELOR
NAPLAN
Congratulations to all of our Year 7 and 9 students who participated
in the NAPLAN testing this week. These tests are demanding,
requiring concentration, application and are a great way to practice
exam conditions and techniques leading up to the Junior School
exam period. The focus of all our students was excellent. The results
will be available in a number of months, and we will ensure parents
receive NAPLAN feedback as soon as it is available.
Year 7, 8 and 9 Exams
The English and Mathematics exams for all Year 7, 8 and 9 students
will be held on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday June 3, 4 and 5.
The exams will be held in the Year 8 Learning Centre and give all of
our Junior School students the opportunity to understand the
importance of preparing for and managing a formal exam process. It
is extremely important that students have developed and are
maintaining a regular home study routine in preparation for these
exams.
Semester 1 Student Learning
Reflection
As Semester 1 concludes and we
commence Semester 2 learning
programs (June 15), all of our
students will be reflecting on their
personal learning goals they set
towards the start of the year via
Compass. This reflection completed
by all students on Compass will
take place next week (Week 6). This is a great opportunity for
students to review and self-assess progress made, and consider
further areas for improvement. As students and parents receive
formal written feedback from teachers via Learning Tasks on
Compass, feedback will also be published in the Semester One
reports, it is a great idea for this reflection and their Semester 2
learning goals to match areas of further development. Students will
set their Semester 2 learning goals at the beginning of next term.
Year 8 Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) Project
by Jay Matthews of 8.4
Semester One’s IBL has been a very intriguing experience for myself
and all of the year 8 students. It has been an experience that I don’t
think I will forget. These kind of projects don’t happen very often
and I feel privileged to be able to participate. IBL isn’t just any old
assignment. It is one that lets you perform to your full potential and
encourages creativity and imagination. Throughout IBL the whole of
Year 8 has overcome challenges and worked through tough but
interesting topics and I feel that we’ve all really enjoyed the
experience. Below I have written a few challenging, fun and positive
things that I, and everyone else, have been involved in.
IBL has brought quite a learning curve into my life and I’m sure it
has brought one into most other student’s lives. It has challenged
our time management and how we take things on. From the start,
most people have really worked hard to get things done and to
achieve an extremely good result. Like a few of our teachers have
said, it brought an enthusiastic feel and buzz around the year 8
area.
The tasks we had to complete for every subject have all been
interesting. The thing that really stood out to me was how creative
you were able to be and how you could really choose how your final
result would look. Every person’s final display was different to each
others and made it a night where everyone learned something new.
SENIOR SCHOOL NEWS
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
MR MARC KOENIG
Mid Year Exams
With only two weeks of coursework to go before the examination
period begins, students should be actively revising and preparing for
these most important examinations. All students in the Senior
School have been given an examination timetable.
Please support your child in preparing for this important period of
the year.
Term Two Working Bee on a Saturday
We need your help on Saturday 30 May from 8.00am until 12 noon.
The focus of the Working Bee will be repairing some old seating and
the upkeep of our award winning gardens. There will also be a
general tidy up. It’s a busy, enjoyable day and I encourage as many
parents as possible, particularly those new to the college, to join the
community. We will provide morning tea and a barbeque lunch.
Thank you in advance.
Host Family Wanted
We are looking for a host families assist in looking after our Year 11
student Slindile Kubheka who we are sponsoring from Letsibogo
Girls High School in Soweto Johannesburg. If you can help out even
if only for a month or there may be a weekend you’d like to invite
her on, it would be greatly appreciated. We’d like to show her the
spirit that lives in Bentleigh and a bit more of Melbourne if possible.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the college for
further information.
Great Ocean Walk
Mr Stuart Pearson – Outdoor & Environmental Studies teacher
From Monday 4 to Thursday 7 May
the VCE Outdoor & Environmental
Studies class went on a remote hike
along the stunning Great Ocean Walk,
west of Apollo Bay. Students showed
great resilience and perseverance in
the face of heavy rain, gale force
winds and challenging terrain. The
beautiful scenery included windswept
beaches, sheer cliffs, sheltered coastal heathland and imposing
eucalypt forests. All students returned with fond memories and a
greater understanding of the Australian coastal landscape. The class
is eagerly anticipating their next adventure - cross-country skiing in
the Victoria Alps!
DHHS Student Scholarships 2016
This year marks the 11th year of the Department of Health & Human
Services (DHHS) Student Scholarships Program. This year the
Department has 230 educational scholarships on offer worth
$1,100 which will be awarded to eligible students who are
continuing their education in the 2016 academic year.
The aim of the DHHS Student Scholarships Program is to assist in
improving school retention rates amongst students at risk of not
completing Year 11 or 12 VCE or VCAL studies in 2016. The
scholarships may be spent on any item that broadly assists
educational achievement and school retention, for example, course
fees, text books, computer equipment, public transport, excursions,
disability aids and other specialist equipment etc.
Scholarship Eligibility Criteria:
Less than 21 years of age at 1 February 2016, an Australian citizen
or permanent resident, experiencing financial hardship.
Living in social housing (i.e. public or community-managed housing,
or be at-risk of homelessness, studying Year 11 or 12 VCE or VCAL
at a Victorian Government school or TAFE in the 2016 academic
year, has the potential to achieve a good attendance record and a
successful educational outcome in the 2016 academic year.
Supported within the school / TAFE community by an appropriate
staff member (i.e. well-being coordinator, counsellor etc).
Application Dates: Open: Monday 4 May 2015 at 9:00am
Close: Friday 12 June 2015 at 5:00pm
Applications must be submitted online via the Kids Under Cover
online scholarship application service, powered by SmartyGrants.
Simply create a SmartyGrants account, log-in and start applying.
You can submit multiple applications through your account, and you
can save partially completed applications to complete and submit at
a later date when you are ready. If you already have a
SmartyGrants account you do not need to create a new account.
Please Note: Applications must be submitted by the student’s
wellbeing coordinator, teacher, or alternative school / TAFE staff
member. Applications submitted by the student themselves will not
be accepted.
For more information about the program or to apply for a
scholarship, please visit the Kids Under Cover website.
Please direct all queries to the Kids Under Cover Scholarship
Coordinator via phone on (03) 9429 7444 or email scholarship@k
uc.org.au
Pun and Puzzle
Dr Wendy Taylor - Head of Mathematics and Numeracy
Pun: Why was the maths teacher late to school? She took
the rhom-bus!
Puzzle: How many squares are on a chess board?
Hint: The answer isn't 64
Solution to last puzzle: Ace is 5 years old.
MUSIC NOTES
Mr Andrew Albanis - Head of Music Program
The Senior Jazz Ensemble
attended the Mt Gambier
Generations in Jazz from Friday
1st May to Sunday 3rd May.
Students performed 3 pieces to
an excellent standard. Students
and teachers were able to
watch some great performances
from schools around Australia,
as well as some outstanding
performance from local and overseas artists. Overall, this was a
fantastic weekend and we look forward to participating in the future.
Well done to all involved.
We have our instrumental nights next week.
Monday 18 May - Vocal
Tuesday 19 May - Woodwind
Wednesday 20 May - Bass & Percussion
Thursday 21 May - Brass
The performances start at 5pm and will finish at approximately
6.00pm. Please come along and support these evenings. Students
and teachers have been working hard to achieve the best possible
outcome.
On Friday 22 May the Choir will be participating at the Boroondara
Eisteddfod. Good luck to all involved.
CAREERS NEWS
Ms Kirstin Conway - Careers and Pathways Coordinator
Fashion, Hair & Beauty Excursion
On Monday 4 May, Mrs Barb Duncan-Sandford
and I took a group of students from Years 10 12 who are interested in pursuing further
studies in the fashion, hair and beauty
industry. Firstly, we had a quick visit to Tyler's
Fabrics in Richmond, who specialise in bridal
textiles. Then we visited Kangan Institute,
Richmond Campus, where we were given a tour and were able to
see their textile, millinery, fashion, visual merchandising, industry
textile production room and hair and beauty facilities; learning
about the courses on offer and where graduates end up working.
After lunch in the city, we visited Head, Beauty and Fashion
Masters. Students saw the difference in facilities and courses on
offer at each institute. One of the Hairdressing Educators, Marcus,
ran a hairstyling demonstration on three of our students. Emma
Wright was given a high pony tail with hair extensions, Premashna
Prasad was given the 'big' hair look, similar to Kim Kardashian and
Rachel Bussau had a side braid, Parisian style. Overall, it was a fun
learning experience for the students and they are to be
commended for their excellent behaviour.
The AGE VCE Careers Expo
All VCE students in Years
11 and 12 attended The
AGE VCE Careers Expo on
Thursday 7 May, at
Caulfield Racecourse.
It
was
a
worthwhile
experience for students to
attend the Expo, as it
allowed them to see all the
different institutes in one
location, finding out about what courses they offer, as well as
seeing a variety of career options available. I highly recommend
that all students follow up their research by attending the
upcoming tertiary Open Days. Open Days are a valuable
experience to help students make decisions about what further
study they would like to pursue. I would like to thank all the staff
who supported and also attended this excursion: Mr Brookman, Ms
Read, Mrs O’Hara, Mr McLauchlan, Mrs Boukouras, Mrs Elliott, Ms
Hamilton, Ms Hudson, Ms Johnson, Ms Keep and Mrs Rowe.
SPORTS NEWS
Ms Kylie Read - Netball Coach
Intermediate Boys Netball Team Victory
Congratulations to the
Intermediate Boys Netball
Team who were victorious at
Equal Opportunity Day. They
were first at the end of the
pool rounds and took out the
final in a close contest against
McKinnon winning 10 – 7.
Player of the tournament was
Harry Boontjes who excelled
in defending our goal, along
with Mitch Baudinette. Super Coach Emily Nelson was flawless in
her guidance of the boys on the day. The sportsmanship displayed
by the whole team was impressive and has set them up well for a
competitive showing in the next round of the competition.
IMPORTANT DATES
TERM 2 2015
Monday 13 April - Friday 26 June
MAY
Thursday 14 - Saturday 16 - Senior School Play
Saturday 16
- 2016 Year 7 Gifted & Talented Test - 9.00am
Monday 18
- Vocal Night (PAC)
Tuesday 19
- Woodwind Performance (PAC)
Wednesday 20
- Bass & Percussion Night (PAC)
- Kingston Cross Country
- VCE Success Strategies
Thursday 21
- Idaho Day (Rainbow Day) - Casual Clothes
- Brass Night (PAC) - 5.00pm
Friday 22
- Choir - Eisteddfod - 12.30pm
JUNE
Monday 1 - Thursday 11
- VCE Units 1 & 3 Mid Year Exams
Wednesday 3 - Friday 5
- Junior School Exams
Wednesday 3
- Year 8 Immunisations
Thursday 4 - Friday 5
- Year 10 Exams
Monday 8
- Queen’s Birthday
Tuesday 9 - Friday 26
- Year 7 People Who Changed the World
Wednesday 10
- GAT Exam 10.00am - 1.15pm
Thursday 11
- VCE Formal - 7.00pm
Monday 15
- Semester 2 Starts
- Southern Metropolitan Cross Country
Monday 22 - Tuesday 30
- Year 11 Central Oz Trip
Monday 22 - Wednesday 24 - Intermediate Band Tour
Friday 26
- Last Day of Term 2
Monday 13 July
- Term 3 commences
TERM 3 2015
Monday 13 July - Friday 18 September
TERM 4 2015
Monday 5 October - Friday 18 December
Recycle Uniform Shop
Ms Christine O’Keefe - Recycle Uniform Shop Coordinator
The Recycle Uniform Shop will be open the last Friday of
each month from 8.00-8.45am in the PAC foyer. Dates for
Term 2, 2015 are 29 May and 26 June.
If you have any uniform items and bags you wish to donate
please drop them off to the General Office.