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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: 8 - 29 May, 2015
ACTING PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
MR ROSS BEVEGE
Semester One Reporting Process
As we approach the end of semester, the finalisation of
student reports in each of their areas of study becomes an
important focus for students and teachers alike. This year,
the College has moved to a new Reporting process through
Compass. As with any significant change, there may well be
some potential glitches, despite the best efforts to avoid
them. I mention this to our parent population so that should
there be some issues with the new process that impact upon
your son or daughter’s reports, please contact the relevant
year level Head or member of the College leadership team to
discuss your concerns.
Rainbow Day
Rainbow Day or IDAHOBIT Day
(International Day against bullying of
people who Identify as sexually or
gender diverse) was held in the
College on Thursday May 21. One of
the challenges all school communities
face is to ensure that the school
environment is safe and supportive for all students, parents
and staff. One of the clear statements publicised by the
College is “being the best you can be”. If this goal is to be
realised we need to ensure that all students regardless of
their status, beliefs and gender are supported and
encouraged throughout their schooling. To achieve this, we
all have to take responsibility and accountability for our words
and actions and treat everyone as we would like to be treated
ourselves. If we can do this, we go a long way towards
making our identified College Values being visible and real.
Congratulations to our College Nurse Ms Jenny Muir, the
Student Respect Team, Mr Paul Dean and the SRC for
organising this day.
Instrumental Music Nights
What a fantastic week of musical performances from our
talented students!!
Vocals on Monday, Woodwind on
Tuesday, Bass and Percussion on Wednesday and Brass on
Thursday!! Our music staff are to be congratulated on
providing a challenging but supportive environment for our
musicians to develop their confidence and performing skills.
These types of events certainly put most of the students
involved well outside their comfort zones but it is amazing to
see them rise to the challenge! It’s fantastic to watch.
The Waiting Room
It was certainly worth the wait! The rain held off on Opening
Night and the audience was treated to some terrific theatre
delivered by a group of students who obviously loved what
they were doing. Nick Staikos our local member accepted an
invitation to come this prestigious event and was very
impressed with the performance. Ms Egan and Ms Gemmola
did a wonderful job with these young people not only
performance wise but also from an inspirational and
motivational point of view. A big thank you to the parents
and friends who came and supported the play and a big well
done to the students for the commitment, passion and
energy they brought to both the rehearsal and the three
shows.
Launch of SchoolMate
The Department of Education and Training has released an
App which is designed to help you better understand the
curriculum we use to teach your children every day.
The App, called SchoolMate, is available for free download
now in the App Store for iPhones and iPads and in Google
Play for Android phones and tablets.
SchoolMate gives you a general overview of the Victorian
curriculum in each subject at each year level and:
 Provides you with an overview of what your children are
learning in each subject at each year level according to the
Victorian curriculum (AusVELS)
 Provides you with tips regarding activities and things you
can do at home to help your kids in each subject and year
level
 Suggests apps, books, events and activities related to each
subject area and year level.
Our school, like all other government schools in Victoria, uses
AusVELS as the basis for the learning programs we run at
school every day. Our teachers adapt the curriculum to meet
the needs of our students and community, for example,
designing learning programs around what your children are
interested in, or around days or celebrations that are
important to our community.
SchoolMate is designed to give you an overview of what
children are expected to learn in Victorian government
schools across every subject from Prep to Year 10.
I encourage you to download SchoolMate and to please talk
with your teacher or myself if you are interested to find out
more about how our school teaches the curriculum.
College Council
The last meeting of the College Council was brought forward
to 12 May due to the planning and timeline issues associated
with the advertising for the new Principal of the College. At
this stage the position will be advertised with other vacant
principal positions across the state very shortly with an
outcome expected achieved prior to the end of term. As
soon as a provisional appointment has been made, the
College Council President Mrs Jo Antcliff will communicate
this decision to our community. The sub committees of
Council including Finance, Facilities and Strategic Plan
Implementation each reported back to the meeting as did the
SRC.
‘BEING THE BEST YOU CAN BE’
JUNIOR SCHOOL NEWS
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
MR ANDREW BATCHELOR
SENIOR SCHOOL NEWS
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
MR MARC KOENIG
Use of Portable Technology
Parents are reminded that students are not to use Ipods/mobile
phones in class. All students have been reminded that no Ipod/
phone should be visible in class. We also remind parents that we
can take no responsibility for the security of Ipods/phones during
the school day. If students bring these devices to the college, they
are responsible for them and will need to ensure they can be safely
secured in their lockers. During PE and Sports classes students are
reminded to hand in these devices to their relevant teacher, and not
to leave them in the change rooms.
Term 2 Working Bee on 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.
Year 7, 8 and 9 Exams
As previously mentioned, 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. Please see the schedule below for further
information related to these. The Year 7 exams will be 60 minutes
writing time in length, with 5 minutes reading time beforehand. The
Year 8 and 9 exams will be 80 minutes writing time in length, with 5
minutes reading time beforehand.
Date
Period 1 & 2
Period 3 & 4
Wednesday 3rd June
Year 7 Maths
Year 9 English
Thursday 4th June
Year 8 Maths
Year 9 Maths
Friday 5th June
Year 8 English
Year 7 English
School for Student Leadership – Year 9
Our Seven Year 9 students – Emma Lindsey, Emma James, Michelle
Antcliff, Sean Nelson, Aiden Sutton, Willem Anderson and Jack Blight
- have settled back in at the college well following their Term 1 stay
at Gnurad–Gundidj. We look forward to hearing more about their
Community Learning Project, which they have brought back to the
college and will implement over the remainder of the year. Thank
you to Mr Paul Dean for his time and efforts with this team and our
SRC students.
Bentleigh RSL
Last week I was lucky enough to take our Junior School Captains –
Alexsis Dann, Ruby Lowe, Aiden Sutton and Willem Anderson – to
the Bentleigh RSL for a presentation on their role and the
importance of recognizing and celebrating occasions such as ANZAC
Day and Remembrance Day. It was great to see students and staff
from other local primary and secondary schools, and to hear stories
from the RSL veterans. Our Junior School Captains represented the
college wonderfully well.
Da Vinci Decathlon
Mrs Yvonne Sirianos - Gifted & Talented Coordinator
The Da Vinci Decathlon is a very
exciting, engaging and tiring day,
where students take part in ten events,
including English, Art and Poetry,
Philosophy, Maths, Science, code
breaking, Cartography,
General
Knowledge and Drama.
Bentleigh SC entered four teams of
students. We went to St Leonards College in Brighton for the day,
together with a variety of other secondary colleges. From the
moment we entered the hall there was a buzz of excitement. It was
wonderful to see our students engaging in the tasks and working cooperatively in teams. Ms Gemmola judged the Creative Producers
category with teachers from other schools. I had the pleasure of
judging the Maths and Science categories.
Although we did not manage to get into the next round, our teams
did well in several categories on the day and hand an exciting and
memorable day.
Success Coach – Darren Pereira
Success in the Senior School will largely be determined by students’
home study and homework habits undertaken from now until the
final examinations. Over the last 2 weeks we were fortunate to
have Darren Pereira, a success coach, present strategies for
achieving success in VCE for Years 11 and 12. Students left with
some valuable tools to ensure their study is as efficient as possible
to improve their results in upcoming mid year exams.
Mid Year Exams
With only a week 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.
Rainbow Day
Bentleigh Secondary College Respect Group
On Thursday 21 May, Bentleigh
Secondary celebrated IDAHOBIT
day – that is the International Day
Against Homophobic, Biphobic,
Transgender and Intersex Bullying –
commonly known as Rainbow Day.
The day consisted of a free dress
day requiring a gold coin donation
and the distribution of rainbow
accessories such as ribbons and
wrist bands. Many students of Bentleigh Secondary College chose to
show their support of this on Rainbow day. The school was
decorated with rainbow colours and there was an atmosphere of
acceptance throughout the school. The students who are members
of the Bentleigh Respect Group (the ‘gay /straight’ alliance group)
worked hard for the weeks before making rainbow icons, ranging
from ribbons to bracelets. The library had a beautiful display of
information, poetry and novels related to sexual and gender
diversity (SGD). This all showed an outstanding support for our
students who may identify as being SGD. We also had a hip hop DJ
set in the PAC at lunchtime. The aim of the day was to educate that
any form of bullying related to one’s sexual or gender diversity is not
acceptable.
The day raised around $850 that will be donated to Minus 18 which
is the lead support and education program for sexually and gender
diverse young people in Victoria. In addition the lunchtime activity,
with Yo Mafia, was very well attended with the PAC full of dancing
students.
One in 10 people will identify as being diverse in sexuality or
gender. This is a statistic that is throughout the world and history.
It is also known that most young people who identify as SGD will
experience verbal, social or physical abuse and 80% of this typically
happens at school (Hillier et al, 2010). This is distressing to them,
not because of their diversity but because of the abuse. It is
because of these experiences that Bentleigh Secondary College is a
member of the government endorsed and funded program called
the Safe Schools Coalition. They help schools take a stand against
homophobic, transphobic and intersex bullying in school. They
addressed staff on Tuesday the 19 May about how to best support
our students who identify as SGD.
Many thanks to the school community for supporting this initiative.
Year 11 Legal Studies
Mrs Doral Lakoumentas - Legal Studies Teacher
Year 11 Legal Studies students
have been learning about police
powers and the rights of
individuals in society, and with all
the media attention on tough new
laws on foreign fighters, students
certainly have ample cases to
discuss on this issue.
Sarrah O’Neill - Glen Eira Youth
Resource Officer, Victoria Police last week spoke to the Legal Studies
students about the role of police and police powers in apprehending
offenders and promoting safety in our community. The session was
very informative and valuable with almost all of the Year 12 Legal
Studies students attending during their spare period. I would like to
thank Sarah for organising an engaging presentation and question
and answer session.
Year 12 Legal Studies
On Monday 16 May, Year 12 Legal Studies students were invited to
the Lord Atkin Society Forum at Caulfield Grammar School. There
were three guest speakers at the Forum, The first was His Honour
Judge Saccardo who spoke about the Victorian County Court and
Dispute Resolution in Victorian Courts. Mr Robert Stary, a solicitor,
discussed the effectiveness of the Legal System and Ms Melissa
Castan from the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law. Students
came away with several pages of notes and they gained an insight
into recent cases and changes in the law. Thank you to David
Thomson for organising this very informative evening.
Australian National Gymnastics Champions
We are very proud of two of our students Amily Kolomoisky of Year 11 and Rashelle
Feldman of Year 7 who have been selected
to represent Victoria and compete at the
Australian
National
Gymnastics
Championships as part of the Rhythmic
Gymnastics
State Team. It
is a great honour to represent your State
at this pinnacle competition in Australia
and a great achievement for Amily and
Rashelle. We wish you all the best and
look forward to hearing about your
experience.
Pun and Puzzle
Pun: A pictorial pun for
this week. What is the
movie title?
Puzzle: A clock broke into two pieces in such a
way that the sum of the numbers on each piece
have the same total. The number 1 is on the side
with which other numbers?
Solution to last puzzle: 204
(1+4+9+16+25+…+64)
Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea - Cancer Council
On Wednesday 27 May staff held
a special morning tea to support
the Cancer Council. Lots of home
made and bought goodies filled
the staffroom tables and a lovely
social time was had by all who
attended this annual event.
A special thank you goes to the
Year 11 Business Management
Class for their generous donation. Over $400 was raised.
MUSIC NOTES
Mr Andrew Albanis - Head of Music Program
What
a
fantastic
week of instrumental nights
last
week!
Students
performed in a variety of
settings from solo to other
various size groups. They
prepared well and performed
to their best ability. A
fantastic effort by students and teachers, congratulations to all
involved.
On Wednesday 3 June we will be having our VCE recital. This
event will begin at 4.00pm in the Performing Arts Centre. Come
along and enjoy some great performances.
FINANCE NEWS
Camps, Sports & Excursions Fund (CSEF)
Every Victorian child should have access to the world of learning
opportunities that exist beyond the classroom. The Camps, Sports
and Excursions Fund will ensure that no student will miss out on
the opportunity to join their classmates for important, educational
and fun activities.
CSEF will be provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible
families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting
activities.
If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a
temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. The
allowance will be paid to the school to use towards expenses
relating to camps, excursions, or sporting activities for the benefit
of your child.
The annual CSEF amount per student will be:
 $125 for primary school students
 $225 for secondary school students
How to Apply:
contact the school office to obtain a CSEF
application form or download from www.education.vic.gov.au/csef
Closing Date: You should lodge a CSEF application form at the
school by 26 June 2015.
For
more
information
about
the
CSEF
visit
www.education.vic.gov.au/csef
SPORTS NEWS
Mr Nathan Rogers - Head of Sport
Kingston Cross Country Carnival
On Wednesday 20 May 2015, the
Kingston Division Cross Country
Carnival was held at Karkarook Park.
A team of 70 students were selected
to represent Bentleigh Secondary
College from trials held in Term 1.
The students performed extremely
well with many personal bests and
high place winners achieved. From the team 15 students have been
selected to run at the Southern Metropolitan Region Carnival to be
held on 15 June - congratulations! A big thank you to Mr Mahoney
and Ms Rosenbrock for assisting on the day.
Allie the Seeing Eye Puppy
Mrs Linda Richardson - Laboratory Technician
Last Friday afternoon l received a new puppy to
be trained as a Seeing Eye Dog. Her name is
Allie and she has settled in beautifully and is
learning a lot from April who is now 12 months
old.T he students are clamouring to get to the
door as soon as the bell goes to collect the
puppies for some training and play time. She
will remain with us for the next twelve months
and hopefully excel in all areas of her
development.
IMPORTANT DATES
TERM 2 2015
Monday 13 April - Friday 26 June
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
Friday 12
- Pupil Free Day
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
JULY
Monday 13 July
- Term 3 commences
Tuesday 14 July
- Loddon Prison Visit - VCE Legal Studies
Tuesday 21 July
- Romeo & Juliet Incursion - Year 9 - 9.00am
- Macbeth Theatre Incursion - Year 11
11.15am
Tuesday 28 July
- ICAS English Competition - 8.4 - 9.10am
- ICAS English Competition - 7.4 - 11.15am
- ICAS English Competition - 9.4 - 1.37pm
Wednesday 29 July
- Elevate Education Study Skills Seminar
- Year 9
Thursday 30 July
- Year 11 into 12 2016 Information Night
- 7.30pm
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.