Semester 1 – Term 2: 2 June, 2014

4 June VCE Music Performance Exam 10-12 June Year 7-9 Exams 2-6 June Year 11 Exams 9 June Queen’s Birthday 6-12 June Year 9 & 10 Exams 13June Student Free Day 9 June Queen’s Birthday 19 June JPAS Concert 13 June Student Free Day 19 June JPAS Concert

Next Newsletter: 16 June, 2014

I was invited to give the Occasional Address at Victoria University’s Graduation Ceremony, held at Flemington Racecourse, for their Education students last week.

 

Term 2 Important Dates

Brimbank Senior Campus Deer Park Junior Campus

 

College Principal’s Report

Over 350 students graduated with degrees in Education. Their degrees were awarded by the Vice Chancellor and a member of the University Board. In my address I told them that I believe that education creates opportunity and that life is what you make of it – and you can make it what you want it to be. The work we are doing at the school is built on these beliefs. We aim to give our students enhanced chances in their lives by encouraging them to aspire to achieve.

Congratulations to our Sports Leadership students for assisting Wyndham Primary School to run their Athletics Carnival recently. It’s great to see our students putting their leadership skills to use and assisting other schools at the same time. Congratulations to our Senior Boys Volleyball team who won the Keilor Division Championships. Our Senior Boys Rugby League team took part in the North Western Gala day for the GIO Cup. We will now take on Hallam Secondary College in the State Final. Our students have also been preparing to conduct Netball Victoria’s ‘Net Set Go’ program on Saturday mornings for children aged 5-14 within the community. Well done to all our sportsmen and women. Our Soccer and Athlete Development students recently partnered with Victoria University Sports Science to undertake their fitness testing. Our college is pleased to work closely with our community to improve education for our students. Our partnership with the University is not only helping our sports students, but many other students studying a wide range of subjects. Year 11 AVID students will undertake a community project with Victoria University in Term 3. They will attend the Footscray campus each week for the term and undertake a research project designed to provide information to the university about their concept of developing Footscray into a university town. Our students will be enrolled in a university subject which they will gain credit for towards a university qualification. Congratulations to our Year 7-9 students who participated in the School Fun Run and raised lots of money for State Schools Relief! This most important organisation is a charity that we support on a number of occasions throughout the year. It provides school uniform to students who need support to stay in school. Some more ways to be on top of your parenting game . . . Effective parents equip their children with the skills, know-how and values they need to stay safe and be successful. It is important for parents to build their knowledge of child development in order to be able to prepare for their child’s next stage of development. Lucky you have two eyes, as you need to keep one parenting eye on meeting kid’s current needs and the other on preparing them for the next stage of development. If leaving school is only months away then start thinking about how you can make sure your child is ready for the next phase of life. It may mean thinking about the subjects your child will undertake when they move to the senior campus or it may mean thinking about possible careers and further training options as they move into the adult world. Reinforcing self-regulation is a key duty of every parent. “Thanks for packing up the dishes after dinner without being asked.” “Good on you for helping your brother with his homework. I know you have your own to do as well.” A young person’s ability to self-regulate behaviour (like the ability to self-occupy and self-reflect) is highly underrated and doesn’t come naturally to some people. That’s where consistent parenting, showing kids how it’s done, using positive encouragement and implementing consequences comes in. This will help build character and support children in many situations throughout their lives.

Genevieve Simson College Principal

Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) 2nd Installment & 1st Time Elligibility: How to Apply: Contact the school office to obtain an EMA application form and determine your eligibility

Closing Date: EMA application form with current Health Care Card returned to the school office by 1 August 2014.Visit http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/parents/financial/Pages/default.aspx

Geography fieldtrip to Toolangi On Friday the 23rd of May the Year 11 Geography students participated in a fieldtrip to Toolangi State Forest. The fieldtrip contributed to our study of forest environments and was an opportunity to experience some of Victoria’s tallest forests first hand. Toolangi State Forest is home to Australia’s tallest tree and the tallest flowering plant in the world, the Mountain Ash. During their visit to the forest the students visited the ‘Kalatha Giant’, one of Australia’s largest

Mountain Ash trees. The Kalatha Giant is an impressive 16 metres in girth and 73 metres tall. The students also braved the rain and the leeches during a walk through one of Victoria’s remaining cool temperate rainforests. During the walk they examined the rainforest ecosystem to better understand the natural processes of forest environments. The students also had the opportunity to speak to one of the local forest rangers responsible for the management of the forest. This gave the students some insight into the role of park rangers and some

of the challenges they face in managing forests. Overall, the fieldtrip was an enjoyable experience and a great way to further develop our understanding of forest environments. Well done to all of the students who participated in the day. Mr. Dakin

Preparing for Mathematics Exams Later this semester all students at the Deer Park Campus of VUSC will be doing Mathematics Exams. This can be a nervous and anxious time for both students and parents. Your child’s mathematics teacher will outline some studying strategies for these exams and provide the opportunity for all students to have a chance to practice “exam type questions”. Students will be permitted to use a summary book in their exams so it is vital that they take the opportunity to practice writing and using it well before the actual exam. Students will be given a series of “Cyclic Revision Sheets” leading up to the exams. These are specially designed by their teachers to give students the opportunity to see and practice exam type questions. They are also a great opportunity to trial using their summary book. All students have been given a copy of last year’s Mid-Year Exam and it is vital that this is attempted prior to the exam date. Their class teacher will have a set of fully worked solutions and these can be used to check how well they went on the exam. A checklist that will help your child become “Exam Ready”.

A summary Book is prepared. All cyclic revision sheets given out by the teacher are attempted, corrected and checked. Last year’s Exam is attempted and then checked for errors.

Study Habits

Homework should begin with a review of the school day and with a clear plan of what needs to be completed. Extra time needs to be set aside for revision and reading.

To study effectively, students need to plan and organise themselves. The ability to study has long-life benefits. It enables students to complete their work in less time, it gives students every chance to improve

 

VUSC News

their results and generally help students to be more confident about their ability to handle their work Students who work efficiently normally have more spare time to enjoy other interests.

Students should plan to study at the same time each night so that a routine of study can be established. Many students find it advantageous to write out a list of tasks for the night as soon as they home each day; it makes it easier to get started on their studies. Realistic goals should be set for each evening. If need be, work can be placed on a priority list. The school planner can be helpful when organising each evening’s work.

Revision is a natural complement to homework and it assists in the understanding and memorisation of work. Students who revise regularly remain familiar with their work. Notes can be revised by rewriting or summarising them. Writing down the work again is far more useful than simply reading the notes since writing requires more concentration and encourages learning. Students should practise the recall of information as part of their study routine.

Every Day Counts There has been a positive trend in non-genuine absences declining, which in turn has led to enhanced learning

outcomes for our students. As a school community, let’s keep making the hard decision by saying ‘NO’ to absences other than illness. Giving in is the perfect way to leave permanent scars on our students’ educational potential. Should you require assistance in saying ‘NO’ to your son/daughter with regard to any matter, including

unacceptable absence, please do not hesitate to contact his/her Year level Coordinator. Let’s work together to make a difference to your child’s future. Elaine Hazim - Junior Campus Principal

Leading Senior Constable Joanne Mutsaerts – School Visit Leading Senior Constable Joanne Mutsaerts facilitates meetings between local schools and the police.

Local schools meet regularly with police representatives to identify potential issues, develop strategies and get positive outcomes for schools, their students and their broader communities. The committee has allowed us to promote the positive and supportive intent of the local police unit and realise the enormous benefit or working with the local police to create a safer and more cooperative environment in our area. The police have been extremely engaged in the meetings with senior officers attending and answering questions from the local Principals and teachers.

I would like to thank Senior Constable Joanne Mutsaerts for attending VUSC the Junior Campus on Monday 5th May. She spoke to all the Year 7, 8 & 9 students about the dangers of cyber bulling and the effect such bullying can have on students.

She talked about how Cyberbullying can involve harmful material being widely and rapidly shared to a large audience, for example, rumors and images can be posted on public forums or sent to many people at once. This material can also continue to be available and harmful long after the cyberbullying has ceased.

Her presentation and talk was extremely well received by all students which thus enabled the home group teachers to discuss how serious bullying and cyberbullying is.

Elaine Hazim Junior Campus Principal VCE Season of Excellence Grand Finale - Congratulations Edin!

We received the great news that Edin Kocic has been selected from VCE Top Class to perform at the VCE Season of Excellence Top Acts Grand Finale Concert in the Melbourne Recital Centre. This is an outstanding achievement and very prestigious honour for Edin and VUSC, as this concert features the best students from across the state in all the Performing Arts disciplines. Edin will be one of only a handful of music students, selected to perform alongside the best Drama, Dance and Theatre Studies students from 2013.

At the Top Class Concert in February Edin opened the show with his Theme and Variations piece, stunning the crowd with his amazing playing and showmanship. I’m sure he will dazzle them once again.

Neil Gracey - Performing Arts Coordinator

Year 8 Chinese students China pen friends. With the help of our VUSC China leadership program students, Year 8 Chinese students successfully built up a friendship with one of Shanghai’s top performing high schools in China.

With Ms Zhang’s assistance, most Year 8 students completed a letter in Chinese. They introduced their name, surname, age, family members, nationality and pets to their pen friends. In return their pen friends talked about their family, age, favourite movies, TV series and actors. They also invited our students to visit them in China. Some of them even hand-made postcards or drawings as gifts. This activity successfully fulfilled our school value: Create the future and Aspire to achieve. I hope that our Year 8 students can see themselves as global citizens and aspire to continue Chinese until VCE.

 

FREE STATIONERY PACKS – LIMITED SUPPLY

Don’t buy new stationery for term 3, come in and pay your Essential Items and you will receive all stationery listed on the 2014 booklists for FREE. If you need stationery please hurry in to make payments as stock of stationery packs is limited. JOIN A SPORTING CLUB!!! Any Student interested in joining a sporting team outside of school, please see Mr. Marshall or your HPE Teacher for further information.

Sports Corner Inter-School Sport Timetable

TERM 2, 2014

Week Date Sport Year Level Location

7 3-Jun Soccer Y8B Keilor Park

7 5-Jun Soccer Y8G Keilor Park

8 June Rugby 7's All Melton 8 10-

Jun Soccer Y7B Keilor Park

8 11-Jun Soccer Y7G Keilor Park

8 12-Jun

WMR Cross Country All Brimbank

Park 9 17-

Jun

Soccer Championship

Day Y7/8BG Keilor Park

9 19-Jun AFL Y7/8 Keilor Park

9 20-Jun Netball SB/SG Altona

 

Sports News

 Snr Boys Volleyball Team

Kurt BERNARD

Reti APULU LAFAELE

Talanu (Tee) FIAALII

Kaleb BERNARD

Amanaki MANU

Kelepi MANU

William AFOA

Tutoatasi FALEIVA

Epati MISI

Tony TAMUSA

Charles KATOANGA

Note: Students interested in representing the college in interschool sport competition are asked to please see your campus Sport Coordinator for more information or the Campus Coach.

Interschool Sport Update: Senior Boys Volleyball – congratulations to our Senior Boys Volleyball Team who finished third at the State Volleyball Championship on Friday 23rd March. The boys were very competitive against first and second place McKinnon and Eltham, pushing both teams to three sets in the qualifying rounds. We are very proud of their efforts, as they all truly lived the College value of ‘aspire to achieve’. Sports Academy Update Our Sports Academy programs have been busy preparing our students athletes physically and mentally for their sports. Our compulsory early morning training sessions on Tuesday and Thursday have been buzzing with excitement, even though the mornings have been cold due to a 7:15am start. We thank our student athletes who continue to commit to their personal gains and the program.

As our Sports Academy program grows and student demand and interest increases, we have now been able to gather further support from our community partners by welcoming our sport technical support staff to the academy team/programs. Training Schedule: Campus Days Time Location Junior Campus Tuesday and Thursday 7:20am – 8:30am Gymnasium Senior Campus Tuesday and Thursday 7:20am – 8:30am Gymnasium Up Coming Events Majak Daw Multicultural AFL Squad AFL Victoria in conjunction with Western Jets have started a new initiative for multicultural boys in the Western Metropolitan Region. AFL Victoria are assembling a squad to participate in training with the Western Jets and schools from the Keilor Division have been invited to selected 10-15 of our most promising multicultural student athletes from each of our schools to take part in a AFL Draft star testing

Western Region AFL Draft star Testing Details Date: Monday 2nd June Time: 10:00am to 2:00pm Venue: Whitten Oval Note: Interested students are asked to please see or contact Mr Marshall for further details.

Year 7-9 Fun Run / House Cross-Country - On Friday 9th May Victoria University Secondary College (VUSC) Year 7-9 Students participated in our annual Adidas School Fun Run fitness fundraiser. Students competed for points for their House Colour. With points being given for a variety of reasons such as; finishing the run, raising the most money, etc. The College would like to thank adidas School Fun Run in advance for working closely with VUSC to help raise money for this important cause. The winning House and places will be announced at the assembly at the end of the term.

Year 7-9 Cross-Country Results: 1213 Girls 1st – Sheyenne LOVE 2nd – Samoa POMALE 3rd – Judith SANOUGAH-AMOUSSOU

1213 Boys 1st – Derek Iva 2nd – Mutaz Elnour 3rd – Bawitin Thangeng

14 Girls 1st – Michelle LUU 2nd – Kiara ALEXANDER 3rd – Da My

14 Boys 1st – Ramzy MOHAMMED ALI 2nd – Leo HARRISON 3rd – Alex KUANG

15 Girls 1st – Kacey PEROVANOVIC 2nd – Dorcas ASIFIWE 3rd – Lupe MOTE

15 Boys 1st – Alexander AXIAK 2nd – Omer MOHAMMED ALI 3rd – Xavier Cooper

Adidas Fun Run / Cross Country Pictures VUSC House Athletics Carnival On Wednesday 21st May our entire College celebrated our House Athletics Carnival at Moonee Valley Athletics Centre in perfect conditions. The sun was out and so were our student athletes, with a high number of records being broken. A very strong VUSC Track and Field Squad being developed to represent the College at the Keilor Division Track and Field Championships early next term. The day would not have been a success without the support and dedication of all students and staff that participated in the House Athletics Carnival. A very BIG thank you to you all! A special mention must go out to the House Captains, our Sport

Leadership Ambassadors, office staff and the SHAPE Team, Mr Giles and Mr Giovanniello for their help in coordinating and promoting the carnival. The success is all yours!

The House Athletics Carnival Results and age group champions will be announced at our campus assembly later this term and then a score update will be added to the College newsletter for our College community to view. Sport-Coordinators If students and parent would like further information about the College Inter-School Sport Program, please contact the below staff members: VUSC Senior Campus Sport Coordinator – Mr. Rocco Giovanniello VUSC Junior Campus Sport Coordinator – Mr. Peter Giles VUSC Rugby Coordinator – Mr. Joshua Miller VUSC Soccer Coordinator – Mr. Rocco Giovanniello and Mr. Tony Squeo

SHAPE Department Report

Lastly, we look forward to the continued support and dedication of our student coaches and helpers. Students, who are interested in coaching a College sporting team, need to see Mr. Marshall for further information or your campus sport coordinator.

Sporting quote of the Month: “Impossible is Nothing” (Muhammed Ali).

Mr Dale Marshall - Director of Sport – Sport Promotion Leader

 

  Community News