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PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

It has been wonderful to see our senior students back at school this week and I honestly think they are as happy to be back as the staff are! One more week of remote learning for our Year 7-10 students and then they are expected back as well.

This last week of remote learning is designed for finalising and submitting any work that has not been completed. An alternative timetable for Thursday and Friday has been sent to families. On these days, there will be a range of resilience building activities for students to participate in.

The Transition To School time is like normal school, so all the normal school rules will apply, relating to uniform, attendance etc. Students must bring a water bottle as drink bubblers aren’t available. If Year 10s borrowed a school laptop, they must bring that to work from at school. If they have been using their own device, they will be able to borrow a school based one. Students will be able to bring their own food, or pre-order from the Caf, but there is only hot water available at lunchtimes in the Library. Breakfast Club on a Tuesday and Thursday morning will also not be available and these restrictions will be in place until at least the start of Term 3, perhaps longer.

Although there is limited time left for remote learning, it has been useful to learn what has worked well and should look to be continued if possible. The feedback links for Weeks 7/8, due 5pm on Wednesday 3rd June, are: Parents: HERE Students: HERE

We have found a glitch in the Google system and have not been able to work out a solution to the problem yet. Parents who have previously accepted the guardian invite to receive updates about work progress are finding that they have stopped receiving this information, for no apparent reason. If you find yourself in this situation, please let us know and we can fix it by removing your details and then re-inviting you. This seems to have worked so far.

Maintaining the motivation of students has been difficult for parents and teachers and although ‘attendance’ was nearly 100% for the first few weeks, we did see a decline. This was expected once the novelty of online learning wore off and it became the everyday routine. It is also hard to stay enthusiastic when the days are getting shorter and colder and school work is more mundane without your friends around to make it fun.

GENERAL REMINDERS:

Student wellbeing: Year Level Coordinators are a good first port of call if your child is needing assistance. Extra supports for students, such as Rob Taylor, counsellor, (Robert.Taylor@AlpineHealth.org.au or 0408 311 255) and Rosemary Oldis, chaplain, (rosemary.oldis@education.vic.gov.au) are still available – please email/call and leave a message. Headspace is also a free counselling service. If you have concerns about your child, please call school to discuss this option. Our priority is to maintain the mental health of the school community.

Principal: Ms Simone Roy Assistant Principal: Mr Ross Wilson

Phone: 03 5754 4005 Email: mount.beauty.sc@education.vic.gov.au

Website: www.mbsc.vic.edu.au

Aspiration • Confidence • Respect

Term 2 Issue 16 – May 29 2020

Every Year 12 student was back at school on Tuesday, with big smiles!

REMOTE & FLEXIBLE LEARNING – PLEASE CHECK YOUR GOOGLE CLASSROOM AND EMAILS EVERYDAY

Following advice from the Victorian Chief Health Officer, the Victorian Government has announced that students, teachers and support staff can return to face-to-face teaching.

Schools will commence a staged return from remote and flexible learning from Tuesday 26 May 2020 for Year 11, Year 12 and accelerating Year 10 students. To support all school staff to prepare for the transition, Monday 25 May will be a pupil-free day. This is important to enable the planning necessary to ensure the successful transition back to school can be completed.

The return to school will take place in two stages. This will give the Victorian Chief Health Officer and Government time to monitor and evaluate the effects that the staged return to school has on the increased movement of people and transmission within the community. Year 7, Year 8, Year 9 and all of Year 10 will return to school from Tuesday 9 June. All students will be expected to attend school as normal.

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Dear families and students, This week has seen our Year 11 and 12 students, and staff, back full time on-site. We’ve also had a lot of Year 10 students coming in for their accelerated Year 11 class. The general feedback that I’ve been getting from the students has been that they’re glad to be back, and that learning at school is ‘easier’. The staff are happy with the return as well, and running the two different timetables has been more manageable than expected. While the feedback this week has been positive in regards to ‘being back’, I always keep in mind that people can put on a brave face. We’ve also still got the majority of our students not back on-site. So continuing on from last week’s newsletter, I’d like to keep discussing what the word ‘wellbeing’ actually means when we discuss dealing with stress and anxiety. Positive psychology research tells us that ‘wellbeing’ is a multi-dimensional construct and is made up of 5 key elements:

P = Positive Emotion E = Engagement R = Relationships M= Meaning A = Accomplishments

Today’s newsletter is focussing on E or Engagement. Engagement refers to being interested, involved and excited by an activity. When you are highly engaged in an activity, you may experience ‘flow’. Research tells us that when in a state of ‘flow’ people become thoroughly absorbed in an activity and lose all sense of time. They are also less distracted and less likely to focus on personal problems. During a state of flow, you become completely focused on the activity that you are engaged in. Your creativity, effort, motivation, performance, cognitive functioning and concentration are all high. Being in a state of flow is a known contributor to wellbeing and happiness. Flow can cause many ‘feel good’ chemicals to be released in the brain, producing a natural and often very productive high. After a flow experience people will often feel exhilarated, or say that the activity was enjoyable, fun or rewarding. People choose to engage in flow activities not for any rewards (like winning), but because the activity itself is enjoyable. During Covid-19 try creating or revisiting enjoyable and engaging activities that are likely to produce a state of flow for you. Ideally, if you can create this experience through deep engagement with your learning it will have positive effects on your course results and overall university experience. Whether it be astronomy or psychology, this is your chance to read more deeply on your favourite topic! Think about other types of activities that are likely to give you that flow-like feeling. Maybe it is finally reading the book that has been sitting collecting dust beside your bed, or participating in an online exercise class, dancing, playing music or creating art. Activities which produce flow require our full concentration, and there is often some challenge involved in improving our skills. It’s a personal thing, and you need to discover your own unique interests and talents that contribute to an experience of positivity during this period of self-isolation. Everyone is different when it comes to their choice of activities that produce a state of flow. For optimal wellbeing, discover your own suite of ‘flow’ experiences that you can include in your daily life. As we approach the return to school, please keep an eye on your child and find out how they’re feeling. Thank you, Ross Wilson

NATIONAL YOUTH SCIENCE FORUM Do you love all things science, technology, Engineering and maths (STEM)? Are you in year 11 and thinking of going to university? Do you enjoy meeting people and like a challenge? Want to learn more about your study and career options? Then you should think about applying for the NYSF Year 12 Program. What to do if you are interested: • Search NYSF and read all about it. Applications are online. • Chat with a student who went in January this year. • Talk to Mrs Beth Williamson (head of science) • Submit your application for support by the Rotary Club of Mount Beauty to Mrs Williamson by the end of May. In January this year, Jonah Cosgriff attended a National Youth Science Forum. Due to the bushfires, Tommi Silvester was unable to attend his forum. The local Rotary Club has a long tradition of supporting this program as it inspires students ahead of their year 12 studies and opens their eyes to the many courses and careers in the sciences. As well as that, students report that they have a great time and make many new friends and contacts ahead of moving out of the valley for university. Applications for support by the Rotary Club of Mount Beauty are due to Mrs Williamson by the end of May.

DEWLP: YOUTH SCIENCE 2020 WEBINAR SERIES

For students who are:

• Passionate and curious about all things STEM • Seeking to be advocates for science informed

policies in their community • Future leaders who want to be positive

contributors to environmental and sustainability efforts

• Dedicated to building a sustainable world for their future and generations to come

Our first webinar will be interviewing a Veterinarian who worked in Wangaratta and who is now working as the International Program Veterinary Leader at the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) in Geelong, where work is progressing on the COVID-19 vaccination with CSIRO. Her images of the COVID research have been used by National and International News outlets. Dates and Registration Held every Wednesday from 4.30pm – 5.30pm, students can register for one or all of the free live stream webinars via Eventbrite. As a bonus, all those who register will automatically receive an invitation to the free live streaming of the documentary 2040 at the end of the series.

Please find the links to register here: Wednesday June 3: Crowdsourcing frog identification with Adam Woods Wednesday June 10: How to be an advocate with Tammy Atkins Wednesday June 17: Using models to find animals with Ben Wagner Wednesday June 24: Understanding fire behaviour with Jayne Aymes

Participants will be sent the event link and further information about each presentation closer to the date.

Lucy Bett School and Community Engagement Charles Sturt University Wangaratta Regional Study Centre

Email: lbett@csu.edu.au |www.csu.edu.au

NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK

National Reconciliation Week 27 May to 3 June

OUR BANKING DETAILS HAVE CHANGED Mount Beauty Secondary College has set up a new Bendigo Bank account. We are currently updating the account in all our systems and will be transitioning from the old account to the new account during 2020. Please take the time to update the account information on your banking systems. Every family can now also use Bpay for payments to the school. BSB 633000 Account Number: 169354032 Account Name: Mount Beauty Secondary College

LA TROBE UNIVERSITY ASPIRE APPLICATIONS OPEN

COVID-19 has made this a particularly stressful year for Year 12 students, with plenty of uncertainty cast over their future. To help mitigate some of the anxiety students might be feeling, La Trobe have opened applications for the Aspire early admissions program on 1 May. This program rewards students with stand-out community and volunteer experience with an early conditional offer into the La Trobe course of their choice. Successful applicants also receive access to support programs, industry connections, and networking opportunities.

STUDENT EXCHANGE

LIVE ONLINE INFORMATION SESSION FOR STUDENTS & FAMILIES Meet our staff, hear comprehensive information on all aspects of exchange, find out about discounts and scholarships available and ask questions. Thursday, 11th June at 7:30pm (AEST /Sydney time) Register now Visit studentexchange.org.au/info-sessions/ or call 1300 135 331 for more information ATTENDANCE Students in Years 7-10 must continue to attend Year Level Meeting with Year Level Coordinator before 9am. Year 11/12 students will attend Home Group as usual ( year 10 accelerating students will be attending their VCE subject when able) Please remember to let us know if your child will be absent from online learning on a particular day and the reason. We are required to still mark rolls and the best place to have the student register as present is to get them to attend the Year level meeting in the morning. THE GAP

All Canteen items must be pre-ordered. Please see the autumn menu and the special menu. Staff will bring orders to school at recess and lunch. Students can submit an order in home group or at recess to canteen staff. EFT POS facilities will still be available.

Canteen menu items must be pre-ordered either in home group or at recess (for lunch orders). All drinks do not need to be pre-ordered and canteen staff will be present to serve these.

Special Deal for Recess

Week 8 1st June – 5th June

Egg and Bacon Roll and Kiewa Milk

$9 Please order in Home Group

SCHOOL CALENDAR

June 2020 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

1 2 3 4 5

8 9 10 11 12

Queen’s Birthday Holiday

ALL STUDENTS ATTENDING SCHOOL

Report Writing Day

PUPIL FREE DAY

15 16 17 18 19

22 23 24 25 26 End of Term 2

School ends at 2:30pm

29 30

July 2020 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

1 2 3

6 7 8 9 10

13 14 15 16 17 Term 3 Begins

20 21 22 23 24

Year 11/12 (and Year 10 accelerating students) On-Site Learning, Year 7-10 students continue Remote Learning

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

Congratulations to everyone that entered photos for this week’s ‘Boredom Buster’ competition. The results are:

Winners are :

1st Rosie

2nd Ms Little

3rd Ms Farrington