EDITION 1 - FEBRUARY 2022
FABULOUS RESULTS AND FRESH STARTS
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IMPORTANT DATES
1 - 4 MARCH Year 12 Outdoor Education Camp MONDAY 14 MARCH Public Holiday - Labour Day 15 - 18 MARCH Horse Riding camp 1 WEDNESDAY 23 MARCH Whole school Parent/Teacher Interviews 28 - 30 MARCH Land and Water Camp 28 - 31 MARCH Horse Riding Camp 2 MONDAY 4 APRIL Staff Professional Learning day FRIDAY 8 APRIL Last day of Term 1 TUESDAY 26 APRIL First day of Term 2
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PRINCIPAL'S SAY
A NEW YEAR BEGINS FOR SCHOOL OF THE YEAR Steve Cook Foundation Principal
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Our captains Alyssa and Ella with the haul from last year.
A STRONG 2021 A new school year begins and we are hoping (fingers crossed) that it is uninterrupted by the pandemic. Some very exciting new campus developments are starting this year and I will be outlining details in the next newsletter. As we get that year underway I want to pay a big tribute to students and staff for their effort and achievements over the last two years. We took on a new way of remote learning and coped incredibly well. Our academic results from last year speak for themselves. IB had a sensational year, with ten perfect subject scores and a median diploma score of 36. This has risen from 31 in 2018. Over half (53 percent) of all our IB students received a subject score in the top two bands (getting 6 or 7 out of a maximum score of 7). Combining our VCE and IB results we had 22.1 percent of our students performing in the top 2 bands across both programs. When these two results are combined this would give an equivalent result of a 31 median study score. We had a long list of students getting 90+ and 95+ ATARs. (See "Class of 2021 Does us Proud" on page 5.) I want to congratulate our school duxes: Rohan Jain (VCE 99.6) and Melisand Box (IB 98.55). Melisand managed this while devoting a lot of time to her role as one of our school leaders and some keen environmental work. An important point to note is the year-12 performance of our SEAL program students, who received a median study
score of 36 – which is level with the median study scores of Victoria's top performing selective high schools. Once again, two-thirds of our graduating class are taking up offers at Melbourne, Monash and RMIT universities. APC IS AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL OF THE YEAR Results like these demonstrate that every student can achieve their full academic and creative potential at APC. We’re incredibly proud of this fact. It’s little surprise therefore that we were named Australian School of the Year at the Australian Education Awards for 2021, among other top awards. You can find my interview over the award here.
IB HAD A SENSATIONAL YEAR, WITH TEN PERFECT SUBJECT SCORES AND A MEDIAN DIPLOMA SCORE OF 36. THIS HAS RISEN FROM 31 IN 2018
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PRINCIPAL'S SAY
GETTING EVEN STRONGER IN 2022 We’re expecting another academically successful year. Our year-11 students who undertook part 3 and 4 VCE subjects this year achieved extremely strong results which we expect to translate into a great year for the class of 2022.
AN ENHANCED ALUMNI TUTORING PROGRAM, OPENING UP PICKLES STREET AND DANKS STREET AFTER HOURS AS PLACES TO STUDY , AND SPECIAL QUIET LUNCHTIME WORK SPACES
We’re ramping up our support even more to help them achieve all they can, with an enhanced alumni tutoring program, opening up Pickles Street and Danks Street after hours as places to study, and special quiet lunchtime work spaces in the year-12 library at Danks Street. (See “Senior Student Study Support” page 12.) We believe this supportive environment will allow our senior students to keep calm and carry on to achieve their best. Our investment to create a dedicated VCE and IB study space on the library level at Danks Street will pay off this year. HOW BEST TO HELP YOUR STUDENT IN YEAR 12 I’m often asked what the best way is to help VCE and IB students in their most consequential year of study. My top piece of advice: Your number one role as a parent is to give your child the confidence that they absolutely can do it! Instilling them with quiet, calm confidence will enable them to enjoy the year, succeed as best they can and come out the other side ready to take on adult life.
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APC ALUMNI
CLASS OF 2021 DOES US PROUD
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The class of 2021 had much to celebrate at graduation day.
APC CONGRATULATES ALL OF THE HARD-WORKING CLASS OF 2021. They did it the hard way – being forced by the pandemic lockdown to spend most of their final two years working from home. Although the school adapted to provide the very best support, their task was tougher than normal. They showed grit and perseverance and came through strongly and their adaptability and online learning experience will serve them well into the future. We can’t mention them all, but here are those students who managed the amazing feat of getting an ATAR or (if they did IB) a notional ATAR above 95 in such unusual circumstances.
VCE Rohan Jain
IB 99.6
Melisand Box
98.55
98.75
Journey Lu-Spencer
97.9
Bonnie Sheppard
98.5
Oliver Taylor-Boxall
96.25
Zoe Haritopoulou-Sinanidou
97.8
Ben Collis
95.2
Harrison Overall
97.1
Sofija Karosaite
95.2
Noah Lachal
95.2
Max Crandall
Portia De Vere Charles Fortunaso McKay Jayden Norman
97 96.9 96.45
Jodhi Ramsden-Mavric
96.2
Alastair Stephenson
96.2
Thomas Dolan
95.85
Katia Dossis
95.8
Harvey De Zylva
95.6
Riley Swaffield
95
Felix Rossignol
95
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STUDENT EXCELLENCE
APC 2021 ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE PRINCIPAL AWARDS FOR YEARS 7–9
Some great academic talent is coming through the school and to encourage it even more each year we announce the Academic Excellence Principal Awards. Students are nominated for the awards by all staff within specific learning areas, with the winning students being those who displayed significant academic excellence, work ethic and desire to succeed.
MATHEMATICS AWARD A ARIA SHAH Y7 ENGLISH AWARD ZAMINA PARKER Y7 SCIENCE AWARD A ARIK A A LAVANIA Y8 STEM ▲ Here are last year’s winners. We wish them the very best for the senior years ahead of them. ALICE REID RODRIGUES Y7 HUMANITIES AWARD DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY JAMES KEATING Y8 MAKERSPACE AWARD FRENCH AWARD RADHA BUY YA Y7 MIRANDA VAZ Y9 DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY DA VINCI AWARD FOOD AWARD ANGUS MOORE Y9 JOCELYN DOIG Y7 LEADERSHIP AWARD DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY LUKE KINSMAN Y7 TEXTILES AWARD SPORT AWARD AVIE LEE Y8 POPPY DONALDSON Y7 THE PRINCIPAL’S ORATION AWARD VISUAL ART AWARD (BEST DEBATER AND PUBLIC SPEAKER) DYLAN JOHN Y8 JANE ZORBAS Y7 MEDIA AWARD LEAD CREATE INSPIRE AWARD ELLA SCHIRMER Y8 (FOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP) MUSIC AWARD NINA BUCHLER Y7 HANNAH LAWRENCE Y9 DANCE AWARD ARIA BLACK Y7 DRAMA AWARD JANE ZORBAS Y7
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APC COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER AT THE APC FAMILIES PICNIC
Around 300 people attended this year’s APC Families Picnic at the Gasworks Arts Park on a beautiful summer evening at the start of term. There was good food, dogs, games of cricket and other fun activities as a new year level joined our school. After the Covid restrictions of last year it was a great opportunity for parents, students and their teachers to get to know each other and establish that important rapport that makes APC such a great community. Parents told us how happy they are to be part of their local secondary school and to finally have their children back where they should be – in class rather than learning at home. It was also a great example of the importance of Gasworks Arts Park to APC. We’re extremely fortunate to have access to such a wonderful community space.
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Although APC remains neutral on the 'dog vs cat' debate, we will always make room in the newsletter for a young pup.
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APC COMMUNITY
CARRY ON CAMPING
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It's no secret that APC students and staff love riding their bicycles.
Something we’re all looking forward to this year (fingers crossed!) Is the resumption of expeditions and camps. We know the students love them and it’s been heartbreaking to have to cancel so many to comply with public health directives. Our camps and expeditions team has been working hard to put together a suite of trips that will inject some fun back into schooling while helping with important outdoor camping, socialising, teamwork and other life skills. Our expeditions and camps also aim to encourage a love and care for the environment. By now you will have received information and expression of interest forms for this year’s offerings and we encourage you to take up the opportunities they offer.
and canoeing from Mt Kosciuszko to the sea, and skiing at Falls Creek Alpine Resort.
Some exciting camps this year include: mountain biking from Londrigan to Bright, horse riding in Gippsland, hiking
Whole year group camps for every child will be offered later in the year, so please look out for information on them too.
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APC COMMUNITY
INSPIRE CLUBS FAIR
SCHOOL IS BACK … ON CAMPUS… AND NORMAL LIFE IS RETURNING. One sure sign of this is the return of Inspire Club activities. We know they’ve been continuing online while we’ve been studying from home, but there’s nothing like getting together to have fun doing the things you love. To mark the return of face-to-face club activity, the school held an Inspire Clubs Fair in the gym on Wednesday 16 February. Around a dozen clubs were represented, signing up members and drumming up enthusiasm for their hobbies and obsessions: Library Club, Diversity Club, Enviro Club, Hospitality Club, Anthology Club, Maths Club and Chinese Language and Conversation Club were among those represented. A couple of stalls seemed to be attracting much interest: Dungeons and Dragons and E-Sports, which brought along plenty of gaming equipment for everyone to try out. The Music Department was out in force, signing up musicians for its 23 – yes, count ‘em 23! – different ensembles for 2022. The department also provided the entertainment, with members of the band ‘Wednesday’ – featuring Lily Hall, Matilda Lester, Ashyln Norman and Hannah Lawrence – playing popular numbers. We’ve heard they play the other six days of the week too – when they’re not studying.
JOIN A CLUB AND GET INSPIRED. 09
APC COMMUNITY
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Sterling Baird and the D&D crew had a range of swords for students to trial.
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STAFF AND STUDENTS
REFRESHED WITH NEW STAFF
The news is full of stories about a looming long-term teacher shortage and Covid-caused temporary shortfalls in Victorian schools, but APC continues to attract enthusiastic new teachers to its staffroom. This year a new cohort of teachers joined us, drawn to APC by our strong reputation for innovative and progressive teaching. This is also helped by our great relationship with MGSE – the University of Melbourne’s Graduate School of Education, whose trainees we always like to help out with their placements and initial teacher training. Last year we helped 80 trainees get the experience they need for their qualifications. This renewal of our ranks brings fantastic benefits to the school, including new ideas, vibrancy, new technology skills and a natural rapport with our students. We’ve also hired a number of additional staff to cover potential absences due to Covid infection. This year we’re seeing a welcome new trend as mature entrants to the profession bring life skills and experience from several high-end professions, including banking, the law and medicine.
Welcome everyone – we’re glad to see you.
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STAFF AND STUDENTS
SENIOR STUDENT STUDY SUPPORT
Every year we try to provide even more support for our senior students to help them achieve their very best. This was interrupted by the pandemic lockdowns in the last two years but this year our VCE and IB finalists can take advantage of some great initiatives. ALUMNI TUTORING PROGRAM Our high-performing students from previous years, now at university, are providing top class tutoring support to this year’s VCE and IB finalists. Tutoring help is available in blocks of five sessions, which must be pre-paid at $30 per session. All our tutors naturally have a Working With Children Check and have been selected for their strong academic results. You can apply and pay through this Google form. No cash payments can be accepted. ALUMNI TUTORING PROGRAM Our beautiful senior years campus at Pickles Street provides the right place for tutoring, homework and revision. We’re opening it every Tuesday and Thursday until 6.30 pm for quiet study and tutoring. The Café will be open to fuel everyone’s extra efforts. In winter the open fireplace will provide the right study atmosphere. Please come!
YEAR-12’S OWN STUDY SPACE AT DANKS STREET The extended library on Danks St Level 1 will be staffed and open for silent study, mindfulness and group study every lunchtime and every day after school between 3.10 and 4.30 pm. A great place to do that assignment and to revise in a calm, supportive environment.
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LIBRARY NEWS
A DATE WITH A BOOK ON LIBRARY LOVERS DAY Veronica, Jess, Haydyn and Clive The Library Team
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Maia Ryks and the librarians celebrating Valentines Day Library Lovers' Day.
It has been a festive start of the year for the APC library, with national Library Lovers’ Day celebrated on Monday 14 February. This is an annual day to acknowledge the happiness derived from having a relationship with books and reading. This Library Lovers’ Day, our new student Library Leader, Maia Ryks (8C), helped the APC Librarians select a range of books to be loaned as part of our ‘Blind Date with A Book’ activity. As part of this, students and staff were invited to come and choose from a lucky dip of books. For another element of surprise, we planted a famous love poem inside each wrapped book. We thank everyone for celebrating with us, and we hope you are enjoying reading your mystery books! We have also created a new and improved Library Inspire Club – this is an umbrella term for our former groups, Short Story Club and Walking Book Club. Led by Maia, every Monday at lunch the Library Inspire Club will alternate between discussing and dissecting a chosen short story or going for a stroll while listening to an audiobook. Any students wishing to join should email the library: library@albertparkcollege.vic. edu.au
STUDENTS AND STAFF WERE INVITED TO COME AND CHOOSE FROM A LUCKY DIP OF BOOKS. FOR ANOTHER ELEMENT OF SURPRISE, WE PLANTED A FAMOUS LOVE POEM INSIDE
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APC ALUMNI
APC ALUM INVESTIGATES THE MEANING OF LIFE
Those of you with long memories may recall Campbell Rider, school captain of our very first graduating class in 2016. We’re proud to announce that Campbell has been awarded a prestigious academic award – the Hastie Scholarship for philosophy at the University of Melbourne. The prize was for his B.A. Honours philosophy thesis on Molyneaux’s problem, which our readers of course know is on the question of whether tactile knowledge translates to visual knowledge – or to put it another way, whether people with visual impairment have a robust understanding of space. With his B.A. safely tucked under his belt, Campbell is beginning a PhD on the philosophy of biology at the University of Sydney. Working in the prestigious Griffiths Laboratory, he will be investigating the ontology of the category of living – which for the layperson means determining what makes something a living thing. When asked if this meant he was investigating the meaning of life, he nodded, wearily.
Campbell said in some ways his research stems from his days doing the Da Vinci Project, which asked him to think creatively and widely to make connections between science and everyday life. One of Campbell’s activities now is running the homework club at the Pascoe Vale Girls’ School, which he is expanding to encompass creativity and youth leadership. As he put it, he is channeling the spirit of APC!
If any reader wants to tell us about alumni of the school now doing interesting things, we’d love to hear from you.
WITH HIS B.A. SAFELY TUCKED UNDER HIS BELT, CAMPBELL IS BEGINNING A PHD ON THE PHILOSOPHY OF BIOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY.
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SHORT STORIES
IT CROWD ESCAPES BASEMENT
AT APC we like to use everyone’s full range of talents, and as part of this we’re letting Marcus Crisafi – one of the members of our IT Crowd – out of the basement (aka behind the Library Desk) and into the classroom. Everyone at APC will know of Marcus as the genius of the helpdesk, whose library workstation is always two or three deep with those whose IT equipment is misbehaving – or who have simply forgotten their password (again!). It’s no surprise his help is unfailingly successful because Marcus is an extremely qualified IT guru, with a degree in computer science and a major in software engineering from Swinburne University. Marcus is joining our STEM teacher Dennis Wang as a specialist technical computing adviser in our VCE Applied Computing subject. Computing is exactly the sort of subject that lends itself to this technical, real-world knowledge and experience and we’re extremely happy that Marcus has agreed to get involved. Who knows, it may even lead to a career as a teacher! ▲
Marcus Crisafi - IT wizz, guitarist, smoothie enthusiast and amateur picture framer.
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SHORT STORIES
RANDOM HAPPENINGS
SWIMMING WITH THE DOLPHINS Sometimes you just get lucky… In the first week of term, Year 7C and 7D leadership students were on their surfboards in the middle of a surf life saving class at Port Melbourne Life Saving Club when they were visited by a pod of dolphins. It’s the sort of once in a lifetime chance you can get when you’re at a bayside school.
YEAR-8 HELPING OUT WITH ACADEMIC RESEARCH In 2022, four of our Year 8 teachers will be taking part in a research study, run by Laureate Professor Jenny Gore at The University of Newcastle. The research focus is ‘Building Capacity for Quality Teaching in Australian Schools’ and we are thrilled to have some of our brilliant staff developing their own practice and contributing to the academic tapestry of education as a discipline. Participation on the part of students is completely voluntary and they would have received a permission slip recently if they are in a relevant class. If you have any questions or would like to know more, please contact Kate Merakis.
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SHORT STORIES
BAY TO PLATE INITIATIVE
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APC's project boat, a diamond in the rough.
At APC we’re always looking to connect with our local community and take advantage of our location 100 metres from the bay. A new initiative is going to do just that. Called Bay to Plate, it’s a partnership between the school and the Albert Park Yachting and Angling Club (APYAC) to teach students about boat repair, angling and restaurant standard food preparation. We’re incredibly happy to have such a great local club working with the college to develop our relationship further.
APYAC has sourced a Pompei-style wooden clinker fishing boat which our students will restore to full working order in our makerspace, learning valuable woodworking, engine repair and boat maintenance skills to give new life to this heritage vessel. The next step will be to run angling classes, teaching the art of fishing, with the catch being used by our food technology classes to teach the preparation of healthy fish.
One of the aims of the partnership is to encourage students and their families to gain knowledge of the club and consider becoming a member. Our resident fishing and sailing experts, Neville Boyd (School Facilities Manager) and Steven Cook (Principal) are taking a big interest in this project and have volunteered to be taste testers at the end of the fish production process.
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WRITER IN RESIDENCE
MEET APC’S WRITER IN RESIDENCE Kathryn Riosa Learning Specialist: Liberal Arts
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Saanjana Kapoor, former student and published writer.
IN 2022 APC IS EXCITED TO CONTINUE ITS WRITER IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM. The Writer in Residence Program has been developed in recognition of the vital role writers and reading play in our lives. The program has been designed to support local writers and promote their work, providing them with resources and writing space. OUR WRITER IN RESIDENCE FOR 2022 IS SAANJANA K APOOR. Saanjana Kapoor is studying a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne, majoring in Politics and International Studies. She is a 2021 One Girl Ambassador, Youth Advisor at the Centre for Multicultural Youth and a representative at the inaugural Youth National Security Strategy. To commence her residency at the College, Saanjana sat down with Kathryn Riosa to talk about her writing. A synopsis of the interview has been transcribed below. When did you first realise you wanted to be a writer? I am first and foremost a reader. Writing, while my greatest passion, is secondary to reading. I grew up reading, a pastime I engaged in obsessively. Growing up, I spent hours in the library and wanted to be like the authors I adored. In my final years of primary school and early secondary school, I started submitting to local writing competitions which encouraged and inspired my writing.
From where do you source your inspiration for your writing? My writing is inspired by any form of storytelling. Stories come from every facet of life - movies, books, exhibitions. My writing is informed by my engagement with the world. My writing is consistently grounded in a personal context and then extended to the political, cultural, social etc. How would you describe your writing? What type of writing do you enjoy and why? I identify as an emerging writer. I produce experimental writing as a means of trying to find and discover my voice. Creative nonfiction and poetry are the literary forms I most frequently produce.
I am drawn to the exploration afforded by these forms of writing. I enjoy reading memoir, personal essays, and experimental poetry. What does your writing process look like? I would describe my writing style as spontaneous. I try to capture ideas with a sense of immediacy and then come back to the idea to develop it fully and explore it. I find submission and publication deadlines motivating. How often do you write? I write daily. Though often much of this writing is analytical in nature, I am dedicated to embedding creative
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WRITER IN RESIDENCE
expression more regularly. This is something my residency at APC will support me in doing.
As a woman of colour and sister, I identified with the exploration and appreciated Bennett’s craft.
that I was lucky to experience as a student at APC. I am also really excited to be involved in the College’s LitFest.
What is your writing kryptonite?
Could you describe a formative reading experience for you?
Why is writing important?
There are a lot of challenges in being a writer. Some of the challenges I grapple with include writing habitually and themed submissions. You’ve had a number of your pieces published. Can you speak to this experience? What insights did you gain through the experience of publishing your work? The experience of receiving acceptance letters from literary journals is absolutely euphoric. The excitement of working with professionals in their fields, that is editors who will help you shape, refine and improve your writing is so invaluable. I truly cherish the learning experience that comes from the publication experience. I cannot express my gratitude for Australian journals who provide this platform for emerging writers. I take great pride in performing my work at writing festivals and magazine launches. Talking about my writing and learning about its reception is incredibly insightful and affirming as a writer. What is your favourite book? Who is your favourite author and why? This is a really difficult question to answer. I recently read and enjoyed Britt Bennett’s The Vanishing Half. It’s an intergenerational story exploring colourism, race, identity and sisterhood.
There are so many I can call on. The first that comes to mind is reading Khaled Hosseini’s novels. They were the first instance I can recall being moved and not just entertained by what I was reading. I liked that Hosseini’s narratives were informed by real life stories and experiences. The first friendships I forged at high school occurred around discussions about Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. I learnt in these exchanges that reading a book wasn’t a finite experience, that there was much to be shared, discovered and explored in the wake of the reading and relationships that came through this discovery. What advice would you give to aspiring writers? I would encourage all aspiring writers to engage with and read contemporary forms of writing to expand their understanding of the many forms of literary expression. I would also strongly recommend finding a writing community or group to collaborate with. What excites you about your residency at APC?
Writing as a form of storytelling. Storytelling helps us feel connected and helps us feel valued and seen. This I feel is more necessary now than ever before. Saanjana’s writing has been published in Voiceworks, Underground Writers, Island, Cordite Poetry Review and elsewhere. She sub-edits for Farrago Magazine and The Fodder Blog.
THE EXPERIENCE OF RECEIVING ACCEPTANCE LETTERS FROM LITERACY JOURNALS IS ABSOLUTELY EUPHORIC. THE EXCITEMENT OF WORKING WITH PROFESSIONALS IN THEIR FIELDS, THAT IS EDITORS WHO WILL HELP YOU SHAPE, REFINE AND IMPROVE YOUR WRITING IS SO INVALUABLE
I am looking forward to facilitating master classes and workshops. I want to provide the kind of integral experience
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VIS ARTS SHOWCASE
INSPIRED WORK FROM OUR STUDENTS
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VIS ARTS SHOWCASE
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FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE INFORMATION FOR PARENTS Every Victorian child should have access to the world of learning opportunities that exist beyond the classroom. The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps ensure that no student will miss out on the opportunity to join their classmates for important, educational and fun activities. It is part of making Victoria the Education State and the Government’s commitment to breaking the link between a student’s background and their outcomes. CAMPS, SPORTS & EXCURSIONS FUND (CSEF) School camps provide children with inspiring experiences in the great outdoors. Excursions encourage a deeper understanding of how the world works while sports teach teamwork, discipline and leadership. All are a part of a healthy curriculum. CSEF is 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. A special consideration category also exists for asylum seeker and refugee families. The allowance is 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 is: • $125 for primary school students
HOW TO APPLY
New applicants should contact the school office to obtain a CSEF application form or download from the website below. If you applied for CSEF at your child's school last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year unless there has been a change in your family circumstances. You only need to complete an application form if any of the following changes have occurred: • new student enrolments; your child has started or changed schools this year. • changed family circumstances; such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new siblings commencing this year. Check with the school office if you are unsure.
• $225 for secondary school students
MORE INFORMATION
For more information about CSEF visit: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/csef.aspx
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/ Pages/csef.aspx
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