APC Newsletter June 2023

NIGHT OF NIGHTS FOR OUR YEAR 12 s

YOUTH ARTS CAMPUS REACHES TENDER MILESTONE

A crowd of about 60 people attended an information evening in Albert Park recently to learn more about the new youth arts precinct planned for Gasworks Arts Park.

They heard from Principal Steve Cook, architect Graham Burrows, and representatives of the Victorian Schools Building Authority.

The tender has been delayed by rising construction costs and some planning issues, but the VSBA told the meeting that the project would go to tender shortly.

The cost to fit out such a world-class precinct will be significant, and we continue to seek the community’s support to purchase equipment such as:

• State of the art sound, lighting and projection technologies for theatre and exhibition spaces

• Professional level musical instruments

• The latest in back-of-house staging

• Quality seating for the 350-seat theatre and smaller studio

Can you help? As the end of the financial year approaches, it’s good to know that all donations are tax deductible.

DONATE HERE

IMPORTANT DATES

FRIDAY 23 JUNE

Last day of Term 2

Students dismissed at 2.10pm

MONDAY 10 JULY

First day of Term 3

MONDAY 10 JULY TO FRIDAY 14 JULY Senior Snow Camp 1

THURSDAY 13 JULY

Senior Years Expo Danks St campus

THURSDAY 27 JULY AND FRIDAY 28 JULY Music Concert

Memo Music Hall, St Kilda

MONDAY 31 JULY TO FRIDAY 4 AUGUST Senior Snow Camp 2

SATURDAY 12 AUGUST

Year 6-7 SEAL testing Gym, Danks St campus

SOPHIA HAS A GLOBAL VISION

Year 10 student Sophia Amin is not afraid to think globally.

The 16-year-old, who is also a year-10 Ambassador, is attending the UN National Youth conference in Perth during the school holidays.

Sophia is one of 20 Victorian students in Years 10-12 invited to the conference after sitting a series of interviews recently.

Sophie said getting the news that she had won a place “was amazing”.

“I’ve always had an interest in leadership, and the conference will give me a chance to improve my leadership skills and learn how to advocate for others,” Sophia said.

“Being able to network with other students from across Australia and New Zealand will be great.”

Sophia is being sponsored by Albert Park Rotary Club.

32 CAMPS ENRICH OUR CALENDAR OF EVENTS

What makes a great school? Certainly strong academic results – something we’ve got covered. But there’s one other thing: a vibrant culture marked by extensive enrichment activities.

Why is this important? Because students who have their interests stimulated at school are more likely to be engaged in their learning.

It’s also an important way to create healthy, fit, positive well-rounded citizens with knowledge of the environment and experience of the world.

Recently this has become an issue in the news due to the requirement to pay teachers and staff additional or time in lieu for attending camps and after hours extra-curricular events.

As a result, sadly, some schools have had to cut back on such activities. At APC we have made such events a big priority.

As you will see in the following pages, there is so much going on at the school to give everyone something to look forward to and gain confidence in:

• LitFest 2023, which was held a week ago and attracted a big crowd

• Book Week, which held numerous activities to encourage a love of reading

• Athletics Carnival, where our sports department provided a fun and competitive day of track and field events

• 2023 Dance Show – 'Thoughts of Nanushka, Vol I-VI' – held at the Lawler Southbank Theatre last Thursday and Friday. Our dancers are truly amazing.

And all this follows on from events held earlier this year, like the Swimming Carnival, interschool sports competitions such as rowing, the Drama Ensemble evening and almost

weekly musical events and lunchtime student-led concerts.

We’re incredibly pleased that amidst all the turmoil over school camps around the state, we have maintained a full suite of camps to attend. In fact, this year there will be no fewer than 32 separate camps – from local ones like the Year-12 Study Retreat and the Wilson’s Prom Hike all the way to

the New Caledonia French Immersion Study Tour and the Inspire Study Tour of Europe, which will take in England, France, Belgium and Germany.

As I write this column, the first of our 2023 ski camps for parents and students is trying out the early season conditions at Mt Buller.

Few schools are able to offer such an amazing set of camps, certainly few state schools.

I’m so proud that APC is a place of such amazing energy.

Steven Cook

Principal

Foundation

APC HAS CONTINUED ITS VIBRANT CAMPS PROGRAM

BIG NAMES DRAW A LITERARY CROWD

The APC LitFest attracted another big crowd on 9 and 10 June.

The annual event is a tribute to the power of the written word, which this year brought together acclaimed novelists Sarah Krasnostein and Laura McPhee Browne and talented singersongwriter Hanna McKittrick, who were all interviewed by APC students.

All three writers spoke of the power of writing to connect people to others and to establish your own inner identity.

As Sarah Krasnostien put it: “If you want to understand the complexities of the world, you need to understand the complexities within yourself.”

What did we learn from the evening? Several big things:

• Writing is you, it is your identity, yourself, your person

• Writing is also others – it is connection, relationships, each other

• Writing is, above all else, understanding – knowing ourselves and knowing others, and when we understand art, poetry, music, stories, we know the world.

It would be remiss not to mention the traditional owners acknowledgement speech delivered by APC student Joe Stacy, who recognized the Aboriginal people as the original storytellers.

The literature festival was a lovely night that left everyone with a profound understanding of the supreme value of stories.

We thank all the APC teachers and staff for helping to make LitFest happen and all the parents and community

members who came along and made it such a well attended event.

Thanks also to the Rotary Club of Albert Park whose secondhand book market raised $1700 for APC.

JOE STACY WELCOMES THE LITFEST AUDIENCE, AND AUTHOR SARAH KRASNOSTEIN CHATS TO LEAH OGUNSANYA AND AGNES MCCALLUM

Petra Gibson, year 10

OUR LOVE OF BOOKS SHINES THROUGH

Each year the library staff organise a range of activities to celebrate our shared love of books, as part of Book Week

The week featured many new fun events, including a haiku hour, bookface, book trivia and a book scavenger hunt.

Congratulations to Gabrielle Scully (above), who won best dressed in the book dress-up parade. She was awarded one jar of marmalade from Paddington Bear (librarian Haydyn Jones), a book voucher and a ticket to LitFest.

The Library also recently took a select bunch of students to the local St Kilda library as part of a collaborative project which trained students in how to select and catalogue books.

This project is an ongoing resourcesharing initiative between our two libraries to promote reading and books.

It’s another great example of APC’s community connections.

A FINAL CHANCE TO DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY

Earlier this month our final year students enjoyed the biggest social event of the year – the Year-12 Formal.

As always, it was a great evening of fun, celebration and dancing. Our school captains made great speeches encouraging their fellow students to enjoy the year and make it one of success.

It was a wonderfully inclusive evening in which everyone joined in and had a great time.

The vibe was so infectious that our year-12 coordinators Nicole Kelly, Olivia Young and Tamara Palfrey couldn’t be held back from the dance floor.

We thank them and all the students and staff responsible for organising such a fabulous event.

PICTURES: WILL CHEN

STAFF AND STUDENTS

ARCHIBALD PRIZE WINNER INSPIRES YOUNG ARTISTS

Guest artist Lewis Miller recently visited our Year 9 Art classes to inspire students as they worked on their Expressionist Portraiture unit.

Lewis, who is a past winner of the Archibald Prize, gave students a great opportunity to see an artist in action by painting portraits of several students who volunteered to be his models.

We're grateful to Lewis for sharing his talent and inspiring our young artists in such a meaningful way.

Stephanie Dimofski

HOUSE SPIRIT HITS THE TRACK

The athletics carnival was a day full of house spirit as students displayed their skills on the field.

By the end of the day Flannery and Freeman were battling it out for first place which resulted in a difference of 27 points between the two.

Freeman took the crown with 1528 points. Flannery followed closely behind with 1501 points and Winton in third place with 1005 points. Winton –back to the gym!

A big congratulations to all the students and teachers who have participated in house events so far this year.

There are many more exciting house events to come, so remember to keep an eye out for details on the house hub located on the portal.

THOUGHTS OF NANUSHKA DOMINATE THE STAGE

After months of rehearsal, the APC Dancers last week delivered their fantastic new performance to full houses at The Lawler Theatre in Southbank. The Dance Show is of course always one of the creative highlights of the APC calendar.

In keeping with the college’s creative traditions, “The Thoughts of Nanushka” is an original APC production, choreographed by our Artist in Residence and experienced industry professional Jordan Bretherton. The dance is based on the poems of Nan Whitcomb, who writes under the name Nanushka.

The performance expresses the thoughts of people from all over the world, regardless of their age, gender, race or faith, expressing memories

of a broad range of emotions and reminiscences about loved ones in past, present and future tense.

No fewer than 22 dancers from years 7 to 12 who participated in the show. We wanted to give a special mention of our senior dancers who have worked so hard at perfecting their craft over several years: Annabella Plano, Charlotte Richardson, Evie Cunningham, Haylee Winduss, Kate Peterson, Mia Kamarinos and, and Sophie L’Enfant.

Our dance coordinators Nicole Kelly and Meran Paice and the APC team who supported them did an amazing job once again and the college thanks everyone involved for their dedication and creative drive.

OUR APC DANCERS WOW THE CROWD AT THE LAWLER THEATRE

RACHAEL PONDERS THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION

You might expect that after another busy term, leading teacher Rachael Gore would be using the school holidays to to put her feet up and recharge her batteries.

Instead, she will be flying to Canberra on July 7 to discuss the future of education with the nation’s education leaders and policy makers.

The Canberra gathering has been organised by federal and state education ministers, who have set up an Expert Review Panel to recommend where the national focus should be directed to close gaps in educational outcomes that deliver world-class schools.

The expert panel has been asked to engage extensively across the schools sector and seek ideas and advice from students, teachers, school leaders and support staff, education unions, national education agencies, nongovernment sector school stakeholders, parents, carers, youth and student bodies, and governments.

Rachael was chosen by the Victorian Education Department to represent public school teachers in discussions.

The expert panel will deliver a final report to all Education Ministers by 31 October. So it might mean Rachael has to head back to Canberra in the September school holidays for another meeting.

That’s dedication worth applauding!

If you would like to have your say on the future of education, complete the survey being conducted by the Expert Panel. It closes this Friday, June 23.

LEON DEFIES GRAVITY TO WIN NATIONAL TITLE

Year 8 student Leontin Moumèn Denanto is taking his love of sport climbing to new heights.

Leon was one of 55 young climbers who represented Victoria in the national youth championships in Sydney recently.

Leontin’s favourite discipline is lead climbing, in which you aim to climb as high as possible without falling while clipping your safety rope into safety points as you move up the course.

After being third in the qualifiers, Leontin outclimbed his seven rivals to take out the competition.Watch out, Spider Man! Leontin has you covered.

BASKETBALL TEAM FIGHTS TO THE FINISH

A team of boys from years 9 and 10 fought hard at the recent Victorian College Basketball championships in Nunawading recently.

The boys, chosen to represent APC at the championships, played with determination and teamwork to win all their round robin games before narrowly losing in the semi-final.

The team is part of the APC Basketball Academy, which has been part of the school since its opening in 2011.

This year, the academy boasts a squad of more than 70 basketballers who train under the watchful eyes of head coach Darcy Daniels and are led by captains Tom Harrison and Victoria Petersomn.

The academy offers two morning training sessions to students of all abilities. Sessions are conducted at either MSAC or the Danks St campus.

CAMP PROGRAM IS POW(D)ERING AHEAD

Last week, 60 enthusiastic students headed to Falls Creek in the hunt for snow. And it looks like they had a (snow) ball!

Congratulations to students on their positivity and on mastering tobogganing, skiing, snowboarding and monster snowman building.

Thanks must go to the accompanying teachers and parent helpers Ms Merrylees and Mr McQuaid.

It’s just one of three camps scheduled during the snow season as the APC camps program hits full stride.

Already students have taken part in camps such as the year-12 Study Retreat, year-9 Land and Water Camp, year-12 Outdoor Ed hike, year-11 Murray Paddle, Horse Riding camp and, most recently, Junior Snow Camp.

Semester 2 camp planning is well underway. Here’s what’s on offer for the rest of the year. Keep an eye out for emails and Compass for more details.

TERM 3

Camps

Senior Snow Camp 1: 10-14 July

Senior Snow Camp 2: 31 July - 4 August

STEM Canberra Camp: 26-28 August

New Caledonia French Immersion Study tour: 9 September

Inspire Study Tour (England, France, Belgium, Germany) Group 1: 7-28

September

Inspire Study Tour (England, France, Belgium Germany) Group 2: 14 September - 5 October

Year-9 Expeditions

Borneo: 4-18 September

New Zealand: 5-12 September

New Caledonia: 5-12 September

Flinders Ranges and Kangaroo Island: 7-15 September

Outback Queensland: 5-15 September

Great Barrier Reef: 5-15 September

Grampians: 5-6 September

TERM 4

Year 10 Camp: 9-12 October

APC Families Hike: 28-29 October

Land and Water Camp Moorabool: Date TBC

Great Victorian Bike Ride: 25-29

November

Year 7 Camp: 4-7 December

Year 7 High Challenge Camp: 4-7

December

Year 8 Camp: 11–14 December

Year 8 High Challenge Camp: 11–14

December

France Exchange: 4 December –24

January

OUR MUSO MAESTROS MAKE THEIR MARK

APC is incredibly lucky to have so many talented professional musicians on its teaching staff.

And when they’re not teaching, they’re hitting the stage on local, national and international tours.

Here’s a glimpse into what’s coming up in the professional world of our busy music maestros.

HANNAH CAMERON

Having recently released her stunning single ‘Take The Blame’, APC veteran Hannah Cameron is soon to release her second album.

Hannah also works as a session musician and supreme backing vocalist, having recently joined Missy Higgins on her national tour, sharing the stage with Paul Kelly and Vika & Linda Bull. Hannah also played on The Paper Kites’ upcoming record and will be touring with them overseas later this year.

The next single from her album will be released in two weeks.

MATT DIXON

Another APC veteran, guitarist and pedal steel player Matt Dixon, can be heard on most Melbourne records. Working as a session musician and performer, he’s recently toured with Jim Lauderdale, and will be joining The Paper Kites on their North American tour this July, playing parts he recorded with them for their new album.

Matt also recently released his own album, ‘On Olympic’, a lush instrumental soundscape that speaks to time and place.

Matt also plays in bands with most APC staff, like Emilee South, Hannah Cameron, Holly Thomas and Liam McGorry.

EMILY SOUTH AND MATT DIXON WITH THEIR BAND (LEFT), AND HANNAH CAMERON (BELOW)

LIAM MCGORRY

Trumpet player, producer and multiinstrumentalist Liam McGorry joined APC this year. He plays with and produces many artists such as Dorsal Fins, Ella Thomson and Adrian Eagle, as well as releasing music with his own dream-funk project, Ex Olympian.

Liam just played a huge show with Jen Cloher, and is soon to join Australian icons, You Am I, on their national tour.

EMILEE SOUTH

Emilee South, in her fifth year at APC, fronts a post-punk rock band, with Matt Dixon on lead guitar. The first single from their debut album will be out in September.

Emilee also plays bass in garage-punk band The Hot Blood, and with Mimi Gilbert, Loni Rae Thomson and other local bands.

Croatia and Portugal, just to name a few.

Sophia will be adding luscious violin to Eggy’s mesmerising live set as well as electric guitar and synth.

Sophia also tears it up with her own band, Sledgehammer, who have a new album in the works, as well as playing lead guitar and singing with garagerock icons Bad Bangs.

HOLLY THOMAS

Holly Thomas, one of our wonderful drum teachers, plays and tours with many Melbourne bands, including Quivers, Baby Velvet, Georgia Knight, Kat Edwards and Husky to name a few. Holly is currently about to embark on two east coast tours with both Quivers and Husky.

Holly worked on the creative team for ABC TV show ‘Turn Up The Volume’, as well as making an appearance on

following the release of her 2018 debut album. She draws inspiration from her all-time favourite musicians including Regina Spektor and Matt Corby.

She has worked and played with a number of local and international artists.

Steph will be joining local singersongwriter Rachael Comte for her anticipated album launch ‘Tell Me Mother’ on July 2.

JONATHAN BROWN

New to APC, Jonathan Brown has taken on the role of bass/guitar teacher with a focus on versatility, variety and strong fundamental foundation of the instrument and theory.

You can join the fan club, and get a Rottweiler Tee or a fan club membership card from colleague Fiona Wright (who has kindly bought a stash to share with APC staff and students!).

SOPHIA LUBZCENKO

Sophia Lubczenko will soon be joining surrealist-experimental pop band Eggy on their southern European tour, playing at festivals in Italy, Spain,

screen, which also featured APC’s own, ‘Mansplainers’.

STEPHANIE MASCETTA

Steph Mascetta is a beloved voice and ensemble teacher at APC. Her passion lies in building rapport with students and working with them to cultivate their musical identity.

Steph is a singer-songwriter who is in the process of writing new music

Jonathan is an active musician in the Melbourne music scene and draws from his experience to create awareness of his students' role in music with an emphasis on time, rhythm, sound and dynamics to help create a cohesive and collaborative band sound.

With 'Local Legends' as the theme for this year's annual APC concert on July 27-28, Jonathan is excited to work with both the Senior Jazz Ensemble and bring a collaborative performance of the Junior Contemporary Band and Asha Fonteyne’s String Ensemble to life!

HOLLY THOMAS (BELOW LEFT) AND SOPHIA LUBZCENKO (ABOVE)

APC COMMUNITY

PROUD FAMILIES GATHER FOR DA VINCI EXHIBITION

A big crowd of proud and curious parents and family members came to the Bay St campus last week to help make the Da Vinci Exhibition a big success.

The Da Vinci curriculum asks students for a creative response to an important environmental issue, and our students put heart and soul into their work.

The result was many wonderful artworks and performances on display, not to mention some top-class music from our student musicians.

You can check out some of their fantastic original work on this page.

TICKETS LOCATION

MEMO MUSIC HALL, ST KILDA

JUNE 27 - 7PM

JUNE 28 - 7PM

MEMOMUSICHALL.COM.AU