Newsletter Mount Eliza Secondary College Canadian Bay Road Mount Eliza 3930 Tel: 9787 6288 Fax: 9787 9888 Email: info@mesc.vic.edu.au Internet www.mesc.vic.edu.au Website http://www.mesc.vic.edu.au/Information/Newsletters/ newsletters_homepage.htm Editors: Geoff Petrie & Heather Hiam
20 February 2012
Volume 01/2012
This Newsletter is available in colour electronically on the College website and on the College intranet. Dear Parents, Students, Teachers and Members of the Wider School Community,
Welcome Back and Welcome! Welcome back to all our returning students for 2012 and a special welcome to all our new students joining us for the first time this year. All classes across all year levels have made an excellent start to the new school year, with the promise of even better things to come, following the rollout last week of brand new netbooks to every child across every year level in the College. The advent of this next phase of the technological revolution at Mount Eliza Secondary College is going to change once and forever the way many units of work are taught in all subject areas of the curriculum at this College. Our new Year Seven students have settled in very well in the newly refurbished Year Seven Learning Centre with a dedicated House-based learning space for each class, an entry foyer with occasional furniture, fish tank, undercover integrated locker area and direct access to Year Seven Coordinators, whose office is the central hub of the Year Seven Learning Centre. Parents are invited to pop in at any time by appointment to see our Year Seven children at work and to have a chat with the coordinators when they are available. Year 12 Results: Maintaining the Momentum I have published below a table of our Year 12 VCE results for the past six years. The table shows that we met and exceeded our goal for 2011 of achieving an average study score across all studies of 30. To achieve an all-study score of 30.4, coupled with a 7.1% level of individual study scores above 40, was the strongest overall VCE result of all government schools on the Peninsula and a great credit to our hard-working students and their teachers. These were clearly our best VCE results for many years. The improvement in English, where we achieved an average study score of 32.4, is nothing short of amazing. Having stated at the start of the 2011 school year that we needed to achieve a significant boost in both of these key areas, it is very pleasing to me personally to see how our teachers and students responded to this challenge and shows just what the students of Mount Eliza Secondary College are capable of. In 2012, we have set ourselves the even more ambitious challenge of achieving an all-study mean of 31.2, a rise of 0.8 on the excellent result we achieved last year. This will be very difficult to achieve but well worth striving for and our Year 12 teachers and students have made a great start already towards reaching this illustrious goal. YEAR 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
ALL-STUDY ENGLISH FURTHER MATHS MEAN MEAN MEAN 29.4 28.1 29.0 29.1 29.0 28.1 29.1 29.1 30.3 29.5 28.1 31.3 28.6 26.8 28.9 30.4 32.4 31.1 31.2 (target)
CLASS SIZES Our average class sizes this year are as follows: Year 7: Year 8: Year 9: Year 10: Year 11: Year 12:
24.5 23.5 24.5 22.4 20.9 18.1
These are all well within the government guidelines laid down for class size limits. At VCE level in particular, the smaller classes operating in many subject areas that cover the full breadth of studies at VCE level provide our students with the very best learning opportunities possible within the constraints of the resources available to schools. Expansion of the Instrumental Music Program Starting immediately, the College is very pleased to be able to offer Piano and Singing lessons to any students who would be interested in learning. Lessons are being offered to all students from beginners right through to VCE level standard. The cost is only $10 per lesson, paid weekly, as opposed to the standard private lesson fees paid to outside teachers of approximately $30 per lesson. Beginners will have lessons in groups of 2 or 3, depending on demand. We will endeavour to provide single lessons for students who have advanced to more senior levels of performance. For any further details or to register your interest in lessons, please see Laura Zimmerling, or register your interest with the front office.
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Discovery @ mesc 13TH March (evening) and 15th March (morning) This is an open invitation to all members of our school community and prospective members of Mount Eliza Secondary College’s Learning Community to attend one of our “discovery@mesc” events coming up in a few weeks’ time. It is an opportunity to see our school in action and to get a feel for what teaching and learning at Mount Eliza is really all about.
discovery@mesc Tuesday 13th March- 5.30pm in the MESC Library We warmly invite you and your child to visit our discover@mesc evening OPEN MORNING Join us on Thursday 15th March 9.00am to 10.00am to tour the school during class time and see the school and students in action, followed by morning tea in the library
www.mesc.vic.edu.au Focus Areas for 2012 This year, all our teachers have made the following three strategies to prioritise their planning and teaching for the school year. They are: • 1. The use of evidence to inform teaching practice, • 2. Developing the skills of teachers to provide personalised learning, and, • 3. Strengthening our students’ connectedness to their learning community. In particular, with regard to the third of these goals, every teacher this year will be involved in at least one lunchtime, after school or out-of-school hours activity designed to build our students’ and parents’ sense of belonging to a community. Two events that have already been organised are “Coffee Club Connect” and “Home Harvest Exchange”. More details regarding both of these events can be found elsewhere in this newsletter. Look forward to hearing more details about these and other community events as they unfold throughout the school year. Coniz Santana Secondary College: Our Sister School in Lospalos Timor Leste Talks are progressing with the establishment of a partnership that will be of mutual benefit to the students of both Coniz Santana and Mount Eliza Secondary Colleges. Communication between the two schools is made difficult by the fact that Coniz Santana has no power, no computers and no postal service, but Barbara Godfrey from the Mornington Peninsula Shire visited East Timor a few months ago and took a welcome package from Mount Eliza that was presented to the Principal of Coniz Santana. We have previously agreed to raise the funds to sponsor a graduate from Coniz Santana to go to Bacau Teachers College for three years at a cost of around $1000 per annum. We currently have $1400 that we have already raised towards this cause. We are currently contemplating a visit to Coniz Santana in June/July next year along with Barbara to establish first-hand contact with the Principal, teachers and students of Coniz Santana. There are many possible advantages for the students of both colleges in fostering this relationship. Cheryl Jackson, Head of the Student Leadership Program, and Karli Sellenger, Head of LOTE, are keenly excited about the prospects for our school of forming closer ties with Coniz Santana Secondary College. Last week we forwarded a payment of $1000 to Coniz Santana to cover the university costs of Aleixo Jeronimo who will hopefully graduate in three years’ time as a fully qualified teacher in the first batch of locally-trained local teachers.
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Victoria Police Youth Development Corps Following a number of conversations between Constable Chris Dawson and myself over the past few months, the Chief Inspector of Frankston Police has agreed to establish a unit of the Police Cadets and Drum Corps at Mount Eliza Secondary College from the start of the 2012 school year. This will be funded through the Advance Program funds already available to this College. Last week Constable Chris Dawson presented a 30-minute outline of the VPYDC program to all Year Eight students and invited them to apply. There are 23 places available and we received 43 applications. An interview process was conducted to select the 23 successful applicants and the program commences in earnest this week. Netbook Rollout Last week over four evenings the staff of Mount Eliza Secondary College distributed a netbook to every student in the College, from Year Seven right through to Year 12. This is a very ambitious and exciting project. I particularly want to acknowledge the work of Russell King, Rhonda Keysers, Kevin Hunter, all the ICT team and all the staff who volunteered their services every night last week to distribute these netbooks. Every student will be bringing their netbooks to school on a daily basis, starting from Monday 20 February and teachers will be able to take advantage of this technology to further enhance the delivery of their curriculum at all year levels. It is a very exciting, if not slightly apprehensive, time for all involved. The Pledge Phil Larkins has been working with a group of students to establish an anti-bullying pledge that all students will have the opportunity to sign up to. Pledge Week is 5th to 9th March. More details about Pledge Week are included in a separate article in this newsletter. “STAND UP, DON’T STAND BY!” Swimming Sports A very successful Swimming Carnival was held last week. House spirit was very strong and participation rates were very good. The winning House was Kimmuli (Green). A full report of the swimming sports will be included in the next newsletter. Mini Working Bee On Saturday 18 February from 9:00am – 12:00, an enthusiastic crew erected a 10-metre long post and rail fence up near P10 to create an outdoor recreational/learning space for the Year Seven students, as an extension of the Year Seven Learning Centre. My thanks to Michele Leonard (parent), Oscar Leonard (Year Seven student), Andrea Leonard (Head of Year Seven), Peter Crapper (Year Seven Coordinator) and Shane Goodridge (Facilities & Maintenance Manager) who all helped with this project. STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL FOR 2012 The SRC would like to welcome all students and parents back to school. We are so happy to be representing Mount Eliza Secondary College this year! We have a lot to look forward to and can’t wait to let you in on our plans and projects for 2012. Lachlan Freestone and I have been voted as School Captains and will be supported by Morrison Bent and Brittany Roberts (also the SRC President). We will work hard to represent the students of MESC and will also work closely with teachers and parents on issues that concern us all. Thank you for your time in reading this and keep an eye out for more details about events we will run throughout the year! By Lauren Wells, School Captain Year 8 Captains Vice Captains BOYS
Liam McLoughlin
Matthew Roper
GIRLS
Deborah Hill
Tia Mclean
Year 9 BOYS
Captains Nicholas Carrick
Vice Captains Max Fosten-Swan
Deputy Vice Captains Amy Whyte
GIRLS
Indi-Lea Mclean
Tanisha O'Brien
Maddie Stock
Year 10
Captains
Vice Captains
BOYS
Matthew Higgins
Henry Kemp
GIRLS
Dominique Waight
Alannah Baker
Year 11
Captains
Vice Captains
BOYS
Nelson Felsinger
Jared Smith
GIRLS
Leah Bourne
Natasha Sharp
Year 12 BOYS
Captains Lachlan Freestone
Vice Captains Morisson Bent
GIRLS
Lauren Wells
Brittany Roberts
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2012 Scholarship Recipients Each year Mount Eliza Secondary College awards scholarships to students from each of our local Primary Schools. I would like to congratulate the following students on being the recipients of our 2012 scholarships.
MOUNT ELIZA NORTH PRIMARY SCHOOL
Morgan Minchin Ryan Baker
MOUNT ELIZA PRIMARY SCHOOL
Alexander Young Haniya Djagar Khodja
KUNYUNG PRIMARY SCHOOL
Oscar Davies
DERINYA PRIMARY SCHOOL
Ryan Coppard Terralee Halbert
Year 9 Mindware Camp This year all of Year 9 will be attending a summer camp as part of their Mindware course. The camp will be held from Monday 27 February through to Wednesday 29 and will be at the Grampians Retreat, just outside of Dunkeld, near the Grampians National Park. It will be the first summer camp of this sort that Year 9 Mindware have had for a number of years and we are hoping it will be a great success. The students will be able to enjoy the facilities of the retreat, bunking down in cabins and tents and they will have amenities blocks at their disposal. All set on 31 hectares of bushland . They will be able to swim and bushwalk as well as participate in other activities such as the flying fox, giant swing and rock climbing. All year 9 will be attending camp along with their Mentors and it should make for a fun and very interesting time. This term in Mindware, students are focussing on making friends and team building and during camp, activities will be centred around this idea. Everyone in Year 9 is expected to attend camp and will miss out a whole of fun if they do not. Plenty of great times and memories, not to mention a few funny photos, should be had in the Grampians. Mentors are really looking forward to using this time to get to know their students.
State School Spectacular 2012! Mount Eliza Secondary College has been accepted to be involved in the State School Spectacular which will take place on September 8th at the Melbourne Tennis Centre. Twenty dancers from the college will be selected to take part in a huge extravaganza involving 3000 students from State Primary schools and Secondary colleges across the state. It is a fantastic opportunity for our students to be involved in such a creative project and to have the chance to work with top professionals and meet many other students from other State colleges in Victoria. More updates to come in the next newsletter. Kathryn Nightingale
Student Accident Insurance The Department does not provide personal accident insurance for students. Parents and guardians are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including any transport costs. Reasonably low cost accident insurance policies are available from commercial insurers. The Department cannot advise parents/guardians on whether to purchase a student accident policy or which policy to purchase. It is recommended that they seek assistance in this matter with their insurance broker or find a suitable personal accident insurer in the Yellow Pages or online.
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PLEDGE WEEK We wanted to let you know of an exciting event that is happening at MESC on the week of the 5th of March. Our Student Leaders (with help from our Wellbeing Team including Ang, Ang and Garry) are organising a Pledge Week. What’s a Pledge Week? Our Pledge Week is about stamping out bullying in all its forms. Our motto for the week is Standing Up not Standing By. During this week there will be many activities which promote students taking a more active role in preventing students being bullied both online and physically. While these activities will be a lot of fun the message is a more serious one and centres around the students taking a pledge. These words were developed by our Student Leaders and reflect a commitment to a safe and caring school. We have been given a grant from School Focused Youth Services which has enabled us to resource these activities and provide students with wristbands to show their commitment. You will hear a lot more about the Pledge in the coming weeks so stay tuned and please talk with your children about STANDING UP not STANDING BY! Mr Larkins
This is for me My friends today And my friends tomorrow Bullying needs to stop! I won’t back down, I’ll stand up I won’t stand by and let bullying take control I care I can help change things I can be a leader I see bullies, I see the tears It has to stop Help us work towards a world with no bullies Bullying affects us all Bullying hurts Bullying leaves scars, often unseen But working together we can prevent those scars I know sticking up for someone is the right thing to do My name is _____________________________________ And I won’t stand by I WILL STAND UP!
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Mount Eliza Secondary College
COFFEE CLUB CONNECT
om ys o r aff uesda arch t S . n —T 0 th M i m a m Ad m-10.00 March, 2 vided
for parents
h pro 0am 8.3 ry, 6t ents rua reshm b e ef tF s R 1 2
CONNECT with parents CONNECT with staff CONNECT with your school community Drop in to the Administration Staffroom anytime between 8.30am and 10.00am on the above Tuesdays and enjoy a cup of coffee/tea as you connect with your school community. Meet other parents, speak with available staff, listen to guest speakers, take a tour or just enjoy a chat! -6-
HOME HARVEST EXCHANGE When: Where:
Friday, 24th February Mount Eliza Secondary College Portable 4 at front of College Canadian Bay Road, Mount Eliza
Time:
3.30pm— 3.30pm—6.00pm
Bring your excess home grown fruit and vegetables to swap with others for produce that you require. Mount Eliza Secondary College, in conjunction with Mornington Peninsula Shire are hosting this event. A VCAL Student Initiative -7-
International Program The International Program has made an excellent start to the year. The college currently has 27 International students from China, Germany, Japan, Thailand, France and Norway, with a student from the Philippines due soon. New Students for 2012 I would like to introduce the following International students to MESC for this year. Andrew Musgrave, Assistant Principal, Head of International Program
Clarence Zhou
Alex Kukuk
Jasmine He
Jade He
News From Sickbay... Welcome back to the start of our new school year. Hopefully it will be a happy, healthy and productive year for us all. Sickbay hours are from 10 -3 pm, however if there are any students requiring attention outside these hours Vicki Coppock will be in attendance. To our new families, there are a few things that I would like to bring to your attention. If your student becomes unwell or is injured at school, please reinforce to them that they MUST report to sickbay and not call home themselves. It is important that we know where our students are at all times and I will call you if necessary should they need to go home. If your student has been vomiting or has a temperature before school, please keep them at home as they are not well enough to be at school. Please keep us updated with any medical issues that your student may have, so that we can care for them in the best possible way. This includes medical, surgical, injury or psychological issues. Year 7 students will have their 1st round of vaccinations on Monday 5th March ( Hepatitis B, 1st dose and Gardisil 1st dose) Please make sure all vaccination cards are returned to school whether your student is having the vaccination or not. The 2nd round of vaccinations will be on 7th May for both year 7 and 10 students and the last round of vaccinations on 3rd September. Please contact the school nurse at any time if you have problems or anything you wish to discuss. Jill Stainforth, ( School Nurse) Secondary School Immunisation - Information for Parents The Department of Health immunisation website has a new fact sheet titled Secondary school immunisation information for parents at: http://www.health.vic.gov.au/immunisation/factsheets/secondary-school-immunisation.htm The new resource assists parents to be aware of the school-based immunisation program for Year 7 and Year 10 students, what they need to do, and how they can access free vaccine for their child if the vaccine is missed at school. The fact sheet can be used at all schools and health services providing immunisations and seeing adolescents. It is important for adolescents to complete their childhood immunisation schedule with these vaccines for protection against vaccine-preventable diseases. For information and fact sheets on vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine types and side effects, see the Department of Health’s immunisation page: http://www.health.vic.gov.au/immunisation
Financial Assistance for Parents/Guardians with Children Commencing Prep or Year 7 in 2012 Financial assistance for parents/guardians with children commencing Prep or Year 7 in 2012 Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA): The Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is provided by the Victorian Government to low-income families to help with education-related costs. If you have a child under 16, and hold a valid Health Care Card, Pension Card, or are a foster parent, you may be eligible to receive the EMA. The allowance is split evenly between the parent and the school, and is paid in two instalments, one in March and one in August. The parent portion is often used for uniforms and excursions, while the school portion may be used for expenses such as textbooks, stationery and special programs. You can elect to have the parent portion of the EMA paid into your nominated bank account or receive a cheque. In 2012, the total annual amount is $235 for primary students and $470 for secondary students – these amounts are split evenly between the parents/guardians and the school. How to Apply: Contact the school office to complete an application form for the EMA/School Start Bonus. Forms can also be downloaded from the School Website Closing Date: Parents/guardians with prep or year 7 children commencing in 2012 need to lodge an EMA/School Start Bonus form before 15 December, 2011. For late enrolments, applications will be accepted up until 29 February 2012. -8-
UNIFORM SHOP The New and Second Hand Uniform Shop Opening Times During School Term: Wednesday 8.15am—10.30 am & 1.00pm—3.45 pm First Sat of each Month - 9.00am – 12.00 pm Telephone: 9788 6240 Orders can be completed online Email: sales@fcw.comlau www.fcw.com.au
**ABSENCE LINE** STUDENT ABSENCE LINE PHONE NUMBER IS 9788 6290 Access 24 Hrs a day, 7 days a Week
TERM DATES 2012 Term 1
2 February - 30th March
Term 2
16th April -29th June
Term 3
16th July -21st September
Term 4
8th October -21st December
IMPORTANT DATES TERM 1 2012
Monday 20 February
•
School Photos
Tuesday 21 February
• •
Senior Sport Coffee Connect Club for Parents 8.30am-10.00am– College Staffroom
Wednesday 22 February –24 February Wenesday 22 February
• •
Year 7 Camp Year 12 Information Night 7pm
Monday 27,28,29th February
•
Year 9 Camp
Thursday 1 March
•
Year 7 Parents Evening 6pm for 6.30pm start
Tuesday 6 March
• •
Parent Teacher Night Years 7 & 12 Coffee Connect Club for Parents 8.30am-10.00am– College Staffroom
Friday 9 March
•
PD Day (No students Required)
Monday 12 March
•
Labour Day (No Students)
Tuesday 13 March
•
discover@mesc 5.30pm
Thursday 15 March
• •
District Swimming Sports Open Morning 9.00am discovery@mesc
Monday 19 March—23 March
•
Cultural Diversity Week
“You can now follow us on Twitter and Facebook to find out about upcoming events at the College” http://twitter.com/mtelizasc http://on.fb.me/zWNp06
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Watch for additional menu items , Combos and special discounts on the Daily special Board located in Canteen and Daily Bulletin
Juice Box 200ml Fruit Juice 300ml Fruit Juice 500ml Milk Plain 300ml Milk Plain 600ml Flavoured Big M 300ml Flavoured Big M 600ml Cool Ridge Water 600ml Assorted cans 375ml Diet Drinks 600ml Flavoured Iced teas Smart Water Assorted Gatorade Sports Assorted 600ml Hot Chocolate, Tea and Coffee
BEVERAGES
Large Cookies Mini Muffins Texan Muffins- Blueberry, Apple Cranberry Assorted Slices - Hedgehog, Apple, Cherry
Slices Cakes and Muffins
Available to order: Please complete pre-ordering form and present to canteen before end recess Fresh Fruit Salad Sushi Assorted Rolls
Salads
Focaccia – Chicken or Ham with Lite Tasty Cheese Mediterranean Vegetable
Focaccia
$1.50 $2.30 $3.30 $1.50 $2.40 $2.00 $3.00 $2.00 $2.20 $3.00 $3.00 $3.50 $3.50 $2.00
$2.60 $2.20 $3.20 $2.80
$3.50 $3.00
$5.50 $5.50
Natural Popcorn 30gm Red Rock Deli Chips Assorted Fresh Fruit in Season
Snacks
Paddle Pops Fruit Snaps Icy Twists Jelly Cups Chocolate Mousse Frozen OJ Cups Paddle Pop Thick Shake Splice Yogurt with Honey Muesli Calippo Tube Magnum Range
Ice creams
$1.50 $2.30 POA
$1.40 $1.30 $1.30 $1.50 $2.50 $1.00 $2.30 $2.60 $3.20 $2.20 $3.80
SANDWICHES , WRAPS & ROLLS Sandwiches, Wraps and Rolls are made to order. Please Complete the Pre-Order form available from the canteen before end Recess.
Not all items may be available on the day, we recommend pre-ordering your selection
Daily Specials Please see Daily Special Board Price as indicated on the Daily Special Boards
Steamed Dim Sims Oven Baked Hash Browns Savoury Pin Wheels Party Pies or mini Sausage Rolls Pastizzis (Spinach and Cheese) Mega Sausage Rolls Gourmet sausage roll Baked potato with Sour Cream SR Hot Dog with Sauce Homemade Quiche Wedges with Sour Cream and Chilli Sce Gourmet pies various flavours 100% Beef pie Bacon Cheese and Egg Roll Vegetable Pie Cheese and Spinach Roll Nachos with Salsa and Sour Cream Sate Chicken Roll LF Beef Burger -Beef Pattie, Cheese, lettuce, TS Light Vego Burger Cheese tomato & lettuce Chicken Schnitzel Burger lettuce & mayo Garlic pitta pizza bread Warm Sweet Chilli Chicken wrap Ham & Cheese Croissant Sauces and extra dressings
HOT FOOD
Blue Apple Catering Vic @MT Eliza SC
Hot meals can be Pre-ordered Please complete ordering form before end recess
$0.90 ..2 for $1.50.. 3 for $2.20 $1.30..2 for $2.20 $1.10 $1.00..2 for $1.80..3 for $2.50 $1.60 $2.70 $3.30 $3.50 $2.50 $3.50 $4.00 $4.00 $3.50 $3.50 $3.50 $3.80 $4.00 $4.80 $4.00 $4.50 $5.00 $1.00...2 for $1.50 $5.00 $3.50 $0.30