Newsletter- Term 2 Week 11 2024

End of Semester

Today I had the privilege of addressing the Year Eight and Year Nine students at their Year Level Assembly. At the assembly, many students were commended or their impressive achievements. First and foremost, we celebrated students for the way they have navigated a long term yet remained focussed on completing their learning tasks and growth activities. We also applauded all students for the improvements made to their presentation in full school uniform and for their positive contributions to the classroom environment, school climate and good order expectations. We set about a journey in 2024 of High Expectations and to this point I can proudly say that students have risen to the task.

On Friday students, parents and carers will have access to the college End of Semester Reports. As always, I encourage you and your student to take the time to reflect upon the achievements, growth and feedback together and set appropriate goals in preparation for Semester Two. Please note, students have an early dismissal on Friday with the school day concluding at 2:30 pm.

Mobile Phone Policy

This week, the Newcomb Secondary College Leadership team have informed all students of the strengthening of the actions in NSC's Mobile Phone Policy that will be implemented at the commencement of Semester Two. The information has been well-received by students and compliments the preparatory communications that we have shared with our community through our college newsletter.

We will be sharing further details and information with all college community stakeholders this week and at the start of Semester Two. Students were reminded that the expectations within the policy remain the same, we are strengthening the actions which is in-line with Government Ministerial Orders and Department of Education Policy which is there to support our students with their learning and wellbeing.

We noted with students that we live in a society that have expectations, policies, and consequences. Equally, we all live in family and care environments that have expectations of us to ensure that we can all co-exist in a positive and healthy manner together. We believe it comes down to values. Our core values as a school are Learning, Respect and Working Together. The strengthening of the Mobile Phone policy actions is a further way in which we can continue to learn together, show respect for self and others and all work together in a positive manner. The evidence linked to 'why’ this is important for students in today’s world is comprehensive, relevant and cannot be ignored. As a school, we will continue to support and educate our students on the risks and rewards of social media linked to their learning and wellbeing and establish positive supports to assist all students should challenges arise in this space. We know that as parents and carers, you too support the cause, and we extend the invitation to you all to assist us as a school so that together we can implement the strengthening of the Mobile Phone policy actions successfully.

The strengthened Mobile Phone policy will commence at the start of Semester two and will be phased in over Weeks 1 and 2 of Term 3. The following information was presented to students at the Year Level Assemblies this week.

Our Expectation:

• All NSC students are expected to have their phones off and away for the full school day. This extends to cellular watches, headphones and earphones.

Why?

• Since 2020 there has been a mobile phone policy for all government schools. The policy means phones brought to school must be switched off and stored securely during the school day.
• The aim of this policy is to provide:
• a safe environment to learn without inappropriate mobile phone use (including cyberbullying) or distractions
• greater opportunities for social interaction and physical activity during recess and lunch times.
• The use of technology is important, but the risks and benefits from its use need to be managed.

Staged Implementation (Weeks 1-3)

Responses to a Mobile Phone Policy Breach

The purpose of our proactive transparency with strengthening our actions which are soon to be implemented is to provide opportunities for our college community (staff, students, and parents/ carers) to best prepare for a smooth transition. We appreciate that for some students changing existing dependencies or habits will be a challenge, but it is one that is for the right reasons, and one that together we will all (staff, students, and parents/ carers) provide support with.

Have a great last week of term and a fantastic break over the holidays!

Regards,

Scott McLeod

Principal

Newcomb Secondary College

81-85 Bellarine Highway | Newcomb 3219

T: (03) 5248 1400 | F: (03) 5248352

Creating Positive Futures

Attendance

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are approaching the end of term and I wish to thank each and every one of you for your connection to our school and for the commitment and hard work you show every day in supporting your children to be present and ready to learn.

For Term 2, we have 12 students with perfect attendance of 100% and 68 students above 95%; a huge congratulations and thank you to these students and their families.

A few friendly reminders:

· If your student has any outstanding ‘unexplained’ absences for Term 2, please access the Compass portal to view and enter reasons for these absences.

· If your student must be absent, please contact the office as soon as possible on the same day.

· Please avoid booking family holidays during the school term – please do so during the school holidays.

· Please aim to only keep your student home if they are too unwell to attend.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your student’s attendance, or if you or your student requires any support with school refusal, please contact the school on (03) 5248 1400 or the school’s attendance officer.

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday break,

Hannah Demopoulos

Hannah Demopoulos

Attendance Officer

Newcomb Secondary College

Newcomb Secondary College is fortunate enough to have a Doctors in Schools Program running 2 days a week.

We have both a GP, and Mental Health Nurse that attend onsite to run a clinic on a Tuesday and Wednesday. This clinic is for any student in Years 7-12. The appointments are bulk billed, meaning that there is no cost to families.

Appointments can be made by either contacting the schools Wellbeing Team or calling Bellarine Community Health on 5253 0400.

Students may access this service to address any of the following:

• Physical pain or issues
• Health lifestyle (sleep, diet, nutrition, exercise)
• Mental health
• Sexual health and contraception
• Sexuality and gender identity
• Body image
• Scripts

If you would like to know more, please contact Jane Osborne in our Wellbeing Team.

Jane can either be reached by contacting the school office, or via email at jane.osborne@education.vic.gov.au

Jane Osborne

Newcomb Secondary College

Student Wellbeing & Engagement

Ph: 5248 1400 | 

E: Jane.Osborne@education.vic.gov.au

Welcome!

This health content is brought to you by Doctors in Secondary School.

Please find the selected resources from your healthcare team below. These resources offer a trusted source of relevant health information. We hope you find them helpful and informative.

This week's focus is on how to help a young person experiencing bullying.

Bullying is repeated verbal, physical, and/or social behaviour by one or more people towards someone where there is an intention to cause fear, distress or harm. Family and friends can play a critical role in supporting young people involved in or experiencing bullying.

To learn more, visit the webpage by, clicking here

COGG Parent Education Events Term 3 2024 PDF

The After School Homework Club is in Room B2 every day except Thursdays. Students are welcome to attend to catch up on classwork, complete homework, receive individual tutoring or to work with classmates on a group project. They may attend for 15 minutes to sort out just one problem or they may attend right up to 5pm to accomplish a greater amount of learning. Those who attend will be awarded a positive learning chronicle (with reward token) and will be offered food and hot chocolates!! 

Mr Curnick

On Thursday the 27th June (the last Thursday of Term 2) we will be having a Casual Dress Day with a touch of red for the Australian Red Cross. This is for our CLP Project which is our Community Learning Project that we had to come up with and complete as part of the leadership camp that I went on in Term 3 of 2023 (year 9). This will be a gold coin donation for anyone that wishes to come in Casual dress with a touch of red, the gold coins will be collected during period 1. There will also be a donation box set up so if you wish to donate more you can. The money raised from both this and the guess the lolly jar will be donated to the Australian Red Cross. We have chosen the Australian Red Cross to raise awareness for everything that they do, as they are big in the community and helping people to get to where they need after community disasters as well as a homelessness program to help people. The Red Cross is a volunteer program which is where the donations would be able to help them and provide them with more things if they need.

- Talisha Brooker

Student Representative Committee Update

In Term Three the SLAM team, school captains and house captains have some big events planned. This will make the term more enjoyable and help build a positive community spirit at the college.

The Newcomb Secondary College Olympics will be held in Week 3 from the 29th of July until the 2nd of August. The week will consist of house-coloured Olympic based competitions. Over the week the winning houses of each activity will accumulate points and the leading house at the end of the week will be crowned 2024 NSC Olympics champions. This will be a great event to bring together the school community and build house spirit.

The prize for the winning house is going to be funded by collecting the 10c cans and bottles, therefore the more cans and bottles collected, the bigger the prize! Students can collect cans and bottles via the box in the refectory, or members of the community are able to donate via your local can collection depot points.

It would be greatly appreciated if you could choose Newcomb Secondary College next time you collect your 10c bottles and cans!

You are able to donate your funding from cans and bottles to Newcomb Secondary College via the CDS app by registering via the instructions below.

Charity Donation

You can donate via the CDS Vic West app. Just download the app, select Charity Donation as your payout method, and choose your preferred charity. (Select Newcomb Secondary College)

1. Scan the barcode before you start your session.
2. Insert your containers and select “Payout” on the screen when you’re done. The charity will receive 100% of your donated refund within 1 week.
3. This is what you will see when you have downloaded your app and set up Newcomb Secondary College at the active payout.

Simply scan your barcode when you deposit your cans and bottles, and Newcomb Secondary College will benefit from your deposit.

We’re excited to let you know that entries for the 2024 Insight Creative Writing Competition are OPEN. If we have any budding writers from Years 7–12 at our school, please enter! We’d love to see your work.

Here is a quick reminder of the guidelines Insight have made to help students get even more creative with their entries.

• All year levels have an upper limit of 1400 words. There is no minimum word limit.
• We accept other creative writing forms in addition to short stories, including poems, scripts and more.
• This year’s theme (Beauty in the unknown) is optional, giving entrants the freedom to write about anything that inspires them.

To download the submission form and view all conditions of entry, please click below.

DOWNLOAD CONDITIONS OF ENTRY AND SUBMISSION FORM

COMPETITION KEY DATES

Entries open: 18 March 2024
Entries close: 1 September 2024
Longlist announcement: 18 October 2024
Shortlist announcement: 1 November 2024
Awards ceremony: TBA

We’re looking forward to hearing about your stories soon! Good Luck!

Here are some more contact details for the Insight Team

INSIGHT PUBLICATIONS

3/350 Charman Road, Cheltenham 3192 VIC AUSTRALIA

p. +61 3 8571 4950 | m. 0413 131 842 | w. www.insightpublications.com.au

* Tuesdays (Weekly): CBCA Shadow Judging Book Club with Miss Marshall - members only at this stage as we prepare to vote for our favourite Older Readers Fiction books.

CBCA Sun Project: Shadow Judging – Young voices welcome here

* Tuesdays (Weekly): Games Club - Board games, movies, karaoke and popcorn!

Joining in and having fun is central to the success of Games Club. Run by Vanessa (City of Greater Geelong) and Ms Noor Al-Assafi (our Newcomb Secondary College Social Worker), we have an outstanding turnout of students enjoying the warmth, friendship and fun in the school library every Tuesday lunchtime.

This week's Games Club 25/06/24 was based on a Disney Trivia Quiz. It was very well attended! Well done to Vanessa (City of Greater Geelong) and Ms Noor Al-Assafi (our Newcomb Secondary College Social Worker) for bringing the students together!

* Wednesdays (Fortnightly): Geelong Regional Library with Ms Laura Farrington and Ms Naomi Ford

Manga, mysteries, trivia games and craft are on the table when Laura and Naomi are visiting from Geelong Regional Library Corporation. Newcomb Secondary students particularly enjoy using their badge maker machine and special activities like Easter, Halloween, Christmas and Idahobit Day crafts. We are very fortunate to be right next door to Newcomb Library where Miss Laura Farrington is the Children's and Youth Services Librarian. 

* Thursdays (Weekly): Craft Club with Miss Marshall

* Fridays (Weekly): Crochet Club with Mrs MacArthur