Newsletter- Term 4 Week 5 2024

Feedback Week

It is hard to believe that this week marks the middle of Term four. It is our Feedback week and is a timely opportunity for students and parents/ carers to review the feedback provided via our Positive Learning Qualities (PLQ’s) released on Friday and reflect upon what has been achieved, what should be celebrated, and the work that lies ahead. It is an important juncture when, as a support team, all avenues for further growth and improvement should be planned for and implemented. The year will fast come to a close and it is always very important to ensure that all students finish off the year well.

VALA Presentation- great recognition for Newcomb Secondary College!

Last week I was fortunate to welcome twenty-five visitors to the school as part of the Victorian Applied Learning Association (VALA) ‘Safari by the Sea’. The participants on this event were staff from school across Victoria and visited Newcomb Secondary College because of our best practice Careers Education and Pathways Programs, including P-Tech. It is undisputed that Newcomb Secondary College is the envy of other schools for what we offer students and how we provide the supports in ensuring successful outcomes into the 21^st Century World of Work is achieved by all. Our visitors were very impressed with our Positive Futures Framework (see below), used as a guiding set of skills and attributes that we develop in all students aligned with what is necessary in the world of work and within our continually evolving communities- local, national and across the world. Likewise, our visitors were full of admiration, and very envious of the Getting Ready for the Outside World (GROW) and Pathways in Technology (P-Tech) programs. It is fair to say that our connections with Industry and our commitment to offering our students the best shot at success beyond their Newcomb Secondary College experience, along with our programs that make this a reality, is most definitely unrivalled at any other secondary school setting.

A product of Newcomb Secondary College, Mr Lachie Rollo is a prime example of an outstanding outcome. Lachie is employed at IXL- Metal Castings (a NSC P-Tech partner). Just recently Lachie was awarded AFI Victorian Achiever of the Year 2024 in an awards ceremony staged in New Zealand- well done and credit to you Lachie, you have a bright future ahead of you!

Have a great week!

Regards,

Mr Scott McLeod

Principal

Newcomb Secondary College

We deeply appreciate the efforts of our parents who consistently support their children in attending school and engaging with their education. Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership in helping us create a positive and productive learning environment for all our students, ensuring the best possible outcomes for your children and for our school community. Your commitment makes a significant difference!

If you have any questions regarding attendance or require any support or assistance, please contact the school on 5248 1400.

Thank you!

Hannah

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

𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋 𝐈𝐌𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐔𝐏 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊

If your child has missed out on their school-based vaccinations, it’s not too late to catch up!

Secondary school immunisations are provided free to students in Year 7 and Year 10.

Catch up for secondary school immunisations is free up to 19 years of age.

Barwon Health Immunisation Service will offer a catch-up week at different venues around Geelong from Monday 25^th November to Saturday 30^th November 2024.

This is open to any Year 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 age students up to 19 years of age, who has missed their immunisations at school.

Booking links for the extra sessions:

Barwon Health North:

Tuesday 26^th November 3.30pm-6.30pm and Friday 29^th November 3.30pm-6.00pm, Barwon Health North,

https://www.trybooking.com/CWAIM

Bellarine:

Thursday 28^th November, BASC (Bellarine Aquatic Sports Centre), 3.30pm-6.30pm

https://www.trybooking.com/CWBZQ

Belmont:

Monday 25^th , Wednesday 27^th, Friday 29^th and Saturday 30^th November, Barwon Health Vaccination Centre, Belmont

https://www.trybooking.com/CWCAE

Students can also book in at any of our weekly regular clinics via our webpage:

https://bit.ly/BHImmunisation

To see if your child is due for any vaccines, check your child’s immunisation history statement on the Australian Immunisation Register using your MyGov account.

If your child is over 14 years of age, they will need to access their immunisation history statement themselves through their own MyGov account or the Medicare mobile app.

Learn more about school-based vaccinations and why they’re important:

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/immunisation-in-secondary-schools

Dental Week is just around the corner!

No more juggling appointments or taking time off work. Smile Patrol is visiting Newcomb Secondary College to provide onsite dental care in our mobile dental van —super convenient!

Smile Patrol offers free dental health education for all children. If your child qualifies under the Childcare Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS), they may receive free treatments based on remaining benefits. If they aren't eligible, we'll reach out with options for a private checkup.

To sign up hop online https://smilepatrol.com.au/consent-form/ and complete the consent form by the deadline 22^nd November. DON'T MISS OUT!

Contact information:

For more information, please feel free to contact us.

Email: info@smilepatrol.com.au

Whooping cough

Whooping cough cases are continuing to increase across Victoria, particularly among school-aged children. Whooping cough is a very contagious infection, mostly spread through coughing or sneezing. Symptoms include:

· blocked or runny nose

· tiredness

· mild fever

· severe bouts of coughing, often followed by a ‘whooping’ sound on breathing.

Whooping cough can lead to life threatening infections in babies.

If your child is unwell, they should not attend school. Please see a doctor if you or your child develops whooping cough symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment will help reduce the spread of the infection.

Students diagnosed with whooping cough must not attend school.

To reduce the spread of infection and to protect others within the school community, students diagnosed with whooping cough are recommended not to attend school for 21 days after their cough was first present, or until they have taken a full course of antibiotics prescribed by a doctor (usually a 5-day course).

If your child is diagnosed with whooping cough, please contact the school to let us know.

I hope we can work together to protect the whole school community by following the recommended advice.

For more information about whooping cough, refer to Whooping cough on the Better Health Channel – see link below.

Vaccination is the best way to reduce the risk of whooping cough. The Department of Health recommends staying up to date with immunisations, including booster doses. A free booster dose of the pertussis vaccine is covered under the national immunisation program for students aged 12 to 13. If you are unsure about your child’s vaccination status for whooping cough, please discuss with an immunisation provider, such as your doctor.

We really appreciate your support in keeping our students safe and well.

For more information, refer to:

• Better Health Channel, for information about whooping cough symptoms, prevention and Victorian eligibility for free booster immunisations
• Increasing pertussis (whooping cough) cases in Victoria
• Local Public Health Units.

Hello today I'm going to talk about the Year 7 Boys' Cricket which occurred on Monday the 28th of October. At the start of the day, our first match was against Belmont High School, and we won the toss and decided to bat. We were off to a good start with our batters and then after the innings were over, they unfortunately got on top of us, but the most important part was that we all had fun. After that we had a little snack and went onto our next game which was against Oberon High School. We also won the toss and started batting. We had a good time playing that one then we were bowling. We won most of that game, but they unfortunately narrowly beat us. We got some wickets though and had a very fun game. Our last game was against Grovedale Secondary College but that was just for laughs. 

The day itself was very fun and exciting. Everyone enjoyed themselves. Some highlights of the day were Brock hitting his first four in his first ever cricket match and Noah Jackson getting a wicket with Xavier Falvey, Hayden Brooker and I. For some people, it was their first ever game of cricket which was fun for them. On behalf of the other students and I, I just want to say thanks a lot to Mr Bell and Mr Stafford for coming along and organizing the fun day for us all.

By Antonio Scaffidi (73)

Students gained valuable industry insights this week when Grant Kruger, Construction Director of the Regional Rail Revival project (Djilang Alliance), visited our Year 7 GROW class. As part of their Future Suburbs unit, students learned firsthand about effective team management in large-scale infrastructure projects. Mr. Kruger shared his experiences leading multiple teams within the extensive rail project, offering students practical insights into successful project management. Our enthusiastic Year 7s engaged in a lively Q&A session, deepening their understanding of teamwork and infrastructure project planning.

Rio McDonald

Learning Specialist - Transformative Education (Pedagogy)

GROW Learning Area Leader

VCE 11 & 12 History Teacher

From Monday the 11th to Thursday the 31st various students ranging from year 7-10 got the opportunity to partake in the SmArts with Mob Deep program. This project was supported by the Smith Family.

We were shown a live performance by Dallas Woods, an incredible indigenous rapper who made this four-day experience great. Dallas Woods and Dion Brownfield (A founder and Co-Director of Indigenous Hip Hop Projects & Specky Dreaming) taught us all about the equipment used by them in the music industry. We were able to listen to some of Dallas’ songs and delve into what being a music artist is about, how their songs are created, all the effort put in and the finance side of everything.

Those in the program got to write their own songs, coming up with lyrics unique to each individual, which revolved around summer. We each wrote and sang/rapped 3-5 lines which were featured in our final song, Dallas and Dion would help us lightly modify our lyrics to match with each other to come up with the best song possible.

This definitely felt like a safe place where even people who were really nervous to go up and sing in front of others managed too. We were also provided with free snacks which was a great bonus.

The students who are able to play instruments demonstrated these incredible skills in the backing music. On the final day we got to perform our song to other people from the school as well! Overall, our experience was great and is definitely recommended for other students to do in the future if given the opportunity, it truly was something you wouldn't want to miss out on.

This article was written by the Song Writing Workshop Participants

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

The Newcomb Secondary College Library opens at 8.30 a.m. every weekday morning before school and is open every recess and lunchtime (2nd half) throughout the year. There are spaces to read comfortably, complete homework and to take part in library clubs.

We have a wealth of board and card games and a fantastic number of Clubs running weekly - Monday Clubs include Chess Club (Student-Led) and Circle of Friends Book Club. Tuesday Clubs include City of Greater Geelong 'Games, Trivia and Karaoke sessions' with Ms Vanessa Davis and Ms Noor Al-Assafi. Geelong Regional Library Corporation's Newcomb Branch Young Adult Librarians run special workshops fortnightly on Wednesdays throughout the year with themed book and craft sessions (Valentines Day, Halloween and Christmas for example). Ms Laura Farrington and Mr Cameron Wilson share their love of Manga and Anime with a regular group of student attendees at these sessions. Our students in particular enjoy Cameron's origami workshops! Miss Marshall's Library Craft Club runs on both Thursdays and Fridays throughout the year (Term 4: Polymer clay jewellery making and special event crafts such as Halloween lanterns).

Library Opening Hours

Monday to Friday

*Open from 8.30 - 3.30 p.m.

*Open at Recess

*Open 2nd half lunchtimes (reading/board and card games/clubs).

Term 4 Regional Parenting Calendar

Deakin University is celebrating turning 50!

Our unique identity in balanced excellence in education and research has been driving lasting change for a better future since 1974. Join us as we launch our anniversary year with a celebration where the University first began. We welcome our alumni, students, staff and the wider Deakin community to attend. This free, family-friendly community event will be held at Deakin University, Waurn Ponds Campus.

Come and experience:

• Live children's entertainment
• DJ
• Food trucks and bar
• Free kid's activities and face painting
• Market stalls
• Spectacular fireworks display

Bring along your picnic rug to enjoy the outdoor festival.

Visit Eventbrite to secure your FREE tickets!

deakin.au/festival

Please contact deakin50@deakin.edu.au for further information.