Welcome to Term 3

I trust you all had a great break. The first week back from any holiday break is always filled with positive energy and a good vibe. This was certainly evident as I walked into classrooms and through the yard. As is expected, staff and students have returned refreshed and eager to share their holiday stories, reconnect with friends and recommence their learning. It is great to see.

For this newsletter article, I feel it is appropriate to share with our community the messages relayed to staff and students at our Welcome Back Assembly on Monday. The messages outline our collective purpose and the role we can all play in contributing to a positive learning environment and school experience. The speech was as follows-

Whole School Assembly Welcome Back Speech

Welcome back from your holiday break. It is so great to see you all back safe and well, ready and prepared for a positive semester of learning, growth, and achievement.  I trust you had a great time with family and friends during your break. I certainly look forward to hearing all about your holiday adventures over the coming days and weeks.

I also wish to especially welcome Ms Stuart, who will teach Maths and Science, Ms Marshall who will manage the Library and Ms Peters who is our new Business Manager. Please join me in welcoming those new staff to Newcomb Secondary College. I know that they are very excited to be part of the community.

Over the break, I hope you spent some time reflecting on Semester 1 and identifying your success stories and areas for improvement. I certainly did.

Your end of Semester reports, available on Compass, were full of information that would have assisted you with those reflections. I know so much as I read many of your reports over the break and I look forward in the coming weeks to passing out recognition letters to many of you for your learning achievements .

I ask each and every one of you to act responsibly with regards to the feedback and observations made about your learning. Consider the feedback constructively and determine realistic areas that you can set as goals in Semester 2. If not, that is if you refuse to accept or acknowledge the feedback, it renders the feedback pointless, and you will not be able to achieve any further positive growth. Positive growth, something all staff here at Newcomb Secondary College aim to assist you with, is in the title splashed on the front of the College (Creating Positive Futures) and it is contained in our collective purpose, a purpose you know as- The Positive Futures Framework. It is what we all aim for.

Together, as staff and students of Newcomb Secondary College, we strive to build highest order skills and attributes in all of the Positive Futures Framework capabilities.

With that in mind, Semester 2 is another opportunity for a new start. For many of you, you will have new elective subjects. For our Year 12 students,  it is an important time, your last semester of Secondary education. Further to this, Semester 2 will offer you all new and enriching excursions, different sport offerings, exciting camp adventures. You may have new teachers to learn from and learn with, new or different classmates, you may choose to participate in extra-curricular activities, such as Dance Club. All in all, Semester 2 offers you new opportunities and new experiences.

Whilst there is a lot of new activities in Semester 2, we must continue to maintain our high expectations of one another. To me, a highlight of Semester 1 here at Newcomb Secondary College was our collective focus and attention to ‘Good Order’. As you already know, our ‘Good Order’ focus is aimed to ensure that our school environment remains consistent with the Newcomb Secondary College school values and that we can all coexist positively and safely together as a school community. We all have the responsibility to contribute towards a safe and orderly school environment where positive relationships, growth and development can occur in both our classroom learning spaces and when interacting and enjoying unstructured time together in the yard.

It is especially important that Good Order continues to remain in place for each and every class - for each and every student.

Newcomb Secondary College Good Order

1. Line up outside classroom before each class with all learning materials
2. Enter room in an orderly manner, sit and remain seated, and keep devices shut until instructed to open by teacher
3. Respect the learning equipment. Leave room in a neat and tidy state
4. There will be opportunities in class for structured movement directed only by the teacher. At all other times, remain seated for learning
5. Students must not leave the classroom unless absolutely necessary and only if given permission by the teacher
6. Only one student will be permitted to leave the class at a time and must only do so with a 'Pass-out' card

So, just before we conclude this assembly and commence our learning for Term 3, I'd like to remind all students of our collective expectations of you as students of Newcomb Secondary College and why it is so important for us all to work towards.

The Newcomb Secondary College community has high expectations on you as students, parents/carers/community partners/industry partners etc. Your teachers have high expectations of you as learners and positive community members. Your peers have high expectations of you as respectful and supportive classmates and school members. I have high expectations of you in all those areas, as well as expectations of you being positive advocates and role models of Newcomb Secondary College.

As such, it is your challenge to start this Semester in a manner that ensures that your contributions towards your learning and the learning of others, as well as the broader school environment and community expectations is to the very highest standards.

You align with the Newcomb Secondary College values of Learning, Respect & Working Together

You continue to follow the ‘Good Order’ expectations at all times.

You present in correct school uniform always. No excuses.

You are respectful, responsible and act safely in the yard.

You support the learning of others and work in a positive way with teachers, learning mentors and wellbeing staff. All of whom are here to support you.

You are a leader and a positive role model.

Together, let us aim for a great Semester!

Have a great week!

Regards,

Mr McLeod

___________________________________________________

Mr Scott McLeod, Acting Principal
Mr James Murphy, Assistant Principal
Mr Jeremy Sinclair, Acting Assistant Principal

Term 3

Week 3 – Tuesday July 25^th – The Intermediate Concert Band will be performing at Leopold and Moolap Primary Schools during periods 1 to 4.

Week 5 – August 7^th – 9^th - Year 7 & 8 Junior Music Camp at Airey’s Inlet, staying at Angahook Holiday Camp. This camp is open for all instrumental music students from Year 7 & 8. This camp will greatly foster the development of each student’s performance skills on their musical instrument. It will be based mainly on band tutorial and rehearsal sessions with Year 7 & 8 students playing both as a combined and individual groups. If your child would like to participate in this camp, it is not too late to do so. There are a few places left to attend. Please contact Mrs Stabryla for further information asap. A reminder to parents that full payments are due asap before the camp start date. For any financial questions please contact the Office Manager.

Week 7 – August 21^st – 25^th Senior Concert Band Tour to Bendigo. The Senior Concert Band will be staying in Axedale and touring Bendigo and the surrounding areas to perform each day. Final payments are due within the next couple of weeks. For further information on the Senior Concert Band Tour please contact Mrs Stabryla. If you have any queries regarding the final payment, please contact the Business Manager.

Reasons why it is good to participate in a Music Camp or Band Tour:-

• Playing an instrument has shown to improve short and long-term memory, that will be enhanced quickly over the period away from the normal learning environment.
• A student will gain social and teamwork skills.
• It gives motivation and makes a student feel inspired by working with other students that are at, or above their level of performance.
• Enables students to make new friends from other classes and year levels that share a similar interest in music.
• Become a better musician.
• Grow in self-confidence by working in a team (band).

Term 4

Save the Date -

Annual Music (Bands) Concert for Family & Friends - October 17^th

This will be our annual Music Concert (Bands) in the Newcomb Secondary College hall for family and friends. 

All bands will be performing on this evening – Year 7 Concert Band, Year 8 Intermediate Concert Band, Senior Concert Band and Cold Fusion. Students will be required to be at school by 6.30pm to get organised for a 7.30pm start. I am giving early notice so that ALL music students in each band, can please make sure that they are available to perform in this concert.

On the evening, we will also be having a raffle for several food hampers. Could all families please donate items for the food hamper, if possible, either at the end of Term 3 or beginning of Term 4. Raffle tickets will be sold on the evening and the hampers will also be drawn then.

If you have any queries regarding the Music program, concert, etc., please contact me by email. cheryl.stabryla@education.vic.gov.au

Many thanks

Mrs Stabryla

All Year 10 students are due to receive their Meningococcal vaccine on 10th August 2023.

Consent Cards were sent home with your student yesterday. Forms are due back to the Newcomb Secondary College office no later than Monday 17th July. If your student hasn’t received a card, please contact the office for a replacement.

Thank you.

Kind regards,

Mrs Kaberry

NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The 2023 NAIDOC theme For Our Elders is a powerful tribute to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders - the cultural knowledge holders, trailblazers, nurturers, advocates, teachers, survivors, leaders, hard workers and loved ones.

Ms Honeywell

Please click to view PDFs

2023 Term 3 Regional Parenting Calendar

Ms Rusiniak