Isn’t it great to have some warmth back in the air- it certainly helps put a spring in your step and no doubt improve a person’s sense of wellbeing. And with wellbeing being closely associated with outcomes, the warmer weather and taste of sunshine can only further support our student growth and achievements. If I can make an analogy, I am sure your gardens are out of control at the moment- thanks mostly to the recent dose of sunshine and warmer weather (do you remember learning about photosynthesis?). I know mine is. Our students too are the beneficiaries of the recent weather and thus are growing themselves at a rapid rate- long may it last hey!
This week our Year 9 students embark on their City Camp. The camp is to be held in Melbourne and has an action-packed program across the three days and two nights. It will be an amazing experience for all involved and I look forward to hearing of the stories upon the return on Friday afternoon.
I continue to be impressed with the positive and committed endeavours of our students completing their VCE exams. It is a high-pressure culmination of any young person’s schooling experience, but one that our students can rest assured will be a rewarding experience given the hard work that has been put in over many years of schooling to prepare for this moment.
This week we will also commemorate Remembrance Day, a day early, on Friday. This is an important ceremony where we pause to acknowledge and remember those service men and women who sacrificed to allow us all to live in the world that we live in today. Lest we forget.
Finally, I take pride in how our students and others from Newcomb Secondary College present in the local community. As a school we often receive positive communication from community members noting how impressed they have been following an interaction with Newcomb Secondary College students. It is important that we work together to model to our students the appropriate way to co-exist in the broader community. And in many ways Newcomb Secondary is seen as a leader in our community. To co-exist in the broader community a positive way comes down to meeting community expectations and values. As you are aware, the Newcomb Secondary College values are learning, respect and working together- values that align with our high expectations at Newcomb Secondary College, in the classroom, the yard and in the community. Whether our students are in the local supermarkets, shops, sporting clubs, skateparks, on public transport or in town, with family and/ or friends, we expect that they will continue to uphold our college values and be positive members of our wonderful community.
We are seeing an increase in students having their mobile phones on them during the school day. This is evident in the rise in:
lost and damaged phones
phone notifications on Compass
phones being used to pay in the canteen
families arriving at school to support their student or being notified of events before school has had the opportunity to contact home e.g. when a child is unwell
Unfortunately, all of these incidents mean students are breaching the Ministerial policy* relating to students using mobile phones during school hours.
"Students who choose to bring mobile phones to school must have them switched off and securely stored during school hours."
If your child brings a phone to school, please discuss with them our expectation that it is switched off and locked away in either their locker (which should have a functional lock) or one of our phone lockers for the school day. Both of these options are considered secure storage.
If your child has been using their phone to pay for their order in the Canteen, please organise a card or cash option. If your child finds themselves at school with no lunch and their phone as the only payment option, please ask them to see a member of the Principal Team or Student Support Team.
If we need to contact families during the day, we will call you. If your child is unwell, this will occur quickly. Contact with families may be delayed following an incident to allow for information gathering or for teaching staff to teach classes and call when their face-to-face requirements have lessened.
If your child needs to contact you, they will be able to call from either the front office or student support.
We thank you for your support in making sure we remain compliant with the Mobile Phone Ministerial Order.
Ms Montano Assistant Principal
Note * formally issued by the Minister for Education under section 5.2.1(2)(b) of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic)
As part of our VCE VM Community Project, we are organising a ‘Walk to School Week’. The aim of the project is to spread awareness of mental health & the positive benefits that exercise brings.
Starting on the 6th of November, we urge all students to walk to school where possible.
We would much appreciate it if you participate even if you don't usually walk to school.
This may include getting dropped off around the corner from school or even getting off at a bus stop one stop before your normal stop.
Homeroom teachers will be collecting data each day in home groups of how many people have walked to school each day & a prize will be awarded to the homegroup with the most students that walk that week!
Our Craft Club Year 7s and 8s are already looking forward to guiding the 2024 new Year 7s. We've started off this term with Halloween Trick or Treat bags and polymer clay jewellery making. It's been interesting getting to know the range of tools that the polymer clay kits come with and how to do marbling.
Term 4 2023 Polymer clay jewellery making (earrings, brooches, necklaces and keyrings).
Term 1 2024 Needle free knitting - Scarves using Lincraft Loopsie wool - all materials provided.
Term 2 2024 Cutting and sewing scrunchies, toys and draught stoppers - all materials provided.
Term 3 2024 Crocheting for beginners, making and exhibiting Amigurumi - all materials provided.
Amigurumi : (Japanese: 編みぐるみ, "crocheted or knitted stuffed toy") is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small, stuffed yarn creatures. The word is a compound of the Japanese words 編み ami, meaning "crocheted or knitted", and 包み kurumi, literally "wrapping", as in 縫い包み nuigurumi "(sewn) stuffed doll".
Term 4 2024 Polymer clay jewellery making (earrings, brooches, necklaces and keyrings).
We know access to high-speed broadband is a necessity in the 21st Century. Yet sadly many families and school students are still unable to access the internet at home and that this can place students at a significant disadvantage.
The Albanese Government is providing up to 30,000 families with free broadband for one year, as part of their plan for a better National Broadband Network (NBN). Already, 1,000 families now have home internet thanks to the School Student Broadband Initiative.
This helps ensure that students can reach their full potential, by helping them to stay connected at home so they don’t fall behind.
To check your eligibility please refer to the contact details below:
