Newsletter- Term 4 Week 8 2023

Year 11 Exams

Can you recall those end of year exams? Do you remember what it was like preparing for them, sitting them and then waiting anxiously for the result? Well, this week our students in Year 11 embark on their own Unit Two Exams. Exams are an important part of a subject, a school year and an important part of life. Why may you ask? Are exams nothing more than a matter of testing one’s recall you say? Yes, you are correct. Exams are designed to test the recall of students; however, the recall is tested under the added pressure of time constraints. Now, whilst the result is of importance, it is not the do-or-die many seem to think exam results are. For the true learning and outcome of an exam process is the preparation, application and reflection. Exams allow students to organise their learning to assist their recall. Exams challenge students in a pressure situation. We live in a busy world and most of us have busy minds. To be able to organise our thoughts, our learnings and then call upon this knowledge efficiently and accurately under pressure is a skill that will ensure that all students can problem solve effectively later on in their lives when required. Good luck to our Year 11 students- I know you will do well.

What a SLAM dunk!

I wish to take this opportunity to recognise and thank the Student Leadership Action Meeting (SLAM) team for their exceptional contributions towards the college in 2023. The SLAM team meet regularly with Mrs Wray and Mrs Stoneley during Home Group throughout 2023 to discuss and action opportunities that benefit the entire student population and the school. As a result of this investment in leadership, we are starting to develop a really effective group of student leaders in Years 7- 12 at Newcomb Secondary College- something that we are very proud of. Not only are we seeing such fantastic growth in the individual leadership capacity of those involved, but equally the leadership collective growth of the group is very impressive. And that can only bode well for the college. I can’t wait to work with these leaders once again in 2024 and look forward to seeing what we can achieve together!

Ride-A-Thon (FINAL results)

They pedalled hard, they rode fast but there could be only one winner….and the winner is Drysdale! Team Drysdale travelled a combined total of 491.5km across the week, near on 70km further than their nearest rival Team Wills. Overall, our NSC House riders managed to navigate over 1600km, a distance equivalent to travelling from Newcomb SC to Byron Bay (see map below)!

Congratulations to the SLAM team for staging the event and of course, well done to all the participants who jumped on the bike in the spirit of good healthy House spirit!

1st Drysdale- 491.5km CONGRATULATIONS!

2nd Wills - 422.8km

3rd Curlewis- 346.2km

4th Harrison - 339.6km

GRAND TOTAL - 1,600km (check out the attached map)

Have a great week!

Regards,

Mr McLeod

Principal

Mobile Phones at School

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)

Immunisation catch-ups.

Dear Parent/Guardians,

Secondary school immunisations are provided to students to reduce their risk of contracting preventable diseases and some cancers. Health advice regarding immunisations recommends students receive the following:

Year 7

• Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine (one dose)
• Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (one dose).

Year 10

• Meningococcal A, C, W, Y vaccine (one dose).

There are a few students in years 7 to 12 who may have missed these important vaccines. This puts students at an increased risk of illness.

If your child missed out on their school-based vaccinations, please speak to your GP or local council immunisation service Barwon Health (03) 4215 6962 about how they can catch up.

To check if your child is due for any vaccines, refer to their immunisation history statement on the Australian Immunisation Register, using your MyGov account. If your child is aged over 14, they may need to access their immunisation history statement themselves, through their own MyGov account or the Medicare mobile app.

New HPV vaccination resources to assist young people with disability.

Young people with disability should have the same access to preventive healthcare and immunisations as everyone else. Vaccinations can be stressful, and there are sometimes unique barriers for people with disability.

Cancer Council Victoria, in consultation with Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Scope Australia, has developed the following resources for parents and carers to improve the vaccination experience for young people with disability:

• Help your child with disability get the HPV vaccine (fact sheet).
• Supporting your child with a disability with vaccination (videos).
• Preparing for school vaccinations (social story).

Be Bold Be Heard

Our wonderful girls in the Be Bold Be Heard group have now completed their three forums and presentation to the rest of the BBBH 2023 cohort.

Throughout this time, the girls have been researching and planning their project to implement across the school and influence a positive change.

The BBBH girls have put together a SAP (Sexual Assault Prevention) and consent awareness day for Thursday, 23^rd November 2023. The day will include gold coin donation casual dress (wearing a hint of teal or purple where possible), an interactive information session and a bake sale at lunch time.

We will also be running a raffle, with a variety of prizes (1^st prize = a Maggie Beer BBQ hamper). You can purchase tickets for $1 each from the BBBH girls or Mrs. Stoneley until the first half of lunch on Thursday. The raffle will be drawn in the second half of lunch on Thursday.

Money raised will go towards a local charity that supports sexual assault and domestic violence.

Please see below for the posters the girls have created and displayed around the school.

Thank you for supporting another student led initiative!

The year is drawing to a close, yet our young Ceramic and Mosaic artists are still busily completing their individual projects.

We packed and are firing an earthenware glaze kiln today, so will be holding our collective breaths until we open the kiln up on Wednesday.

Exciting times.

Ms Su Honeywell

Newcomb Secondary College

The Year 8 Humanities students were treated to a day at Big Rock at the You Yangs Regional Park on Wathawurrung country last Thursday.

On the day we were greeted by beautiful, big blue skies, enormous, undulating granite rocks, open spaces on which to walk, as well as magnificent flora and fauna. I find it to be a dreamy, timeless environment.

Our research area this term is to investigate landscapes and landforms as well, try and understand significant geographical areas from a European and First Nations perspective.

Ranger Maddy was passionate about her role and was generous with sharing knowledge about the area.

The Year 8 students over the course of the day settled into the wilderness experience and appeared to enjoy all that the great outdoors has to offer. We shared a big morning tea and lunch so we could approach the day in a thoughtful, energetic manner.

Thanks to Mr Unmack, Ms Millis and Mary for accompanying us on the day.

Mrs Honeywell

Newcomb Secondary College

We know access to high-speed broadband is a necessity in the 21^st 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: