Principal’s Report — 18th March 2016
March 18th 2016 #02
Wine & Cheese Evening
Contents
Principal’s Report
1
Assistant Principal’s Report
2
Admin Matters
Open Day & Expo Evening
Outdoor Ed at Rye Pier
Peninsula Speaks Article
Year 12 Team Building
YES Program
Year 7 & 8 Creativity
BSL Saver Plus Offer
Easter Holiday Guide
Student Wellbeing
Community Announcements
Advertisements
Dates to Remember
Thursday 24th March
End of Term 1 - 2:30 finish
Friday 25th March
Easter - Good Friday
Monday 28th March
Easter Monday
Sunday 3rd April
Daylight Savings ends
(Clocks go back 1 hour)
Monday 11th April
Term 2 starts
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It was really great to see so many parents (and staff members) come to the recently
run School Board Wine & Cheese Evening. This is the first event of its type that
has been organized by our School Board parents and it was a great success with
many parents attending and interacting with each other and members of staff. The
success of this event can be attributed significantly to the enthusiasm and drive of
outgoing School Board President Jade Lees-Pavey and staff member Sab Holman.
Student Learning Devices (SLD) – 1:1 Netbook Program
On Friday of last week we began the rolling out of a new make and model of
device (Microsoft Surface Pro 4) to our enthusiastic Year 7 students. By the time
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you read this newsletter article all Year 7 students who have signed up for the
program will have been issued with their SLD. We have access to enough Surface
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Pro 4 devices for all Year 7 students so please contact the college if you would like
to take up the opportunity to be part of this great program. A limited supply of
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devices remain for students in Years 8 – 11 who would like to move into the
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Surface Pro 3 program (@ $122 per term). Please contact the General Office for
details of how to sign up. A reminder to parents who have joined the program that
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the Accidental Damage Cover that is included with these machines will only cover
11 the cost of one full replacement machine due to accidental damage/theft. The
costs of any further damage that occurs to the machine beyond this event will need
12-13 to be met by the parents as per the contract that was signed and submitted.
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Compass School Manager
15-16 Parents of Year 7 students should have received welcome letters recently that
include login details for each parent. If any parents (of students at any level) have
forgotten their PIN or have never logged into Compass you can contact the school
to get your login details sent to you or reset on the spot. Access to Compass is vital
for all parents as school reports (both Progress and End of Semester) are accessed
through Compass and the booking system for Parent Teacher Interviews is also
only available via the Compass Portal. If parents do not have access to the internet
and need to book slots for Parent Teacher Interviews they can contact the school to
have these booked on the system as of the beginning of Term 2.
School Board/Council
I am pleased to announce that we had so much interest in the parent category
nominations for Somerville Secondary College School Board that an election was
required. Thank you to all members of the community who nominated and voted in
the election. The results from the nomination/election process are:
New Parent Members: Mrs Miranda Slamin and Mr Daniel Phelan
New DET Members: Mrs Joanne Pyne and Mrs Lynn Motteram
Congratulations to all involved. The first meeting of the new School Board will be
conducted on Monday March 21st at 18:45.
Safe & Restful Break
I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a restful and safe break
commencing Friday March 25th and advise parents and students that the Pupil Free
Day for Term 2 has been moved from the first day of Term to Friday May 13th.
Students return to normal classes as of Monday April 11.
Chris Lloyd
Assistant Principal’s Report
Open Night
The day tours which offer an insight into the school on a normal working day went off very smoothly. Parents made
very positive comments about our school which presented really well, with the grounds looking stunning and all
classes quietly and productively working. Our evening tours also ran really well with parents and their children all
interestedly asking questions and partaking of the activities on offer. Our staff and volunteer students did a
wonderful job showcasing our school. The displays in the gym were interesting and varied and the music
performances from students certainly enhanced the positive atmosphere.
Swimming Sports
The day was perfect for a day at the pool- blue, sunny skies, glistening water and students dressed colourfully in
House Colours. Days such as these are a nice break in routine for students and staff and an opportunity to interact
with each other away from school and the classroom. It was fantastic to see students putting in an effort to swim for
their house and cheering each other on. Non- competitors had a chance to get wet in the novelty events run in the
small pool.
The students who attended are those who consistently participate fully in school life which is not just about studying
subjects in a classroom. I urge those parents whose sons and daughters chose not to attend this compulsory event to
support the school in insisting that their child attends all school events.
VCE Attendance Policy
A reminder to all parents of VCE students of our 2-4-5 Attendance Policy. A leave of absence even for a single day,
with the exception of time taken due to illness or other medical reasons where known ahead of time, should be
requested in writing well in advance of the absence. Whilst this applies equally to all students it is particularly
important for our VCE students as important assessment tasks, should they fall on a day when your son/daughter is
absent, cannot always be rescheduled. Students at Somerville Secondary College are encouraged to take
responsibility for their own learning so, in the case of planned absences that have been authorised by the school, it is
the student’s responsibility to be proactive in speaking with their teachers to ensure that they are able to complete
work set during the period of their absence. Please particularly note that VCE absences due to family holidays are
not considered an Approved Absence. Please refer to the VCE/VCAL Handbook and contact the school for more
information.
Interim Reports & Parent Teacher Interviews
Interim Reports, which will be available to parents via Compass from Thursday March 24th, provide important
information about student progress at this early stage of the year. Parent Teacher Interviews are an opportunity to
discuss your child’s progress and strategies for supporting them at home and at school. I urge all parents and
students to attend and take advantage of this chance to meet teachers and develop a collaborative and cooperative
relationship between school and home which is paramount in providing the best possible outcomes for our students.
The interviews will run from 10.00am until 7.30pm so please ensure you book an interview time through Compass.
There will be no scheduled classes for the day as students are expected to accompany their parents to their
interviews.
Easter Break
This has been such a short term so I hope everyone makes the most of the break over the Easter period and returns to school
refreshed and relaxed and ready to learn.
Lynn Motteram
Assistant Principal
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Admin Matters
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Admin Matters
With the commencement of all our students into 2016 year levels, you will need to go into your Tiqbiz App and
change your selected groups to the new group relevant to your son/daughter. To do this:
Firstly open your Tiqbiz App. It will show a list of the groups you are currently in.
Click on the ‘UnTick’ tab at the bottom. You will get a list of groups you are currently in.
On the right hand side, you will see a green tick. Click on the tick that you no longer want to be in.
Click on ‘Find’ tab and click on ‘Search’.
Type in white field “Somerville Secondary’ and scroll down to green box ’Find’. Click ‘Find’. This will bring up the
complete list of groups in our school.
From here you then click on the tick at the right hand side of the group you wish to belong to.
From here you can the click the back button then ‘Inbox’. You will then see the groups you currently belong to.
If you have any difficulties with this, please phone Tiqbiz on 9800 1489 or the College Admin Office on 5973 1000.
Gymnasium And Soccer Pitch For Hire
Our gymnasium and FIFA certified soccer pitch with running track are for hire weekdays from
3:30 pm onwards, weekends and school holidays.
For hire rates and information, please contact Wendy Eames - College Business Manager on
5973 1011 - or email [email protected]
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Open Day & Expo Evening 2016 - A Smash Hit!
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Year 9 Outdoor Education at Rye Pier
Sometimes dives under Rye Pier can be a bit boring . The well-populated area usually turns up a crab or two and
some bearded mussels that don’t ‘do’ anything. Our Year 9 Outdoor Ed students were privileged to encounter a
small, somewhat tame stingray who didn’t seem phased by all the attention.
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Somerville SC Features in ‘Peninsula Speaks’
Year 12 Camp Team Building Activity
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Yes to the YES Program
Youth Empowerment Seminars (YES)
“The first time we did the YES program I found it boring and I thought it was only for people who had problems
or something bad had happened to them. Then some teachers told us to give it a chance and most of us did give it
a chance. All of us find it really relaxing. It was actually when we got the last day of YES program I felt sad
because I'm going to miss the YES program and what we have been doing in there. The good thing about YES
program is making you relaxed, having a good mood everyday and getting out of first period classes (Hahaha)
For me YES program really helps me and everyone. I would like to thank Andrea and Yolanda for teaching us
and having a great time :)”
Chryls - Year 9
What we do YES! for Schools is dedicated to providing youth with a healthy body, a healthy
mind and a healthy lifestyle. We do this by offering youth practical tools and life skills to
manage stress and emotions. Our experiential curriculum includes stretching and exercise,
targeted breathing techniques, life skills in conflict resolution, and life lessons on human values
such as responsibility, respect, friendliness, kindness and cooperation. As students learn how to
manage their stress in a healthy way, they exhibit greater confidence and motivation to succeed
in school and make healthy choices when faced with life’s challenges. See more at: http://www.youthempowermentseminar.org/#sthash.HPwejn6X.dpuf
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Year 7 & 8 Creativity
The grass reflected the sunlight giving the air a summer green glow which encases the valley which I call
home. The logs made a playground for the woodland creatures which I call family, the trees formed a
fence around us, protecting us from the humans. The wind causes the leaves to dance around my feet. The
bright sun protects us. I have always wondered why I chose us, I’m just a pixie, a dryad, just a creature that
shouldn’t exist, I am just a myth. I have powers but that isn’t why sunlight rains down upon us in droplets
almost so thick you can smell it in the air, and taste it when you breathe because I have powers over the
moon, the moon and the stars, maybe it’s because opposites attract. But will I ever find out? I don’t know,
not at all. But I have promised myself one thousand times that I would but never really try to. I am
Celestial, the keeper of the stars and this, is my home, my secret, my hidden world.
Zoe - Year 7
These two pieces are some examples of just how creative our students are. In the descriptive piece of
writing, students were asked to look out of the classroom window and note everything they could see and then to focus on one thing. Zoe has demonstrated a good vocabulary and an active imagination.
Well done!
Lucy and Ruby of Year 8 have produced a promotional flyer for the College and have incorporated our
core values of Integrity, Respect and Responsibility in this piece of desktop publishing. Their layout
has symmetry and uses some great images of the College.
Good work, girls.
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Saver Plus offer through BSL
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Easter Holiday Program Guide
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Student Wellbeing
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Student Wellbeing
Social networking tips for parents
Social networking is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family as well as meeting new people with
similar interests and hobbies.
Here are some tips to follow when you feel your child is ready to begin engaging with social networking sites like
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter:
If you haven’t already got an account, set one up so that you can understand what your child can and can’t do
as well as learning how to adjust the privacy settings. You can use fake information if you aren’t
comfortable using your own.
Make sure your child is old enough to use the site. Sites like Facebook and Instagram require users to be 13
years or older.
Tell your child to keep their passwords a secret otherwise other people may log on and pretend to be them. It
is important that you know your children’s password however.
Advise your child to set their account to private so that they will only interact with people they know in real
life and aren’t approached by strangers.
Encourage your child to think carefully before they post any information online. Things they post on social
networking can have an impact on them even after they delete it and long into the future.
Help your children to set up their location services on their device so that they aren’t broadcasting their
location to strangers.
Remind children to be careful when making new friends online as some people may not be who they say they
are and ensure your children never arrange to meet an online friend unless accompanied by a trusted adult.
Make sure you know how to report inappropriate content on social networking sites and show your child what
they should do if they come across anything inappropriate.
More information for parents is available at www.cybersmart.gov.au/parents.aspx
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Community Announcements
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Advertisements
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0414990742
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At ST ANDREW'S CHURCH
Every 2nd Saturday of the
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Support your local stallholders
Inquiries: 59776980 (Graeme)
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