The Rochester Review
Volume 54 Issue 1
Thursday 4th February, 2016
www.rochsec.vic.edu.au
Phone: 54841 844 Fax 54842 348
[email protected]
Rochester Secondary College exists to provide quality learning for all in a challenging and nurturing environment.
Principal’s Report:
Mrs Barbara McCarty is our Acting Assistant Principal for term one.
Dear Parents and Students,
As always please feel free to contact us to talk over the phone or make
an appointment if you have queries or concerns about your child’s progress at school.
Welcome back to the 2016 school year. I certainly hope that everyone
has a safe and productive year.
We have mailed out this first newsletter as it contains some very important information about school rules and our expectations about
school work done at home. Whilst I realise everyone leads busy lives
I’m hoping that parents can take the time to read these enclosed documents so we’re all of the same understanding and can work in a spirit of
cooperation throughout the coming year.
It’s very pleasing that our school year has started well. As I write our
Year 7’s are on their orientation camp near Kyneton, all going well
according to Mrs Bolitho last night. Senior students are quickly adjusting to our expectations, we have elected House Captains for 2016 and
the first VET sessions went well on Wednesday. Teachers have noted
that students have settled into a good routine quickly, the mild weather
has also helped.
Congratulations to Zahra Hayes (9A) and Annette Waters (10B) who
both won very impressive awards at the Rochester Australia Day Outstanding Citizen ceremony. Zahra was named Campaspe’s Junior
Sportsperson of the year for her achievements in race-walking while
Annette was the Young Person of the Year for the Shire as “exceptional
role model to other young people” Well done to both girls they are both
excellent ambassadors for our school.
Well done also to all the newly elected House Captains and Vice Captains this year.
Burnewang
Captain
James Bolitho
Ebonee Walsh
Vice Captain
William Clarke
Emily Lawrence
Campaspe
Captain
Patrick Leahy
Grace Ingram
Vice Captain
James McPhee
Georgia Palmer
Restdown
Captain
Nicholas McNair
Lillian Ward
Vice Captain
Joss Howlett
Stacy Bacon
Waranga
Captain
Leslie Collins
Bonnie MacNab
Vice Captains
Isaac Oogjes
Naomi Callaway
They will have their first leadership responsibilities at our swimming
carnival on Friday 19th February.
Our Year Level Managers for 2016 are: Year 7- Annette Bolitho, Year 8
- Leigh Millard, Year 9 - Todd Woodfine, Year 10 - Luis AlvarezHarris, Year 11 - Matthew Callaway, Year 12– Bill Barkla
Kind regards, Bernie Altmann, Principal
Important Dates
February 2016
3rd—5th (Wed-Fri) -Year 7 Camp to Kyneton
5th (Fri) - Senior Cricket, Echuca
9th (Tue) - Shire of Campaspe Immunisation team
visit only.
19th (Fri) - RSC House Swimming Sports
26th (Fri) - Senior Cricket
29th (Mon) - SSV Campaspe Swimming
March 2016
1st (Tue) - School Photos (Full School Uniform)
10th (Thurs) - SSV Campaspe Tennis
14th (Mon) - Labour Day HOLIDAY
15th (Tue) - Immunisations
17th (Thurs) - LMR Swimming
23rd (Wed) - Parent/Teacher Interviews 4-7 pm
24th (Thurs) - Last Day Term 1 - 2.30 Dismissal
Year 7 students pictured above with some of their Year 11
Buddies during the Peer Support Program.
Around the College
2016 Essential Education Charges
2016 Essential Education charges are now due and are as follows:Year 7 & 8
Course materials
$200.00
PLUS:
Home Economics extra materials cost
Technology extra materials cost
Mathletics
$ 65.00
$ 30.00
$ 10.00
Year 9 & 10
Course materials
$220.00
PLUS:
Food Technology extra materials cost
Technology extra materials cost
Mathletics
Year 11
Course materials
$220.00
PLUS:
Studio Arts & VCD extra materials cost
$ 25.00
Year 12
Course materials
$220.00
PLUS:
Studio Arts & VCD extra materials cost
$ 25.00
Year 9 $ 80.00
$ 30.00
$ 10.00
*Year 10 $100
*Year 10 Food Technology charge:
Please note that the charge for Year 10 Food Technology is $100 and not $80 as advised. We apologise for any inconvenience
that this may have caused.
BYOD Infrastructure contribution -$50 first child, $30 per child there after.
(Rochester Secondary College has now successfully implemented the Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) program into the College. Whilst students bring their own devices the infrastructure to run these devices still needs to be maintained)
Family Statements will be sent home soon for your information. Arrangements can be made to pay this charge off during the
year.
Methods of payment for outstanding charges owed to the College can be made by cash, cheque, EFTPOS (machine at College
office) , BPay or Direct Debit to the College’s account.
Camps, Sport and Excursion Fund - Applications MUST be back to the College by 18th March, 2016
Schools are required to use the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) payment for expenses relating to Camps, Sport and/
or Excursions for the benefit of the eligible student/s – Years 7 - 12.
Some common examples of school-organised programs for which the CSEF payment may be used include:
- School camps/trips
- Swimming and other school-organised sporting programs.
- Outdoor education programs.
- Excursions
The CSEF payment cannot be used towards voluntary school charges, nor towards books, stationery, school uniforms, music
lessons or other optional items.
Parents and guardians who hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, may be eligible for CSEF.
This allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting activities for the benefit of
your family. The total CSEF amount per student will be allocated in consultation with parents/guardians.
Remaining funds
Any remaining portion of the CSEF not expended by the end of the school year may be carried forward by the school towards
the following year’s camps, sports and excursions expenses for the eligible child.
Conveyance Allowance is available for some students who fall under all eligibility criteria below:
* Attend a school located in rural or regional Victoria
* Attend the closest appropriate Government school
* Reside 4.8 km or more from the closest free school bus stop
* Be of school age and reside in Victoria
* Be enrolled in a school three or more days per week
The College can provide you with information and an application form at your request. Complete the application form and send
it back to the College. If you applied last year and your circumstances have not changed there is no need reapply for that student.
All new students that are eligible MUST APPLY.
Late (previous year) applications cannot be accepted or paid. Form must be back to the school by the 18th February, 2016.
Around the College
BPay Is Available
I
t is possible to pay any charges owed to the College by
BPay.
When statements are received they will show a BPay logo
along with the Biller Code and Reference Number. Each
family will have a unique number to identify your payments
to the College.
If you are paying for a number of different charges and wish
them allocated in a specific order please contact (email or
phone) the College to convey your wishes.
This is just another option to use. Payments can still be made
by cash, cheque, EFTPOS or Direct Debit to the College’s
bank account.
Any queries – please contact the College on 54841 844 or
[email protected]
Recall of Apple ‘Duck Head’
Type Wall Plugs
A
pple has determined that, in very rare cases, the two
prong Apple AC wall plug adapters designed for use
in Australia may break and create a risk of electrical
shock if touched. There wall plug adapters shipped from
2003—2015 with Mac and certain iOS devices.
To see if yours if affected, go to http://www.apple.com/au/
support/ac-wallplug-adapter/
For Sale Filing Cabinets
T
he school has a number of mainly three and four drawer filing cabinets for sale. Ideal for garage storage. $20
each. Phone the school on 5484 1844 and leave a message for Mr Borger.
Code Masters Competition
Rochester Secondary College
Harvest Magazine 2016
R
equesting expressions of interest from
Year 11 and 12 students for the position
of Student Editor for the 2016 Harvest
magazine.
This position is to coordinate the editorial team of
the Harvest publication and assist with the
production of this year’s magazine.
Application forms are available from Mrs Herne.
Requesting expressions of interest from Year 12
students for the position of Editor for the year
12 content of the 2016 Harvest Magazine.
The Year 12 content is an important section in
each year’s Harvest magazine and provides a
valued souvenir for our senior class.
The Year 12 Editor will be responsible for organising content and the design of relevant pages in the
magazine and for an article on the Year 12 trip to
Melbourne
Application forms are available from Mrs Herne.
Requesting expressions of interest from Year 11
and 12 students for the position of Magazine
Photographic Editors (2) for the 2016 Harvest
magazine.
The magazine photographers will be responsible for
the photographic content of the magazine including
taking photographs at school events and collating
images and photographs from other contributors.
They will also assist with the layout design of the
magazine. Skills in photography and computer
graphics are required.
Application forms are available from Mrs Herne.
Applications close 23rd February, 2016
T
he University of Melbourne is running the Code Masters computer programming competition again this year
for high school students on Tuesday 16th February,
2016.
Students are invited to enter teams of three.
Our school would participate online at school.
The teams with the highest score in each division for both
online and on campus events will be awarded prizes and certificates.
Specific competition details including instructions for online
participation will be made available to registered teams before
the competition. Practice problems are online at http://
www.eng.unimelb.edu.au/schools/code-masters.html
If you are interested to participate, see Mr. Borger.
Computers at School 2016
A
ll students are expected to bring a computer to
school fully charged every day. Chargers are not
permitted at school as this is not practical and there
are occupational health and safety issues. This is standard
practice at other schools.
Computers should be able to stay charged for at least four
hours. This is so they can be used throughout the school day.
If a computer cannot remaine charged this long, then it is not
really going to be as useful as it could be. Consider replacing
the battery or purchasing a secondary battery if you have this
problem.
Google Chrome is the default web browser at school. Please
make sure it is installed on your device. This browser works
best with Google Classroom and other Google productivity
products that will be used in all classes this year. Still keep the
browser your device came with, such as Safari and Internet
Explorer, as there are times when they may be needed.
Around the College
Year 12 Update
W
elcome to the new school year of 2016. I have the honour of being the Acting Senior School Manager whilst Mrs
McCarty is the Acting Assistant Principal.
I congratulate our elected student leadership team of: Joe Atley and Kailey Chapman as School Captains; Briana Abrey – Arts
Captain; Stacy Bacon – Sports Captain; Demi Irwin – SRC President and the rest of the executive. They outlined their roles at
our first whole school assembly last week and spoke quite well. The House Captains have been elected and we appreciate that
our students willingly take on positions of responsibility.
I look forward to consolidating a strong work ethic during Term One, which should stand students in good stead for their final
year of secondary schooling. It probably should go without saying that in most cases, Year 12 students’ short term future is determined by their application throughout the year and their final results. However, at this stage I am not confident that students
fully realise that this year more than most others, there are often direct consequences of their actions.
For our VCAL students, their focus is predominantly building the skills, manner and credentials which will allow them easier
access to employment or
further training opportunities. We have a team of four staff overseeing our VCAL program and each year the students build on
the solid foundation gained in Year Eleven. It continues to astound many of us the magnitude and range of tasks our VCAL students take on and complete. We appreciate the great support of local businesses and the broader community in providing the
necessary work placements for our students.
Last Year all of our Year 12 students who applied for tertiary places have received offers. This does not happen by chance. Students need to set goals and have a strong work program that will assist in gaining the requirements for their chosen course or
career. Mr Huddy, Mrs McCarty, the administration, office staff and teaching staff work as a team and dedicate their efforts to
helping students not only achieve their best but in guiding students through the processes and difficulties of gaining direction for
their future.
It is a big year in many ways and students certainly benefit from all the support they can get, which includes finding and maintaining a balance between the varying aspects such as work, school, study, family and a social life. Quite often younger people
have not the experience of ascertaining their priorities and time management and that is where we as teachers and parents can
assist.
We have sent home an abbreviated VCE policy that parents should become aware of and sign the attached return page for students to submit.
The VCE is designed to have students working on preparation, reading and studying outside of class, approximately three hours
per week, per subject – that equates to 15 hours per week for most students. The majority of students across the state will be undertaking something near to this amount (many do much more), if they are striving to do their best.
On a less positive note, I have already had meetings and discussions with staff and students, in relation to work not being completed. I am concerned at the high rate of non-completion of work in English – the only subject that must count towards the
ATAR. We as English teachers have given our classes an amnesty until first lesson next week but after that we will be taking
further steps, which may include calls for parent involvement.
The year is an important one. It is generally an enjoyable, if not at times difficult experience for students. It is vital that students
do the work, if they are to achieve results they can reflect on and be proud.
I look forward to my role of assisting students and to your support.
Bill Barkla
Acting Senior School Manager
Around the College
Peer Support 2016
Check Out Our College App!
R
ochester Secondary College now has an App that is
FREE for parents to download.
We are endeavouring to make it easier for parents to effectively contact and keep up with events happening at the College. This will just be another tool for such use.
Features of the App are:
 Absent e-form - for parents to report their child/
children’s absences
 Change of details e-form - if there are any changes the
school needs to be aware of
 Links to the College website for calendar and newsletter
information and events etc.
 Plus much more
The College will be able to send out push notifications/
messages to parents advising them of any updated
information regarding camps, dates etc.
Have a go on the new App
Secondhand Book/Uniform
Sale - Money
W
elcome to the Year 7 students of 2016 we wish you
a successful and fun year.
I
f you had any items for sale in the Parents Club
Secondhand sale, your money is available for collection
from the College office. If you would like your student
to collect the money on your behalf please send in a signed
note.
Around the College
Australia Day Awards;
Congratulations to Annette Waters, Teleah Hayes and Zahra
Hayes
T
hree Rochester Secondary College students have been honoured in Rochester’s Australia Day Awards.
Annette Waters was named Rochester’s “Young Citizen of the Year for 2015”. Annette was a Youth Ambassador for the
ANZAC Centenary and was one of a group of Victorian students who attended the centenary of ANZAC at Gallipoli last year.
Annette is an active member of both the College and Rochester community. She is a member of Rochester Leos, Victorian
Young Carer Action Team, the Shire of Campaspe Youth Media Team and the Shire’s Youth Development program and is active in the Rochester Presbyterian Church Youth Group.
Annette was also named at the Campaspe Shire Young Citizen of the Year for 2015.
Teleah Hayes was named Rochester Sportsperson of the Year 2015. Teleah is a state champion in her sport of distance running
with many titles to her credit and also mentors and assists young athletes within the district.
Zahra Hayes was named as the Rochester Junior Sportsperson of the year 2015. Zahra has been very successful in her sport of
race-walking winning numerous titles. She is currently ranked number 1 in the 5 km event under 14 in Australia. She shares her
experiences and supports other young athletes at the college and in the community.
Zahra was also named at the Campaspe Shire Junior Sportsperson of the Year for 2015.
Our college community is very proud of these outstanding young women and their achievements. Congratulations to each of
them.
Pictured above are Teleah, Zahra and Annette receiving their awards from Shire Councillor Emma Bradbury
Australia Day Awards ceremony last week.
at the Rochester
Around the College
2016 Canteen Price List
The school canteen offers a wide variety of foods and drinks and has a policy to ensure that nutritional foods are available to
students daily. The canteen employs a manager who arranges parent volunteers to assist on a roster basis.
Salad Roll
$4.50
Salad Sandwich
$4.00
Chicken Roll
$4.00
Chicken Sandwich
$3.50
Ham Roll
$4.00
Ham Sandwich
$3.50
Cheese Roll
$3.50
Cheese Sandwich
$3.00
Tomato Roll
$3.50
Tomato & Onion Sandwich
$3.00
Vegemite Roll
$3.50
Vegemite Sandwich
$3.00
Tomato & Onion Roll
$3.50
Salad Box
$4.50
Fruit Box
$4.50
Anticol
$2.00
Bag of Almonds
.50
Soothers
$2.00
Eclipse Mints
$3.00
Butter Menthols
$2.00
Scroll – 1/2
$1.50
Chips
$1.50
Pizza Pieces
$1.00
JJ Snacks
$1.50
JJ Noodle Snacks
$1.50
Cruncha
$1.50
Fandangles
$1.50
Icy Poles
$1.20
Frosty Fruit
$2.00
Yoghurts
$3.00
Milo Scoop Shake
$3.00
600ml Flavoured Milk
$3.50
500ml Orange Juice
$2.50
- Chocolate
300ml Orange Juice
$2.00
- Strawberry
Just Juice Juices
$2.00
Pineapple Juice
$2.00
Frozen Just Juice
$2.00
600ml Water
$2.00
Apples
$1.00
- Ice Coffee
300ml
- Chocolate
$2.50
- Strawberry
- Ice Coffee
Milk Shakes
$3.50
Hot Food only available in Terms 2 & 3
Pie and Pastie ($4.50)
Chicken Burger ($4.00) Chicken Burger with Salad ($4.50)
Sausage Roll ($3.50) Chicken Noodles ($3.00)
Dim Sims ($1.20)
Lasagne ($4.00)
Milo ($1.20)
Around the College
Community News
St Joseph’s Deb Ball 2016
Expressions of interest are now sought for girls who would
like to participate in the September 2016 Rochester Deb Ball.
Please contact either Christine Hooppell on 0409 842 225 or
Susan Kerlin 0427 848 261 by Friday 26th February, 2016
Parenting Support with
Julianne Hand
" Julianne has 10 years experience in family services and is
now offering parenting support on a Tuesday morning from
10 am. You are free just to drop in for a chat and a cup of
coffee with the possibility of organising 1-1 time if needed.
Neurobiology has changed our idea of the brain works and
this tucks neatly into parenting. If you have ever wondered
how that little brain ticks or that bigger brain ticks come and
have a chat."
Starting Tuesday 9th February @10am.
Call in for a coffee and a chat. For further information please
ring Julianne Hand 0408 957 168
Bookings can be made to Community House on 54843 600 or
email: [email protected]
Canteen
We Need YOUR Help….
Canteen Assistance Form
To Mrs Brann,
I_____________________________________
am able to help at the canteen from 10.30 am to
1.40 pm.
Days Preferred:
_______________________
_______________________
RNA 2016 Junior Preseason
Challenge
Interested in getting some match fitness before your season
starts. Come and join us on Friday 12th February 7pm,
continuing on 19th February and 4th March.
Divisions: 15 & Under and Grades 5 & 6. $35 per player
plus yearly VNA $49. Registration by 5th February.
Make a team up of friends or register individually and go into
a team, just fill in a form and contact
[email protected] or Lisa 0408 371 837 Registration forms available at RSC Office.
EVERYONE WELCOME
Rochester Junior Football
Club
Registration Night Wednesday 24th February from 4 - 6 pm.
Windridge oval pavilion. Fees to be paid on the night.
1 Child $95, 2 Children $170 and 3 Children $230
Name of Student:
Rochester Driving School
_______________________
Phone Number:
Brian Crockett Accredited Driver Trainer is offering driving
lessons in a Manual & Automatic car in the Rochester &
District Area. For more information he can be contacted on
54842 182 or 0438 095 651
_______________________
www.rochesterdrivingschool.com.au