HIGHVALE SECONDARY COLLEGE Capital Avenue Glen Waverley 3150 Phone: 9803 5144 Fax: 9803 4310 Email: highvale.sc@edumail.vic.gov.au School Website : www.highvalesc.vic.edu.au Edition 18 25th November 2016 OUR SCHOOL VALUES EXCELLENCE ~ INTEGRITY ~ RESILIENCE ~ RESPECT ~ RESPONSIBILITY IMPORTANT DATES Monday 28 th November Monday 28 th November Monday 5 th December Monday 5 th December Tuesday 6 th December Tuesday 13 th December Tuesday 31 st January Wednesday 8 th February Monday 13 th February Tuesday 14 th February Wednesday 15 th February Monday 20 th February Tuesday 21 st February Wednesday 1 st March December Program Commences VCE Headstart Program Commences 2017 Year 7 Parent Information Night Year 8 Tasmania Camp Departs 2017 Orientation Day Presentation Night Term 1 2017 - First Day for all students Yr 12 Camp Departs Highvale Swimming Carnival Yr 8 & 9 Parent Information Night Student Photos Year 7 Parent Information Night Year 10 Parent Information Night Year 7 Camp Departs C A R E E R N E W S Click the link(s): Career News 18th November Career News 25th November Uniform Shop Hours 2016 & 2017 Term Dates Tuesdays 8.00am to 11.00am 2016 : TERM4: 3 rd October 20 th December Wednesdays 1.00pm to 4.00pm 2017: TERM1: 31 st January 31 st March TERM2: 18 th April 30 th June Click here for Uniform Order Form TERM3: 17 th July 22 nd September TERM4: 9 th October 22 nd December Canteen Canteen Price List click here Student Absence Reporting Hotline 9803 5144 press 1 - Please call before 9am
PRINCIPAL S REPORT 2016 Art Show The 2016 Art Show was held last Wednesday and I was very pleased by the strong attendance. Our students produced excellent work and the range and quality of Art was amazing. I would like to publicly recognise and thank Mr Toby Juliff from the Melbourne University for officially opening our show. An event such as this requires many hours of dedicated hard work and I would like to thank Ms Pappas and all the staff from the Art, Media and Technology areas and students who helped bring together the fantastic Art show. To all our wonderfully talented art students, congratulations on a fine display. Your work is of an exceptional quality and we wish you all the very best to continue your artistic endeavours.
Head Start Head Start is a program where VCE students have the opportunity to start their 2017 subjects. In the past this program has assisted students to achieve success in their studies. Head start begins on Monday with an introductory seminar followed by VCE classes. End of Year program The End of Year program beings on Monday. We look forward to a very engaging program for Years 7 to 9. Year 7 students will be undertaking zoological studies; Year 8 students will participate in studies of the marine environment and water safety and Year 9 students when not undertaking Head Start will be doing the Melbourne City Experience. Reports There have been several discussions regarding improvements to our semester based reporting. I would like to flag some changes and call on parents/guardians to make comment to guide our thinking. Our current processes see the preparation of end of semester reports in July and December. These reports contain both numerical assessments and comments from teachers. There has been concern with this form of reporting that parents and students are receiving feedback about performance too late for them to make changes. Some students, teachers and parents would like to see more reporting to be provided during the year when it can be constructively used. Our COMPASS system offers the opportunity to do this. I am aware of some schools implementing a three-week rotation of reporting and assessments, however this procedure results in teachers teaching less teaching and reporting more. A balance needs to be found and this is the current point of discussion. A suggestion has been put to education committee for semester reports to still be provided but these reports to contain only summative results without comments; with comments and feedback to be provided to parents and students at designated times during the semester via Compass. An archiving system would be developed to capture all the feedback throughout the semester as well as the end of semester reports. These designated times would coincide with major work pieces for each of the learning areas, giving students an opportunity of reviewing their performance and making necessary changes to achieve their set goals before that subject concludes. Learning area teams are currently identifying the timing and scope of the teacher feedback. Ian Watkins Principal
MUSIC NEWS On Wednesday 16 th November, The Stage Band visited Highvale Retirement Village, our local aged care facility. We played our entire repertoire of Jazz standards and contemporary songs for the small, yet appreciative audience. Following their performance, the students had the opportunity to chat with the residents and enjoy afternoon tea. This was a bonus for our hungry teenagers who enjoyed the supply of biscuits, lollies and drinks. Congratulations to our Stage Band who performed superbly and conducted themselves in a most professional manner. Mrs Suzi Reid Stage Band Conductor
JUNIOR CONCERT 2016 Last Thursday, the Junior Concert was held in the College Theatre on a very warm November evening. The 107 musicians performed to a full house and presented a wide range of music from gospel to music theatre. The evening commenced with a rendition of Oye Como Va from the percussion ensemble and ended with a powerful performance of Ice Mountain by the Nouveau Strings. It was a most enjoyable evening due to the high standard of performances from our youngest musicians and the dedication of our music staff. A big thank you also to Ms Fielding, Mr Mitchell and Mrs Moad for their behind the scenes support. INSTRUMENTAL HIRE AND TUITION CONTINUATION FOR 2017 All parents of instrumental music students were sent an email regarding hire and tuition arrangements for instrumental music in 2017. It is important that parents read through this material and return the survey indicating their intentions for their child s involvement in the program for 2017. If students are wishing to keep their hired instruments over the holidays and continue hiring in 2017, full payment of the hire fee must be paid. Students discontinuing hire in 2017, should return their hire instrument to the music office by next week. PRIVATE LESSONS 2017 In 2017, private lessons are also being offered to instrumental music students. Private lessons are recommended for students undertaking VCE Music Performance studies or high level AMEB examinations, in their chosen instrument. Please note that access to private lessons is dependent on the availability of instrumental staff. Parents interested in private lessons for their child should also indicate this on the emailed survey. Anne Linton Director of Music
VISUAL ARTS - ARTS SHOW I would like to thank the parents and students who attended our annual art show on Wednesday evening. It was a wonderful night showcasing the diverse talents of our students. A very special thank you to all the students who prepared and served food on the night and our wonderful musicians who performed throughout the evening. Also, a big thank you to all the students who assisted with the set up and dismantling of the show and Jamie Chen who curated the year 7 Autumn Leaves installation. The contribution from all these students helped make the night an even greater success. Thank you to all the parents for their supportive emails and ongoing positive feedback, your support is very much appreciated by all the staff involved with the art show. Last but not least, a very big thank you to all the staff in the Visual Arts, Technology and Music departments for all their hard work and valuable contributions, the staff at the general office, Daily Organiser s office and principal class staff. A whole school event like this involves the assistance and support of the entire school community. People s Choice Award Winners I m very pleased to announce that the recipient of this year s People s Choice Award is Simone Zutenis of 9.8 for her landscaping painting and the runner up is Taylah Harrison of 9.3 for her photograph. 1 st Place : Simone Zutenis (9.8) 2 nd Place : Taylah Harrison (9.3)
Helen Pappas Arts Coordinator MEDIA - FILM FESTIVAL Thank you to everyone who came along to support Highvale's Film Festival on Wednesday 16 th November. We all enjoyed celebrating the work from our talented student filmmakers. Congratulations to Mia Tambakis, Beau Gordon, Ruby Galambos, Jakeb Pearson & Tamsin Cohen for their film "SHAPE". SHAPE received the "People's Choice" award from the audience on the night. Adele McGain Teacher
SRC STATE SCHOOLS RELIEF FUNDRAISER Today (Friday 25 th November) was an SRC Free Dress Day at Highvale where tudents made a gold coin donation and wore casual clothes to school in order to raise money for State Schools' Relief. Donations for State Schools Relief will continue to be accepted at the College Office until Friday next week (2 nd December) and/or donations can be made online for tax deductibility (link below). A donation to State Schools' Relief makes a real difference to a Victorian child by quality school clothing, footwear, socks and underwear. Click on the following link for more information about State Schools' Relief: https://www.ssr.net.au/ 100% of donations to SSR go toward providing quality clothing and footwear to disadvantaged students in Victoria. Not one cent of donations goes towards supporting the organisation's administration needs. State Schools' Relief acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government. Participation in education is the main way out of poverty and State Schools Relief assists this pathway to remain open to every child. Having a uniform and looking like everyone else ensures that all students feel included and valued. State Schools Relief is a not for profit charity that assists disadvantaged students to participate in their studies and remain at school, providing new school uniforms and footwear, VET in Schools work boots, graphing calculators and secondary school textbooks. State Schools Relief has provided school uniforms and footwear to students of families experiencing hardship in Victorian State Schools since 1930. SSR assists students to participate in their studies and remain at school. In the 2016 financial year SSR received 39,000 applications for support for over 145,000 items of clothing, footwear and educational resources. https://www.ssr.net.au/ Click on the following link if you would like to find out more about State Schools Relief: https://www.ssr.net.au/ Thank you. Student Representative Council 2017 STUDENT LEADERSHIP POSITIONS AVAILABLE Applications are DUE by next Wednesday 30 th November at the College Office for the following Leadership positions (this is an extension of the previously advised due date): LIBRARY MONITORS MUSIC CAPTAINS (Junior and Senior) SRC SCIENCE CAPTAINS (new for 2017) ROBOTICS (new for 2017) ARTS CAPTAINS (new for 2017) The Application Forms are attached on the New Feed item. Students are encouraged not to miss these opportunities to have fun and contribute to school life at Highvale, and grow their leadership skills. Kelsey Dwyer Sport Coordinator
CAREERS NEWS Reminder: VTAC 2016 Key Dates VTAC Personal Statement Friday 2 December 2016 ATARs Released Monday 12 December 2016 COP for Early International Offers closes Thursday 15 December 2016 Early Round International Offers Monday 19 December 2016 Change of Preference (COP) closes Tuesday 20 December 2016 Main Round International Offers Monday 9 January 2017 Main Round Domestic Offers Wednesday 18 January 2017 Further Offer Rounds Tuesday 7 February 2017 onwards www.vtac.edu.au UNIFORM SHOP SECOND HAND UNIFORMS Families are now able to buy and sell second hand uniform and other school items though the Sustainable School Shop. Simply register on the Sustainable School Shop website www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au and follow the onscreen instructions for buying and selling. Please contact Jenny, the Uniform Shop Manager, on 9803 5144 or the Sustainable School Shop helpline on 0438 743 444 if you require any assistance or further information.
COMMUNITY NEWS