Absence Hotline: 9735 7040 Email: [email protected]Visit: www.lilydaleheights.vic.edu.au COLLEGE CALENDAR 2019 2 September Year 7 2020 Information Evening 6 September Debutante Ball 11-13 September Year 8 Howqua Camp 19/20 September Parent/Teacher Interviews / End of Term 7 October First Day of Term 4 10/11 October Year 9 Overnight Camp Please Note: all dates and times are subject to change PRINCIPAL’S REPORT Learning Focus: Term 3 has an uninterrupted focus on teaching and learning. Students are busy in all classes where teachers are actively involved in challenging their learning and developing environment, where students are encouraged to extend themselves. Curriculum Day was held on August 13 for teachers. Teachers worked collaboratively to revise and update Semester 1 and Semester 2 curriculum plans. This work included refining Common Assessment Tasks (CATs) and School Assessed Coursework tasks (SACs), as well as developing ideas for increasing student voice and agency in curriculum design and assessment. Another focus for staff was the development of a concrete set of consistent resource guides such as essay templates, research hints and report models for students to use in each faculty area. Careers and 2020 Subject Selections Information Evening for all prospective 2020 students to assist in making informed decisions about selection of electives and options for their Middle & Senior School programs was held this month. Students received further information at a Year Level Assembly prior to the Information Evening. Following this, students and parents were invited to attend Managed Individual Pathways sessions (MIPS) to assist them in finalising selections for subjects in 2020. These selections determine which subjects will be offered in the 2020 school year. Thank you to the staff who have given their time to support students and their families with this decision making process. Science Week and Sustainability Resource Smart School Gold Star Science Week was once again a success with the faculty organising many “science focused events” to celebrate. Staff and students enjoyed exhibitions, quizzes and challenges and immersed themselves in the wonders of science throughout the week. In addition to this, the College has received its first star and recognition as a Resource Smart School. This was honoured with a visit from Sustainability Victoria and Member for Eastern Victoria, Harriet Shing, who commented: Issue: 7 Volume: 19 Date: August Principal: Ms Rosina Fotia Assistant Principal: Ms Isabella Phillips
“Lilydale Heights has achieved certification for the one-star awakening under the Resource Smart Schools Program, which
indicates very clearly that they are leaders in the field.”
“It’s wonderful to meet with such an innovative, passionate, committed and articulate group of student leaders who are
showing, not just through their actions, but through their passion advocacy, how we can go about preserving what we
have in our natural environment, encouraging greater project work on initiatives around biodiversity, getting involved in
the work at a local level to restore, repatriate and rehabilitate land.”
“As well as making sure that other people know about the importance of better sustainability in practice, that it saves
money, that it saves the environment and that it’s also a really important part of tackling climate change.”
“We couldn’t be prouder of the work that’s been undertaken by student leaders including those here at Lilydale Heights
College.”
Congratulations to Shannon Sargeant and her Sustainability Team. A job well done!
Attendance
A reminder to parents that daily attendance is important for all children and young people to succeed in education and to ensure they don’t fall behind both socially and developmentally:
School participation maximises life opportunities for children and young people by providing them with education and support networks
School helps children to develop important skills, knowledge and values that set them up for further learning and participation in their community
School helps them to make the most of life opportunities A child missing one day a fortnight will miss four weeks in a year, and more than a year of school by Year 10. It is important that children develop regular attendance habits at an early age.
Mobile Phones 2020 Last month, the Minister for Education James Merlino announced mobile phones will be banned for all students at Victorian State Primary and Secondary Schools from Term 1 2020. The aim of this policy is to reduce distraction, tackle cyber bullying and improve learning outcomes for students. The policy is being introduced because teachers and parents regularly raise concerns about the use of mobile phones during school hours as a cause of constant distraction in classrooms. Rolling out this statewide policy will provide consistency for principals, teachers, students, parents and school communities. As part of this new policy, students must switch off their phones and store them securely from the start of the school day until the final bell. When emergencies occur, parents and guardians can reach their child by calling the school.
Music Gold Medal
Congratulations to the Stage Band on their Gold Medal win in the Victorian Schools Music Festival. Much credit must be awarded to Mr Rob Conway for his unwavering leadership and encouragement. College Production: Fractured
The mind of Mr Peter McKenzie works in many mysterious, creative and inclusive ways. Once again, he has written and
produced this year’s College Production. Over 70 students from Years 7 to 12 have been involved in the production this
year centred on a series of Fairy Tales. Congratulations to all students who contributed in a variety of capacities from
performing onstage, to set design, to costume creation and back stage support. The power of the College Production is
its unfailing ability to bring students from all year levels together for one united purpose. Well done to Mr McKenzie and
his support team; your passion, care and support for people in our care is priceless. Thanks must also be extended to Ms
Francis and her Year 11 Foods class for their themed catering on the evening.
Investigating Indigenous Australians’ Motivations and Connections to the Outdoor
Environments
Our Middle School Outdoor Ed group proved to be extremely respectful and curious throughout their investigative
incursion. A member of the Indigenous Cultural Team came in to demonstrate Indigenous weapons, tools, music and
cultural stories for our studies, supporting our work in Outdoor Education. The students have been analysing people’s
motivations and connections to the environments and it was great for them to extend their awareness of the traditional
owners’ use of the land as compared to their use of the environments in today’s recreation and living.
It was fantastic to see the students get fully involved with handling the weapons, possum skins and discuss many aspects.
I hope they will be able to take this cultural awareness with them further into studies.
Clare Rayner – Outdoor Education Teacher.
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Victorian Schools Music Festival
Congratulations to the LHC Stage Band for winning Gold for the second year in a row at the Victorian Schools Music Festival. It was a collaborative effort between all students. The band played amazingly with confidence and bravado and the students should all be proud of their performance. The guest adjudicator was Willie Murillo, the Trumpeter from the Stray Cats/Brian Setzer Orchestra; he was most impressed with our band’s willingness to give it their all. Well done! Chris Ferre – Music Department.
August Sport Report August has been a busy month for Sport! We have had students competing in various Eastern Metropolitan Region
sporting events: Senior Girls Badminton, Junior Boys Netball, Junior Girls Netball and Year 8 Girls Badminton.
Junior School has also had a busy month with nearly 70 Year 7 students heading out on August 30 to play Basketball,
Hockey and Table Tennis and the Year 8 students competing in the same Sports on August 7. The Girls Basketball Team
came 1st in their grade and the boys came 3rd.
The start of September will see our Athletics Team competing in the Yarra Group Athletics. Good luck to all involved.
Sonya Tamos – Sport Co-ordinator.
National Schools Tree Day This year we had a group of Year 7 students participate in Tree Day. Under instruction from the Sustainability Team, we planted native trees, shrubs and grasses in the indoor/outdoor classroom between H-wing and the Gym. Despite the weather being wet and cold, the students were all enthusiastic and enjoyed making a positive contribution to the College environment. Congratulations to everyone involved. Shannon Sargeant – Science Department.
Sustainability Update It has been a busy month for the Sustainability Team. We have applied for three grants through the Nude Food Program. The value of the grants is between $500 and $5,000. Our proposals are for materials to help build a food garden and we made a video describing our ideas as part of the application process. We have also been in consultation with experts in permaculture gardens and have a design for our space. Plans are underway to start construction of the food garden with help from the Voice of 8 Gardening Team. Wednesday 21st August was an extra special day for the team and the College as a whole, with our first Resource Smart Star being presented to us by MP Harriet Shing. We are very proud of our progress in this area and are well underway in completing the requirements to apply for our second star in Biodiversity. Sustainability Hint There are many companies who are developing greener products. A new one on the market is Multix Greener Plant Based Degradable Kitchen Tidy Bags. These are made with 60% plant based material which greatly reduces the need for petroleum based materials. Give them a try. Shannon Sargent – Sustainability Leader.
Middle School Outdoor Ed Excursion – Hike and High Ropes
Well done to the students in our Middle School Outdoor Ed group for their efforts on Monday August 12. In the morning we ventured around the fallen trees on the way up the 1,000 steps and then carried on to the high ropes at Tree Tops Adventure. There was a tremendous amount of excitement as we boarded the bus at the start of the day. The students were ready to go straight up the 1,000 steps and many managed with no worries at all. All the students were looking for the characteristics of the environment and observed the wildlife, demonstrated safety and respected other users. Following a quick break, we moved towards the high ropes at Belgrave. Everyone was excellent, the group consistently showed resilience facing their fears to cope with different obstacles at heights. They were also brilliant in terms of showing care and support for their peers on the different levels of courses. I feel that the students definitely built up elements of trust and connectedness to the outdoors, as well as each other. I hope they will continue to manage their equipment and listening skills as we progress to more demanding activities. Clare Rayner – Outdoor Education Teacher.
Outdoor Ed – Hike and High Ropes (continued)….
Year 11 Outdoor Environment Studies - Overnight Snow Camp Despite challenging conditions, the students worked extremely hard on their cross country skiing visit to Mt Stirling Alpine Park. The students always come out of their shells and cope with the challenges when we go on camp and this camp was no different. Every single student put tremendous effort into the skiing and the overnight camping snow experience. They all helped with duties and supported each other when skiing and managing equipment. All students were able to come away with some once in a lifetime experiences; I have not seen snow at Stirling like that for quite a few years. The perseverance with skiing certainly paid off - most students recognised an improvement in abilities, or definitely appreciated the snow environment and its beauty! Well done to all and I would like to thank Mr Chapman and Mr Jeske (staff members on camp) for their hard work. Our next battle is the rafting experience next term! Clare Rayner – Outdoor Education Teacher.
Year 11 Outdoor Ed - Overnight Snow Camp (continued)…
COLLEGE PRODUCTION – “FRACTURED”
Congratulations and thanks go out to all those who were involved in this year’s production, “Fractured’.” The way the
students worked together to create this piece was incredible. They never cease to amaze me in how they work together,
and in the skill and dedication they show throughout the rehearsal process and most definitely in the performances!
The brilliance of the performers on stage was incredible this year, as were the crew members. As always, the students
threw themselves into each performance. Curtain call was an incredible sight to see, there were so many proud and
smiling faces on stage receiving applause for all they had achieved.
A big thank you to those staff who helped out in a myriad of ways, with special thanks to Ms Meara, Ms Steeper and Mrs
Morley for all they do. Without the wonderful staff support, the Production would not be possible.
Thank you also to the audiences for the laughs and applause you supply.
Peter McKenzie – Production Co-ordinator.
Lilydale Heights College would like to thank Bendigo Bank Mooroolbark Community Branch, for their support and sponsorship of the Duke of Edinburgh Program and our
Automated External Defibrillator Device (AED).
The Lilydale Heights SRC would like to thank Bakers Delight Ringwood Square for
their support and sponsorship of our Breakfast Club every Tuesday morning.
