Harvey Wood – Principal Kathryn Middleton – Associate Principal, Senior School

Russell Poulier – Associate Principal, Middle School Paul Donaldson – Associate Principal

15th October, 2015

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

PRINCIPALS REPORT

Dear Students, Parents and Staff Welcome back to the school community for Term 4. As always there are plenty of activities taking place in our school and lots to get done before the end of the year. We would like to thank those parents who took the opportunity to attend the parent-teacher evening in the last week of Term 3. Hopefully the discussion with the teachers of your student gave you a clear insight into their progress so far and the work that needs to be done for the rest of the semester. We would like to congratulate the Language Faculty at Fairhills on the success of their study tours to Japan and Germany. At the end of another busy term both groups were able to travel overseas and experience life in another country. The opportunity to stay with a host family is a fantastic one and the students have made life-long connections. We would like to thank all the students for being wonderful ambassadors for our school. These trips would not happen without all the hard work and organisation by the teachers involved. Thank you to Ms Winstone, Ms MacLeman and Mr Klitzing for allowing our students to have these wonderful adventures. Paul Donaldson (Assistant Principal). JAPANESE STUDY TOUR If you were to ask a teacher to give up their holidays, and spend them with 5 teenagers, he or she would ‘politely’ refuse. However, I actually enjoyed every second of the school holidays (plus the last week of term) with five Fairhills students. It did help that we were in Japan enjoying all things Japanese such as sushi, public baths, and more walking than any of us has ever done. We walked through schools, shrines, temples, castles, traditional shops, anime and manga stores, and even ventured into a cat café and a maid café so that made it all worth it. We drank and made green tea for each other, and ate too much tempura and definitely too many Mister Donuts! We dressed up in samurai and geisha clothing, and took many shashin (photos for the uninitiated). Experiencing Japan once again with Daisy Didcock, Charlee Foster, Ace Harder, Adam Holt, and Jesse Wheeler was an absolute pleasure. They embraced every experience wholeheartedly, even if it took them totally out of their comfort zone and they practiced their Japanese. I was so proud wherever we went to say we were from Fairhills. Jessica Winstone (aka Winnie chan) - Language Coordinator and very proud Japan Study Tour Leader.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER Monday 19th October Year 12 Final Assembly Wednesday 21st October Year 12 Valedictory Dinner Wednesday 21st October Year 12 Breakfast Wednesday 28th October Year 12 Exams begin

GERMAN STUDY TOUR In early September Hannah Jewell, Maya Tomasovic, Alex Reinhardt, Mallory Laughlin, Tom Edwards, Jesse Wende, Luka Virovac and Ethan Jackson wished their friends and family goodbye at Melbourne Airport before boarding a 22 hour flight to Munich, Germany. Munich captivated the students with its olde worlde charm, its church towers and copper roofs: “München is my favourite place”. We mixed the traditional – dirndls – with the modern – Allianz Arena – but it was over far too quickly and soon we boarded the train – with kilos of gummibears as supplies – to our new home and the home of Fairhills’ sister school, IGLSO, in Ludwigshafen. The German families were welcoming, teaching students the secrets of the Rheinland-Pfalz dialect: “Ich bin 100% Pälzer!” We were supplied with plenty of wurst and bretzel, which tasted even better in the crisp Autumn sun. In Berlin we absorbed the history of a divided city, and marvelled at the Fernseherturm (Television Tower), the remains of the Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall) and the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate): “Living history is my favourite thing”. Back in our neighbourhood we explored medieval towns, city watchtowers, crypts and the ruins of castles and monasteries. We hiked until our legs were sore and the views of Deutschland's most picturesque towns spread out below us like a map and (a very un-german) Starbucks was often the reward: “Miss, can we go to Starbucks? I’m collecting the tickets!” At the end of the trip, barely a dry eye was to be seen among the host families, the Australian and the German students. The promises to return and to visit in the future speak to the meaningful experience that was had by all. A huge thank you to all the well-behaved students, to the parents who made this life-changing trip possible and to the staff who helped out with the organisational side, both before we left and while we were away. Liebe Grüße! Ms MacLeman and Mr Klitzing

For those of you who would like to browse through our adventures in a more-detailed way, our blog of the trip is still available at DoYouEvenGerman.blogspot.de

FAIRHILLS HIGH SCHOOL VALUES AWARD Congratulations to Harvey Chinn (Year 9), recipient this week of a Fairhills High School Values Award. Harvey was nominated by Mr Potter for his recent demonstration of the school's values of respect, responsibility, persistence, inclusion, and integrity. Well done Harvey!

EASTERN METROPOLITAN REGIONAL ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS On Friday the 9th of October 11 students from Fairhills took part in the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Athletics Championships held at the Knox Athletics Track. These students had won through to this event by winning at the District Athletics Carnival held in Term 3. The students all performed well and should be proud of their efforts. While not winning any medals the students in the main finished in 4th or 5th position out of the 8 competing.

Hayley Brown, Girls 1500 metre walk Jayne Brown, Girls Discus

Harvey Chinn, 800 metre race and member of Amelia Clifford, Girls long jump the 4 by 100 boys relay

Lily Gibson, Girls Shot Put Jordan Lees, Boys high jump and member of the 4 by 100 boys relay

Cooper Weiland-Dunkins, Boys 90 metre hurdles Luke Saultry and Billy McNay, member of the 4 by 100 boys relay.

Congratulations to all those who represented Fairhills. Andrew Potter

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

Term 4 is a busy time for the music department. Students present for their VCE performance and written exams. Some woodwind students will be attending the Regional concert band workshop and recording session. Our end of year concert will be held in the lovely theatre at Swinburne TAFE. This is a wonderful opportunity for music students to experience performance in a beautiful venue. All family and friends are invited to the End of Year Concert. Put the date in your diary! Please see details below. Please contact Nicole McAlister through the school office or email mcalister.nicole.s@edumail.vic.gov.au if any queries regarding the instrumental music program.

COMMUNITY WORKING BEE - Saturday 24th October (9am to mid-afternoon). Parents and staff are invited to come along and support our next working bee at the school on Saturday 24th Oct. This event is being supported by members of the Bayswater Hillsong Church, and we expect to have over 100 people on site working to improve our school. Projects being undertaken will include garden weeding and mulching, rubbish removal, painting and pressure washing of classrooms and buildings. It would be great to see more parents getting involved and helping the school to improve the facilities for our students.

WELLBEING NEWS Nominations for the 2015/2016 Victorian Young Achievers Awards NOW OPEN The Victorian Young Achiever Awards aim to recognise, encourage and reward the positive achievements of young Victorians. Making a nomination is easy! You can nominate someone and answer the questions on their behalf or you can simply fill in their name and contact details and save the nomination, give them a call and tell them you have nominated them! They can then fill in the details for their application, which often works well as they will be able to provide more detailed and accurate information. Below is an e-flyer with the categories open for nomination. We would love if you are able to forward on this email to anyone you think is deserving of recognition for their amazing work in the community! Visit http://www.awardsaustralia.com/young-achiever-awards/vic. Grow-Better Together Support Group – information session The Grow-Better Together Support Group provides an environment for family and friends to discuss the day to day challenges of assisting a loved one experiencing mental or emotional health issues. The group runs for 2 hours twice a month, is confidential and free! On Thursday 22 October come and meet the staff and group members and find out how Grow and Headspace can help and support you. The session is being held at 4.30-5.30pm on 22 October at headspace Knox. RSVP to Kiran on 0448 051 540 or kiran.sidhu@grow.org.au. Write Local – Developing Writing Opportunities for People with Mental Health Issues Arts Access Victoria, Public Libraries Victoria, Writers Victoria and Write-ability present an opportunity for you to celebrate National Mental Health Week. The forum will present an opportunity to explore some of the exciting work that is being done in community based writing programs, share information about what libraries are currently doing to increase participation in writing at a local community level and indulge in some readings from local writers. The forum program will also include workshop discussions and lunch. For more information about Write Local please contact Paul Dunn: pdunn@artsaccess.com.au or 9699 8299. To book a place in the forum email rsvp@artsaccess.com.au with the subject: Booking for Write Local Forum. Please note any access or dietary requirements with your booking. When Monday 19 October Time 9:30am – 2pm Cost Free Where The Wheeler Centre, 176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne Peer support for families navigating the NDIS ACD Connect is a free peer support network for families seeking to manage their own supports and make the most of the NDIS to go beyond traditional disability pathways. Monthly peer meetings will provide opportunities for families to meet others and share experiences. ACD Connect is for parents or carers wishing to support their child with a disability aged 0 - 12 years to achieve a fulfilling and purposeful life. The first meeting will be held on Wednesday, 14th October 2015 at 10.00 am – 11.30 am at the Wheelers Hill Library Meeting Room, 860 Ferntree Gully Road, Wheelers Hill. Morning tea will be provided. Registration is required via our website www.acd.org.au/acd-connect/ or contact ACD on 03 9818 2000 EACH – Circle of Girls program Circle Of Girls is a program for young women experiencing difficulties dealing with their emotions, struggling with significant relationships and many other issues. The program runs once a week over eight weeks and covers topics such as: communication, feelings and emotions, self-esteem and confidence, assertiveness, strategies for getting past anger, relationship building and personal safety. A parent forum after session six is also an important element of the program.

Who: Young women in Grades 5 & 6. Where: Connections UnitingCare, 185 Mt Dandenong Rd. Croydon When: Thursdays during Term 4, 2015. (15 October – 3 December) Parent Forum Thursday 26 November Time: 4:00pm to 6:00pm. Cost: Free. Contact: Enquires and bookings to Lea Young or Glyn Jones at Connections on 9724 2222 Boronia Homework Club A homework club is currently running at Boronia Library (Park Crescent, Boronia), and is open to secondary students who need help with their homework, projects and research. Experienced volunteer tutors will be present to support students. The homework club runs every Tuesday from 4pm – 5.30pm and is free. Visit www.yourlibrary.com.au or contact the Boronia Library on 9762 4099. Regards, Paul Graham Student Wellbeing Coordinator