Newcomb Secondary College Newsletter

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TUESDAY 17th February 2015 ISSUE: 3

Coming Events

Thursday, 19th February

Whole College Assembly.

Thursday, 26th February

Year 7 and 10 Immunisations.

Connect Assemblies.

Friday, 27th February

Year 11 Orientation, Deakin

Waterfront.

Regional Swimming/Diving.

Thursday, 5th March

Year Level Assemblies.

Friday, 6th March

Year 8 EASE Geelong Excursion.

Senior Sport: Volleyball/Tennis/Softball/

Baseball/Cricket.

GROW at Gordon.

Monday, 9th March

Labour Day - Public Holiday.

Tuesday, 10th March

House Athletics - Landy Field.

Senior Cricket Finals.

Thursday, 12th March

Year 11/12 REACH Workshop.

Whole College Assembly.

Friday, 13th March

Intermediate Sport: Volleyball/Tennis/

Softball/Baseball.

GROW at Gordon.

Thursday, 19th March

GROW at Gordon.

STAFFING NEWS We welcome our new Assistant Principal Shane Elevato to Newcomb

Secondary College. He has 15 years of teaching experience and

recently worked at Surfcoast Secondary College. Mr Elevato will

oversee Years 7 and 8 with Mrs McNamara overseeing Years 9 to 12.

I know the whole school community will support his involvement at

Newcomb Secondary College.

INDONESIAN ASSISTANT PIA ZAKIYAH ARRIVES AT NSC After throwing our hat in the ring several years in a row, we were

lucky to be chosen to host an Indonesian Language Assistant for this

year. Pia Zakiyah arrived in Melbourne last week. It is her first time

outside Indonesia. She is 24 and from the large town of Bandung,

around one hour outside the capital of Indonesia Jakarta. Bandung is

located high up in the mountains with a volcano. The weather is

cooler than most places in Indonesia and because it has so many

university students, Bandung is quite a hipster town. Bu Pia is a

qualified English teacher in Indonesia and here she will be assisting Bu

Millis and Pak Karl to teach Indonesian to Years 7-12. She is also working with Bu Mac

at Leopold Primary School. Please say hello to Pia if you see her around.

COLLEGE SWIMMING CARNIVAL The Newcomb Secondary College Swimming Sports was held yesterday with great

success. This would have to be one of the most supported swimming carnivals in

recent years, with many students dressed in their House colours and cheering on their

House participants. The winning House will be announced at the next College

Assembly. Well done to all who contributed to the day. Good luck to those students

competing at the next level. Photos and results will be posted in future newsletters.

COLLEGE COUNCIL ELECTIONS The process for the election of the new College Council has now commenced.

Nominations for the three parent and the two staff representative positions are open

and called for.

Nominations will close on Tuesday, 24th February 2015 at 4.00pm. The list of

candidates, nominators and seconders will be displayed at the Newcomb Secondary

College General Office by Thursday, 26th February 2015.

If an election is necessary, I will distribute the appropriate documentation to parents

and the ballots will close on Tuesday, 10th March 2015 at 4.00pm.

College Council: Student Leaders: Student Leaders: President: Vidas Kymantas Mitchell Allen Toby France

Vice President: Yvette Ramsay Amanda Clydesdale Bailee Jones

Exec. Officer: Phil Honeywell

81-85 Bellarine Highway Newcomb VIC 3219 Phone: 03 5248 1400 Fax: 03 5248 3523

Email: newcomb.sc@edumail.vic.gov.au Website: www.newcombsc.vic.edu.au SMS student absences: 0416 907 351

The parents whose time on Council has expired are:

Mr Mark Ramsay (eligible for nomination)

Mrs Karen Warneke (eligible for nomination)

Ms Christie McFadden (eligible for nomination)

Of course, nominations are able to be received from any parents and we would encourage parents to consider being part of

the College Council.

The Department of Education and Training members whose time on Council has expired are:

Mrs Liz McNamara (eligible for nomination)

Mrs Colette Brennan (eligible for nomination)

The Newcomb Secondary College Council can also co-opt four people into the Community Members category of Council

with the College Student Leaders traditionally filling some of these positions.

Other information concerning the College Council elections can be found later in this newsletter. Nomination forms can be

obtained from the General Office, or ring the Office and a form can be sent home.

Therefore, the February meeting of College Council (this week) will be the last of the present Council and the Thursday,

19th March meeting will be the first of the new College Council.

Mr Phil Honeywell, Principal

Mr Shane Elevato, Assistant Principal

Mrs Liz McNamara, Assistant Principal

FROM THE PRINCIPAL TFROM THE PRINCIPAL TFROM THE PRINCIPAL TEAM CONTINUED….EAM CONTINUED….EAM CONTINUED….

YEAR 12 ORIENTATION – DEAKIN UNIVERSITY

How do you get your ATAR? What pathway options are available to you when you graduate? What support is there for

when you feel overwhelmed and stressed? How do you apply for university pathways? On Thursday and Friday of last week

the Year 12 students considered these questions as part of their official Year 12 Orientation at Deakin University.

The two day event explored how students can mitigate the pressures associated with their final and most important year of

secondary study, and how they can successfully navigate their way through the VTAC and SEAS application processes.

In addition to these serious and poignant messages, the students were also treated to a live screening of Channel Ten’s

‘Family Feud’, Newcomb’s favourite game show, exploring the essential ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ for Year 12.

In essence, the cohort was reminded that the students who achieve personal success with the completion of their studies

are those who are organised, have clear short and long-term goals and those who seek assistance wherever it is needed. As

a senior years team, our doors will always be open to students who need support with any of these areas.

On the final day the students were entertained, and possibly even inspired, by acclaimed writer and comedian, Declan Fay.

Declan shared candid and highly amusing tales of trial and tribulation from his own secondary school days. Declan’s message

to the students, a pertinent one, was; ‘don’t wonder what if…’

On behalf of all the staff at Newcomb Secondary College, I would like to wish the Year 12 students every success with their

final year. I would also like to thank all who were involved with the orientation program – especially Mr Houlihan, who ran

valuable VCE English workshops on both days.

James Murphy

NEWCOMB GEMS 2015

The Newcomb Gems are back!! The girls have some

new team members and are playing better than ever.

The team now consists of: Gemma - G.A, Jane - G.S,

Ally - W.A, Jess - C, Chloe - G.K, Shania - G.D, Miriam

-W.D and Brea. As you can see they look gorgeous in

their new uniforms. Many thanks to Nigel Henning

from Geelong Safe and Secure for sponsoring the girl's

new uniforms.

Their first game for the year was against St Auburns,

who we beat 18-15. The majority of Gem’s are now

playing in other teams and competitions which mean

they are really improving and becoming stronger

players. The most important improvement for these girls is the amount of team spirit they show and the

obvious great fun they have while playing. These days

they have quite a cheer squad of family and friends

attending every game, which is fantastic. Make sure if

you get a chance you join or start up a sporting team

as it has so many benefits, both physically and

psychologically!

Ms Jones

CONGRATULATIONS JACOB R!!

While many were enjoying family time on

Australia Day and surrounding the BBQ in

anticipation of a well cooked meal. I went along

with the Jacob’s family to see Jacob representing

himself and NSC at the Richard Marles MP office

for the ceremony of Geelong Young Leaders

Award, 2015. Jacob wrote a letter to Richard

Marles on the topic of "How can you make a

difference in the future based on the leadership

values you gained during your schooling"

Jacob wrote about several main values: respect

for himself and others—as well as the importance

of flexibility in problem solving. This included:

honesty and perseverance and remaining true to

yourself - but the most important leadership value he had learnt in his time at NSC was as stated “it is

imperative that you live by your own values not just through words but also by your own actions.”

Jacob did a wonderful job representing himself and the school at the Australia Day ceremony. Well done

Jacob!!

Ms Jones

CONVEYANCE ALLOWANCE 2015 (TRAVEL ALLOWANCE)

To be eligible to receive a Conveyance Allowance, applicants must reside more than 4.8km by the shortest practicable route

from their nearest school. Parents are responsible for the initial payment of the bus pass but will be reimbursed in July and

December in the current year by the College.

To apply for reimbursement students are required to complete two forms and return them to the school office.

1. Public Transport Travel Student Conveyance Allowance Application 2015.

2. 2015 Victorian Public Transport Student Concession Card and Student Pass Application Form (these forms are not available until early 2015 and can be obtained from the College General Office or V/Line

Stations).

Please note that these forms have to be completed by Wednesday, 25th February for continued

funding. Any queries please contact Michelle Sharp at the College on 5248 1400.

Our first Year 9 and 10 assembly for the year showcased one

of our many students who have musical talent. Emily

performed two songs for the appreciative audience. Emily

(Year 9) started singing lessons last year and after a successful

audition, has been accepted into a Glee Group where she

hopes to improve her singing, dancing and confidence in

performing. We look forward to other students organising a

performance to showcase their talent in any area of dance,

singing, comedy, drama, music, or magic. Congratulations

Emily!

NEWCOMB’S GOT TALENT!

SCHOOL EXCURSIONS AND REMINDERS

Students who don’t attend an excursion are expected to attend school as normal.

Parents are asked to not keep students at home.

Year/Group Excursion Date Cost Permission Slips

& Payment Due

8 Geelong History Walk Friday, 6th March $5 3rd March

School Athletics 10th March $5 5th March

ICT UPDATE

As mentioned in previous newsletters we are moving forward with our ICT provision and expectations for 2015. We

have updated our JB Computers purchase portal to show the latest devices and it is pleasing to see these devices starting to be made use of in classes. All students were issued with a notice outlining computer options for 2015. If you

have not seen this or want another copy please see the Computers page on our website. New JB orders can continue to be placed throughout the year. We do not recommend purchasing iPads for use at school, however if you already own

one it may be able to be set up for limited use in classes. Other computer devices will need to be individually checked by our IT support team before they can be set up for school use. Application forms for this are available at Mr Bath’s office.

We have also begun the process of mailing out confidential Usernames and Passwords for parents to be able to log on

to Xuno, our new student data portal. Existing students should already be able to use this with their new 2015 school password, so we hope parents can have a look at the wealth of information available using the student log on. Xuno log on is available from the Logon button on our school website. We plan to hold information sessions to assist parents

using Xuno after all families have received their information.

Another new initiative for this year is the Newcomb Secondary College smart phone App. This will be a great way to keep in touch with us and greatly improve the way parents can

communicate with the school. More details will be out soon but this will be a free App download for all phone types.

If you have any comments or concerns please let Stephen Bath (Information and Communications Technology Leader) know so we

can better meet your needs and continue improving our ICT facilities.

School Council Elections – Information for Parents

School Council Elections 2015

What is a school council and what does it do? All government schools in Victoria have a school council. They are legally constituted bodies that are given powers to set the

key directions of a school within statewide guidelines. In doing this, a school council is able to directly influence the quality of

education that the school provides for its students.

Who is on the school council? For most school councils, there are three possible categories of membership:

A mandated elected Parent category – more than one-third of the total members must be from this category.

Department of Education and Training (DET) employees can be Parent members at their child’s school as long as they

are not engaged in work at the school.

A mandated elected DET employee category – members of this category may make up no more than one-third of the

total membership of school council. The principal of the school is automatically one of these members.

An optional Community member category – members are coopted by a decision of the council because of their special

skills, interests or experiences. DET employees are not eligible to be Community members.

Generally, the term of office for all members is two years. The term of office of half the members expires each year, creating

vacancies for the annual school council elections.

Why is Parent membership so important? Parents on school councils provide important viewpoints and have valuable skills that can help shape the direction of the

school.

Those parents who become active on a school council find their involvement satisfying in itself and may also find that their

children feel a greater sense of belonging.

How can you become involved? The most obvious way is to vote in the elections, which are held in Term 1 each year. However, ballots are only held if more

people nominate as candidates than there are positions vacant.

In view of this, you might seriously consider

standing for election as a member of the school council

encouraging another person to stand for election.

Do I need special experience to be on school council? No. What you do need is an interest in your child’s school and the desire to work in partnership with others to help shape

the school’s future.

What do you need to do to stand for election? The principal will issue a Notice of Election and Call for Nominations following the commencement of Term 1 each year. All

school council elections must be completed by the end of March unless the usual time line has been varied by the Minister.

If you decide to stand for election, you can arrange for someone to nominate you as a candidate or you can nominate

yourself in the Parent category.

DET employees whose child is enrolled in a school in which they are not engaged in work are eligible to nominate for parent

membership of the school council at that school.

Once the nomination form is completed, return it to the principal within the time stated on the Notice of Election. You will

receive a Nomination Form Receipt in the mail following the receipt of your completed nomination.

Generally, if there are more nominations received than there are vacancies on council, a ballot will be conducted during the

two weeks after the call for nominations has closed.

Remember Ask at the school for help if you would like to stand for election and are not sure what to do

Consider standing for election to council this year

Be sure to vote in the elections.

Contact Mr Phil Honeywell on 5248 1400 for further information.

MUSIC DEPARTMENT

SAVE THE DATE – SENIOR CONCERT BAND PERFORMANCES

Please ensure that you have the correct band uniform by Monday, 23rd March. Items required are listed below.

1. Year 6 Information Evening at Newcomb Secondary College – Monday, 23rd 2015. All members of the Senior

Concert Band are required to please be able to attend the Year 6 Information Evening. The Senior Concert Band will be

performing – in full band uniform, in the band room on this evening. Students will be required to be at school from 6.45 to

8.45 pm.

2. This year the Senior Concert Band will be performing at the 100th Anniversary of Anzac Day at Ocean Grove –

Saturday, 25th April. It is an honor for our College and the Senior Concert Band to be asked to participate in this

event.

On Thursday, 23rd April all Senior Concert Band members will be required to attend a full rehearsal at Ocean Grove

for this ceremony. The bus will depart school at 12.30 pm and return around 2.30 pm.

On Saturday, 25th April we will be departing school at 8.20 am and returning by 11.30 am. A bus has been

provided to us free of charge from Christians Bus lines for both the rehearsal and ceremony. All Senior Concert Band

Members are asked to please make themselves available to perform on this day for this very important event in our

history.

College Band Uniforms All students who rehearse and perform with the College Bands and Ensemble are required to be in the appropriate band or

ensemble uniform for all performances. Any student not in the correct and complete uniform will not be allowed to perform

in public.

1. SENIOR CONCERT BAND – Girls and Boys – Black LEATHER shoes – NOT CANVAS OR SNEAKERS - (closed

toe shoes for girls), black socks, long sleeve white shirt with a collar, black dress pants – not track suit or cargo pants,

concert band tie (to be purchased from school (Mrs Stabryla $20.00).

2. COLD FUSION – Black shoes, black socks, black pants, black shirts and Cold Fusion tie to be purchased from school

(Mrs Stabryla- $20.00).

3. BLUES’N JAZZ – Black shoes, black socks, black pants, long sleeve black shirt and tie.

4. JUNIOR AND INTERMEDIATE CONCERT BAND – School winter uniform, long trousers, kilts for the girls,

jumpers or jackets, white shirts, black/brown shoes.

College Band Captains 2015. Senior Concert Band

Amelia B, Jacob R.

Intermediate Concert Band

Stephanie R, Shaun G.

Blues’n Jazz

Guillan D, Mitchell P.

Cold Fusion

Amanda C, Michael K.

Senior Concert Band Tour – Daylesford – Monday, 24th August to Friday, 28th August. Cost $280.00 all inclusive.

Junior Music Camp – A camp is currently being planned for the Junior Music students – 16th, 17th & 18th September.

(last week of Term 3). More information to follow soon.

Lion King excursion – There are still a few positions available for the Lion King excursion for Senior Concert Band

members. Please see Mrs Stabryla this week if you are interested.

Any enquiries regarding the Music program please contact Mrs Stabryla via email – stabryla.cheryl.a@edumail.vic.gov.au.

Applications are now invited for the 2015

Australian Youth Classical

Music Competition

Regional Section

$2,000 First Prize

Three x $1,000 Geelong Chamber Music Society Runner-up Prizes

Eligibility

Local classical solo instrumental musicians

Open to applicants aged up to and including 18 years of age as at January 1st 2015

Reside or currently a full time secondary student or study with a music teacher in the Geelong area

Required standard of entry is Grade 6 AMEB or equivalent

Auditions – Sunday May 17th, from 9:30am

Regional Finals – Sunday June 14th, 2pm

First Prize winner will perform at the Finals Concert on Sunday August 23rd, 2pm

Applications close Friday April 24th 2015

For more information or an application form –

Email - marian@gpac.org.au

Phone – 5225 1264 (limited times)

Website - www.aycmc.org.au (download forms or apply on-line)

Facebook - www.facebook.com/australianyouthclassicalmusiccompetition

Parenting Your Teenager A 4 week program which examines what is normal teenage behaviour, the four cardinal sins of parenting teens,

communicating with your teen and managing those lucky situations.

Commencing: Tuesday, 24th February

Time: 7.00pm to 9.00pm

Location: Ariston, 245-249 Pakington Street, Newtown

Contact: Regional Parenting Service

Ph: 5272 4817 Cost: Gold Coin Donation