Issue: 9 Date: Thursday 26th March 2020P.O. Box 81 Tallangatta Phone: (02) 6071 5000 Fax: (02) 6071 2445

Email: tallangatta.sc@edumail.vic.gov.au Website: www.tallangatta-sc.vic.edu.au

Principal’s Report

Newsletter

Big Enough To Deliver, Small Enough To Care.

Coming Events

Tallangatta Secondary College

Tallangatta Secondary College is committed to empowering all to become resilient and confident lifelong learners with a strong sense of self and community.

Fri 27th Mar GPA Cycle 2 publishedTues 14th Apirl Pupil Free Day

Wed 15th Apirl Term 2 beginsWed 29th April Yr 7 Open Evening

BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL SUPERVISIONStaff supervision for students arriving before school is between 8.35am and 9.00am and for students after school between 3.20pm and 3.45pm.

At Tallangatta Secondary College, students are encouraged not to bring a mobile phone to school unless there is a compelling reason to do so. Students who choose to bring a mobile phone to school must have

them switched off and securely stored during school hours.

COVID-19 With the announcement by the Victorian Government of bringing forward the school holidays to commence Tuesday 24 March, I have been so impressed with the way that the school community worked together to ensure that Term 1 finished in a calm manner. As the situation evolves, staff continue to work conscientiously to ensure the continuation of student learning if we Transition to Flexible and Remote Learning (TtFRL) is required. Information is available on Compass for 7 – 10 students, VCE students and parents. The College newsletter will continue to be distributed via Compass each Thursday and Compass newsfeeds will continue to be an important communication tool. A reminder that the Minister for Education has approved Tuesday 14th April as student free. Term 2 is scheduled to begin Wednesday 15th April.Staffing UpdateI am very pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew Hamilton as a Design and Technology teacher. Mrs Kelly Lord will also join our staff as Business Manager with the Finance portfolio. Mrs Gillian Mason will oversee the Facilities and OHS portfolios. I am sure that the school community will welcome both Matt and Kelly to our school.I am also pleased to announce that Mr Sam Gosbell will fulfill the role as Year 8 Engagement Leader beginning next term.The Buzz – Staff Professional Learning DayLast Friday 20th March, all staff were involved in a professional learning day facilitated by Tracey Ezard titled ‘The Buzz’. What’s the Buzz? It is the energy in a culture

that’s built on collaboration, trust and learning. Staff were involved in a number of activities enabling reflection on our current and curiosity on the culture we want to create at TSC. Tracey will continue to work with staff throughout this year.Cycle 2 GPACycle 2 GPA will be available online from 4pm tomorrow afternoon.College Council A very productive School Council meeting was held last night with the AGM being held and then the first meeting of the newly formed council. We welcomed Mrs Kelly Lord and Helen McCormack as new members to School Council. I am pleased to announce that Mr Peter Wood was elected as our new School Council President and Mrs Natalie Eberle as our new Vice President. Thank you to Andrew Bussau for his time as School Council President for the last three years.2021 Year 7 Open Evening – Wednesday 29th April Planning is in place to facilitate this evening online if required. We will keep primary schools and school community updated once confirmed.General Office Holiday ArrangementsAt this stage the general office will be open on Thursday 9th April from 10.30 - 2.30pm. I thank the whole school community for their patience, understanding and support. Wishing everyone a safe holiday break.Richelle Moyle, Principal

Assistant Principal’s ReportThe Buzz – Staff Professional Learning day Last Friday 20th March, all staff were involved in a

Tallangatta Secondary College is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people. This is the primary focus of our care and decision making. Tallangatta Secondary College has zero tolerance for child abuse.

Later Years NewsAlthough it is school holidays we are still keen to support our VCE students through this difficult period in their educational journey. I have asked that teachers of students that were absent this week get holiday homework to me so that it can be mailed. We will also collect belongings from the lockers of students that were unable to clean up on the final day of term. There will be an update shortly from the VCAA about SACs and exams that we will share via Compass. Stay safe and contact your engagement leader via email if you require support from your teachers or with your work. Callum Turner

Middle Years NewsYear 8 camp has been postponed indefinitely. Parents and students are encouraged to make frequent contact with staff if they need support in setting up and preparing for remote education.Mckye Turner

Our projected work placement dates for Term 2 - 11th - 15th of May has been postponed. We are hoping to reschedule for Term 3 - 10th -14th of August. So we are encouraging students to still actively seek a placement for Term 3. We would like those students who already have a confirmed work placement to make their host employer aware of the date changes. Any questions please contact me at the school via phone or email.Jaclyn Giltrap – Year 10 Engagement Leader

Work Experience

On Tuesday 10th March, Unit 3 OES students ventured back in time to explore changing relationships with outdoor environments as influenced by the first non-Indigenous settlers’ experiences, increasing population, industrialisation and nation building. Students had a guided tour at the Bonegilla Migrant Experience, a historical talk at the Hume Dam Wall, Bethanga Bridge, Albury Railway Station and finished the day in the shoes of Hume and Hovell at the Huon Hill Lookout.Shae Billingsley

On Friday 13th March, 15 students participate in a hands on experiences at Wodonga TAFE to gain greater knowledge and understanding in two areas of choice of future pathways options in Engineering, Building Construction, Baking, Fitness, Early Education and Care, Fashion, Interior and Graphic Design and Logistics. Students gained valuable insight from the experience and the included lunch was a hit.Shae Billingsley

Wodonga TAFE School Experience Day

Unit 3 Outdoor & Environmental Studies

professional learning day facilitated by Tracey Ezard called ‘The Buzz’. The focus was on building school culture, collaboration, trust and learning. Tracey will continue to work with staff throughout this year.Year 8 The Year 8 camp to Howman’s Gap has been postponed. More information to come. School PhotosSchool photos are to come. REAL Homegroups Focus – Learning (DEAR reading, meaningful study, taking effective Cornell notes and prompted writing tasks). Thank you to Murray teachers for planning term 1 essentials. Kiewa is now planning for Term 2 REAL. Uniform Students have been outstanding with uniform. Please ensure with the change of weather that students have the correct uniform for the cooler mornings. There are jumpers, pants and soft shell jackets available from the onsite uniform shop. 2021 Year 7 Open Evening – Wednesday 29th April We are planning to facilitate the evening online if required. We will communicate arrangements closer to the date. GPA Cycle 2GPA published via compass Friday 27th March.School holidays We thank you for your support throughout Term 1 and wish all students a safe and enjoyable break. Jocelyn Ziebell, Assistant Principal

The world is making changes on how we socialize, and has placed restrictions on our daily activities. This can be stressful for some, as changing daily circumstances and uncertainty about the future can give rise to heightened individual and community anxiety. To support a healthy TSC community, I have gathered evidence-based research from clinical psychologists who share their advice on how to keep healthy, happy and motivated whilst we spend more time at home. 1. Remind yourself that these are temporary measures. Whilst there is uncertainty of when we can resume our normal daily living activities, reminding ourselves that this is temporary imitates and supports feelings of hope and recovery. 2. Remember that your effort is helping others in the community. We are aware that some populations are at greater risk than others, so practice social distancing and good hygiene habits for them. Feelings of empathy toward others increases social awareness, regulation and understanding. 3. Stay connected with friends, family and colleagues via social media, email or phone. Our social circles are important, and it is important to maintain strong and meaningful social connections during isolation. Engaging with these networks increases serotonin, which is a chemical that improves social behavior and happiness. 4. Engage in healthy activities that you find enjoying and

How to stay emotionally well over the holiday period

relaxing. Keeping your brain stimulated with things that are of interest to you helps brain development, and will support your intrinsic motivation – the motivation that comes from within, to help you feel accomplished and satisfied with your day. 5. Keep regular sleep routines and eat healthy foods. Sleep/wake cycles should be kept similar to what they were at school or work, to create a sense of normality. Eating well and sleeping at regular times will also allow the body to repair and nourish overnight, providing you with energy and a good attention span the next day. 6. Try to maintain physical activity. Think outside the box. There are a number of apps available free in light of recent events, such as DownDog which is made free by using your school email to sign up. Walking or running outside will support your immune system also. 7. Avoid news and social media if you find it distressing. Ensure you have access to the correct information from credible sources, and avoid generalist comments online.If you are feeling particularly isolated or are overwhelmed, please keep these numbers handy: • Lifeline on 13 11 14• Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800• MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978• Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467• Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636• Headspace on 1800 650 890• ReachOut at au.reachout.comTake care of each other and see you in Term two.Mahalia

Colour Sensit ivi tyOfficially called Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome (SSS), and commonly called Irlen Syndrome, this condition distorts images which causes visual stress for people, especially when trying to read or write. Visual stress is something al-most everyone suffers when they look at something exceptionally bright or highly contrasting, such as the image below, which creates stress on the eyes because of high contrast and competing lines of black and white. Print text cre-ates this type of visual stress for readers with SSS, making it difficult for them to read. Their brain tries to deal with this stress by altering the messages the eyes are sending it, creating distortions in the print in front of them.

Because SSS is caused by a fault in the way our brain reads the messages the eyes send it, rather than a vision problem, an eye test will not identify SSS.

Typically, people experiencing visual stress exhibit the following behaviour:

• Squirming, wriggling in seat, shifting position a lot• Moving book or computer under table, onto lap etc..• Shading book or computer• Barricading the sides of books or computer with hands• Squinting, rubbing eyes• Fatiguing very quickly

The Washout EffectThe white back-ground can over-take the black print-ing, making letters of similar shape be-come indiscernible. Eg. Lowercase letters such as a,s,e,o,c all begin to look the same.

Rivers:The white spaces between words be-come more prom-inent, creating riv-ers of white which demand more at-tention than the words.

The Swirl Effectcan create feelings of nausea. Read-ers experience ver-tigo-like symptoms as their text swirls like a vortex.

Doubling or Halo Effect: For some readers the words or letters move out of themselves, cre-ating a shadow or double print effect. Sometimes they move back into them selves, some-times not.

Some of the effects of SSS can be seen below.Alternatively, you can view these perceptual distortions on this Youtube clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FARizLljRkc

The See-Saw Effect letters move up and down like a see-saw, running into other lines, mak-ing it really difficult to follow the line you are trying to read.

How we are supporting students with SSSAs a school, we are not able to officially diagnose Scotopic Sensitivity Syn-drome (or Irlen Syndrome). What we are doing is screening students who pres-ent symptoms of SSS to see if using a coloured filter makes reading easier for them. Students, for whom a coloured filter does make a significant difference, are provided with a coloured reading ruler, coloured page overlay, and software to make reading on their computer easier. For students who find writing on coloured paper easier, we provide coloured paper workbooks. Further supplies of these are available for purchase from the school office.

The use of these filters is called the Irlen method (named after the leading re-searcher in this syndrome, Helen Irlen). It is simply the use of colour filters to help alleviate the symptoms of visual stress caused by extreme contrasts.

You can see from the images of brain function below why a student suffering visual stress becomes tired very quickly – their brains are working 20 times harder than their peers’. By providing coloured filters we are trying to alleviate this fatigue and stress and assist them to become better readers.

If you would like any more information please contact Sue Carey at the school 6071 5000