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Issue No. 7 belmont.hs@edumail.vic.gov.au Friday 26 May, 2017

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT Year 12 VCE students who have achieved excellent results in term one Mr McAndrew, Mr Caccamo and I were pleased to acknowledge a large group of our Year 12 students who are performing very well in VCE during the first part of semester one. Students will be acknowledged for their positive start in their final year of schooling with us. We have spent time looking at teacher feedback and interim reports to give us a list of students who were working well and striving for the highest in many of the Units of Study. They are role models of our school values and I encourage them to continue their excellent work habits throughout the year.

Congratulations to: BLUE: Edward Stella Miho Miroshita Ethan Hosking Ali Ahmad

EBONY: Alicia Chandran Lucy Nicholls Bonnie Rosser Charlie Vaughan Ben Carey

GREEN: Imogen Hair Jian Lao Ruby McCormack Rachel Palmer-Brennan

PURPLE: Mohammed Rahimi Katrina Anastasopoulos Joseph Doggett-Williams Jessie Harcombe Update on Capital Works There has been a large amount of feedback from students, parents and staff regarding the redesign of the Library to include a Study Centre for our VCE and VCAL students and the design of the Performing Arts Centre including the canteen, toilet, change room and classroom facilities. We are nearly at the stage where we will commence the tendering process for the selection of the construction company that will complete the work. All community members can see the architect’s designs in the foyer of our General Office. Belmont High School: Self-Evaluation Last Friday, all Belmont staff were involved in analysing our school data for the past three years, as we reflect on the work that we have prioritised to address our goals and targets that we set ourselves in our Strategic Plan. The day was very productive. There are many areas where we have achieved

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

2017

Monday 29 May WEEK B

General Assembly VCAL Ministry of Food Inter School Cross Country

Tuesday 30 May

Year 10 & 11 History—Jewish Holocaust Museum excursion

Wednesday 31 May

Year 9 Strive Camp SEALP 2018 interviews VET O/Rec—First Aid Training

Thursday 1 June

Yr 11 PE SAC Red House Fundraising—Sausage sizzle and cake stall Year 9 Strive Camp SEALP 2018 interviews

Friday 2 June

SEALP 2018 interviews Year 9 Strive Camp Year 11 Biology BioLab excursion

Monday 5 June WEEK A

House Assemblies Yr 10 Photography—Geelong Waterfront VCAL—Ministry of Food Yr 7-10—CAT fortnight Parents Association meeting—6.45pm

Tuesday 6 June

School Sport—jnr boys football, jnr & int boys netball, 7&8 soccer

Wednesday 7 June

VET O/Rec—First Aid training

Thursday 8 June

Finance Committee

Friday 9 June

Year 10 Photography—Geelong Waterfront

24 hr STUDENT ABSENCE LINE

5241 0090 Parents only to call to report student ’s name,

house/form, reason for absence, and date.

Absences can also be entered on COMPASS by parents/guardians.

_____________________________________________________________________________Rotherham St Belmont Vic 3216 Ph: (03) 5243 5355 Fax: (03) 52432420 www.bhs.vic.edu.au

PARENTS ASSOCIATION MEETING/EVALUATION—Monday 5th June, 6.45pm—all welcome.

WINTER CONCERT—Tuesday 20 June

STUDENT FREE DAY—Thursday 22 June—Report Writing Day (no classes)

Homestay accommodation urgently wanted—please see page 9 for further information.

GOLD: Elise Brown Joe Kelly Darcy Long Alice Okeeffe

MANGO: Jade Collins Laura Eaton Sabine Logan Matilda Mellows Isobel Peter

RED: Olivia Steele Cara Edwards Richard Egan Cooper Jones Sanjana Malewar Connor Rockliff Keenan Sawyer Michael Smith Lily Twyford Devon Wells

SILVER: Angus Davies Nina Gorka Lachlan Hobbs Farah Jumat Selma Makas Hayden Voss

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our goals and met the targets set. Congratulations to all our dedicated and committed staff and students who work together to make our learning environment a very positive and productive one. Staff had looked at the next level of work for our School and have suggested areas of improvement in preparation for our new plan. We would like feedback from our parents and students and invite you to attend our Self-evaluation workshop on Monday 5 June starting at 6.45pm. If you are interested in attending, please contact Jenni Foot in our General Office. Sandra Eglezos Principal

SCHOOLS IN PHILANTHROPY PROGRAM Nine Year 10 students had the opportunity to be involved in a program that gave us insight into the Geelong community and the fantastic clubs and programs that offer Geelong residents support and experiences. As a team we first had to understand what Philanthropy meant. We learned that the word originated from phil- "loving" + anthropos "mankind”. Essentially, philanthropy is the act of giving to others in the community for the sake of generosity and equality. As part of the program we were given charge the sum of $20,000, which had been raised as part of the Geelong Foundation. We were also given three grant applications that came to a total of $32,000. The BHS Schools in Philanthropy team had to research each application to come to a recommendation on how to grant the money available. This was clearly an arduous task as we did not have enough funds to grant every application. We considered the long term impact on the greater Geelong community, as well as financial history and other options of each application. After a very challenging decision, the team was invited to the beautiful Geelong library to share our recommendation with the other schools involved and with the members of the Geelong Community Foundation. We were invited to the annual Geelong Community Foundation grants reception evening to hand over a cheque that will support the Geelong Community. We feel proud to be part of the program and have been humbled by the incredible work that goes on to support our local community. Logan Bryce, Henry Dempsey, Giorgia Hinkley, Pippa Macpherson, Rhys Morgans, Mikayla Nicholson, Caitlin Rochfort, Cassidy Sapwell, Courtney Taffe, Mrs Thomson.

YEAR 8 MEDIEVAL INCURSION 3RD MAY 2017 In term 2 this year all year 8 students are studying Medieval History. We were lucky enough to have an incursion, where experts in the field came to the school and shared their knowledge about daily life, crime and punishment, knights, armor and dance. I learned quite a bit about how people danced, committed crimes, were then punished for those crimes and then how they fought to the death! (to try and get Jerusalem). If someone was accused of being a witch they could be put to trial (e.g such as trails by fire) where basically they’d have to hold a burning piece of metal, walk somewhere, say something, walk back and then wait three days! If their hand healed up, god favoured them. If it didn’t, they’re a witch. Sarah 8 Ebony

On medieval day I learned that there were all different types of punishments for people. There was no jail because they punished people through death and pain. I really enjoyed that we got to fight the man. It was a lot of fun. The whole day was quite fun. Matt M 8R

On Medieval day, I learned that in crime and punishment, if you were a liar, it could result in getting your tongue cut off. I also learnt that higher people made peasants a feast every now and then and made them dance to keep them fit and healthy. Bree M 8R I enjoyed learning the dances, researching the types of medieval entertainment and learning about the use of different weapons. Darci B 8R

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I learned that some young knights in training had to wear there armour for long periods of time so they could get used to the weight, some even had to sleep in them until there owner told them to take it off. I enjoyed hitting the Knight with the sword and I also enjoyed learning about the armour and weapons. Ben McPherson 8E I enjoyed the last bit of the day when we got to attack the guy in the armour, and I enjoyed learning about the armour and the revolution of battles in the Middle

Ages. Georgia 8 Ebony I learnt so much on medieval day. I learnt how dancing was more than just moving but could be a wedding game for all classes to find their partner, while mingling with other people of their class. It was also a way of keeping the baron ’s peasants fit over the winter. Claire 8M I learned that punishments were in trials and that the punishments were pretty bad. Even some of the persecution was really bad because like if you see someone that could be making medicine you can tell on her and everyone thinks they were a witch. Riley 8M

I learned how the Nobles would hold a big feast for the peasants and they would do all kinds of dances together. I discovered all about some of the punishments that you could receive, and how brutal they were compared to today. I also discovered some interesting facts about weapons that they used, and how weapons and armour were designed to cater for whatever was popular at the time. I enjoyed the tournament part, which happened at the end of the day because it was like a sort of firsthand experience. Flynn 8R

PARENTS ASSOCIATION The next meeting of the Parents Association will be held on Monday 5th June. This meeting will begin earlier at the time of 6.45pm. Principal Sandra Eglezos will be in attendance and discussing data from Parent Opinion Surveys and the School Strategic Plan. All parents are welcome to attend. The meeting will be held in the Conference Room, Administration Building, Rotherham Street entrance to the school.

BOOK REVIEW Ryan Graudlin's "Wolf by wolf" There are SO MANY REASONS to love this book. Holocaust. Alternative history. Hitler wins. Genetic experimentation on Jewish children. AAAUUUGGGHHH!!!! Any ONE of those things would get me to pick up a book – all FOUR in ONE book is the bomb. The book is divided into Now (1956) and Then (1944 – 1952). The chapter headings indicate which ‘time’ we are currently in and transition between the two is easy peasy. In this alternate world of ours, it’s 1944 and a 6 year old girl named Yael has been chosen for “Melanin manipulation”. Unlike 6,000,000 other Jews, she survives the Holocaust, albeit with a strange condition which I won’t tell you about. (Suffice to say it’s incredibly cool). Hitler has won the war, Germany is now called the Third Reich and Berlin is now Germania. Fast forward to 1956 and Yael is now 17 and has 5 tattoos on her arm. Each one is a wolf and each represents someone she has loved and lost. The tattoos give her the strength to carry out her mission. To kill Hitler. To do this, she must impersonate a girl named Adele, enter a motorbike race from Germania to Tokyo, win the race and dance with Hitler at the victor’s ball. Simplez! Books are reviewed weekly and displayed in the library. Lee Suter Teacher Librarian

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VCE NEWS 6 weeks into Term 2 and Unit One and Three Studies are drawing to a close. It has been an exceptionally busy time with important administration elements due and meeting with students and their parents about academic progress but also about career choices and special needs. Mr. Caccamo and Mr. Kasperovic have compiled a list of Year 11 students who had excellent interim reports across the board but also identifying students who are not travelling well. I have completed the same process with Year 12. It is uplifting to see how many students are performing at a high level and meeting the high expectations of the school. We will, along with House Leaders, be holding interviews with the students not travelling as well as required to provide support for them, while students working extremely well will be rewarded with formal recognition. The Year 12 group were spoken to as a whole last Wednesday and asked to look at their progress thus far and whether they are contributing enough at school, during study periods and at home. The Year 11 group also received a similar message on Thursday. As a parent it is also a good time to ask your child studying at VCE level about their progress and audit the homework they are doing. Students should be doing 2-3 hours of study outside the classroom up to 5 days a week. That being said, Term 2 is the toughest term and a good time to check on the welfare of students and a great time to provide small rewards for achievement thus far. STUDY TIP: Completing 30 minutes of study for each subject undertaken earlier that day is the most efficient way of recalling and storing learnt concepts. This time spent now will save time studying later in the term/year. The end of Semester 1 is officially the 23rd June although this is effectively just an arbitrary date given by VCAA to separate Unit 1 and 3 from 2 and 4. At BHS we tend to put it in line with the whole school change of semester. In many areas subjects may start Unit 2 or 4 before this date. Over the past 2 years we have seen the attainment of the goal around improving scores as outlined in the School Strategic Plan. In order to facilitate this VCE teachers were asked to forward the names of students in their class who they feel can achieve above 35 as a study score in their subject area. Students who wished to aim for high scores will also be asked to see me to enrol for extra support to pursue this goal. I also initiated 1 on 1 interviews with students and used these sessions to predict ATAR and Study scores and to give personal and tailored study advice to each student. The same programs will be run again this year and students are encouraged to see Mr. McAndrew if they wish extra support to help them achieve their goals. Students will be encouraged to engage in the interviews once Unit 3 is completed. A BIG reminder that the GAT is 14th June. Students were provided with the information booklets about the GAT last week along with their individual GAT timetable. All students doing a Year 12 subject or a second year scored VET subject must sit the GAT. The GAT is the General Achievement Test and highly regarded as an ability measure tool. In nearly ALL cases the GAT does not influence Study scores however is extremely important in :

developing a statistical map for correlation with End of year Exams

Providing important statistical data on students’ ability levels and

is the safety net for all students if a student cannot sit the End of Year exam or is disadvantaged when sitting the exam. Students need to be at the centre outlined on the personal exam sheet by 9:30am. The exam runs to 1:15pm and students are not permitted to leave the centre early. Uniform is not required but neat casual dress is expected. If on the day there is an issue that may cause a student to be late or possibly miss the GAT, students must contact Mr. McAndrew immediately at the school. We have 307 students sitting the GAT at both South Barwon Civic Centre and the school library. Students can ’t really study for the GAT but can look at previous GAT exams either via the VCAA website or by obtaining a copy from my office. The current Year 11 cohort have sat the 2016 GAT as practice over the last month and it was very pleasing to see so many students take the opportunity to do this practice seriously. Feedback and results from the practice will be given out on the 2nd June. On the day of the GAT, there will be no Year 12 classes timetabled. All students sitting the GAT will have an approved absence for the whole day. A Couple of Reminders All VCE students, unless given special permission, must attend school from Form Assembly until the end of the day (Wednesday period 5 and 6 is exempt unless a VCE organised activity has been published and arranged). On Friday Week B: Year 12 students may leave at lunch unless there is a scheduled activity. All Year 11 students must remain at school on Friday Week B Period 5 and 6. Consequences will apply to any students leaving the school grounds within the times specified above. We have more and more students driving to school which is fine, however students are required by the Dept. of Education and Training to complete a permission form for driving or being a passenger. These can be collected and returned to Mr. McAndrew. We have been advised that students may not be covered in case of an accident by the Department or their own insurance if this form is not submitted. Over the next few weeks and into next term there are a few events planned including:

Vaccinations for Year 12 (21/6), Year 11 (19/6)

Stress relief and study habits, early Term 3 with free gift

Ace your Exams for Year 12 on 19/7

Tertiary event in August with VTAC application session

Connect Education Study lectures first week of term 4.

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Finally, VCE information can be found on the school Shared page and all dates including SACs are on COMPASS under the calendar. Many teachers are also putting their Lesson Plans and resources on COMPASS for students to access at any time. If you would like to discuss further any of the items above or anything else of interest please contact me and I will be very happy to discuss. John McAndrew VCE Leader

VCAL NEWS The Senior VCAL students were lucky to have some very special visitors to our school last week. Cows Create Careers is a Dairy Australia program designed to promote dairy industry careers and industry education to students. Calves are helping to shine a light on dairy industry careers and this year Belmont High participated, along with 20 other schools in the South West Victoria region. Since 2006 Dairy Australia has worked with thousands of students, teachers, farmers, industry advocates and communities through its investment into Cows Create Careers – Farm Module. A big thank you to our farmers, Libby and Rod Swayne, who allowed us to care for their 2 calves over the past 10 days.

MUSIC NEWS The music department has been very busy over the last few weeks, with performance trips, workshops, and preparations for our Performance CATs next Tuesday. On May 5th, Jazz Syndicate travelled to South Australia to participate in the National Stage Band Awards at the Generations in Jazz Festival. 4,712 students converge on Mount Gambier for this event, and the concerts and workshops with all these students was an amazing experience. Our students performed very well, and once again were amongst relatively few state schools who participated in the ranked divisions of the Awards. Many thanks to all the students for their fantastic enthusiasm and good cheer on the trip, and to Callum Finley for giving up his weekend to be our fearless bus driver. Barely a week later, Syndicate were out performing in the community, at the Gala Dinner at “The Pier” on the waterfront. Jazz Syndicate provided pre dinner entertainment for the 500 guests at the black tie event, and performed exceptionally well. Particular thanks to students and parents who helped to load and unload gear back at BHS both before and after the event. Song writing enthusiasts have been participating in the Rhythm in Schools Workshops in May, which finished last Monday with a recording session, where students recorded their compositions. This has been a great program, with students gaining first- hand knowledge of the song writing process, and an insight into live recording. These workshops were made possible due to the Bendigo Bank’s Rhythm in Schools Connected Communities Grant, and we are very grateful to Dave Stevens and Michael Stangel for making this program available to our students. Congratulations to Cara Edwards, who has been selected as a finalist in the Regional Youth Classical Music Competition, and we wish her luck in the next stage of the competition. Rehearsals for the Chicago production band have begun, and students are busy rehearsing parts on Tuesdays after Jazz Syndicate rehearsals. Thanks to the students and staff who have committed to the production – it’s going to be an awesome musical experience!! Solo night is on next Tuesday 30th May, at 7pm, for all instrumental music students in Years 7-10. Woodwind and some brass students will be performing in S5,(Drama room), and Brass and Percussion students will be in Bandroom 1. All family and friends are welcome to attend the evening to support their children. This evening is central to our Performance Assessment Task, and is a great chance for you to hear your child’s progress on their instrument.

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This year it was Belmont High’s turn to host the Combined Bands Day on 11th May, a collaborative music initiative involving BHS and four Independent schools (Kardinia International College, St Joseph’s College, Covenant College and St Ignatius College). It involved around 170 music students who prepared two common pieces (“Drums of Daruma” and “Tango Argentina”) which were rehearsed independently then workshopped and performed as part of a concert in the BHS school gym. We were very fortunate to have Dr Rob McWilliams as our guest conductor. He is a highly accomplished music educator, conductor and musician who has worked extensively in Australia and internationally. The students benefited greatly from working closely with Dr McWilliams and their final performance of the two combined pieces was outstanding. It was a true team effort with assistance from not only the music staff but also from other BHS staff and the Band Support parents, who co-ordinated a very successful evening BBQ for students. Our resources were stretched to the limit with such a big group but ultimately it was a rewarding and enjoyable experience for all those involved. We received positive feedback from many parents, staff and students as well as our guest conductor. Winter Concert is on Tuesday 20th June, at 7pm in the BHS Gym, and is a fabulous night of entertainment featuring all school ensembles. The Band Support group is busy putting together our monster raffle, and all donations for the raffle can be left with Ms Humphrey in the bandroom or passed on to the band support team by contacting belmonthsbandsupp@gmail.com to organise drop off. Rose Humphrey Director of Music NEW Belmont High School Careers Website http://www.belmonthscareers.com/ and Belmont High School Careers Facebook page www.facebook.com/belmonthscareers/ This is a new resource for teachers, students and parents with all things related to Careers and Pathways. The aim of these new resources are to provide you with all the latest information that will help you make decisions about your future career and your life beyond school. You can use this site to locate University, TAFE and any other type of course across Australia, get information about the VCE, search for job vacancies, career identification tools and much more. I will be speaking to all the Year 10-12 students over the coming weeks to introduce these new resources and to discuss the Student Secure Area and encourage them to keep up to date with all the latest news related to Careers and Pathways. Feel free to drop into the Careers Office if you have any questions or email me on masters.nicholas.h@edumail.vic.gov.au Nick Masters Careers and Pathways Coordinator

Careers and Pathways

www.belmonthscareers.com

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INDONESIA STUDY TOUR 2017 On the 27th of March, 15 students alongside Pak John and Bu Glen departed from Tullamarine airport and travelled to Indonesia for a 12 day culture and language tour. First stop was the island of Java and the city of Yogyakarta where we enjoyed experiencing the exciting night life of the Town Square, visiting famous Buddhist and Hindu temples, Silver Making and Traditional Batik Workshops. We had lots of opportunities to use the language when shopping and ordering food. When eating dinner at local restaurants we were able to get a taste of the traditional cuisine. We next visited Ubud, on the island of Bali where we rode bikes down the mountain side, through the small villages. We were able to witness amazing scenery and gain a better insight into village life. At night we went to see a traditional Balinese Dance performed by the locals. Whilst in Ubud we attended a language class run by Indonesian teachers which was very beneficial in expanding our knowledge of the use of the language. The third island we visited was Lombok, which we travelled to by speedboat. Lombok was beautiful and while we were there we were able to meet and make friends with the students of our Indonesian sister school. This was an amazing opportunity to converse with Indonesians our age and the boys were quick to begin a friendly game of basketball. To end our time in Lombok we visited Kuta Beach and ate dinner at a nearby restaurant, where we were treated with a surprise karaoke performance by James. Our final stop was back to Bali. On the last day of our trip, we got to visit the famous WaterBom Park Bali which lived up to our expectations completely. Following that it was a little bit of shopping and then straight to the airport to come home. Overall the Indonesia trip was an amazing opportunity that we would definitely recommend for any students studying the language. The skills and experiences we’ve gained are invaluable and we are so thankful to the teachers and the school for providing us with such a once in a life time opportunity.

Photo credit: Ben Cook

2017 ITALY TRIP – WHAT AN ADVENTURE! CHE AVVENTURA! A group of 12 BHS students, accompanied by Ms. Cologni, took part in our most recent Italian exchange program and study tour in March/April this year. Zakiah Chisholm (9B), tells us about some of the highlights. “The Italy trip was perhaps the most amazing thing to ever happen to me. I had never left the country before so the trip did appear quite daunting to begin with but as soon I was there all the fear melted away. Italy is the most breathtaking and beautiful place in the world. There I got to experience what it was like to stay in an Italian school and live with an Italian family for two weeks. My host family was amazing and I miss them greatly. We then got to spend two weeks just travelling around Italy, ending our trip in Rome. Nothing can compare to walking through the streets of Venice or standing before the magnificent statue of David. The food, of course, was simply amazing and I don ’t think I’ve eaten so much pizza in my life. This trip has perhaps changed my life and my view of the world. I ’ve made so many amazing friends from both Belmont and Daylesford and have had so many amazing experiences that people can go their whole lives without having. I want nothing more than to continue travelling the world and see all the amazing things that it has to offer. I think everyone ought to partake in at least one of these trips. It’s honestly a once in a life time opportunity and it’s so unbelievably worth it. I’ve made so many memories that I’m going to treasure with me for the rest of my life and nothing can compare to them. So thank you to the teachers who organized this trip and all the students who took part. I can’t wait until the Italian students arrive in July!” Our next in-country language trips will take place in 2019, but in July this year Belmont HS will also be lucky to host students from our Italian sister-school Liceo Curiel (Padua). Another group of students, from Milan, will also be staying with us in Term 3. For any trip-related questions, please feel free to contact your child’s language teacher. A particular GRAZIE and TERIMA KASIH to Bu Glen and Prof. Gregory for their hard work in organising the trips. Federica Cologni, Languages Domain Leader

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NumberWorks'nWords Geelong Specialist Maths and English Tuition, ph. 5245 8846

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HOMESTAY FAMILIES WANTED Long term homestay accommodation is required for a male student from China, currently in Year 9 and due to start in Term 3 2017. Long term homestay is also required for 2 Year 10 Chinese female students, beginning in July 2017. Six months homestay is required for an Italian male student (Year 10) beginning July 2017. We also require homestay accommodation for 11 Italian students (Year 11) for Term 3 2017. The weekly compensation for hosting a student is $260. Please contact Kate Dangerfield for further details, ph. 5243 5355.