KAMBRYA COLLEGE Ph 9707 7600 Fax 9702 6277 kambrya.co@edumail.vic.gov.au www.kambryacollege.com

Principal’s Message

APRIL 19TH 2013

NEWSLETTER NO 5

APR

24th Year 7 2014 Parent Information

Evening

25th ANZAC Public Holiday

MAY

8th Parent Teacher Conferences—

STUDENT FREE DAY

14th—

16th

NAPLAN Testing Year 7 & 9

Dear Parents and Guardians

Welcome to Term 2 and the cooler weather! We

return to school following a lovely Easter/autumn

break filled with energy and optimism. I am

pleased to report that EBA negotiations between

the state government and AEU have made signifi-

cant progress and, as a result, all bans have been

lifted. We hope that negotiations will be brought

to a satisfactory conclusion in a very short time.

As Principal at Kambrya College, I am in full sup-

port of achieving an appropriate pay rise for our

extraordinarily hard working and professional

teachers.

I also hope that our parent community will support

plans to increase federal government funding of

state schools which have been inspired by the Gon-

ski Review. When looking at the proposed changes

it is important to note that:

Of the poorest 20% of students in our state:

91.7% of these attend state schools

6.3% of these attend Catholic schools

1.9% of these attend independent schools

83% of indigenous students attend state

school

78% of students with disabilities attend state

school (include those with the most serious

disabilities)

72% of ESL students attend state schools

80% of refugee students attend state schools

Kambrya College is already a school that “lifts be-

yond its weight”, in terms of improving student

learning outcomes. The planned reforms will help

create a more level playing field in schooling across

our nation. The new funding model will provide us

with the resources we require at Kambrya College

to maximise the potential of each student.

School Council Elections

Elections for School Council were conducted in the

last week of term one. Six parents nominated for

the three available positions as Parent Represent-

atives. I am delighted to congratulate, Mr David

Denny, Mrs Judith Waller and Mr Ian Lorimer as

the successful parent nominees. I would also like

to thank the three other parents who nominated

for positions but were not successful on this occa-

sion. Elections were not required for the two posi-

tions available for DEECD representatives as

there were just two nominations. Congratulations

to Mr Brett Wilson and Ms Kylie Williams as the

successful nominees. I look forward to working with

the new School Council with the aim of continuing

the development of a first rate secondary college for

our local community.

High Expectations

At Kambrya College, our motto is “Maximising the

Potential of Each Student” to ensure that all stu-

dents leave our college with the skills and qualifica-

tions they require to reach their personal and life

goals. All our teachers are committed to challeng-

ing each student to maximise the potential of each

student every lesson of every day. Students are

therefore expected to:

Attend school each day on time

Be prepared for learning with all required ma-

terials including a charged netbook and text

books

Focus on the learning goals set for each lesson

and complete all class work

Complete all required homework

We look forward to continuing to work with parents

to develop the habits and attitudes among students

that will lead to success!

Winter Uniform

Please note that the Winter Uniform comes into

play during terms 2 and 3. The components of the

uniform are attached overleaf. Most notably, stu-

dents are required to wear their tie each day except

when sport uniform is permitted. Also note that

students are not to wear any other items of clothing

other than those specified on the list overleaf.

“Hoodies’, non-school caps and facial piercings re-

main totally banned from school.

Michael Muscat

Principal

KAMBRYA COLLEGE Page 2

Admin News

Exiting Students

Please be advised that any student exit-

ing from school (intending to leave) must

complete formal exit paperwork. Parents

are invited to seek further information

from Ms Shirley Bell in the front office.

Terms 2 and 3 – Winter Uniform

Plain navy scarves are able to be worn

GIRLS:

Checked winter skirt and Midford

white classic shirt long sleeved or

Navy pants with logo and Midford

white classic shirt long sleeved

College tie

College jumper or polar fleece jacket

with embroidered College logo

College water proof jacket with em-

broidered College logo (no longer

available for purchase)

Long white or blue socks or plain navy

or black tights

Fully enclosed sturdy black shoes

or sturdy lace up runners. No can-

vas shoes.

BOYS:

Taupe pants or shorts and Midford

white classic shirt long sleeved

College jumper or polar fleece jacket

with embroidered College logo

College tie

College water proof jacket with em-

broidered College logo (no longer

available for purchase)

White or blue plain socks (no logos)

Fully enclosed sturdy black shoes

or sturdy lace up runners. No can-

Later Years News

Heading into winter it’s important for all

students to make sure they provide a medi-

cal certificate if they miss school due to ill-

ness.

Any student that has been issued a course-

work detention must ensure they follow the

instructions on the detention letter. Effective

immediately any student that is still on the

detention database will not be able to sign

out early when they have study periods.

Year 12 students who are getting licences

must not drive any other students to school,

except siblings, and must register their num-

ber plate with the later years office. They

must also not park in the school car park.

VCE

VCE students will have mid-year exams in

week nine of this term. The exams will cover

topics in Unit 1 and 3 of their respective

classes. Students should be consolidating

their notes in preparation for this week.

Year 12 students can find past exams at

http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/pages/vce/exams/

examsassessreports.aspx

Also note that any student undertaking a

Unit 3 VCE subject will be doing the GAT on

Wednesday June 12th. Preparation sessions

for the GAT will begin soon.

Year 12 VCE students will have a Tertiary

Information Session (TIS) on June 4th . More

information to come.

VCAL

All VCAL students should have now ar-

ranged a work placement. If your son/

daughter does not have a work placement

they are required to attend school on their

non-VET day (usually Friday) to help them

gain the skills needed to successfully com-

municate with potential employers.

VCAL students are reminded they will not

have classes on June 11th and 13th. VCAL

students that are undertaking a scored VET

are required to be at school on Wednesday

June 12th for the GAT.

Students should be working on their portfoli-

os on a regular basis.

Page 3 NEWSLETTER NO 5

Learning to Lead with GRIP

On the 15th of March 2013 David McElhinney, Andy Ramos-Amaya, Srishnaa Remesh

and myself – captains of Warin, Mirrim, Gwonawa and Bulen Bulen, were invited to

attend the GRIP Student Leadership Conference held in the Melbourne Exhibi-

tion Centre. At the conference we, along with an accompanying adult, were given the

chance to further hone our leadership skills by taking part in workshops on how to

minimise conflict, use technology to effectively lead, make a motivational speech and

successfully organise events. As well as all the serious leading classes we got to show

our dancing and gangnam style skills in mini activities throughout the day, providing

an ample amount of hysterical laughs.

The conference gave us a fantastic opportunity to interact with over two hundred stu-

dent leaders from across Victoria that also attended, creating friendships and provid-

ing us with more role models. The Sub-School Captains would like to thank the school

and the GRIP Team for providing us with this unique opportunity along with our par-

ents for encouraging us to grasp the opportunity. We came out of the conference a little

wiser than we were.

Majidah Abdul-Wahab

(Bulen-Bulen Sub-School Captain, B10A)

Student Leadership News

School Connectedness News

KAMBRYA COLLEGE Page 4

Sub School News

Sub School News (Continued)

Page 5 NEWSLETTER NO 5

What is ICAS?

The International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) are independent skills-based assess-

ments with a competition element. ICAS are developed annually for primary and secondary school stu-

dents in the subject areas of Computer Skills, English, Mathematics, Science, Spelling and Writing. In

2013, Kambrya will be offering students the opportunity to complete in five of these competitions.

Each competition is conducted at Kambrya by our own teachers under normal examination conditions. All

competitions will take between 40 and 60 minutes for students to complete, and will include a range of

multiple choice and open answer questions. The spelling competition will also include a dictation section.

Over one million student entries are accepted from over 6,300 schools in Australia and New Zealand annu-

ally. In addition, students from over 20 countries including Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South

Africa and the USA participate in ICAS each year.

Below is a summary of the skills which may be on each of the competitions. For further details, including

competition length and the number of questions for each year level please visit http://

www.eaa.unsw.edu.au/icas/subjects/

English

Reading and language skills in a range of texts. Students are required to locate, identify,

interpret, infer and synthesise information in and about texts, focusing on the aspects of:

Reading for meaning in factual texts

Reading for meaning in literary texts

Syntax

Textual devices

Vocabulary

Mathe-

matics

Mathematical skills in a range of contexts from the following areas:

Algebra and patterns

Change and data

Measures and units

Number and arithmetic

Space and geometry

Science

Scientific skills in the subject contexts of Earth and Beyond, Energy and Change, Life and

Living, Natural and Processed Materials, and including:

Knowledge

Interpreting data

Investigating

Measuring and observing

Predicting/Concluding from data

Reasoning/Problem solving

Spelling

Spelling of words that range from simple spelling patterns to difficult or unusual spelling

patterns, in four different contexts:

Applying rules and conventions

Dictation

Error correction

Proofreading

Writing

Constructing an aspect of a narrative text or a form of persuasive writing, demonstrating:

Language choices that enhance the writing

Punctuation

Spelling

Syntax and grammar

Text purpose and structure

In 2013 the ICAS Competition will assess persuasive writing only.

KAMBRYA COLLEGE Page 6

In te r n at i on a l Pr og r am New s

First Cultural Visit to China A group of fifteen students and four staff members recently embarked on the inaugural

cultural visit to China. What an amazing and unique opportunity for all involved. Com-

mencing with three days in Shanghai, students embraced the local culture by using the

local transport, sampling traditional foods in local restaurants and exploring both the

old and new Shanghai. They enjoyed the celebrity status of being a visitor in Shanghai,

with locals taking more photographs of them than we were taking of the local sights.

Their stardom was realised when they were challenged to an impromptu Gangnam Style

dance off with the locals to an audience of over 500 people in one of the busiest pedestri-

an malls in the world, Nanjing Road.

Little did we know that the next stage of the trip would elevate the celebrity status of

the group even further. The much anticipated visit to Anzhou Middle School was un-

doubtedly the highlight of the trip for all involved. We were welcomed with a fanfare

like none that we have ever experienced. Students were embraced with open arms, sign-

ing hundreds of autographs and posing for even more photographs. Students reconnect-

ed with those that they had hosted last year in Australia and the friendship between

Kambrya College and our new sister school was further strengthened over the course of

the five days that were spent with them. We were immersed in the local school environ-

ment and had opportunity to develop a greater understanding of Chinese culture

through lessons in calligraphy, music, Ping-Pong and dumpling making. Home stays

provided the unique experience of living the life of the locals. For some, this meant liv-

ing in a six storey home and for others it was a high rise apartment. Whatever the ac-

commodation, it always meant a lot of food and an unforgettable experience. A sad fare-

well saw the group board the bullet train back to Shanghai for the flight to Beijing and

the final leg of the trip.

The Great Wall was of course unforgettable and the invigorating walk took us to a fasci-

nating unrestored section of the Wall. Photographs struggle to capture its true enormity

imposing crawl across the mountain ridges. The toboggan ride from the base of the Wall

to the bottom of the mountain was an unexpected highlight. Exploration of the city took

us to the Summer Palace, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Olympic Stadium.

Riding the subway was a skill that every one mastered once they developed the confi-

dence to push their way through the crowds. The Beijing Acrobats amazed us all by con-

torting themselves into seemingly impossible positions; a skill that we are sure would be

handy when squeezing into the crowded subway!

For the staff, the highlight of the experience was having the opportunity to watch our

young students emerge as true leaders and ambassadors, for not only Kambrya College,

but Australia. Firm friendships and memories were made that will be bonded forever

by the experience of travelling together, experiencing life in another country and having

the opportunity to explore these opportunities with their peers.

The relationship with Anzhou Middle School will be further developed with their second

visit to Kambrya College in late July. I invite families to embrace this opportunity by

hosting a student. Who knows, your own child may find themselves in China on one of

our upcoming cultural visits. Hosting will provide a unique opportunity to establish a

reciprocal relationship with a family.

On behalf of the participating students and staff,

Joanne Wastle- Assistant Principal

Page 7 NEWSLETTER NO 5

In te r n at i on a l Pr og r am New s (Con t in u ed )

KAMBRYA COLLEGE Page 8

Fr ien ds o f Er mer a New s

East Timor Teach-

er Visit

On Tuesday the 26th of March, Kam-

brya College was lucky to be a part of

the 2013 East Timorese Teacher visit.

Through the hard work of ‘Friends of

Ermera’ four East Timorese teachers

of English have been brought out to

Australia to build on their teaching

skills. While in Australia they will be

working hard with Australian teachers

and Friends of Ermera to develop re-

sources and techniques to better im-

plement the teaching of English in

East Timorese schools in the Ermera

District.

While visiting Kambrya College two of

these visiting teachers, Cornelio & Ma-

nuel were able to take part in Katie

Mooney’s year 8 Humanities class

(M8A) and hear some year 10 English

oral presentations (B10A and W10B).

In the continuation of Kambrya Col-

lege’s support for our sister school in

Ermera, we will be continuing our

‘Donate a dictionary campaign’ in 2013

and are always seeking ideas for fund-

raising. If you are interested in help-

ing or have an idea of how to expand

our help, please contact Katie Mooney

or Jane Mauger.

If you are interested in more infor-

mation about the good work Friends of

Ermera does please visit their website:

http://www.casey.vic.gov.au/easttimor/

Page 9 NEWSLETTER NO 5

Wh ole Sc hoo l Sw immin g Carn iv a l New s

Kambrya’s whole school swimming carnival day was held on Thursday 7th March.

1st: Warin

2nd: Mirrim

3rd: Bulen Bulen

4th: Gwonawa

Pu bl i c Not i c e s Participants needed: FREE study for overweight young people looking for

help.

Murdoch Childrens Research Institute at The Royal Children’s Hospital is running

a randomised clinical trial of an online weight management program for overweight

adolescents. Participation involves completing height, weight, blood pressure and

waist circumference measurements and an online questionnaire at baseline, 3, 6 and

12 months. Parents are also invited to participate. Every 3 months there will be a

draw for a $100 gift voucher for those participants who have kept their appointments.

The results will demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of using the personal-

ised, targeted Staying Fit program for addressing weight-related behaviours during

adolescence. Recruitment has commenced and we are looking for 550 overweight

young people aged 12- 17 living in metropolitan Melbourne.

Enquiries Karly Cini 9345 6954 stayingfit@mcri.edu.au

For more info: www.rch.org.au/cah/stayingfit