Newcomb Secondary College Newsletter

Monday 9th February Yr 12 Orientation—Deakin Waurn Ponds

Wednesday 10th February

School Photos

Thursday 11th February Yr 11 Orientation—Deakin Waurn Ponds

Monday 15th February

College Swimming Sports

Wednesday 17th February School Photos Catchup day

Thursday 18th February

CONNECT Assembly

Friday 26th February Barwon Regional Swim & Dive Comp

Thursday 17th March College House Sports

Monday 21st March

Grade 6 information night from 6.30pm

Tuesday 22nd March Yr 7 Immunisations

Thursday 24th March Final Day of Term 1—

TUESDAY 2nd February 2016 ISSUE: 40

Coming Events

College Council: Student Leaders: Student Leaders: President: Yvette Ramsay Hannah Harrison Ebony Chalmers

Vice President: Vidas Kymantas Alex Jones Nicholas Watson

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

2016 Term Dates Term 1: 27 January (school teachers start) to 24 March * 28 January (students start) Term 2: 11 April to 24 June Term 3: 11 July to 16 September Term 4: 3 October to 20 December

Welcome Back Last Thursday we were able to welcome back our students to the 2016 school year. It was great to see everyone and there was a general excitement as staff and students commenced their year. We started with a whole school assembly with some general welcomes and reminders on expectations for how we work together. We welcomed new students, of course at Year 7, but also at other year levels and we welcomed Ms Amanda Davis who is joining our Wellbeing Team and Mrs Lara Field who is our new Business Manager. I focussed in on three aspects of how we operate that will support our educational environment. These were that the point of our being here is to focus on the learning and that will be most evident when we have collective respect and positive teamwork operating across the College. I also spoke about how the PTech initiative will gather pace this year as we develop our relationships with our major employer partners - Barwon Health, GMHBA, Opteon Property Group, Tribal Software and Bendigo Bank. We then moved to year level assemblies, where the organisational practicalities of being ‘Ready to Learn’ were supported, before getting straight into our classes for lesson 2.

2015 End of Year Reports: Just a reminder to all parents that the 2015 end of year reports are available online. Parents and students are able to access reports as a PDF via the Xuno portal. Xuno can be accessed via any device with internet access including computer, tablets and phones. If you need a reminder about your Xuno login details please contact Mr Stephen Bath at the College.

2016 Student Computers Our school website has been updated to show our latest JB Portal computers for purchase by parents. All Newcomb Secondary College students will be expected to have their own computer device for use at school from 2016 onwards. Go to - http://www.newcombsc.vic.edu.au/Computers/student-computers to get full details.

ATTENDANCE—IT’S NOT OK TO BE AWAY Full school attendance is essential to ensure learning is continuous, that students maintain strong connections with their

peers and feel confident and in control at school.

It is the responsibility of the parent/caregiver to make sure your child: attends school on ALL school days and is on time every day. Please make sure you: provide the school with an explanation if your child is away and arrange doctor and dentist

appointments out of school hours. Do not allow your child to stay at home for minor reasons and contact the Student

Support Leader at your child’s year level if your child is asking to stay at home.

Please phone the office if your child is absent from school. For the wellbeing of your child, Department of Education Training

has an attendance policy and teachers and schools are required to follow up student absences.

LOCKERS AND COMBINATION LOCKS All students have been allocated with a student planner and a locker. All students must have a lock on their locker – the

school cannot take responsibility for the contents of student’s lockers. Year 7 students have been supplied with a MASTER combination lock which will be charged to the family account. If students at other levels wish to buy a combination lock they

can be purchased directly from the General Office.

STUDENTS NOT RETURNING TO NEWCOMB If you know anyone not returning to Newcomb Secondary College this year, could you please ask them to contact the office

on 5248 1400.

Mr Phil Honeywell, Principal

Mr Shane Elevato, Assistant Principal

Mrs Liz McNamara, Assistant Principal

STUDENT PHOTOGRAPHS All students will be photographed on Wednesday, 10th

February 2016, with a catch up day on Wednesday 17th,

February 2016.

There is no charge to be photographed and all students

will receive an Identification Card at no cost. The card will

enable students to borrow books and use the photocopier.

Replacement cards and students receiving cards later will

incur a charge of $5.

Students must be in correct school uniform and comply

with the Uniform Policy to be photographed as each image

will be used to produce class photos.

PLEASE NOTE all money and forms to be handed in

on the day to Arthur Reed Photos.

SWIMMING SPORTS Monday, 15th February will see the Newcomb

Secondary College sporting year kick off with the

House Swimming Sports.

The sports will be held at Kardinia Swimming Pool.

Students are not required to be in school uniform and

should dress up in their respective house colours to

show support for the team.

They should also ensure they have appropriate

protection from the sun. Students can bring their

own lunch or food can be purchased from the pool

canteen.

As the sports are a whole school activity there will be

no classes operating on this day.

NEW STAFF IN 2016 Our school community welcomes 2 new staff members in 2016.

I’m very excited to be a part of the team at Newcomb Secondary College and have received a very warm welcome so far.

I have also seen some familiar faces already and look forward to meeting new staff, students and families. Some of you

may recognise me as I was the Business Manager at Geelong East Primary School for 10 years and I have worked in

schools for over 18 years. Please come and see me if you would like to chat about any financial difficulties you may be

experiencing in relation to your school account or if you need any other information.

Regards,

Lara Field

I would like to introduce myself as the newest member of Newcomb Secondary wellbeing team. Some students and

families may remember me as I used to work here a number of years ago. During my social work career I have predomi-

nately worked in education and I am passionate about enhancing young people’s wellbeing and connection to school. I will

be working with the senior year students and also the G.A.T.E. students. Please do not hesitate to contact me, I am

available Monday-Friday.

Warm regards,

Amanda Davis

2016 Student Computers

For the 2016 school year it will be expected that all students will Bring Your Own computer Device (BYOD) for use at school as needed. In order for us to continue to reduce overall costs incurred through the annual booklist a number of measures have been put in place, however these rely on students having their own computer at school.

A number of booklisted text books will be available in digital eBook format at a cheaper cost than the printed version. These editions also come with access to online resources available on student computers.

A growing number of classes will be requiring students to enrol in online tutorials and courses. Many of these are free of charge to students and require a computer to access at school and at home. These may include – Maths Pathways, Language Perfect, Khan Academy, Studio Code.org and Department of Education FUSE sites.

XUNO will continue to be used as a Learning Management System and a communication portal where student work is posted and may also be submitted online.

With the growing need for IT related skills in education and future workplaces we hope to work with all families to come up with the best way of providing student computers in 2016. Purchase one of five new computer models through our JB Education Portal. These are a one off price with no more to pay once the purchase price is paid.

Device 1 – Acer B116-M. 11.6” Screen/128GB SSD/4GB RAM/Intel Celeron Processor $694.10

Device 2 – Lenovo ThinkPad 11E 11.6” HD Screen/4GB RAM/ 128GB SSD/ Intel Celeron Processor $828.30

Device 3 - Lenovo ThinkPad 11e Yoga 11.6” HD Touch Screen/4GB RAM/128GB SSD Intel Celeron Processor/folds over to use as a tablet $1003.20

Device 4 – Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 11e with Pen/11.6” HD Touch Screen/4GB RAM/128GB SSD Intel Celeron Processor /folds over to use as a tablet $1226.50

Device 5 – Lenovo X250 12.5” HD Touch Screen/720p HD Camera/Intel Core i3 Processor/4GBx1 1600Hz DDR3/128GB SSD $1240.80

All JB models come with a Solid State Drive, the same type of memory as in a USB stick. This means they respond more quickly than older Hard Drive types and have no moving parts to fail or cause memory loss.

All JB orders also include an Everki Hard Case free of charge to ensure protection of the device.

All JB devices are newly developed technology not end of run computers you may find on a run out special in computer department stores. It is expected that, if cared for properly, these computers should last a student throughout their secondary schooling.

Payment plans are available through the JB Portal. You can arrange a 24 Month Flexi-Rent, a 12 month interest free Once Credit or an outright purchase.

These computers also include a full education software package with Office 2013, virus protection and 50 educational titles as well as warranty and support for three years.

Damage insurance is available and highly recommended for all purchases.

For full details go to: http://www.newcombsc.vic.edu.au/Computers/student-computers

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

7-12 House Swimming Carnival Monday 15th February $5.00

10th Feb 16

7-12 House Athletics Competition Thursday 17th March $5.00 11th Mar 16

CONVEYANCE ALLOWANCE 2016 (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 2016.

2. 2016 Victorian Public Transport Student Concession Card and Student Pass Application Form

(these forms are not available until early 2016 and can be obtained from the College General

Office or V/Line Stations).

Please note that these forms have to be completed at the start of each school year for continued funding.

Any queries please contact the College on 5248 1400.

CAMPS, SPORT, EXCURSION FUND (CSEF) 2016 Eligible parents or guardians receive $225 to be used against camps, sports and excursions for each child. To be eligible for the fund, a parent or legal guardian of a student attending a registered Government or non-government Victorian primary or secondary school must on the first day of Term one OR on the first day of Term two;

a) Be an eligible beneficiary within the meaning of the State Concessions Act 2004, that is, be the holder of a Veterans Affairs Gold Card or be an eligible Centrelink Health Care Card (HCC) or Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) holder, OR

b) Be a temporary foster parent, and

c) Submit an application to the school by the due date: Monday 29th February

Parents who receive a Carer Allowance on behalf of a child, or any other benefit or allowance not income tested by Centrelink, are not eligible for the CSEF unless they also comply with one of (a) or (b) above.

STATE SCHOOLS’ RELIEF YEAR 7 UNIFORM PACKAGE

INITIATIVE

Every Year 7 in 2016 who receives the CSEF automatically qualifies for a free uniform pack. If you have not applied for this initiative please come to the office to fill in an application form.

START OF SCHOOL REMINDERS Contact details - Please inform the office if any contact details have changed over the holidays.

Padlocks - For the security of belongings please make sure a padlock is supplied.

Naming and covering of books/supplies - Naming books/supplies and items of clothing will help with their return when lost so please attend to this as well as soon as possible.

STUDENT ABSENCES

Parents and Guardians are required to provide an explanation for their child’s absences.

This can be done by:

Telephone the College on 5248 1400

Send an SMS text message or reply to our absence line 0416 907 351. Please put Student Name, Home

Group and Reason for Absence in the text message.

Write a note in the Student Organiser or a separate note to present the next morning to the PASS Booth.

Records can then be amended.

In all instances the College requires the following information:

Child’s name.

Home Group or Year level.

Date absent.

Reason for absence.

Parent/guardian signature (when written).

LATE ARRIVAL

When a student is going to arrive late to school for any reason please let the school know by phone or write a

note. Those who arrive to class after 8.45am must receive a Late Pass. If the student has no note, they will

need to go through the same procedure. Students who regularly arrive late without an explanation will be

referred to their Team Leader.

LEAVE EARLY

If it is unavoidable that a student needs to leave for an appointment, the student is required to provide a signed

note of explanation to the College office before school. The student will in turn be issued with a Leave Pass

from the PASSOUTS Desk. This is to be handed to their teacher at the arranged time of departure.

Appointments, where possible, should be made outside school hours or on Wednesday afternoons when

students are dismissed early.

OUT OF UNIFORM

If a student is out of uniform they must provide a signed note of explanation to the PASSOUTS desk before

classes to be issued with a Uniform Pass. Students who are regularly out of uniform will be referred to Team

Leaders.

WITHOUT DIARY

If a student has forgotten or lost their diary they will need to report to the PASSOUTS Desk. Lost diaries will

need to be replaced.

IMMUNISATIONS

Councils are mandated under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 to provide immunisation services to children

living or being educated within their municipal district.

Councils co-ordinate and deliver immunisation services to secondary schools. The current immunisation program

schedule for Victorian schools is outlined in Table 1.

Table 1: National Immunisation

Program – Victorian eligibility for

adolescents Vaccine

Eligibility in the school-based program

Eligibility in community health settings

Human papillomavirus, chickenpox Year 7 12 to 13 years of age

Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis Year 10 15 to 16 years of age

Just a little bit late doesn’t seem much but………………. Did you know your child’s best learning time is the start of the school day? That’s when every minute counts the most!!

WHAT SORT OF START IS YOUR CHILD GETTING

He/She is only missing just……

That equals…… Whit is…… And over 13 years of schooling that’s……

10 minutes per day 50 minutes per week Nearly 1.5 weeks

per year Nearly Half a year

20 minutes per day 1 hour 40 mins

per week Over 2.5 weeks

per year Nearly 1 year

Half hour per day Half a day per week 4 weeks per Year Nearly 1 and a half years

1 hour per day 1 day per week

8 weeks per year

Over 2 and a half years

MUSIC DEPARTMENT NEWS

YEAR 7 MUSIC

Over the next few weeks all Year 7 students will commence their participation in the instrumental music orientation

program, where they have been given an opportunity to try out several brass and woodwind instruments and pick one

that they will be interested in learning. All students in 73 will have compulsory instrumental music lessons as part of

their curriculum at the College.

BAND REHEARSALS

Cold Fusion – 1pm every Tuesday lunchtime.

Blues’n Jazz – 1pm every Friday lunchtime

Senior Concert Band – on a rotating timetable from periods 1 to 6 every Thursday.

Year 8 Intermediate Band – on a rotating timetable throughout the week.

Senior Concert Band Tour 2016

Date set is the week commencing August 29th to September 2nd, 2016. We are going to the Warrnambool/Port Fairy

area for the week to perform.

Senior Concert Band/Jazz Band Uniforms

As there are a number of new students in the Senior Concert Band and Jazz Bands - we would ask that they have their

band uniforms purchased by the beginning of term 2.

Senior Concert Band

Long sleeve white shirt with a top button for a band tie, band tie – purchase from Mrs Stabryla, long black dress pants/

trousers (not leggings, cargo pants, etc), black leather shoes (not canvas) black socks. The boys and girls uniforms are

the same. Could the girls please purchase white shirts from a uniform shop so they

have a button and a proper collar for a tie.

Jazz Band

Long sleeve black shirt with a button for a tie. Boys only wear a tie, long black dress

pants/trousers (not leggings, cargo pants, etc.) black leather shoes (not canvas), black

socks. Cold Fusion band members (boys) need to purchase a tie from Mrs Stabryla.

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

The Xuno Parent Portal has been developed to allow parents to access student information online from home

to keep up to date with your child’s education. Log on to your own personal space to see school reports, school course information, timetabled classes, communications centre, attendance reports and more. Step 1. - The portal can be opened via our school homepage at www.newcombsc.vic.edu.au

Use any web browser to open the website then click on the Login button at the bottom of the home page. You will see the Parent/Student Portal log in button. Click this to enter the Xuno site. Step 2. – You will then need to enter your confidential Username and Password as provided by the school. Please ensure these details are kept in a secure place to avoid unauthorised access from others as personal data about your students will be viewable and messaging sent via this log on will appear as being sent by you. If you do not have a login or password, please contact the school on 5248 1400.

Welcome and good luck to the class of 2016! Welcome back to the Year 12 Students who are about to embark upon their final year of secondary school

education. In completing their VCE/VCAL, our students will be competing with over 40,000 others from

around the state for ATAR results and university placements!

Year 12 is an important and exciting time, as a transition out of secondary school into a tertiary learning

pathway or employment becomes a reality, rather than a far off, distant prospect.

To support our VCE students in achieving success this year, Newcomb Secondary College has invested in the

Edrolo online learning program. Information about this resource will have be posted out to parents in Week

Two, but additional insight can be found at the website: https://edrolo.com.au.

Additionally, we have a slightly modified program this year regarding the Study Periods for the senior

students. In previous years these have occurred at various stages throughout the week, however, in 2016

these will only be taking place on a Thursday.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me about any of these (or other) matters, and all the very best for this

imperative and challenging year!

Sincerely,

James Murphy

Head of Senior Years

Newcomb Secondary College Canteen Price List—Term 1, 2016

Five SunSmart Symbols

Do you know what these symbols mean?

1. Slip on clothing that covers your arms and legs

2. Slap on a broad brimmed, bucket or legionnaire hat

3. Slop on 30+ broad-spectrum water-resistant sunscreen

4. Seek shade

5. Slide on wrap around sunglasses (if you can manage them)

Childhood and adolescence are critical periods during which exposure to UV radiation is

more likely to contribute to skin cancer in later life.

Parents have an important role to ensure their children establish healthy sun protection habits

early. Research into the effectiveness of role modelling shows us that adopting sun protective

behaviours yourself means your children will be more likely to do the same.

The daily sun protection times are issued whenever UV levels reach 3 or above. Because you

can’t see or feel UV, you can’t rely on your senses to let you know when you’re in danger. Get

in the habit of checking the sun protection times each day.

Sun protection times are available from:

the weather section of the newspaper

some radio weather broadcasts

SunSmart website

Bureau of Meteorology website

the free SunSmart smartphone app.

If you can’t find the daily sun protection times, make sure you use sun protection each day

from September to the end of April in Victoria. Don’t just wait for hot, sunny days.

Go to the SunSmart website to find out more:

http://www.sunsmart.com.au/

Faith Field

Secondary School Nurse

Be SUNSMART in Term 1 and Term 4.

ALLERGY & ANAPHYLAXIS AUSTRALIA

Living with or at risk of anaphylaxis is not easy. It helps to have someone you can trust to provide you with information and advice. Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia (A&AA) is a fantastic resource, providing practical support, easy to understand advice and ongoing fundraising and awareness campaigns. Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia was founded in 1993 and today it’s Australia’s only national support organisation for those with se-vere allergy. The A&AA website helps to sort allergy fact from fiction, provides the latest anaphylaxis news and keeps you informed about upcoming events. You’ll also find:

Food alerts with allergen updates

eTraining for schools and childcare centres

Emergency action plans to download and share An online store with food preparation tools and recipes

The aim of A&AA is to help bridge the gap between patients and health professionals. As well as the extensive information on its website, A&AA provides extra support to members. This includes being kept up to date with the language of allergy and helping you improve your communication with your circle of care including your family, friends, school, work, restaurants, health professionals and more. If you become a member, you’ll receive a membership kit to help you make this start in dealing with your allergy, as well as receive an ongoing 20% discount on all of A&AA’s resources. So if you or a loved one are living with severe allergy, this is something you could consider.

REMINDER TO PLEASE NAME ALL

ITEMS OF UNIFORM

Headspace Barwon is a youth health service to assist young people aged 12-25 and their families in the Barwon region to deal with different problems and access help with experts in a range of areas. Our programs include General Practice for any concerns, mental health assessment and support, drug and alcohol counselling and support, sexual health issues or other health and wellbeing concerns. Both individual and group programs are available.

Headspace Barwon City: 5222 6690

or Headspace Barwon Bellarine:

5251 2291

FOLLOW US ON

FACEBOOK

Are you wanting to buy or sell

second hand uniforms for your

student?

Join the 'Newcomb Secondary College

Second Hand Uniforms' group on

Facebook.

STUDENT INSURANCE

School Injuries and Insurance Parents and guardians are generally responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including any transport

costs. Most medical costs will be refundable by Medicare. If you are a member of an ambulance or health insurance fund, you may

also be able to claim transport or other expenses from the fund.

Personal property is often brought to school by students, staff and visitors. This can include mobile phones, calculators, toys,

sporting equipment and cars parked on school premises. The Department of Education and Training does not hold insurance for

personal property brought to school, does not hold accident insurance for school students and it has no capacity to pay for any loss

or damage to such property.

Is other insurance cover available? Yes.

The Department is aware of two insurers, JUA Underwriting Agency Pty Ltd and Willis Australia Ltd, that provide accident insurance

policies for students. These policies provide specific benefits for students who are injured in accidents for a reasonably low cost.

Other insurers may also provide a similar policy.

Newcomb Secondary College

LAMINATING

SERVICE

$6 per metre trimmed

$4 per metre untrimmed

Lamination up to 800mm wide and

unlimited length

Contact: Jean at Newcomb Secondary

College for more information

5248 1400.

79 High Street

BELMONT

84 Aphrasia Street

NEWTOWN

Dr Craig Scott

BDSc MDSc (Ortho)

Phone: 03 5244 4466 www.freshsmiles.com.au

Complimentary Consultations. No Referral Required.

ADVERTISING SPACE AVAILABLE

CONTACT THE SCHOOL OFFICE IF

YOU ARE INTERESTED IN

ADVERTISING IN OUR

NEWSLETTER.

PHONE 03 5248 1400