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Newsletter Mount Eliza Secondary College

Canadian Bay Road Mount Eliza 3930 Tel: 9787 6288 Fax: 9787 9888

Email: info@mesc.vic.edu.au Internet www.mesc.vic.edu.au

Website http://www.mesc.vic.edu.au

Editors: Angela Pollard & Heather Hiam 14 September 2015 Volume 6 - 2015

Dear Parents, Students, Teachers and Members of the Wider School Community

Thank you for your support throughout third term, and for your willingness to work with us in best meeting the needs of our students. In talking to local secondary school principals last week, it is clear that schools are facing an increasing range of challenges in a rapidly changing world. We understand that as parents, you too are grappling with the same challenges around safety and harm minimisation, communication, and achieving the balance between personal freedoms for our young people and the parental/adult responsibility required to guide them appropriately. I have made this comment before, but I can say that we are genuinely in a positive position in terms of these challenges, and that our smaller size and quality staff place us very favourably in supporting the young people with whom we work on both the personal and learning levels. Senior students are commencing their review and study period prior to their formal VCE

exams in November. This week teachers have organised practice exams, in order to provide targeted feedback for revision and further learning over the two week period without classes and tutorials are scheduled over the holiday period. I would like to publically thank teachers for the additional work they do in assisting our students. There are so many opportunities at MESC for students to gain supplementary tuition, and this is only limited by their willingness to access it. Please enjoy the many examples in this newsletter of the diverse and innovative programs offered here at Mount Eliza Secondary College and as we move closer to our planning of the 2016 curriculum which commences on 23 November, I encourage all families to make contact with the college if we can be of any assistance in regard to your student’s courses, or financial matters.

2015 LEVIES There are some families who have yet to finalise levy payments for 2015, can you please contact the general office asap.

2016 LEVIES Parents can now view the 2016 Levies which have now been ‘posted’ on Compass. To secure enrolment in electives you must complete one of the following: Via Compass, take up the Instalment Payment option over 4 instalments Pay in full by 18th September Arrange a payment plan in person with the college

PAYMENT CAN BE MADE VIA: Compass, BPay, over the phone with a credit card or in person at the college. Payment can be made with cash, cheque, EFTPOS or credit card. Confirmation of enrolment will not be made until payment is received/instalment organised or a payment plan has been entered into. As always, you are welcome to contact the office to discuss any issue confidentially

CHANGE OF CONTACT DETAILS Almost all information is forwarded to families by email/Compass. It is important to keep the College updated of any changes to email addresses, as well as other changes such as address and telephone numbers. Notifications of changes should be forwarded to info@mesc.vic.edu.au

UNIFORM Can parents/guardians please label all school uniform items. It makes it much easier to return clothing to the rightful owner. You have made a significant purchase and we would like to ensure that your uniform has the best chance of return.

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YEAR 7 -LEARNING TO REFLECT ON LEARNING

In Term 3 Year 7 Teaching Team placed a special emphasis on our students developing their reflection skills. The students set goals for the term for English and Humanities so that they could approach their learning with more responsibility and be able not only to acknowledge success, but also to set goals for further improvement.

Please read below some of the reflections:

“This term in English and Humanities we have been learning about the majestic world of Ancient Egypt. This term has been different because we have learnt more about history than other topics. In English we are creating an Ancient Egyptian Newspaper that will have articles, advertisements, business and much more, which has taught us how to write and format newspaper articles.

In Humanities we are working in teams to complete a massive project and I'm working on a part of the project which is a quiz about the architecture in Ancient Egypt. This has given me the opportunity to learn about Ancient Egyptian Architecture and the lives of builders in Ancient Egypt. I like the idea of doing the same theme in English and Humanities because you don't get confused and we are all on the same page.

My learning has changed significantly from primary school because I seem to pick things up more easily and I find things we're taught easier to understand. My strengths from English and Humanities is reading, researching and completing my work to my own standard and one my teachers are happy with. Some areas I believe I should improve on in my English and Humanities is my organisation skills and my interpersonal skills.”

Jake, 7D

“In English, I have learnt how to write a newspaper, what structure to use when writing newspapers and things like what to put in a newspaper to grab someone's attention, also we are learning about Ancient Egypt which is really fun to do and also quite interesting.

This term is different because we are doing a really big project and also we combined Humanities and English with the topic of Ancient Egypt.

I do think it is a good idea to combine English and Humanities because we can work on either one in class and if I finished the English work and we have English today I am allowed to work on my Humanities work. It also stops people like me from stressing so much with getting all my work done.

I learnt that I need to learn in my own time I won't learn something completely in one class I need to go home and continue learning.”

Phoebe, 7C

“In humanities we worked on Ancient Egypt. We learned about what happened back in Ancient Egypt, about what food they eat, how they dressed, how their monarchy worked, about Pharaohs and many more. We watched videos and worked on our project in preparation for the parent teacher night.

In English we started a whole new topic on newspapers. We learnt the parts in a newspaper, and we got to write our own article. We made two newspapers a normal one and a Ancient Egyptian one for the teacher parent night, we put lots of ads and pictures from their time.

In Maths we worked on statistics to assist us with our Pathways. Math Pathways is an app that tests you on areas in math that you haven't learnt yet then shows how much you've grown and what your having trouble with as well as strengths. In science we learnt about forces and the moon, we did lots of experiments and lots of note writing as well as a few tests.

In English and humanities we started a new topic of Ancient Egypt, I think it is a good idea to work on the same topic in English and Humanities because we can put our learning to use in both subjects. I feel that two teachers explaining it is better than one.

My strengths are reading and sharing my ideas, and helping others. I need to try to complete my work up within the time frame.”

Katrina, 7B

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ANCIENT EGYPT HIEROGLYPHICS WORKSHOP On Friday, 4th September a handful of year 7 students who showed a special interest in their Ancient Egypt’ unit, had the opportunity to delve deeper into the mystery of Hieroglyphics. Rachael Collard, a university student majoring in ‘Ancient Civilisations’ shared her passion for languages and especially the Ancient Egyptian writing system with us. She not only discussed the basic ideas of the language with the students but also talked to them on how her love for languages and history led her to her current studies and possibly a future as an archaeologist. The students also had a lot of fun copying symbols and words, writing with bamboo pens (instead of reed pens) on authentic papyrus sheets. During the Ancient Egyptian Afternoon on the 14th September out Hieroglyphic experts will be able to share their newly learnt knowledge with year 7 parents and their families. Looking forward seeing you all there! Irene Treadwell On behalf of the year 7 team YEAR 11 UPDATE The focus for Year 11 students this term has been to strengthen their independent learning skills in the classroom and work on their study skills outside of school in preparation for their Year 12 subjects that will begin towards the end of the year in Jumpstart. At the beginning of this term, we organised Elevate Education to run some seminars, based on improving study skills and habits, with the Year 11 group. Developed from the findings of ongoing research of the last 12 years these seminars provide students with simple and practical skills which have already been proven to work for students and that can be used immediately. Speaking to the Year 11 students about Elevate Education, most thought it was extremely helpful and gave them some study tips that they never ever thought about trying this year. Every Wednesday morning this term, students have had a group form assembly regarding various study and homework methods the students may want to use. Staff members from a number of Domains have also given up their time to speak to the students about ways they can improve their time management and VCE marks for next year. We wish the Year 11’s all the very best for the rest of the year with their studies. The key to a great Year 12 is being prepared for what is ahead!

Portion of the Ancient Egyptian tale ‘‘The Eloquent Peasant’ in the

British Museum

HELP WE NEED A MAKEOVER! Hands On Learning came to the rescue. On Tuesday 28th August Mt Eliza, McClelland and Frankston Hands On Learning teams came and revamped a very dated Edithvale Pre-school. With the help of some Golden Sach's volunteers, we pulled up our sleeves and got stuck into renovating some of Edithvale’s Pre School playground. Tables were sanded and painted, retaining walls were rendered, paving was laid and sensory boards (which were made by HOL students) were installed. We were blessed with sunshine for the day and were made scones for morning tea by the Preschool children. The children couldn’t have been happier with their new outdoor area; they sang a thank you song to us and few tears were shed by the pre-school teachers who were over joyed with the new play area. It was a day enjoyed by all.

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TERM 3 INDOOR SOCCER COMPETITION Over the past five weeks at MESC, students have been participating in a lunchtime Futsal competition on Tuesday's and Thursday's. Each team paid a gold coin which would gain entry into the competition and each individual would also receive a raffle ticket to go into the running for a daily, and overall major prize. It has been fantastic to see so many students attend these lunchtimes and engage within physical activity and to also socialise with their fellow peers. A big shout out to all the students who have participated in the Futsal competition, whether you supported, played, helped set up or umpired. The success and the continuation of the competition is simply from all those who kept on participating and attending. The competition was created in the Year 10 VCAL program, to show the students how to develop a basic business model. The VCAL students have also had great

success within their own business models, from paintings, refurbishing old laptops, using their skills and experience to fix up and sell old gym equipment, to even creating a clothing company. The final two days of the Futsal competition are on the horizon. So if you think you have missed out then think again, here is the final opportunity to be a part of something great. Tim Hussey

GRAFFITI AT MESC Our English Year 9 class has created an art mural representing a book we have been studying called “Graffiti Moon” written by Cath Crowley. Our class was amazed and inspired by the characters and artists mentioned in the book. The art work on this mural is based on the themes and artists in the book. For example, the “Red Bike” is representing one of the events that took place in the novel and how two characters were involved in that significant event with the bike. Another example would be the names in graffiti writing, “Poet” & “Shadow” are two of the main characters in the novel. “Shadow” is the graffiti artist who has a talent for art and “Poet” is the poet who writes messages or even a single sentence that compliments Shadow’s artwork. Also, the “Yellow Bird” is a symbol of hope in the novel, and it appears at the start of the story as an art piece, that shows the bird with its legs to the sky and its eyes closed.

But then at the end of the novel it is awake and soaring across the sky, free. The mural is from all the students in our class, who have taken something from the book that they feel is important to them, and turned into something that they wish to share with other students in the school. We wanted to show what we have learnt and how we have been inspired and driven by this book. Our mural is hanging up in the canteen for everyone to come and see and hopefully, admire. Alex Chatwin-Dalgleish

YEAR 9&10 OUTDOOR EDUCATION CROSS COUNTRY SKI CAMP On 24-26th of August, 36 students travelled up to Mount Stirling for the Alpine Cross Country Ski Camp. Accompanied by three teachers and two student teachers, the two 9/10 Outdoor Ed classes endured a 2½ hour drive to Mansfield. The next day the skiing began. We hiked around 20 minutes to reach the snow and then we spilt off into two groups. We skied for a good 6 hours exploring Mount Stirling, going up and down hill, taking in the environment around us and overall having an amazing time. We got to try things we haven’t done before and learnt new skills. On the second day we skied up to the summit of Mount Stirling where we had lunch and got to have a good look at the stunning view around us. It was a blast because it was all downhill although a good majority of people

crashed and burned while going down. Including a few teachers *cough*Mr Hussey *cough cough*. After 2 days full of fun and skiing we came home (after a 4-hour drive), exhausted but happy.

By Isobell Cantrill and Fern Edwards

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YEAR 7/8 T HURSDAY REAL TIME LEARNING

'Sugar Gliders' by Ben, Ollie, Kira, Charlie-Rose, Ava, and Ashcka. (artwork by Alicia)

The sugar glider is a small omnivorous nocturnal gliding marsupial possum. These amazing little animals are native to Australia, and have taken their name from their ability to glide through the air and their love of sweet things such as natural sugars.

The sugar glider’s diet consists of insects, gums of wattle trees and eucalypt trees, honeydew, nectar, pollen, sap, invertebrates and small birds.

They glide through the air and move about very efficiently from tree to tree by spreading their arms and legs, stretching the loose flaps of skin out and floating down to their landing. Using their long tail to help steer through the air, they can 'glide' the length of a football field.

A number of Sugar Gliders will inhabit the same nest, it is estimated that a single colony can consume up to 200 kg of insects per year, which is very helpful to humans, health and agriculture.

Native predators include kookaburras, owls, goannas, snakes, dingos and quolls, their feral predators are cats, dogs and foxes. Sugar gliders are the size of a small rat and depend upon old hollows in trees for nesting and shelter. Hollows can take many years to form and are usually only present in aged trees over 60 years old.

Sugar gliders have had significant loss of habitat over the last 200 years, so for a 'Real Time Learning' environmental project, we decided to make six nesting boxes to install in trees within our neighbourhood. Mick, Phil, Bertil, Garry and Fred from the Mornington men's shed worked with our teacher Narelle, Jenny Mann from Mornington Bunnings and Tony O'Connor at Balcombe Creek to help us construct the boxes that will replace lost habitat for our local sugar gliders.

If you would like to make a nesting box to put up in your street, please visit

http://www.actwild.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/nestbox_guide.pdf

or email ndebenham@mesc.vic.edu.au for a pattern.

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Year 11 VCAL: Mount Eliza ‘Village Green Project’ The year 11 VCAL group are continuing this semester with their ‘Village Green Project’. They are busy working to prepare the bikes; the project implementation will be during the final week of Term 3. For the past month we have been working with iConnect2, a partnership between the Mornington Peninsula Shire Youth Services and Advance that delivers programs for young people. We have been working closely with Mick and Matt and several volunteers at The Men’s Shed in Mornington. As you can see from the photographs, the group has done a marvellous job in turning the old and rusted bicycles into works of art!

You can see the group’s progress at https://www.facebook.com/pages/

IConnect2/1589580111285337 Please take the time to check out our work in the ‘Village Green’ space soon! Bree Hudson - Year 11 VCAL

Peninsula Youth Summit 2015 -MESC I recently attended the Magic Moments Foundation Camp with fellow Year 11 leaders from MESC. We went to Collaroy Beach, Sydney during the school July holidays and participated in leadership and motivational activities. I was sponsored by the Bendigo Bank of Mount Eliza and now look forward to working with the Bank’s Board members to provide opportunities to others in the community. The camp was all about motivation and self-awareness as a result we are now organising the Peninsula Youth Summit 2015, inviting ten Year 10 & Year 11 students from each of the schools across the Peninsula to participate in a conference, aiming to encourage them to be motivated and happy, at school. The Summit will be about raising awareness of issues effecting youth of today. The participants might be concerned about these issues for themselves, or for friends. We would like to encourage and motivate the students to discuss issues with trained facilitators and new friends, and possibly carry this back to their own schools. We intend to have speakers on Nutrition, Body Image, Bullying and Mental Health. The Peninsula Youth Summit team are being supported by our school Principal, Mrs Angela Pollard, Student Leadership Coordinator, Paula Harris, along with the Youth Workers from Mornington Peninsula Shire, Bendigo Bank, the Rotary Club and the Magic Moments Foundation members. I am really excited about organising such a big and important conference. We are expecting around 100, students and facilitators here at MESC in October and hope that the Summit will become an annual event at our school. Tia McLean-Year 11 Peer Support Leader

Bargain Hunters MESC: The RTL Sales Team A sales team set up in Real Time Learning (RTL) has made $300 for the school in its first 4-weeks of sales and is targeting a total of $2000 by the end of the year. Since the start of Term 3 enterprising students, William Buhagiar (7B) and Henry Barnes (8B), from the Wednesday RTL group have been combing the school for unwanted or unused items. These items have them been sold through a variety of outlets including EBay, Gumtree, local newspapers and community noticeboards. To date the team have sold sewing machines, a pool table, computer notebooks, a rabbit hutch and a number of bikes in need of repair. 85% of the money raised is returned directly to the school with the remaining 15% being re-invested in items purchased at Op shops or garage sales that members of the sales team believe can be sold at a profit. Generating revenue is only a small part of the sales team’s goal – the wider intention is to teach students basic business, marketing and sales skills as well as introducing them to elementary accountancy skills.

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SOCIAL NETWORKING TIPS FOR PARENTS Social networking is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family as well as meeting new people with similar interests and hobbies. Here are some tips to follow when you feel your child is ready to begin engaging with social

networking sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: If you haven’t already got an account, set one up so that you can understand

what your child can and can’t do as well as learning how to adjust the privacy settings. You can use fake information if you aren’t comfortable using your own.

Make sure your child is old enough to use the site. Sites like Facebook and Instagram require users to be 13 years or older.

Tell your child to keep their passwords a secret otherwise other people may log on and pretend to be them. It

is important that you know your children’s password however. Advise your child to set their account to private so that they will only interact with people they know in real

life and aren’t approached by strangers. Encourage your child to think carefully before they post any information online. Things they post on social

networking can have an impact on them even after they delete it and long into the future. Help your children to set up their location services on their device so that they aren’t broadcasting their

location to strangers. Remind children to be careful when making new friends online as some people may not be who they say they

are and ensure your children never arrange to meet an online friend unless accompanied by a trusted adult. Make sure you know how to report inappropriate content on social networking sites and show your child what

they should do if they come across anything inappropriate. More information for parents is available at www.cybersmart.gov.au/parents.aspx

YEAR 12 MOUNT ELIZA SECONDARY COLLEGE VALEDICTORY 2015 (No alcohol event)

TUESDAY 20TH OCTOBER AT MORNINGTON RACECOURSE 6PM

$90 per ticket (3 per family including student at this stage) Tickets will go on sale Monday 14th September, via TryBooking, Details will be posted on Compass and the College website. Closing date for ticket sales: Monday 12th October. Dietary requirement information can be entered when purchasing tickets (however the venue requires this information by 6th October, please organise accordingly) Table allocation will be on a first in first served bases via TryBooking. 12 guests per table. Semi-formal. No denim please.

YEAR 12 JACKET 2016

$95 per jacket if paid for by 1st November 2015 Jackets will go on sale in October. Payment details will be posted on Compass in October. This is an optional purchase however the school blazer must be worn if the jacket is not purchased.

Should you have any further questions please contact: Petra Fankhauser,

Year 12 Coordinator

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FREE DRESS DAY

Thursday 17th September

Donate Gold Coins to help support our

World Vision Sponsor Child Mt Eliza Secondary College Student Leadership have been sponsoring an Indonesian boy for a

number of years now and through the amazing support of our students, have assisted Nugroho, his

family and village through the Urban Surabaya Project.

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DOBSONS UNIFORM SHOP

TRADING HOURS Monday: 12.30 pm - 4.00 pm

Wednesdays: 8.30am – 11.30am

1st Saturday of each month

9.00am—12.00 Noon

Telephone 9708 8566

“You can now follow us on Twitter and Facebook to find out about upcoming events at the College”

http://twitter.com/mtelizasc http://on.fb.me/zWNp06

Saturday 12 September State School Spectacular—Hisense Arena

Friday 18 September Last Day Term 3—Normal Dismissal Time

Monday 23 November Jumpstart Commences

Monday 5 October Term 4 Commences

IMPORTANT DATES 2015

ENJOYING YOUR SCHOOL ATHLETICS Want To Do More - Or Maybe Even To Take It

To The Next Level?

Why Not Join FRANKSTON ATHLETIC CLUB

Summer Season Information Night - 16/09/15

6:30pm Duncan Proudfoot Pavilion – Benanee Drive Frankston

ALL WELCOME As the new season approaches, and the competition starts to fire up Frankston Athletic Club is welcoming new or old members. You may not be the best athlete in the world but that doesn't matter, come down to the track and have some fun. Frankston has a wide range of events on offer such as sprints, distance running, hurdles, jumps and throws. If you want to practise, or train for a specific event, there are a variety of training groups and coaches available. Frankston Athletic Club is affiliated with Athletics Victoria. We look forward to seeing new faces around

the track. For more information contact us at:

EMAIL: frankstonathletics@hotmail.com WEBSITE: http://frankstonathletics.net FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/

frankstonathletics PHONE: 0438 714 618