School Meetings

May Thursday 18th Parents Club 10.30 am

May Thursday 25th School Council 7.30 pm

Principal’s Report:

T his week our Year 7 and 9 students completed four sepa-rate NAPLAN tests - Numeracy, Reading, Writing and language conventions. Their preparation and concentration

in the tests was excellent so I congratulate them for their mature approach to this demanding experience. Full results of the NAPLAN tests won’t be known until mid Term 3. Congratulation to all our Year 7 & 8 students who partook in the Junior Cross Country yesterday under beautiful sunny skies. Their behaviour and effort was exemplary. Many thanks to Mr Harris and all staff for their thorough organisation. From all reports so far our Year 10’s have had a very broad range of experiences with their Work Experience placements this week, precisely what the program is set up for. Thanks to Mr Callaway for his tireless efforts behind the scenes to set the program up. (Full report next week). In future years we will consider running all Year 10 Work Experience at the same time. Next Monday our Year 7 & 8 and 9 & 10 students will be in-volved in a forum titled “It’s All About Respect”. Schools are increasingly being required to assist students in their day to day interactions with each other and the broader community. Topics such as cyber safety and respectful relationships, will help our young people develop a strong moral compass which will help them individually and as a community into the future. Please keep in mind that Friday 19th May will be a Professional Development day for all staff so no school for all students. All the very best to our Year 11’s who head off to the Holocaust Centre in Melbourne tomorrow as part of their English program. Mrs McCarty will be going on some very well earned Long Ser-vice Leave as of Friday May 19th for the rest of the term. Mr Woodfine will take over as our Acting Assistant Principal in that time. As always many thanks for your ongoing support. Bernie Altmann Principal

The Rochester Review

Rochester Secondary College exists to provide quality learning for all in a challenging and nurturing environment.

Volume 591 Issue 1, Thursday 11th May, 2017 www.rochsec.vic.edu.au Phone: 54841 844

Fax 54842 348 rochester.sc@edumail.vic.gov.au

Important Dates

May 2017 12th (Fri) - Year 11’s Holocaust Excursion Melb 12th (Fri) - Year 7 LMR Tennis Bendigo 16th (Tue) - Immunisations 16th (Tue) - Year 9 & 10 Art Excursion Bendigo 17th-18th (Wed-Thurs) - Dukes Camp 18th (Thurs) - RSC School Social 19th (Fri) - PD Day—Pupil Free Day 23rd (Tue) - Top Arts/Top Design Excursion

June 2017

2nd (Fri) - Year 11 Exams 5th-7th (Mon-Wed) - Year 11 Exams 5th (Mon) - Year 10 Exams commence 12th (Mon) - Queens Birthday Holiday 14th (Wed) - GAT 10 am - 1.15 pm at RSC 14h Wed) - Pupil FREE day for all other students 20th (Tue) - Trades Night 7 pm 28th (Wed) - Year 9 Art Connect Excursion

Junior Cross Country was held on Wednesday in the bright sunshine at the College.

GOOGLE Classroom

Summaries

P arents of Year 7 students should be receiving a sum-mary of posts on Google Classroom. It has taken a lot longer to get this happening than was anticipated.

Summaries should arrive in your inbox on Saturday after-noon. If you have not received any summaries, please contact the office and make sure your current email address is held by the school. The posts on Google Classroom can give parents an insight into what their students are doing at school and maybe what assignments are due or overdue. It is not a complete record of everything students are doing at school and some teachers use Google Classroom more than others. It is expected parents of Year 8-12 students will also receive these summaries by mid term. If you don’t think the school has your current email address, please phone the office on 54841844 or email the College at rochester.sc@edumail.vic.gov.au with your name and the students name also.

Hands On Learning

T he Hands on Learning class is looking for a free or cheap Cast Iron Bath, if anyone has one and would like to donate to the College this would be much appreciat-

ed. We are wanting to build a pizza oven. For more information phone Mr Ron Mackay at the College on 54841 844.

Year 12 Legal Studies

Excursion to the Supreme

Court

O n Thursday 4th May, the Year 12 Legal Studies stu-dents went to the Supreme Court in Melbourne.

The class was able to participate in different court room roles, taking the part of barristers, tip staff, jurors, witnesses, the accused and others. This was an entertaining and valuable session, bringing the court room to life. We were then able to go into a very serious criminal trial where a witness to the crime was being questioned. Thanks to Mrs Hayley Gray for bringing a number of stu-dents down for the day. Colin Huddy, Legal Studies Teacher

Year 11 VCAL 2017

Cubby House Project

T he Year 11 VCAL class of 2017 is currently building a Cubby House for Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School in Elmore. We are building this for the stu-

dents to play in. We have been building this since the middle of the first term. This project has helped the VCAL class with their maths, measuring, writing and design skills.

Around the College

Year 12 Trip to Melbourne

T he annual year 12 trip to Melbourne took place last week, and as was expected the trip was both extremely beneficial and insightful for all that attended. We start-

ed the trip with a visit to LaTrobe Uni in Bundoora where the Biology students participated in a lecture and the rest of us were given a tour of the facilities. We then went to Deakin Uni in Burwood and were all impressed with the modern fea-tures. After fending tea for ourselves, we went and watched ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 2’. After the movie finished, we walked went back to our accommodation and had a well de-served rest. Throughout Wednesday and Thursday, we all separated off in to different activities. These included visiting the Shrine of Remembrance, the Museum, the State Library, ACU, ACMI and visited The Big Issue. Wednesday night. We attended a VCE motivational talk that everyone thoroughly enjoyed. Thursday night we went bowling and had some free time in the city. On Friday we attended the VCE Expo. Many universities were there and all the students were overwhelmed by the amount of options they have for next year. We then went to University College and had a guided tour from a former stu-dent, Nick. Then we were finally on the bus home, all ex-hausted but excited about next year. On behalf of all the Year 12 students, we would like to thank all the teachers that helped plan the trip and we would also like to thank Mr Huddy, Mr Callaway, Mr Borger, Mrs Borger, Mrs Pellegrino and Mr Woodfine for supervising the trip and taking the time out of their own lives to come along.

Annette wins

“Young Person Award”

LMR Tennis Mildura and

Bendigo

O n Monday May 8th, Rochester’s Year 8 girls tennis team travelled to Mildura to contest the LMR finals.

Results: Rochester 3-14 narrowly lost to Catholic College Bendigo 3-15 Rochester 6-24 defeated SJCM 0-0 Rochester 2-14 lost to Maryborough 4-19 Rochester 4-22 defeated McKillop 2-13 Despite finishing 3rd Rochester played extremely well against some very strong opposition. Well done to all of the team and Mrs Melinda Jones for ac-companying the team. Tomorrow May 12th, Rochester’s Year 7 girls will travel to Bendigo to play Girton College. We wish them well.

Around the College

A nnette Waters was among the winners of the “2017 Campaspe Community Volunteer Awards” on Wednesday.

The awards were presented at a special morning tea hosted by the Campaspe Shire Mayor in Echuca, to coincide with National Volunteer Week. Annette was the recipient of the "Young Person Award", in recognition of her outstanding commitment and dedication to the community.

Junior House Cross Country

O ur Junior House Cross Country has been run and won for 2017 with all of Year 7 and Year 8 students completing the 3km track yesterday afternoon in beautiful autumn weather. The top 7 placegetters in each age group have qualified for the SSV Cross Country in Echuca on May 26th, keep an eye on the school bulletin for details.

Congratulations to our individual winners, Charlee Roulston (13 girls), Elijah Foley (13 boys), Tanzin Myers (14 girls) and Hugh Hamilton (14 boys). In what was a closely fought contest. Restdown were the overall winners, claiming their first piece of silverware for quite some time. They finished five points ahead of Campaspe, with Burnewang in 3rd and Waranga rounding out the top 4. I need to correct a mistake I announced yesterday regarding last year’s winner, I said that Hugh Hamilton won the 13 boys in 2016, when in fact it was Cooper Hamilton. My sincerest apologies to Cooper! As always, thanks to all the staff for making it such a successful day. I wouldn’t be able to run these events so smoothly without your help. Also thank you to the Year 9 and Year 10 volunteers who helped too. Keep an eye out on the Rochester Secondary College Facebook page for some photos from the day. Mr Luis Harris Sports Coordinator

Around the College

Around the College

Rochester secondary college school social

AUSTRALIAN APPRENTICESHIP AMBASSADORS If you are considering an Australian Apprenticeship to start your career, get your inspiration by watching the Real Opportunities video. The video features several Australian Apprenticeships Ambassadors and covers a range of industries including plumbing, hospitality, electro-technology and veterinary nursing. View the personal stories of more than 120 Australian Apprenticeship Ambassadors who have found a career and success through complet-ing an Australian Apprenticeship on this page: https://www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au/australian-apprenticeships-ambassadors-program WOMEN IN TRADES VIDEO CHANNEL AT SKILLSONE This online series of videos shows the range of trades that women are involved in around Australia. http://www.skillsone.com.au/category/women-in- trades/ ENTRY TO TEACHING COURSES FOR 2018 The number of Victorian university graduates applying to become teachers has fallen nearly 40% in a year. This drop has triggered concerns about potential teacher shortages into the future. Requirements for getting into a teaching course will rise this year, with ATAR’s set at a minimum of 65 for 2018 and 70 in 2019. From this year , Victor ian universities will only be allowed to offer two-year graduate entry initial teacher education programs, instead of one-year courses which were known as the Diploma of Education. This may have deterred some students from pursuing a teaching career, although the difficulty in finding full-time work could be a contr ibutor as well. The new compulsory literacy and numeracy test and a separate test which will now be used by many Victorian universities for entry to edu-cation courses to measure non-academic skills like problem solving, leader ship, empathy and resilience (known at CASPer) may also put off students. CASPer (Computer -Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics) is an admissions test developed in Canada which assesses non-cognitive or non-academic attributes in an online format in the pre-screening stage of the application process. The cost to com-plete this test will be $80.00. NOTE: More details of this test will be provided as they become available. RMIT NEWS RMIT offers both higher education and VET certificates and diplomas. Its main campus is in the City, and it also has campuses in Bruns-wick and Bundoora. BACHELOR OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE (LABORATORY MEDICINE) – The vital role that medical laboratory scientists play in the healthcare system to combat superbugs was highlighted at a recent TedX Texas State university conference. The reality of superbugs in healthcare systems and the role of medical laboratory professionals play in combating these superbugs were discussed. RMIT’s Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Laboratory Medicine) still remains as the only degree in Victoria that is professionally accredited by the Aust ralian Institute of Medical Scientists (AIMS). EXPLORE ASIA THROUGH RMIT VIETNAM – You can cross-campus at RMIT Vietnam for up to a year without increasing your tuition or extending your program. Some advantages are: It’s easy to match your academic programs for credit; the affordable cost of living; the amazing food and culture; the opportunity to travel to some of the best destinations in Asia. RMIT Vietnam is the Asian hub of RMIT University, with two well-equipped campuses in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Programs on offer are: business, creative design and technol-ogy. You need to have completed at least one semester of academic study at RMIT prior to applying for Cross-campus Study at RMIT Vi-etnam. See: www.rmit.edu.au/students/exchangevietnam NOTE: A number of other Victor ian universities also have overseas campuses where part of a degree can be studied. In addition, all universities have ‘partner’ overseas universities where par t of a Victor ian degree can be completed (eg a semester). Universities encourage this option, and will assist with organising placements. They will sometimes assist with travel costs as well. An advantage of this program is that the fees for completing the overseas placement remain the same as they would be if the student was studying in Victoria.

INTERESTED IN STUDYING HEALTH AT DEAKIN UNIVERSITY? Health is the fastest growing employment industry. Deakin is offering information sessions where you can explore your options. Exercise and Sport Science at Burwood – 6-7.30pm, 17 May and 2-3.30pm, 20 May; at Geelong (Waurn Ponds) 6-7.30pm, 24 May and 2-3.30pm, 27 May Food and Nutrition Sciences at Burwood – 6-7.30pm, 17 May and 2-3.30pm, 20 May Health Sciences at Burwood – 6-7.30pm, 18 May; at Geelong (Waterfront) 6-7.30pm, 25 May Nursing and Midwifery at Burwood – 6-8pm, 26 July and 2.30-4.30pm, 29 July; Geelong (Waterfront) 6-8pm, 26 July and 2.30-4.30pm, 29 July; Warrnambool – 6-7.30pm, 11 August. Register online at www.deakin.edu.au/health/events; Health course Information: 1800 693 888.

EARLY ACHIEVERS PROGRAM (EAP) AT ACU Have you been a regular volunteer, gaining leadership experience? The volunteering might be at school, a community organisation, or a cultural or religious group. If so, you could be eligible for the Early Achievers’ Program entry into an undergraduate degree. If successful, you’ll receive an offer as early as August. For most degrees the minimum ATAR for an EAP place is 58.50. Law and physiotherapy require a minimum of 70 while Occupational Therapy, paramedicine and speech pathology require 65. Applications are now open, and close on 17 July. See: www.acu.edu.au/eap

GOTAFE NURSING INFO SESSIONS 23rd May, 5pm @ Echuca 31st May, 5pm @ Shepparton For details go to: http://www.gotafe.vic.edu.au/information-sessions/ CAREERS WEBSITE - https://www.careers.rochsec.vic.edu.au/ For further questions about these activities or other careers issues, please contact Colin Huddy (Pathways Coordinator).

REMINDERS UMAT applications close 2 June; test 26 July. Information Booklet: http://umat.acer .edu.au ‘INSIDE MONASH’ seminars – Coming in May: 16th Medicine and Biomedical Science, 16th Education, 17th Law, 18th Health Sciences, 18th IT, 23rd Biomedical Sciences, Radiography and Nutrition, 25th Engineering; Register: www.monash.edu/inside-monash EARLY ACHIEVERS PROGRAM (ACU) – Applications now open until 17 July. See: www.acu.edu.au/eap.‘FOCUS ON MELBOURNE’ in May: 16th Biomedicine; 17th Agriculture; 18th Veterinary Science; 23rd Engineering; 24th IT; 30th Science; https://futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au/explore/events.

Careers

Rochester Driving School

Brian Crockett Accredited Driver Trainer is offering driving lessons in a Manual & Automatic car in the Rochester and District Area.

For more information he can be contacted on 5484 2182 or 0438 095 651 or

www.rochesterdrivingschool.com.au

Community News