Aspire News – August

Stage 2 Progress

We’ve had quite a bit of progress on our Stage 2 building works since last term. Visitors to the school would have noticed that all three building frames have now been completed and the PE and Performing Arts building has been almost entirely clad. On the latest site walk with the builders, I was able to view inside our Food Tech and Performing Arts spaces which are coming along really well. 

We have hit some real milestones with the project. The first portion of the project has been handed over to the school – which is our extra hardcourts. Students have been enjoying the extra playing space since term 3 has returned.

Our Science labs are nearly completed, and we expect classes to be running in those rooms by week 5 of this term. Our oval has been laid with turf and we are hoping that with some Spring sunshine, we will have this handed over to us in term 4. The buildings are on track for completion in December for use in 2023. 

Year 9 Camp

Our Year 9 Camp took place on the 18th July – 22nd July at Golden Valley in Flinders. It was an unexpected opportunity for our community to take advantage of this free camp which was provided through the Positive Start camp program from the Victorian government. 

I’d like to thank Mr. Schutz and Mr. Henderson for their organization. 

Year 10 Program and Subject Selection 

Our teaching staff and working parties have been busy at work all year developing an impactful Year 10 Program which will launch next year. We have a range of events coming up to support students currently in Year 9 to make informed decisions around their subject selections and begin their senior school programs. Our Year 8 students have also begun work on preparing to choose their year 9 programs. 

Student Learning Conferences in August

Our Student Learning Conferences took place on Wednesday the 24^th of August.

By the time the conferences rolled around, there have been 3 x Behavioural Expectation cycles of reporting and the first cycle of Learning Tasks for parents to discuss with teachers. I would encourage parents and carers to regularly log into Compass and check on student progress across the term. 

End of semester reports

Semester 1 reports were published on Friday 24^th June on Compass. The reports contained all the key assessment information for your child for Semester 1. We encourage all families to find the time to sit with their child and discuss the report.

A discussion at home can help students and families to understand how their child is performing at school and where areas for improvement might be.

Staffing changes

We have several changes to our teaching staff for the second half of the year.

We will be welcoming back both Ms Stacey Smith and Ms Rachelle Cole from family leave. Both Ms Cole and Ms Smith are foundation staff members at the school and are well known to our community.

We will be welcoming Ms Gulsen Tankir (English/Humanities) and Mr Aaron Jaraba (Science and Technology) to our teaching staff. Both are highly experienced teachers with a great amount to offer to our school.

We also welcome Ms Ariel Jordan who will be joining us for the rest of the year from the United States.

During term 3 both Ms Loudon and Ms Calder will be taking Family Leave. We wish them both all the best in this joyous time.

Mr Bradilovic (Science) will be finished up with us at the end of last term and moved onto another opportunity. We wish him well.

Mr. Brandon Isaac has been successful in gaining the role of PE/Health and Sport Learning Specialist.

Mr. Dean James has been successful in gaining the role of Arts and Technology Learning Specialist.

Both Mr. Isaac and Mr. James are well known to the Elevation community and we congratulate them on their success in gaining these positions.

We have also appointed Ms. Asli Dulger from Doncaster Secondary College as our Senior School Leading Teacher. This role will help to establish our Senior School programs in coming years and Ms. Dulger will be a pivotal leader in that development. Ms Dulger also comes with significant experience in teaching VCE Legal Studies and achieving excellent performance in that area.

Melbourne Victory Program

A big thank you to Brandon Isaac who has organized the Melbourne Victory lunchtime soccer program this term. This initiative has been made possible due to the Active Schools grant we received earlier in the year and has involved students from each year level, completing a range of skills and drills with Melbourne Victory players across the whole term. A great opportunity for our students.

Subject Expo and Course Counselling

On July 25th we held a Subject Expo for students going from Year 8 into 9, and Year 9 into 10. It was a fantastic opportunity to have many members of our community come together to discuss future pathways. This expo showcased the many subjects that are on offer for Year 9 and 10, as well as explicit instructions about how students could complete their subject selection.

Following on from the Subject Expo was the Year 9 into 10 Course Counselling sessions, that our current Year 9 students attended with their parents/carers to decide what choices might best benefit them moving ahead.

Semester 1 Reports

The first semester reporting of AHWHBG (Aim High, Work Hard and Be Good) were made available at the end of Term 2 for parents/carers to see in Compass (under the reports tab). With these reports occurring every two weeks, it is a great opportunity to sit down with your child to discuss their progress and how class is progressing. AHWHBG data is an important part of school in regards to effort and rigor put forward by students in their class.

Year 9 Camp

A massive shout out goes to the team that organised Year 9 camp, and all the staff that gave up their time to attend camp. An enormous amount of effort goes into organising and running these opportunities for students. Reports from students were that they really enjoyed their week in Flinders, some even claiming, it was the best camp ever.

Update on Health Programs

Dental Program

All students received a form in regards to the free dental service (forms were due back on Friday 26th August). This is an initiative that helps to provide Victorian students with services such as tooth cleaning, dental x-rays and/or fluoride varnish. 

Dental hygiene is extremely important – from daily routines (brush twice a day!) to regular dental checkups. Thank you to all families that returned the form – this service will start in Term 4 based on permission provided. For more information on the program, please visit: https://www.smilesquad.vic.gov.au/

Immunisation

Year 7 Immunisation is also occurring on September 7th with the second dose of vaccination following on the Feburary. No further action is required from families as it follows from the first immunisation consent. For further information on the program please visit: https://www.hume.vic.gov.au/Residents/People-Services/Health/Immunisation/Schools-Immunisation-Program

What happens if my child has a new medical condition?

Sometimes health conditions impact the ability of a student to engage in their education, or awareness by staff  in order to respond appropriately – such as anaphylaxis, diabetes, epilepsy or a diagnosis such as cancer.

1. Communicate with the school: discuss with the school your child’s needs. There are some conditions that require documentation such as action plans and health plans. By letting the school know what is going on, school may be able to reach out to resources that can help provide understanding across the staff that are working with your child.
2. Provide information: if there are any assessments around the condition that contain advice for the school these are really important to help the school understand needs. Sometimes a ‘permission to speak to allied health professionals’ form can be signed so that the family and health professional can speak directly to each other.
3. Review and keep the school up to date: even the best plans need to be reviewed and adjusted, by working with the school and checking in with your child a supportive environment can be obtained. Needs may also change. Every year, action plans must be updated and submitted to the school.

School Nurse

Lauren Turnbull is the DET school nurse who is at the school on Tuesdays and Fridays. 

Lauren’s role is to support the student’s health and wellbeing which she can do through education, referring on to specialist services, individual student support to identify health and wellbeing goals to address any concerns, and supporting staff and parents to work together with the young person to ensure their health and wellbeing needs are met.  Typical concerns  she works with students and families to improve are; sleep, disordered eating, emotional regulation, encouraging respectful relationships, anxiety, sexual and reproductive health and vaping/e-cigarette use.

Students can ask her for a chat at school, and she can also take student referrals from staff and parents. Students can reach her via school email on lauren.turnbull@education.vic.gov.au or you can find Lauren on Tuesdays and Fridays in the office right next to the admin desk.

Sanitary Items

Just a reminder that there is a free sanitary dispenser located in the C block toilets facing the Learning Street. Emergency supplies are also available from sickbay, however it is expected that students supply their own sanitary items.

Values and Expectations Reminder

Elevation Secondary College has high expectations for students in all areas of their schooling. As such we would like to remind students and their families of some rules to avoid confusion and keep our conversations positive. 

Lates

Just like in the workplace, turning up late to any lesson throughout the day interrupts the flow of lessons and causes difficulty for the late student as well as other students and the teacher. 3 lates in a fortnight to any lesson will equate to a lunchtime detention. 5 lates will progress to an after-school detention. With 7 minutes of bell music time, there really is no excuse to turn up late to class. Arrival in the morning should be before 8:40am.

Uniform

From the moment students leave their house in the morning, until they arrive home in the afternoon and everywhere in between, students are required to be in 100% uniform. This helps with student safety, identifying our students, as well as demonstrating pride in our school. There has been a significant drop off in compliance, especially around long-sleeved t-shirts underneath shirts, and casual tracksuit pants or tights being worn instead of uniform PE pants. Hoodies will be confiscated. Our suggestion is that students should purchase long-sleeved academic shirts and phys ed shirts to allow for additional layers to be worn under the uniform without being seen. Black sneakers (leather or otherwise) are not acceptable.

The schools Uniform Shop is open every Thursday from 1pm-4pm and is located in the front office.

Mobile Phones

A ministerial order is in place in all Victorian Government schools that states that as soon as practicable, students must leave their mobile phone in their locker and not touch it throughout the day at all until they finish school. Students caught with their phone on them or using their phone will initially have it confiscated. Students caught multiple times will have an after-school detention issued and the phone may be kept at school until a parent can collect the phone.

Student Identity Cards

All students are given a Student Identity Card at the beginning of each year. These cards allow students to sign on and out of the school, borrow library books, photocopy, access the student toilets and are a form of student identification for Myki cards etc.

It is extremely important that students carry these cards on them when they attend school and are responsible for them. If your child misplaces their card or damages it, a replacement card must be purchased. Parents can purchase a new card via their Compass for $10.

Please see attached instruction sheet as to how to order a new card on Compass.

Year 8 Camp

At the end of Term 3, Year 8 Students will have the opportunity to go on a camp on the 12th-14th of September. This will be a fantastic experience for students to have with a range of different activities such as low ropes, Archery and giant swing. All information is on the compass event with more information to be sent home. The following link also contains information about the Camp Munyung: https://camps.ymca.org.au/camp-manyung

Melbourne Victory

As a part of the Active Schools Program that Elevation Secondary College is involved in, we have partnered with Melbourne Victory to provide our students with the chance to engage in Soccer Training Programs during lunch time on students PE uniform day. Commencing in week 2 of Term 3, this program will be free to access and students of all abilities are welcome to participate. 

Year 9 Camp

Year 9 had a successful trip to the Golden Valleys camp on the Mornington Peninsula earlier in the month. Activities included the giant swing, a 18m climbing wall, the leap of faith and team-building activities. Students showed great courage in doing activities and teamwork in encouraging each other on some of the more scary activities! The group also got to experience the beautiful surrounding nature on a walk in the nearby National Park. We even managed to fit in two study sessions to start preparing for exam revision techniques, which will become increasingly important over the upcoming years.

A smaller group of 6 students also attended a leadership camp in country Victoria in early August, attending workshops aimed at increasing their leadership skills while experiencing more outdoors activities.

Subject Expo

The subject expo evening ran on the 25th of July. If you were absent and/or require more information, please contact Kyle Schutz or Rory Henderson. Year 8 and 9 subjects will be confirmed later in the year.

Aspire Shop Grand Opening

The Aspire Shop has officially opened! 

The Aspire shop is a way to reward students that have been demonstrating exceptional behaviors in relation to our school values of Aim High, Work Hard and Be Good. 

How it works:

1. Students earn Aspire points for their hard work
2. All Aspire points go into the Mentor Group Aspire Raffle drawn every fortnight
3. Winner is randomly selected and receive an Aspire Shop Entry Ticket
4. Students that receive an Aspire Shop Entry Ticket can access the Aspire Shop and spend the Aspire Points that have earned through the year to purchase items. 

Congratulations to students that have already received an Aspire Shop Entry Ticket and to the students that have already made their first purchases!

For everyone else, the more Aspire Points that you earn the more likely you are to get drawn and the more Aspire Points you have to spend at the Aspire Shop!

Wellbeing

At Elevation Secondary College we will be celebrating RUOK? Day on Sept 8th by exploring the 4 steps of asking RUOK? which encourage noticing if someone seems like they need help, listening without judgement, encouraging them to take action and seek support, and checking back in again to see how they are feeling. We believe that students have the capacity to be great supports to one another and RUOK? Day is an opportunity to practise supporting others and seeking help for ourselves when we need it too. https://youtu.be/Q4Db28pEGzQ

1. Ask Are you Ok? Finding the right time and place to ask the question, and use open and non-judgemental questions;

2. Listen; listen with an open mind, without judgement.

 

3. Encourage Action; encourage talking to a trusted person such as an adult, friend, a member of the school wellbeing team or local GP, Community Health Service, or youth mental health services such as those linked below 

4. Check in again; stay in touch and show that you care by checking in a few days later to see how they are going and encouraging them to use strategies and services available if they haven’t already

Sleeping Tips for Teenagers

One of the most important foundations for a teenager’s health and wellbeing is sleep! 

Good quality sleep is so important for our students in that it supports learning, physical growth, managing emotions, mood, immune system health, and can promote good mental health and resilience. 

Here are a few of the most common sleep questions we get, and some quick and easy ways to support better quality sleep. Remember that making a change to a habit or routine requires small steps and consistency, rather than one big change that can be harder to maintain. 

 Q) I try to get to sleep by 10pm, but I can’t fall asleep at night?

This is due to your body clock OR your environment. Make sure you are giving yourself enough wind down time free of stimulation from screens, substances such as vaping (illegal for those under 18years old and high in nicotine), and have a dark quiet room at night. To make sure we are sleepy at night, we need to be awake for enough hours before our ideal school night bedtime, SO try waking up slightly earlier each day until you get to healthy wake time that allows you to get to school and be ready to learn each day 

Q) I feel tired but my mind is overactive at night and I can’t stop thinking 

Keep devices out of sight during bedtime, but they may be helpful for playing white noise or sleep stories as these can help reduce worry thoughts at night. Write down repetitive worry thoughts that are keeping you awake as this can stop the thought repeating in your head. 

Q) I am hungry overnight and overeat before bed

This is related to your eating patterns during the day! Our bodies need fuel and hydration (food AND water) when we wake up, to help us feel alert and energised. If you don’t eat and hydrate enough during the day, your hunger cravings at night will be too strong to ignore so you will be more likely to overeat at night 

Q) I need a long nap during the day, or straight after school? 

This is related to the lack of sleep you are getting overnight. A short nap of up to 45min is helpful, but anything longer will impact the quality of your night sleep and create a cycle of sleep deprivation. Set an alarm when you nap, and if the alarm doesn’t wake you, avoid the nap by going for a walk, getting fresh air, and moving your bedtime slightly earlier that night

 

Literacy and Numeracy Intervention Programs

The fundamentals of student learning at Elevation Secondary College are founded in students’  ability to access core literacy and numeracy skills. At Elevation, we utilise the Department of Education and Trainings funding to ensure middle school students have every opportunity to achieve in these core areas. 

Elevation has programs currently running in years seven, eight and nine, that aid students who, for a number of reasons, have been assessed as below the minimum standard for their age group. 

Students will be withdrawn minimally from other subjects, but the programs are designed to boost skills in Maths and English which will improve outcomes across all classes.

Elevation has a number of levels of programs that allow students to access content at the level where the need support, these include intensive “Maths Pathway” classes, which support students to build on numeracy skills, and Macqlit, which focuses on teaching reading, word recognition and spelling, and also complementary curriculum programes that enable more focus on the mainstream curriculum to support students in both Maths and English. 

Please Contact Alex Mangoine or Matthew Williamson for further information. 

Q & A

On August 4, 13 of our year 9 Media and Society, Power and Politics students were invited by the ABC to be in the live studio audience of their ‘Q and A’ Program. The students loved being part of the audience and getting a behind the scenes look at how a television program is made.

They were able to listen to panellists such as Larry Marshall the Chief Executive of the CSIRO, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and disability advocate Hannah Diviney. The students were all very excited on the bus ride home – especially when they started receiving messages and pictures from friends who had seen them on the TV!

Library News

The library collection continues to grow and the most recently fulfilled student requests have just been added to the ‘Recent and Decent’ display. As well as perusing the display, students are encouraged to revisit the Request Padlet on the library website to see if their request has been fulfilled. We cannot fulfil all requests, so please remember to be specific (author, title, series) to increase the likelihood of seeing your requested book in the collection.

Thank you to all those who have already submitted entries to the bookmark design competition. The deadline has been extended to 4pm Tuesday 6 September, email ellen.stephens@elevationsc.vic.edu.au with any questions.

There is now a catalogue search computer station in the library to make exploring and accessing the collection even easier.

As we head towards the end of term, please remember to check lockers, bags and under the bed for any overdue library books. Students can check if they have any current loans by logging in to the library website. Access the site via Elevation saved bookmarks or the Compass star menu and select ‘sign in with google’. As always, reminders will also continue to be automatically sent until the books are returned; save yourself the inbox space and get your books in on time!

College Uniform Store

Our uniform provider, Noone, specialises in on-campus uniform store management and currently operates 70 on-campus uniform stores. Our College also operates an on-campus uniform store for your convenience.

Operating hours are Thursdays from 1pm – 4pm, no appointment necessary.

Spring School Holiday Program

Hume City Council Youth Services is hosting a range of FREE activities to enjoy during the Spring Holidays

Activities Include:

·         Gardening Fun

·         Mixed Sports Days (Basketball & Futsal)

·         101 Life Hacks

·         Arts and Craft

·         Games with E-Games Competitions

All programs have limited spots, and some require online registrations.

Bake Sale

In recognition of RUOK Day, the SRC group have planned to bake and sell cupcakes and RUOK day wristbands to the school community on September 8th at Lunchtime.

The SRC would like to raise money for Headspace, a service has often utilized by ESC. Headspace centres and services operate across Australia, in metro, regional and rural areas, supporting young Australians and their families to be mentally healthy and engaged in their communities. https://headspace.org.au/

Sustainable School Shop

Any Parents/Guardians who are looking to buy or sell their second-hand uniforms or text books please visit the Sustainable Schools website to list or purchase items: http://www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au

So far the results have been very good and we encourage families to take advantage of this method of buying and selling second-hand items.

Here is a how to guide to get you started:

Student Free Days

Monday 5th September

Friday 25th November

School Camps

Year 8 Camp – Monday 12th September – 14th September

Assemblies/Awards

Whole School – Friday 24th June

Year 7 – Tuesday 6th September

Year 8 – Tuesday 30th August

Year 9 – Tuesday 13th September

Year 7 Immunisations

Wednesday 7th September

Term Dates 2022

Term 3 – 11th July – 16th September (finish at 1.18pm)

Term 4 – 3rd October – 20th December