Aspire News | March 2023 Edition

Year 7 Camp

Last Friday we welcomed back our Year 7 campers after a highly successful 3-day year 7 camp. Students participated in a range of outdoor adventure activities and from all reports had a great time. Camp Adanac was a new camp venue for us at Elevation and the staff who attended were quite impressed by the overall program, facilities and food. We’ll be looking to secure bookings as a long term year 7 camp option in the future.

Inter School Sports

We have had a range of sport teams heading out to represent the school right across term 1. This has been by far the most sport teams we have had participate since our inception as a school.

Thanks to Brandon Isaac for his overall coordination and leadership of the program and to our many staff who headed out as coaches across the term.

Student Learning Conferences

Wednesday 5^th April is our first Student Learning Conference for the year. As usual, we encourage families to book in conferences with as many teachers as they can fit into their schedule – in order to gain a complete picture of their child’s development. We do ask that all families book in a conference with their Mentor Group teacher as a minimum.

Our students and teachers prepare for the conferences in some depth, to allow our students to lead the discussion of their learning. 

Curriculum Day Report

Our most recent Curriculum Day was spent undertaking Day 3 of the Berry Street Trauma Informed Education Model training with our two local primary schools.

At Elevation Secondary College, trauma informed learning has formed a centrepiece of our school culture. In 2022 we committed to working with our two neighbouring primary schools; Keelonith Primary School and Aitken Hill Primary School, to collaboratively undertake the Berry Street Education Model training with all of our staff. Our long term goal is to build a community of learners who gain a more consistent schooling experience from Prep to Year 12 and improve the social-emotional and wellbeing outcomes of our entire community.

Last week we undertook our third day of training, focusing on the domains of stamina and engagement. We focused on pedagogical strategies that help improve of students’ motivation and willingness to learn in a classroom . Furthermore, we learnt about how to establish a growth mindset within students, emotional intelligence, and resilience.

The BSEM strategies form the core of our way of being as staff and we look forward to embedding and continuing this work within our school over many years.

Showcase Evening- Year 7 2024

Prospective families are invited to our Showcase Evening on May 1st, 2023.

It is a great occasion for you and your family to explore the college, and the numerous academic and enrichment opportunities available to our students.

Book your Showcase Evening tickets here.

By Colin Burke

Time to stop and reflect

With the first waves of learning behaviour data and Learning Tasks, now is a great time to stop and reflect on how your child is going at school. You can find both of these results in Compass: clicking on their profile and then the learning tasks tab and report tab.

School Photos

Thank you to all the staff and students who made photo day a successful day. Students were well behaved during the day and we look forward to seeing their smiling faces in their new photos soon. Thank you to every parent and student who made the day easier by organising their school tie and full academic school uniform.

Immunisation- Year 7 & 10

A reminder to all parents/guardians of Year 7 and 10 students to complete the online form for immunisation. There are no paper forms to complete.

Please be aware that this is not related to COVID vaccinations. For further information please visit Department of Health Secondary School Immunisation Program

Year 7 and 10 student vaccinations are occurring on Friday 5th May, 2023.
You must indicate your vaccination preference for you child – either to consent or withdraw consent.

Please click the link provided and complete the form online:   https://hume.book.vaxapp.com.au/school/ElevationSecondaryCollege-mSY2Oa

Representing the school – outside of the school

A reminder to all students that when wearing the school uniform you are representing the College. This includes outside of school hours – our uniform and logo are known by the wider Craigieburn community. In some cases this has meant positive phone calls from the community to praise the manners and values of our students. In rare cases the behaviour of a couple of students has reflected poorly on our school.

The staff, students and parents of this community have worked hard to make Elevation Secondary College a school of choice and excellence in the area. Could all families have a discussion with their children about positive representation of the school while they are in school uniform in the community.

The importance of sleep

While we know sleep is essential for good health, research shows that many children and young people are not getting enough sleep on school nights. This can affect thinking, concentration, memory, reaction times and mood.

Research shows about 12% of primary school-aged children, a quarter of 12- to 15-year-olds and half of 16- to 17-year-olds don’t get enough sleep on school nights. The recommended amount of time to sleep for primary school-aged children is 9 to 11 hours. For teenagers, it’s 8 to 10 hours.

Signs that your child is not getting enough sleep can include:

• Low mood and irritability during social interactions
• Reluctance or arguing about getting off devices and going to bed
• Falling asleep during the day
• Difficulties waking up for school and sleeping in late on weekends to catch up
• Changes to communicating or interacting at home.

You can help your child to improve their sleep by:

• Establishing a regular sleep pattern and consistent bedtime routine
• Supporting them to avoid using electronic devices such as smartphones before going to bed and in bed
• Encouraging your child to exercise and spend time outside in daylight, steering clear of vigorous activity in the hour before sleep
• Encouraging them to wind down and relax before going to bed.

If your child is still having trouble sleeping, has persistent problems with low mood, excessive daytime sleepiness, restlessness in bed, severe snoring or waking unrefreshed, despite getting adequate length of sleep, they should see a doctor.

For more information on sleep health refer to:

• Sleep tips for children and Facts about sleep for parents and school staff, from the Sleep Health Foundation
• Why sleep is so important, from the Kids Helpline
• Sleep explained, from the Better Health Channel.

By Angela Lane, Sonia Loudon, Kyle Schutz & Andrew Stock

Year 7 Camp

On the 22nd of March 100 Year 7 students took off for a three day camp at Camp ADANAC. 

Upon arrival staff could already tell this was going to be a fun three days. 

Right away students were introduced to camp staff and how the camp runs. All students and staff took part in a camp tour to get the layout of the land and what to expect. 

Over the three days students and staff took part in multiple activities. Some that students had done on other camps such as the flying fox, and others they had never heard of before like mountain boarding. 

All were pushed out of comfort zones, reaching new heights, speeds and sharing amazing laughs together. 

The accommodation and food was also a hit with almost every student having seconds and thirds for every meal. 

On the first night all students went on a night walk with staff and then the party began with strobe lights and loud music and singing by our students. 

On our second night students had a more relaxing night after a full day of activities. Everyone got nice and comfortable in front of the big screen and shared some popcorn while singing along to Moana the movie. Students sang so loud they drowned out the movie and could be heard from the street. It was a beautiful moment. 

Camp was a major success and we look forward to any future camps. 

Junior School Sport

Term 1 is always a busy time for sport and we have had many teams going out and representing Elevation over the last month.

Elevation has sent out teams for the following sports this last month.

• Year 7 Boys / Girls Volleyball
• Year 8 Boys / Girls Volleyball
• Year 8 Cricket
• Year 7/8 Tennis
• Year 7-10 Swimming

Students have done an excellent job representing the College with students wearing some of the new sport uniforms for our interschool sport days.

Thank you to all the students and teachers that took part in the training and participated in the day. 

Year 9

As we move toward the end of Term 1, Year 9 are approaching the mid-point of their elective subjects. We encourage students to reflect on what they have been learning and what they are enjoying with an eye to the future. 

Year 9 had their mid-term assembly several weeks ago and heard about several important upcoming days as well as information about international events such as international women’s day.

Year 10

Work Experience

The final date for Work Experience submission is fast approaching- 1^st May.

Students are required to find and fully secure their work experience placements by this date. Students who have not done so, need to begin approaching employers NOW!

Work Experience is a compulsory program for all Year 10 students at ESC. It is an invaluable program with many benefits including:

• Helping students make informed decisions about their future by trialing an area of work.
• Students will develop valuable employability skills and networks which will help them secure and succeed in all future employment.
• Provide students with an opportunity to relate school studies with a workplace.
• Allow students to identify their strengths and apply them to a workplace.
• Improve students’ maturity, confidence and self-reliance.
• In some cases, students may receive an offer of part time work at the end of their placement.

Students who would like assistance in securing a work placement are welcome to contact Jacqui (jacqueline.hunter@elevationsc.vic.edu.au) for help.

Interschool Sports

Some of our Year 9 & 10 students participated in Volleyball and Tennis interschool sports events in the last month.

A great job by our students participating in our interschool sports teams and representing our school so well.

Berry Street Curriculum Day

On the 14th of March, the whole Elevation Secondary College staff conducted the first of two Curriculum Days for 2023 dedicated to training of the Berry Street Education Model. The training, which also involves two local primary schools, is a pivotal part of our incorporation of our school initiatives around Trauma Informed Practice. 

During 2022, the whole staff conducted two workshops based on Domain 1: Body and Domain 2: Relationships. The strategies learnt from these two workshops teachers continue to embed into everyday classes at school. These include regular Brain Breaks, Positive Primers and Self-Regulation strategies to allow our students to be ready to learn in all of their classes.

This year, the first day was dedicated to Domain 3: Stamina. This day focused on how we embed a wide range of strategies to improve student stamina with the work they complete in every class at school. These include building student resilience, a growth mindset and emotional intelligence. 

The final day of training, based on Domain 4: Engagement will occur on Tuesday the 13th of June.

By Dean James

Interschool Sports, Physical Education and Health

Over the course of term 1, we have sent out a number of students from years 7 – 10 to participate in inter school sports. This included Swimming, Volleyball, Cricket and Tennis. All students who have attended these sports have represented Elevation Secondary College well and have certainly aimed high, worked hard and been good. As our school continues to expand we get more access to facilities, we look forward to providing our students with more opportunity and exposure to a wider range of sports. 

Our Health and Physical Education units/topics have been improved and re-evaluated from last year in line with the evolving needs of our students and the wider community. We look forward to continually improve the topics we cover in our Health classes to best serve the needs of students, weather it be related to Respectful Relationships or Online Safety. The range of sports and activities we offer as part of our Physical Education program has also increased in line with the new facilities and spaces around the school.

By Brandon Isaac

SRC News

Harmony Day

The SRC have been busy already this year, planning events and coming up with ideas to improve school culture. 

On the 21st of March, Elevation Secondary College celebrated Harmony Day with the schools first ever cultural/casual dress day. The SRC decided to raise money for State Schools Relief, an organization that supports families in need to access uniform and learning resources.

The Music and Chinese teaching teams planned activities for the day, with student performances and Chinese running speaking competitions and games. Our performers did a fantastic job, and students loved the tasty Chinese treats when they won the mini competitions.

The whole school community wore their cultural or casual dress in a respectful way with pride. We were proud that students dressed in their cultural attire, which was a great learning opportunity for the whole community and lots of discussion were had. It was fantastic to see students engaging in their rich cultural traditions and feeling confident enough sharing this with others.

As a school community, we raised just under $600 for State Schools Relief. This is a fantastic effort for our first ever casual dress day fundraiser. The SRC hopes to bring more whole school events to our community in future.

2023 Student Leaders

We are proud to announce our first two tiered student leadership model at Elevation Secondary College, where each Mentor Group (MG) has 2 representatives and 4 elected SRC representatives at each year level. Congratulations to all students who put their hands up to serve our school as leaders. 

Congratulations to the following SRC representatives:

Year 7

Name	Class
Denise	7I
Daksh	7E
Navreet	7I
Nivedya	7I

Year 8

Name	Class
Merna Falah	8A
Shahwaiz Ahmed	8G
Meenal Babbar	8D
Ammar Mahmoud	8E

Year 9

Name	Class
Jashan Phalpotia	9A
Zeinab Nasar	9D
Keshmita Nand	9G
Batu Ucar	9E

Year 10

Name	Class
Damla Selin-Goc	10C
Phoenix Lowe	10B
Shannon Jot Kaur	10A
Martina Putros	10D

Congratulations to the following Mentor Group representatives:

Year 7

MG	Rep 1	Rep 2
7A	Patresea Fares	Phoenix Mircevski
7B	Malak Stoo	Nasrin Sultani
7C	Pavani GUTTAPALLI	Muhammad (Hashim) HASHIM
7D	Jessica	San
7E	Iliaria	Davian
7F	Ali Khalil	Loriana Noori
7G	Bunyamin
7H	Mazin Sharafuddeen	Mia Fabris
7I	Denise Duenas	Harry (Harivansh) Singh

Year 8

MG	Rep 1	Rep 2
8A	Ulku Iz	Shataya Azzopardi
8B	Armaan	Berfin
8C	Zakee Haniff	Oscar Bishop
8D	Jimi	Hamoudi
8E	Akshiv	Lydia
8F	Zayd	Huzaifa
8G	Shahwaiz	Valentina Hanona
8H	Ruby	Karam

Year 9

MG	Rep 1	Rep 2
9A	Rishi	Zoe
9B	Rahaf Al Hayeek	Fadi Hammo
9C	Yahya	Kaan
9D	Zeinab Nasar	Havva Demir
9E	Nadeen Antwan	Iden Hermez
9G	Oshana Odisho	Natalie Orsida
9H	Clayton	Emerson

Year 10

MG	Rep 1	Rep 2
10A	Garry	Zaynep
10B	Santa	Ubaid
10C	Adem Rakipi	Damla Goc
10D	Manpreet	Manoilaa
10E	Ahmed K	Dhanush
10F	Ahmad	Marina
10G	Kyanner	Cemre

By Julia Rossi

The Aspire Shop has returned for 2023!

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 may also get ‘Mentor Group Teacher Award’ for receiving the most outstanding Aspire of the fortnight for their Mentor Group.
5. 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!

Aspire Community Supporters

The Aspire Shop has many items that students are able to purchase. These items include pens, fidget spinners, frisbees, basketballs and many other items. But we would like to also thank the community supporters that generously donate from their businesses to the Aspire Shop.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the following community supporters who have kindly donated to the Aspire shop to inspire and motivate our students to achieve in our school and in our community.

If you would like to be involved in the Aspire Community Supporter program, please contact the school to see how you are able to support the students in achieving in the school and wider community.

Aspire of the Month

This year we are introducing ‘Aspire of the Month’. This is to recognise students that have demonstrated exceptional values of Aim High, Work Hard and Be Good within the school community.

Aspire’s of the Month

Well done to all our award winners this month. There were over 80 nominations for Aspire of the month and what you have demonstrated has been exceptional and well deserving of the awards!

Library Report

Collection Development

The library collection continues to grow with the addition of new fiction releases, student requests and curriculum-based resources. Curriculum-based resources provide an opportunity for students to explore their subjects in more depth and through a platform other than the internet. While the internet is an important research tool, students may find that they are overwhelmed with the amount of information that they must trawl through in order to find what they need. Some internet sources may not be credible, they can be steeped in bias and are rarely peer-reviewed unless accessed via an academic library or database.

By developing the non-fiction collection with a particular focus on curriculum-based materials, the library provides students with another research option. Books are carefully selected to ensure a range of reading access levels without compromising on quality of content. Currently, we have a book display to complement Year 10’s studies on World War II and the Holocaust. Students are encouraged to borrow these books to support their learning and the development of skills such as using an index and referencing a book as a source. Additionally, we have several books that include personal testimonies, which allow students to gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of the time. Year 10 students may find the list of these books and additional resources by logging in to the library website and going to the “Year 10: World War II” LibPath.

End of term book returns

All library books must be returned by Tuesday April 4, 2023

• As we near the end of term, it is important that students return their overdue books.
• Students may borrow over the holidays, but only once they have returned existing loans.
• Check Elevation email for overdue notices and return books by April 4.
• Mentor group teachers will be provided with lists of outstanding loans and will be following up during mentor group sessions.

Campion Thomastown Store will be closed on these dates:

• Thursday 30^th March
• Monday 3^rd April
• Thursday 6^th April
• Thursday 13^th April
• Monday 17^th April
• Thursday 20^th April

Canteen Notice

Recently, some students have been bringing in $100 notes to purchase food from the canteen. Just a reminder for students to please bring in ONLY small denominations as it will make it easier for our canteen team. Thank you.

Canteen Ordering

We are pleased to advise our families that the College Canteen is open. It will be operated by Bocca Foods.

Attached to this news feed is the menu which is being offered.  All orders can be placed online on www.boccafoods.com.au.

Register your child/children. Enter their Year Level, in the box which reads Classroom will be their mentor group.  All of which is found on Compass. 

You can order students lunch by 9am and pay online.

”Bocca Foods prefer online ordering.”  This assists with ordering and catering, and will reduce lines and waiting time for food.

Lunch can be purchased from the counter using CASH and EFTPOS

STRICTLY NO PAYMENTS BY MOBILE OR SMART WATCHES.  Under Ministerial Order phones must not be used and will not be accepted.

We are also teaching students how to use the canteen space appropriately and respectfully. 

Early Leaving Policy

School attendance is very important.
Students are required to attend school for the entire day. If there is an unavoidable reason for a student to leave school early on a particular day (such as for a medical appointment) a signed note from home must be provided.
Pickup times should coincide with recess and lunch.
 
Process: 

• Student brings a note from home explaining the absence and the intended departure time (recess or lunch). The note must be signed and dated by a parent/guardian
• Student presents the note from home to the Mini School Admin Office before Mentor Group.
• Student receives a signed Early Leaver note from the mini school.
• At recess or lunch – the student brings the early Leaver note to the Administration Office and signs out.
• Student is picked up

If a pickup time can only be during a timetabled period, the student must show their signed Early Leaver note to their classroom teacher at the designated time and then present to the office to be picked up.
 
School staff will not be collecting students from classes during timetabled periods.
 
It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that they arrive at the office for pickup at the designated time.
 
Learning is extremely important at Elevation Secondary College. Please note that staff cannot collect your child or put an announcement over speakers during class time.

Recess and Lunch Times
Recess –  10:56 – 11:24am
Lunch – 1:20 – 2:02pm

Elevation Online Safety Hub Article of the Month

Which is safer: Roblox or Minecraft?

Roblox and Minecraft are both sandbox style games that allow players to be highly creative in imaginary worlds. But which one is safer for kids?

Written by Online Safety Expert and ICT Teacher, Taryn Wren

Click here to read this article.

To read more articles from Elevation Online Safety Hub, click this link below.

https://elevationsc.onlinesafetyhub.com.au/

Community Sporting Clubs

Here is a list of local sporting clubs for your children to participate in and is available in the local community.

College Uniform Store

As you are aware Noone, our uniform provider, have been operating a small shop from the College every Thursday to provide a convenient service for our families.

The uniform will no longer operate at the College as Noone have leased a new store right here in Craigieburn Junction shopping precinct and have offically opened their door to for business.

The new store is located at:
Shop A2-E
420-440 Craigieburn Rd, Craigieburn 3064
Store located on Crn Craigieburn Rd and Aitken Blvd next to Carpet Call in the Shopping Precinct.

Trading hours are:
Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
Saturday 9am-1pm

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:

Term Dates

• Last Day of Term 2- 23rd June (Early finish 1.20pm)

• Term 3 Commences- Monday 10th July

• Last Day of Term 3- Friday 15th September (Early finish 1.20pm)

• Term 4 Commence- Monday 2nd October

• Last Day of Term 4- Wednesday 20th December (Early finish 12.22pm)

Year 10 Work Experience

• Monday 19th to Friday 23rd June

Student Learning Conferences

• Thursday 10th August

• Friday 11th August

Curriculum & Student Free Days

• Wednesday 30th August

Public Holidays

• Tuesday 1st November – Melbourne Cup Day