It has been a very exciting term in the careers and pathways areas – as our Year 10 students moved through our Pathways process to select their Senior School Programs. Across terms 2 and 3 students worked through a range of processes and programs within their Personal Development classes culminating in their Careers Conversations on the 10th and 11th of August.
While final learning programs won’t be published until later in term 4, it’s been great to see our students engaging so deeply with the process and with such great consideration. Our staff have been readily preparing VCE and VCE Vocational Major programs for students and cant wait to start teaching the programs next year.
At this point it’s worth noting that we already have 2 groups of VCE pioneers – our Year 10 accelerated students – who are already studying Units 1 and 2 of Year 11 media and Psychology. A huge thanks to Mr. James, Ms. Gooch Andrew and Ms. Lane for taking on these responsibilities.
Term 4 – VCE Orientation
As well as end of year exams, our year 10 students will be undertaking an intensive two-day VCE Orientation program during term 4.
R U OK? Week
Our school has been delighted with the way our students and staff have celebrated and embraced R U OK? Week!
Wellbeing and mental health are so important and it’s been great to see the range of activities that have encouraged our community to ask each other – are you okay?
The challenge from here – for our whole community – is to keep on checking on each other’s wellbeing – after the festivities of R U OK? Week are over. The smallest of gestures like this can really make someone’s day and help their wellbeing.
Leave
One of our amazing Assistant Principals – Angela Lane – will be taking some well-deserved leave during term 4 of this year. As our foundation Assistant Principal – Ms Lane has worked tirelessly to for the last four years to establish so much about our school. Wishing Ms Lane a restful period of leave in this time.
School Holidays
School returns for every year level on Monday the 2nd of October. Wishing all of our students a restful holiday break.
Elevation Secondary College is committed to continuous improvement as we strive for sustained excellence. As Term 3 draws to a close, it is important to reflect on the positive efforts, attitudes and outcomes of our student community.
Success can be measured in a variety of ways, as demonstrated and celebrated by our students in their own words:
Emma Magar (10F)
“I’ve enjoyed being able to strengthen my friendships. I’ve gone from not having many friends to having heaps.”
Angel Kaur (8C) and Harnit Kaur (8C)
“Elevation Secondary College is such a welcoming place. A really good environment to make lifelong friends.”
Chazz Sharma (8D)
“Elevation Secondary has great teachers.”
Kanav Sharma (9E)
“I love the great learning environments and brand new facilities.”
Daniel Crncevic (8E)
“I love hanging out at the oval. Everyone has fun playing friendly games of soccer and footy out there.”
Denise Duenas (7I)
“The school deals with difficult situations so well and staff are very supportive, considerate and caring to each and every student.”
Yasir Quzwini (8H)
“I love playing football with my friends as it is good for my mental health. Friendships at Elevation Secondary College are so important to me and it is why I love being a student here.”
Anonymous
“My favourite subject is Humanities because my teacher teaches in a way that fascinates us.”
Manoilaa Zahrah (10D)
“What I like about this school is that it is safe. Teachers care about us a lot and we are given a lot of support choosing our pathways.”
Michael Rumbiolo (10B)
I have been here since the first day of the school opening in 2020. I’ve seen the school develop a lot from the beginning and we are given so many opportunities to grow and learn.”
In order to be best prepared and set up for success in Term 4, students and families are reminded to concentrate on ensuring the following actions:
Check all classroom equipment (stationary, books, laptop) and replenish before returning to school, full school uniform is worn to and from school each day.
Arrive to school at 8:35am and attend each and every class ahead of time,
Increase effort as learning tasks become more challenging,
Live and breathe our Behavioural Expectations – Aim High, Work Hard, Be Good.
We trust that students will enjoy a well earned break and will return to school in Term 4 refreshed and ready for a strong finish to the year.
By Angela Lane, Sonia Loudon, Kyle Schutz & Andrew Stock
To ensure students are active participants in their learning, organisation is fundamental to their success. Being prepared for the school day with the right equipment for every session on the day as well completing homework at home is vitally important. Have a discussion with your child about if they have all the equipment they need to succeed in an outside of the classroom.
Checks you can complete with your child
Are you bringing a bag to and from school?
Is lunch packed for the day?
Is the uniform correct?
Is their laptop being charged each night and brought to school each day?
Do they need new work books, pens or other equipment?
Ask them to bring home their subject workbooks, to see what work they have been completing in class.
Are they using their locker with a lock to protect their personal belongings? Is their locker organised?
Students need to practice all of these organisational tasks at all levels of schooling so they are fully prepared and have strategies and habits in place for when they reach their VCE years. The junior years are an essential place to start, as the most positive and supportive habits are formed to assist their learning development as they continue their education.
Wellbeing
Lauren Turnbull
The Butterfly Foundation are one of Australia’s key services for education and support for young purple and their carers experiencing disordered eating and poor body image. Body image and Eating Disorder Awareness Week aims to improve understanding of disordered eating and help young people and their carers gain skills and knowledge to develop healthy attitudes to food, weight and body image.
In 2022 the Body Kind Youth Survey” asked 1,635 Australian teenagers aged 12-18 years old, to explore the body image experiences of this age group.
The survey found that around 50% of young people said their body image had stopped them to some extent from raising their hand in class, focusing on schoolwork and going to school. The rest of the findings can be seen here Butterfly BodyKind Snapshot
Thanks to all the families who have assisted their children with their subject selection for Year 9 into Year 10. Subjects for 2024 will be confirmed in the later half of Term 4. While we will make every effort to take subject preferences into account, students are not guaranteed to get their preferences.
Melbourne Storm in League In Harmony
This term, 13 students from Year 8-9 took part in the Melbourne Storm In League In Harmony program. Congratulations to Blake (8C), Elijah-Thomas (8E), Tanisha (8F), Hassan (8H), Angel, Anna, Zac (all 9A), Tia, Harper (both 9C), Nathaniel, Aiden (both 9G) and Jeremiah (9H) for your fantastic participation.
Students have learned about important themes such as resilience, community and legacy during this program, as well as getting to learn some rugby league ball skills. On behalf of the students, we would also like to express our thanks to Pauline Poloai from the Melbourne Storm community engagement team for facilitating these sessions.
City School Excursion
City School excursions will be taking place from December 13-15th in Term 4. Plenty more information will be given to students over the next few months and to families through Compass and this newsletter, but for now, please note down the dates. The cost for the excursions will be approximately $80 (please see Compass when the event is live for exact amount) and be aware that students will need a full Myki card for the three days of this. Also, please note that the City School experience will involve some time without staff supervision. More details to come in Term 4!
Work Experience
Work experience for Year 10 students in 2024 will be taking place from 24th-28th June, the final week of Term 2. We encourage students to begin looking for opportunities already. Please keep an eye out for opportunities being posted on Compass!
It has been an eventful term, and we would like to update you on some important happenings and upcoming events in our Year 10 program.
Exciting Collaboration with the Careers Team
We are thrilled to announce that our Year 10 students had the opportunity to collaborate with the Careers Team for a series of informative and engaging excursions. These excursions took our students to local TAFE institutions, allowing them to explore potential career paths, vocational training opportunities, and gain valuable insights into the world of post-school education and employment. We believe that this experience has been instrumental in helping our students make informed decisions about their future.
Impactful Visit from the Pat Cronin Foundation
Another significant event that took place this term was the visit from the Pat Cronin Foundation. The foundation addressed our Year 10 students, delivering a powerful message about the devastating consequences of a single act of violence. Their presentation shed light on the impact that one punch can have on families’ lives and the importance of promoting kindness, empathy, and responsible behavior. We hope this valuable lesson will stay with our students as they continue to grow.
Year 10 End of Year Exams
As we approach the end of the year, we want to inform you that Year 10 students will be taking their end-of-year exams for their subjects.
The exams will be held on the 24th, 27th and 28th of November. More information about this will be made available at the beginning of Term 4. All Year 10 students will be provided with a Study Day on Thursday the 23rd of November (one day before exams commence). We hope that students will use this time effectively to prepare for all their exams.
End of Year Planning for 2024 Studies
Looking ahead to the next academic year, we want to remind you that all Year 10 students will commence their 2024 studies on the 29th and 30th of November. These two days are crucial for students attending, as they will obtain all the necessary learning materials for the upcoming year. The commencement of VCE, My VCE, and VCE VM will also take place on these dates. Please mark your calendars, as it’s essential for a smooth transition to the next phase of your child’s education.
We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for your ongoing support throughout the year. As we head into the Term 3 break, we wish you all the best with the wonderful sunshine and weather. Enjoy this well-deserved break with your family!
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Asli Dulger, Senior Leading Teacher
Careers & Pathways
Jacqueline HunterAlexandra Connor
CareerTools
Throughout this term we have had many exciting learning opportunities for our students and their families as our young people start to investigate their career options. Students have completed on-line learning through our Careers Platform: CareerTools. All Year 10 students now have access to this program. Our Year 9 students will gain access in Term 4. This platform is accessible from home as well as school. All students at Elevation Secondary College will actively engage with online careers to help them investigate a range of career options.
We encourage all of our students to discuss CareerTools and their work with their parents and carers.
Please click the link below to explore the Elevation Secondary College CareerTools website.
We have started our external career investigations with our Year 9 and 10 students with four excursions throughout Term 3: Kangan Cermone, Kangan Docklands, Kangan Broadmeadows and Puckapunyal Military Area.
All Kangan excursions were open to our Year 9 & 10 students.
These trips allow students to experience different, potential TAFE courses. Students were excited to learn about carpentry, fashion, baking, animal care, child care, electrical, beauty, cyber security, AI and the automotive industry. Students were involved in a number of interactive workshops where they designed, constructed, cooked, played and worked their way through different career-linked experiences. Students have returned from these excursions both excited and with a better understanding of the tertiary options available to them post-secondary school.
At Puckapunyal Military Area students were able to explore and discuss the wide variety of career and pathway opportunities available through the ADF. While students were able to talk to representatives from areas such as the Australian Army School of Armour, the Australian Army School of Artillery, Australian Army School of Transport.
Students also got the opportunity to explore and ride in a variety of military vehicles which, for many students, was the highlight of the day.
Course Selection
As we begin looking towards 2024, students have been selecting their courses and subjects for next year. This has been a multi-stage process culminating in students and families making well informed decisions and selections about their future courses and pathways.
Though selections for 2024 are now complete, Ms. Hunter and Ms. Connor are available for careers and pathway discussions throughout the year.. Please email jacqueline.hunter@elevationsc.vic.edu.au to book an appointment.
We have been working hard in Music in term 3, with our new Music teacher Tuan Le. Students have been engaged in their classroom studies, with our instrumental students attending private lessons and band rehearsals. We have been really impressed at the student’s ability to practice their new songs and contribute positively to band.
Mr. Le specializes in classical Latin guitar, and has recently started a guitar ensemble. Students play acoustic guitar in a group of 8 where they need to practice and listen to each other. Although they are only in their second week, students sound great and are working together to build on their skills. We can’t wait until the group are performance ready!
If your student is interested in having some private music lessons, they can approach any of the music or instrumental teachers in G building for more information.
Food Tech
Over the past few weeks in Food Tech, students have been busy in the kitchen working on their organisation and time management. Recently, the Chinese and Food Tech teams collaborated to run a dumplings cooking class. Students were taught some of the Chinese food words relating to dumplings along with folding techniques to try. Overall, it was a great success and we were really impressed by the skills of our students. Below, we have 9G showing us how it’s done!
Julia Rossi – Arts & TechnologyActing Learning Specialist
Rachelle Cole
English & Humanities Report
In English and Humanities this term, our students had the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge through a range of extra- curricular activities.
Year 10 Holocaust Museum
Our Year 10 students learnt about the Holocaust and the experiences of people during World War II on their excursion to the Holocaust Museum. After an introductory session providing the context to the museum and the Holocaust, the students interacted with artifacts from the time that helped them understand the experiences of individuals who were affected.
The highlight of the day was a question and answer session with a Holocaust survivor, Joe Szwarcberg, who was only eight years old when the Nazis invaded Poland. During the war, he spent time in several Nazi labour camps, before being liberated in 1945 from Buchenwald concentration camp and finally ending up in Australia.
Students represented ESC extremely well, actively participating in activities and asking insightful questions. Many were deeply moved by the experience. The content knowledge they gained from the excursion will assist the students in their study of the text ‘Night’ in term 4 for English, their History World War II studies, as well as VCE English texts in Year 11.
Organ Pipes
In September, Year Eight Geography students went on an excursion to Organ Pipes National Park. We have been studying the effects of weathering and erosion on landscapes and landforms. Mrs. Stone organised this fantastic opportunity to experience Geography studies in the real world.
The Organ Pipes’ unique shape was formed by lava millions of years ago and are an impressive sight. Many students said it was great to get outdoors and see real-life examples of key Geography concepts. They were enthusiastic and encouraged each other to keep persevering on some steep hills and rocky surfaces. The excursion was a wonderful learning opportunity for all and students displayed a keen attitude towards learning.
Year 7 Field Work
Liveability in our local area has been the main focus of our Year 7 Geography classes this term. For their final CAT, students have created an inquiry question and undertaken a collection of data in the school grounds to consider improvements to the liveability of the school.
Each student needed to fill out a table and collect information about the amount of green space, seating, shade and equal accessibility at the school, and make suggestions for improvement. The Year 7’s handled their fieldwork with great focus and responsibility, demonstrating some great ideas and impressive note-taking skills.
Rachelle Cole- English and Humanities Learning Specialist
The SRC are excited to present RUOK Week, thanks to our YouthFest grant. Students and staff have been working together to put on a program of events for week 10, to celebrate RUOK Day on the 14th of September. RUOK Day is all about having meaningful conversations around mental health and wellbeing.
SRC students thought of a range of activities to support mental health and wellbeing here at ESC.
The events we are running include:
Scavenger hunt
Zumba
African drumming
Photo Booth
Sport games
Recess library activities each day, with a focus on mindfulness
We are trying to raise money for HeadSpace, who support many of our students with access to mental health and wellbeing support.
Please encourage your student to get involved, donate some money to HeadSpace and talk about their mental health and wellbeing!
Miss Julia Rossi- SRC Coordinator
Joshua Fielding
Extension and Enrichment| Elevation’s Inaugural Spelling Bee
On Tuesday the 22nd of August, Elevation held its inaugural Spelling Bee! 26 students in Year Seven and Eight participated in the competition. This was a great opportunity for contestants to expand their vocabulary and challenge themselves beyond the expected level for their age.
Students were given practice sheets in the weeks leading up to the Spelling Bee and studied hard to learn how to spell difficult words. The competition was exciting and there was a tough battle between the few remaining contestants.
After an enthusiastic effort by all, two students prevailed. Saviru Kalansuriya of 7F won first place, succeeding with the word “cholesterol”, and received a $50 JB Hi-Fi Voucher and a novel in recognition. Rayshan Ruben of 8A won second place with the prize of a $20 JB Hi-Fi Voucher.
Well done to Saviru and Rayshan, your prizes are well-deserved. All contestants displayed a great attitude for learning and should be very proud of themselves. The Spelling Bee will return in 2024, so start preparing now if you want a chance at winning!
Elevation students have enthusiastically participated in activities in the lead up to and during Book Week 2023. This year’s theme was Read, Grow Inspire, and the first activity we ran asked students to leave reviews on the library catalogue in order to inspire other students to read based on their peers’ recommendations. The seven students who wrote the best reviews received much sought-after Manga posters, booklets and stickers as prizes. Students composed eloquent reviews that successfully conveyed their strong thoughts and feelings on the books they have been reading.
An excerpt from Denise’s (7I) review of Grace Field House (‘The Promised Neverland Vol. 1) by Kaiu Shirai shows the importance of sticking around to get to the interesting part: “The Promised Neverland volume 1 is amazing, it’s a bit boring at first but the more that you start reading it the more interesting it gets. I really loved the whole storyline but reading this first volume gets you hooked into the story.”
Amelia’s (10B) review of Into the Wild (‘Warrior Cats’) by Erin Hunter, shows how different literary techniques contribute to successful world-building: “Although the names seem quite repetitive, it is quite a unique book. The suffixes are repetitive yet also interesting e.g. “paw” for apprentices.”
Shannon’s (10A) review of How to make friends with the dark by Kathleen Glasgow expertly describes how fictional narratives can be both emotionally and intellectually illuminating: “Following Tiger’s journey, I got an insight into how brutal and messy grief can be. It superbly weaves themes of regret, loss, PTSD, self-forgiveness, despair, and the raw pain when a parent or loved one dies. In addition, I learned the process of the foster care system (of America’s) and how there’s room for improvement.”
Zayan’s (7A) review of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan gave four stars to a “really exciting story with multiple plot twists spread out through it!”.
Bravo to these students and the other reviewers for their invaluable contributions to our library book reviews.
Bookmark Design Competition
The next Book Week activity students were invited to participate in was the Bookmark Design Competition. This year, students were asked to design a bookmark responding to the Book Week 2023 theme of ‘Read, Grow, Inspire’ and there were more than twice as many submissions as last year. For this reason, there were ultimately six places awarded to the following students:
1st place
Remas 10F
2nd Runners Up
Shannon Jot 10A and Harmony 8C
3rd Runners Up
Keerti 7B, Terry 10E, Janna 7D
First place winner Remas Al Fakhouri has created a whimsical design in a pastel Anime pastiche that will speak to the strong Manga and Anime fandom at Elevation. The hand-drawn design utilises pencils, watercolours and delicately-applied fineliner in a richly imaginative work which will be printed professionally, along with those of the other place winners, and be made available for all students in the library from Term 4.
Congratulations to all participating students, all of whom displayed the college value of Aim High by contributing their designs for consideration. Well done!
Instrumental Music at Elevation Secondary College
Do you want to learn or re-engage with an instrument?
ESC currently offers instrumental music lessons in:
Keyboard/Piano– Tereza Cuca
Vocals/Singing– Felisha Innelli
Drums– Troy Grech
Guitar and Bass– Nick Freer
Guitar– Tuan Le
Forms to sign up for lessons are available at the front office and at the staff office in the G building. There is a fee to participate in the instrumental music program, and a wait list for some instruments (depending on popularity). Speak to the Music team for more information.
ESC also has a contemporary band that rehearses Wednesdays from 8.30-10.00, which all instrumental students are encouraged to participate in.
We look forward to growing the musical passion of our students at ESC!
Elevation Online Safety Hub Article of the Month
Modeling Healthy Online Behaviours to Children
“Parents wanting to raise their children to practice healthy digital habits must model those behaviours themselves. Here are our top tips.”
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
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 shop will no longer operate at the College as Noone have leased a new store right here in Craigieburn Junction shopping precinct and have officially opened their door to for business.
The new store is located at: Shop A2-E 420-440 Craigieburn Rd, Craigieburn 3064 Store located on Cr Craigieburn Rd and Aitken Blvd next to Carpet Call in the Shopping Precinct.
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.
