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Marden MattersMarden MattersTERM 2 - 2015

From the Principal

Recently we welcome over 50 students who have joined the Marden Senior College community for the start of semester two. Marden offers a purposeful adult learning environment and these students are now getting a feel for the opportunities on offer and understanding the associated responsibilities. All the best for this new phase in your education.

Just as the days are getting longer with the Winter Solstice 21 June behind us, there is a real sense of progress amongst our 800 or so continuing students. Semester one 10-credit subjects are complete, a number of assessments are finished and mid-year exams are being conducted before the end of the term. In fact students studying year-long courses are at the 2/3rds mark of the academic year. So that end of the year light is shining brighter.

This is the time for students to reflect on what they have achieved to date and to re-visit their personal goals. Energy and motivation can flag at this time of the year as motivation is tested. All in all it is a good time to consider what motivates you.

Although there is no single recipe or secret to academic success, research and experience show that the level of success is often related to:

• Enjoying the feeling of progress and achievement through setting and re-setting short term goals

• Studying for short, high-intensity bursts — quality of study is more important than quantity

• Being prepared to take risks with your studies, try creative directions and learn from your mistakes

• Seeking enjoyment and finding things of interest in your studies helps

• Committing to your study, attend classes, meet deadlines and persist

• Networking with other students• Looking after yourself – sleeping, eating,

exercising and balancing other commitments are all important

Maybe this Zig Ziglar quote has something to offer,

“There is no elevator to success…you have to

take the stairs”. Students no doubt reflect on their personal goals for studying at Marden Senior College, and these are likely to have changed since enrolment. This term’s student program sessions, including the ‘Ace Your Exams’ and university information sessions, as well as the launch of the Marden Senior College Record of Achievers, have all provided insights into personal goals. As highlighted in the short past scholar stories in the 2014 Record of Achievers booklets available around the College, there are many different ways of achieving personal goals. The trick is to find what works for you.

If you need any support to re-assess your goals, a conversation with your teacher, trainer or mentor is the place to begin. Subject reports contain information from teachers directly related to you as learners. Mentors and subject teachers are available to discuss these with you, and to help you to move forward with the next step. To re-evaluate plans or get help with time management, tap into your mentor teacher or make an appointment with one of the counsellors in Student Services, or see Tim, our Pastoral Care Worker. If you need additional

study help, visit the Tutorial Centre and work with the teacher on duty or use it as a quiet study area. The Library is another great resource and is open until 7pm on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. If you have an evening class then access the additional Tutorial time with your teacher. It is important to use the information provided about individual progress and the supports available to plan for success in the final part of the year.

A way to keep motivated is to get more involved in College activities. Recently a group of students pedalled the College car in the Pedal Prix on a Sunday. There will be a second event early in Term 3. A number of staff and students were involved in planting native plants to expand the re-vegetation of the College’s ‘Our Patch’ along the River Torrens. A number of lunchtime activities such as chess and table tennis will be offered again in Term 3, as will BBQs and other events. The Student Government Association (SGA) supports many of these events and has played a key role in organising the School Formal set for Friday 14 August and the school jumpers that arrived recently. Monday to Thursday lunchtime you can get the blood pumping at the MARS gym and soccer players will soon be preparing for the annual Re-Entry Schools tournament. The Library offers a range of activities and is a great place to shelter from the cold weather. So there is lots on offer at the College. Get involved.

Keep an eye on that light at the end of the tunnel and remember that any study will hold some challenges but it can also be enjoyable, and with persistence it will get you much closer to your ultimate goal. I leave you with this quote from famous physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955):

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems

longer.”Stephen Inglis

Principal’s Information Session and ToursWednesday 2 September

9:30am and 4:30pm Further details will be available on the Website

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Pedal Prix – “a woman’s perspective”

As an avid cyclist I took up the invitation to take my first ever ride one lunch hour in the MSC Pedal Prix car and you could say I was hooked (or at least intrigued).

So I rode my bike to the Victoria Park racecourse to join the very well organised MSC tent full of cycling gear, food, drinks, a static bike and a big group of keen students; as well and Malcom Cheffirs, Graeme Hudson and Stephen Inglis. In the 2 hours that I was there (most stayed for at least 6 hours) I joined in the fun but only contributed 2 of the 102 laps of the course! It looked kind of scary but was actually really fun. Congratulations to the fit students that managed so many laps all up!

What really impressed me about the day was the fact that Marden students – who don’t have assemblies, sports teams or a 5 year history in common – were all pulling together for a common goal. That goal was not to race the flashiest car or make the fastest times. In fact what set us apart was our ‘not playing for sheep stations’ attitude and desire to give everyone a go. The activity even made up part of a school subject (Integrated Learning with Graeme); allowing students to get academic credit in their role as organisers, competitors, timers etc. Thanks to the ongoing effort of teachers like Malcolm and Graeme, this school activity allows us all the chance to meet on a weekend, have some laughs, do some exercise, band together and show others that Marden really does Matter.

You can join in too again on Sunday 26 July.

Mandy Rego

Pedal Prix 2015 Race 2On 14 June, the students of Stage 2 Integrated Learning – Sport and Recreation participated in the Australian National HPV (Human Powered Vehicle) Super Series Pedal Prix, an event that took place at Victoria Park Racecourse, under the name Maelstrom. There were over 180 team vehicles with participants from private schools, public schools and private organisations. The range of age groups was huge, from primary to open including…retirees. Marden raced in the most competitive open category.

At 6.00am on Sunday morning; Joel, Graeme, Nick, Simon and Malcolm arrived for the setup of the marquee and pit area. The race began at 10:00am and the riders were jumping in anticipation. The weather was in our favour, blue skies and high clouds. Sprinkles towards the end but nothing that we couldn’t handle.

Our first rider was Nick, who had the misfortune of puncturing a tyre. Nick entered the pit lane and Malcolm who was part of the bike maintenance team with Morgan and Brandon, swapped the wheel and tyre as fast as possible in order for the sequential rider to resume the race. The following riders continued without inconveniences:

• Adiyam Asgede• Benjamin Burrows• Andreja Lallic• Nick Bridgeland• Tori Johns• Hudfa Haqi• Joel Pearson• Sam Winter• Peter Cutts• Angus Kerr• Joss Kitchen• Morgan Rogers• Oliver Theo

The fastest lap was completed by Joel Pearson, at an astonishing 2 minutes 19 seconds. He did a total of 25 laps, which he achieved with stints of 3 laps, 7,

Pedal Prix Newsthen 13 continuous laps and finished the race with his fastest 2. Prior to the event we set out to reach our goal of 100 laps and we surpassed this goal by finishing with 102 laps. Some teachers rode on the day: Mandy, Simon, and Stephen Inglis, the Principal.

Kane, Peter, Connor, Joel and Sam were in charge of catering. They did an excellent job as there was always food which was cooked just right and was very tasty. They made sure everyone was happy with it and had vegetarian options. They were enthusiastic even though their day was spent mostly cooking. The people who did not race rotated with lap time keeping duties.

At the end of the day packing up ran smoothly with everyone helping out. Everyone did what needed to be done in an efficient manner. Throughout the day the communication was great although a few people got lost, however they were contacted and given directions. The day was great and many people attended. Everyone enjoyed their time because of the great organization and work ethic that everyone possessed. Overall the day ran smoothly and we placed 119 out of 183. We are looking forward to the next event on 26 July. If you would like to come along, remember to go to Malcolm and Graeme for more information. A big thank you to Ted, Barb, Simon, Mandy and Stephen for their support on the day, our exceptional team manager and photographer Malcolm and Peter and Sam for marshalling.

Dayana Otero-Salazer and Camila Letelier

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2015 SA Refugee Week Youth Poster Exhibition

Posters designed by the following three students from Certificate III Design were selected for the 2015 SA Refugee Week Youth Poster Exhibition: • Brooke Gauci • Nicola Scalfino and • Katie Dawber

From 275 entries, posters of 50 students from 32 schools were selected to be included in the final poster exhibition on display until 30 June in the Kerry Packer Civic Gallery, Hawke Centre, University of

Everyday Hero Walk for JusticeOn Tuesday 12 May, Stage 2 students in Society and Culture participated in the ‘Everyday Hero Walk for Justice 2015’. The group name for the Stage 2 students in Society and Culture was ‘Marden Senior College’. The ‘Everyday Hero Walk for Justice 2015’ is the largest annual community gathering of the legal profession in South Australia, and contributes all charitable funds raised to JusticeNet (a not-for-profit charitable organization that provides pro bono legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals).

The 5 km walk began at 7:30am outside the Adelaide University, leading us through the Botanical Gardens, along the Torrens, across the new footbridge and finished in Victoria Square at 9:00am. After the walk had been completed, the class group stayed behind to listen to the awards ceremony which had a special guest, the former Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. Some students were able to get a photograph with the her which, after a cold and rainy morning during the walk, is what every Year 12 student dreams of. Some students in the group were able to individually raise money for the walk which contributed to the fundraising for JusticeNet, other groups and individual members of the ‘Everyday Hero Walk for Justice 2015’, consisting of over 398 people, were able to raise over $50,000 over the course of the event.

JMC Academy VisitStudents of Media and Design were introduced to a different facet of the entertainment technology industry by Christine from JMC Academy, Melbourne on 11 June. She talked about the various programs on offer in her academy and showcased the work of some of the students who are now renowned figures in the entertainment industry. The highlight of the speech was the integration of the programs in JMC Academy enabling students to work together on collaborative projects. Many of our students showed keen interest and are contemplating joining the academy.

Viji Mohan

South Australia. Congratulations to all the participants and the three students on their work receiving recognition and for being awarded Certificates of Participation.

Viji Mohan

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HIGH TEA at Marden Senior College

As part of their final assessment for the semester one Café and Barista course trainees were required to plan, prepare and serve a high tea. The trainees were assisted by their trainer Yvette who mentored them throughout the day. The high tea was held in the flexible learning space on Friday 12 June. Invited guests included MSC Principal Stephen Inglis, other senior MSC leaders and personal guests of trainees.

The menu for the high tea consisted of freshly baked scones, club sandwiches and white chocolate cupcakes. Trainees were keen to impress their guests and arrived early to prepare ingredients, a task that the trainees had learnt to refer to as mise en place. The trainees worked as a team to ensure that scones were baked, jam and cream prepared, cupcakes baked and iced and sandwiches toasted and assembled well in time for the two o’clock start.

Guests were impressed with the quality and variety of the food on offer. Trainees prepared a variety of coffee including latte, cappuccino, long black as well as black and green tea. Both the trainees and guests enjoyed the afternoon.

The majority of trainees had very limited exposure to cooking and food preparation prior to starting this course with one stating that “all she could do was make toast”. They all agreed that in addition to gaining skills of preparing sauces, pastry and cakes from scratch successful completion of the course had given them a better appreciation of food quality and presentation.

Bernadetta Chaustowski

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From the Pastoral Care Worker

As I write, I contemplate the far too rapid arrival of ‘End of Term!’ Half the year has already gone; in fact, Semester One is over! Some students, only with us for a semester, are contemplating their next venture. To them I say thank you for being part of our Community and best wishes in all you venture to do from here on.

Semester One ends with the onset of winter and this is becoming very apparent around campus with coats, scarves, beanies and umbrellas starting to make an appearance. The weather will be colder now! The wind will blow a little harder and colder; the daylight hours will be shorter and the gloom of cold blustery days will be upon us. As I write, the foreboding cloud I see from my window makes the early afternoon look more like early evening.

Have you ever flown on an aircraft during winter; during one of those dark gloomy days?

As you rocket down the runway, quickly, you are surrounded by wisps of cloud firing past the windows and then the rain, beating horizontally. You might be buffeted a little by the turbulence and the wind outside and you wonder how long it will last.

Then without warning you burst out of the cloud into brilliant glaring sunshine and the grey, wet clouds are replaced by a carpet of picture book fluffy cottonwool under the brightest and bluest of skies.

You see, despite the gloom of winter, the sun is still shining; it always shines, we just cannot always see it. Just as we lament the passing of a semester or the farewell of our friends leaving Marden and even the close of the first half of the year, we can burst into the ‘bright exciting glare’ of the new opportunities that Semester Two holds; meeting new people, making new friends and celebrating the start of the second part of the year! With endings, come beginnings.

Welcome to our new students starting with us this term. I look forward to sharing the next few months with you and supporting you where necessary, to realise your academic dreams.

My role is very much about smoothing the pathway – your pathway to success, so that your journey can be one you enjoy and one in which you can excel and one upon which the sun always shines.

Tim Wells

Chess TournamentA Marden knockout chess tournament was organised over a 3 week period which spanned the end of term 1 and the beginning of term 2. Approximately 20 keen players participated and each had 5 minutes to complete their moves. Pisuth Chainarong (Kimi) and David Nguyen played off in the grand final, which was held outside on the big chessboard with a large crowd cheering both players on. David Nguyen was victorious after a strongly contested battle with Kimi. Both players were awarded Marden canteen vouchers. Keep an eye out for the next knockout chess tournament.

Vimal Patel

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During Term 2 the library has been busy with events to promote reading, literacy, learning, as well as community events. It was also a busy time for students working on assignments but also making use of the resources for recreational purposes too. We have a number of very keen readers and movie watchers amongst the students at Marden!

A variety of displays have been set up to promote events this term. The MSC Pedal Prix car has been on show in the entrance to the library and later there will be photos from the recent competition event. Anzac Day, Reconciliation, Biggest Morning Tea, History Month and MSC Tree Planting have also been promoted. Chocolate sales to assist the SGA with fundraising for the Formal have also been popular – especially on those cold days! The SGA are also involved with a display to promote the formal.

Some of the displays have also involved hands-on activities, eg, poppy making for Anzac Day. We also have games at recess and lunch for students to borrow and a jigsaw and doodle sheets to colour in during breaks.

It is a hectic time of the year for students regarding school work. A link on the library page on the MSC website that might be worth checking out at this time of the year is Study Vibe – a good place for information on study skills, getting organised and help with writing reports and essays etc.

There are also a variety of databases available for students to use These are also available from the library link from the front page of the MSC website. If you need assistance to find and use them, please ask the library staff.

An enthusiastic team of staff are available to assist students in the library. We are open from:

• 8.30am until 3.45pm Monday• 8.30am until 7pm on Tuesday & Wednesday • 8.30am until 3.45pm on Thursday• 8.30am until 3.30pm on Friday

The 4-7pm times on Tuesday and Wednesday as well as after lesson 2 on Friday afternoons are very useful to spend that extra time to work. The staff are here to support you at all times and so we look forward to seeing you at the Library.

Sue Johnston Library Manager

Marden Education Centre Library

Wendy Muir Guest SpeakerWendy Muir, an artist and art teacher of many years was a quest speaker for the Certificate students in Visual Arts on Monday 25 May. One of the students commented “Not only was she an interesting speaker with a wonderful command of the English language, but also enthralling to listen to.”

After an introduction of her background and some philosophies of teaching she launched into her mind map of how she planned her presentation for her Master’s Degree and how it all eventuated. The talk was supported with a PowerPoint presentation of her work and she brought in loads of her own works, her sketch books, collages and research folders for all of the students to look over. The students thoroughly enjoyed her visit.

Thank you Wendy – you were an inspiration.

Cathy Boniciolli

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HYPA Works third Techie’s TourHYPA Works third Techie’s Tour for 2015 took place on Monday, May 11 and has once again proven a hit not only with the young people participating, but also the teachers who attended. Expectations were definitely high and thankfully our hosts made sure everyone walked away feeling like they got what they came for… and more! The day started at The Digital Embassy where Nick presented to the group using his trusty whiteboard. Not exactly hi-tech as Embassy boss Colville pointed out, but nonetheless an excellent session which held the interest of the young people, who had some excellent questions to round out the visit. Nick’s T-type person model was of particular interest to us all.

Next stop, Monkeystack on Hindley Street Monkeystack has delivered some very well known projects and for the group to see their show reel and understand that this amazing work “happens right here in Adelaide” is always inspirational for them and makes for great interaction between the young people and our host Justin. A tight schedule prevented us from getting through all the questions but it was great to see the level of interest our visit raised.

A short walk saw us at Hub Adelaide where Andre lead us to the amazing kitchen space to discuss co working spaces and his journey in arriving there. Incredible aromas of delicious food gave him some stiff competition for attention, particularly as it was our last stop before lunch. Andre worked through it well before taking us for a tour and allowing us a great photo opportunity in the cubby house……… Yes – I said cubby house.

Fortunately leaving the Hub (and the cubby house) meant it was lunch time. Good food, drink and conversation at Banh Mi took us through to making our way to Majoran to kick off the afternoon’s visits.

Aainaa and Michael at Majoran were once again fantastic hosts. On arrival we were shown the co-working spaces and then Sean and Chhai, who are operating their businesses there, gave the group some fantastic insights and information about co working spaces and start up businesses. After a volley of questions were fired at the panel and a group

photo it was time to head to our final stop for the day before returning to home base in Currie Street.

Katalyst Interactive presented our final session and given the short notice to prepare, Justin provided a perfect ending to the tour. This session covered a range of topics from what Katalyst do in the digital industry right through to some great advice on how young people with a vision can get on a pathway to a great career and make the best of their talents. We also had Haydn address the group about his role and saw the process Katalyst use to work through their projects, which was of great interest to the group

A big thanks to all of our amazing hosts for their time, effort and passion to Help Young People Achieve… and of course the young people and educators from Marden Senior College for their wonderful support of HYPA Works Techie’s Tours!

Students do their bit to help revegetate their patch

Thousands of native species have been established along a section of the River Torrens Linear Park, creating a diverse ecology of native flora, thanks to the hard work of Marden Senior College staff and students.

For the past 12 years, Marden Senior College staff and students have been re-vegetating a section of the River Torrens Linear Park adjacent to the school.

The site is registered with the Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges NRM Board’s ‘Our Patch’ program, which involves the local community in the restoration of bushland, supported with the resources and expertise needed to rehabilitate native bushland.

Project Manager, Marden Senior College, Peter Allen said it’s important for students to gain practical experience when learning about the environment and to understand that they can make a difference to their environment.

“We are teaching about the environment by placing students in the environment, with students and teachers planting and maintaining the site as part of their senior secondary curriculum.

“The site includes interpretive signage and a nature trail for the public and we have recreated a piece of the ‘original Australian bush’, using around 100 local native plant species.”

The school will hold an annual planting day on Thursday 25 June, where all staff and students will plant one or more native species at the river, followed by lunch at the riverside.

The work has been supported by the Norwood Payneham St Peter’s Council, which has supplied mulch and logs for pathways, and will assist at the annual whole of school planting day.

The planting day was very successful, with some 400 new

plants now in place. Thank you to everyone involved.

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Uni and TAFE EntryTerm 3 is a very busy time for all students who are intending to study at University or TAFE in 2016. Not only are your subjects in full swing, but TAFE and all three universities, Flinders, Adelaide and the University of South Australia are holding their Open Days for prospective students. These are excellent opportunities for students to gather information about various courses in the lead up to making applications through SATAC for tertiary study in 2016.

Open Day activities for Flinders University will occur on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 August. Adelaide University and the University of South Australia are holding their Open day on Sunday 16 August.

Information about the Open Days and the TAFE / Uni Guides will be distributed as soon as it becomes available in early Term 3. Counsellors are able to provide one on one support to students who need assistance in making a TAFE / Uni application during Term 3.

Tertiary Education PanelAs part of our service to students and in conjunction with the Open Access College, we have organised for the three universities to come to Marden Senior College on Thursday 27 August, 12.00 noon - 1.30pm. This visit will provide students with an opportunity to:

• Speak with advisors from the tertiary education sector• Gather information about courses• Enquire about alternative entry pathways into university

uniTEST for Flinders UniversityAre you keen to enhance your opportunity to attend university? Do you wish to increase your options to gain a place in the course you want? Are you looking at a way to show the University that you have the ability to succeed at University study? Then uniTEST is your chance to impress!

uniTEST is an aptitude test that has been designed to assess the kinds of generic reasoning and thinking skills that underpin studies at higher education and that are needed for students to be successful. uniTEST assess this reasoning and thinking across the broad domains of mathematics, science, humanities and social sciences.

Flinders is offering uniTEST to any eligible applicant wishing to enhance their opportunity to attend university. Flinders will select students based on both an applicant’s Year 12 results (60% weighting toward the ATAR score) and uniTEST performance (40%).

Whilst it won’t guarantee you a place at University, if you do well in the test the results will be taken into consideration by Flinders, and it may assist you to enter your course of choice. If however you don’t do so well in the test, don’t worry as you cannot be disadvantaged by sitting uniTEST.

Marden Senior College is a test centre for uniTEST. More information will be distributed to students as we near the test day. Additional information can be found at: http://www.flinders.edu.au/future-students/how-to-apply/special-entry/unitest.cfm

Work ExperienceA Work Experience placement can provide you with a great insight into a particular job or the world of work in general. Your performance in the placement is assessed and can be a valuable addition to your personal portfolio, as well as providing you with feedback about the employability skills you need to develop. Completion of Work Experience along with some additional tasks can provide you with a SACE Stage 1 unit as part of Community Studies.

Come and have a chat with the Student Counsellors if you would like to know more about any of the issues detailed above.

National Careers and Employment Expo

Jubilee Pavilion Wayville Showgrounds Friday 22 May and Saturday 23 May

Marden Senior College has participated in this annual two day event since its inauguration in 2005.

The event attracted thousands of visitors over the two days including many students from dozens of metropolitan and country schools on Friday to research future career options as part of school assignments. Saturday’s visitors comprised mainly adults and parents looking at training opportunities for themselves or school options for their children.

Some of the other 50 or so exhibitors included the Australian Defence Force, SA Health, SA Police, Flinders University, TAFE SA and DOME. All were kept busy over the two day event.

Marden, together with Hamilton Senior College and Thebarton Senior College, has used this event to inform school students and the general community of the multiple education and training pathways available to them in our colleges.

Our conversations with the public at this Expo are always useful with invariably positive responses. People are often surprised by the comprehensive range of SACE and Vocational Education Training programs available to them, while others comment on the appeal of studying in a flexible adult environment. School students are often unaware that they are able to enrol for single subjects at Marden while remaining enrolled in their own schools for the bulk of their studies. Interacting directly with the public in this way ensures that people are able to receive quality information and advice in response to their particular needs and interests.

We look forward to seeing some of you there next year!

Janet Elliott

Ancient StudiesOn Friday 26 June the Ancient Studies class successfully completed an out of class activity. By working together and following the instructions given we were exposed to a different type of archaeological task. We started this activity by digging up bits of mugs, bowls and plates. Then we brushed the dust off the pieces and numbered them just as an archaeologist would. Once we had the pieces sorted and cleaned it was time to start the process of matching the shards and joining them together. Throughout this activity we all experienced an aspect of archaeological work, including teamwork and detailed puzzle solving.

Serge Zhukovskiy