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Because we are Christ’s Image Bearers, we: Build Community

29 April 2021 Issue number 7

Survey Responses

Thank you to the 177 families who completed the recent parent survey. They

represented a good cross-section of the various student year levels. This is a great

opportunity for parents to have input into the direction and priorities of the college

and we seriously consider any trends that are evident in the responses. We also

look at other comments to make sure we have not missed something important

even if only one parent mentioned it.

We are still analysing the written responses, but I can give you some preliminary

analysis.

96% of the families were generally positive about the college’s performance and

many offered suggestions on how we can do even better.

4% of respondents expressed a level of unhappiness with the college’s

performance. Although we do not know who the individual respondents are, we

are able to investigate the factors that contribute to this response. In all cases, the

concern was aimed at a specific area, rather than across the college and these

families were positive about many other areas of the college.

These results were similar to the previous year’s results.

When asked about their deep hope, parents indicated faith, values, academics and

positive development as a person, as important.

The survey results demonstrated a largely happy parent body, who indicated the

following areas for improvement (mentioned by more than 4% of respondents):

• parent interaction with staff and their child’s class (10%) – not surprisingly

parents are feeling disconnected from the college after the effects of COVID

restrictions.

• level of discipline (7%) – in this area parents mentioned uniform, student

negative behaviour, bullying, parents allowing students to not attend sporting

carnivals

• Christian practice as part of normal college routines (5%) – this includes prayer,

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Because we are Christ’s Image Bearers, we: Build Community

RELAY FOR LIFE FAQS

Why does PVCC host Relay for Life?

Many years ago, our Secondary Senate students were feeling disappointed at not being able to attend the local Relay for Life event as it conflicted with VCE exam period, so Sally Agostino (PVCC Community Relations guru!) and her daughter Elissa, had the idea to encourage the students to start their own. The wider community was invited to join. Eventually the local event slowed down, and now the PVCC event continues to run as a key cancer fundraiser for the Mernda/Doreen and wider north-eastern community.

Is this event just for the Secondary students?

No! It’s for the whole college! We also invite alumni, extended family, future PVCC families and local youth groups to be involved.

If I buy a ticket, do I have to stay for the whole night?

While we’d love you to stay for the whole night, you don’t have to. You are welcome to come and go, or stay for a select period of time. However, please understand that after 3:20pm, students are released into the care of their parents,

bible reading, recognising staff and students who model Christian values

• teacher practice (5%) – developing our teachers through professional

development in the latest techniques and mentoring

• reduce emails about uniform (5%)

• carpark flow (4%)

75% of respondents were in favour of girls having shorts as an alternative to the

uniform dress for girls.

57% of respondents asked for the carpark to stay as it is. 58% were happy to move

college start times to create less congestion.

As you can see there is some good data here that we can take on board and we

will. However, not all parents think in the same ways. A couple of examples are

parents asking for us to be tighter on uniform, while others were asking us to ease

off. Some look for improved traffic flow but most not wanting to change further

staggerd finish times. Be assured both of these items are definitely on our agenda,

as are all the trends of suggested improvements.

It is our desire to serve God by serving our families and

partnering with parents. Thank you for your valuable

feedback and support.

John Metcalfe

Principal

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and parents are responsible for the safety of their own children at this event.

Will there be food and drinks available?

Yes! We are so thrilled to have Hot Coals Catering supplying delicious hot food at reasonable prices, For Fudge Sake will be serving coffee and their famous fudge, and the Secondary Senate will be selling drinks and fairy floss.

Are there other activities to do throughout the night?

Of course. While walking circuits of the oval is the feature of this event, from 4pm onwards, there will be kids activities, games, prizes to be won, head-shaving craziness, entertainment, a dunk tank!, musical presentations, students dressed up in costumes, and - most significantly - a commemorative hour where cancer survivors and family members of cancer victims can reflect and speak of their experiences. As the sun goes down, the lights come on, and the event continues.

Where does the fundraising money go?

All money raised goes straight to the Cancer Council of Australia.

This is a key community-building event on our college calendar, and we invite everyone with an association to PVCC to attend, be apart of the fun, the reflection, and the opportunity to raise much-needed funds for cancer research.

Click here to view the Runsheet

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----------------------------Friday 30 April

Relay for Life -----------------------------

Tuesday 4 May Parent Teacher

Interviews -----------------------------

Wednesday 5 May Student Free Day

----------------------------- Wednesday 5 May

Parent Teacher Interviews

----------------------------- Thursday 6 May &

Friday 7 May Mothers’ Day Stall

-----------------------------Monday 10 May -

Wednesday 12 May Year 4 Camp

----------------------------- Tuesday 11 May - Thursday 13 May

NAPLAN -----------------------------

Friday 14 May NAPLAN catch-up

-----------------------------Friday 14 May

Vic Careers Show ----------------------------

Monday 17 May Early Years Athletics

Carnival -----------------------------

Tuesday 18 May OPEN MORNING

----------------------------- Wednesday 19 May

Year 10 Morrisby Testing

----------------------------- Wednesday 19 May

National Simultaneous Story

Time -----------------------------

Tuesday 25 May Plenty Kids Photos -

Joey Group -----------------------------

Wednesday 26 May Plenty Kids Photos -

Possum & Wallaby Groups

--------------------------

UNIFORM

Uniform change-over period:

Winter uniform must be worn from Monday 10 May.

If secondary students wish to wear a jacket with formal uniform it must be a blazer. If they wear a jacket with the PE uniform it should be the wet weather jacket.

CALENDAR UPDATES

• The Mothers’ Day Stall will now be on Thursday

6 May & Friday 7 May

• The Victorian Careers Show will be on Friday 14 May

PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS

Kinder - Year 12 interviews will be held on:

Tuesday 4 May (3:45pm - 8:00pm) and

Wednesday 5 May (assorted times between 9:30am and

4:00pm)

Please check your email for login details to book

interview times.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Parent Teacher Interviews (4 & 5 May 2021)

• Mothers’ Day Stall (6 & 7 May 2021)

• Year 4 Camp (10 - 12 May 2021)

• NAPLAN (11, 12 & 13 May 2021)

• Early Years (Prep to Year 2) Athletics Carnival

(17 May 2021)

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Because we are Christ’s Image Bearers, we: Build Community

SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB

Issue 3 - order by Monday 10 May 2021

Once you’ve made your selections, you can order through the LOOP page:

https://mybookclubs.scholastic.com.au/Parent/Login.aspx

COMMUNITY NEWS

“Hey, hey. What’s this I see?”

Do you have a specific set of skills and would love to help with the 2021 Production of Footloose!?

If you - parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or friends - would like to contribute by helping backstage, building sets, sewing, or providing any other support, then we would love to hear from you.

Please contact elizabeth.romano@pvcc.vic.edu.au

COMING UP SOON!

This Whole College event will be held on Friday 21 May 2021. More information

to follow soon!

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Because we are Christ’s Image Bearers, we: Build Community

Careers Newsletter Issue 5

FROM THE CAREERS OFFICE

Welcome to this week’s Careers Newsletter! You will find important information in this edition including university webinars. Also, there is information on different courses available from various tertiary institutions.

Don’t forget also to check out our PVCC Careers website for important information for students and parents. You can find our site at: https://careers.pvcc.vic.edu.au and view the “Calendar of Events”.

Dates to Diarise

• VCE and Careers Expo – Caulfield Racecourse – Thursday 29 April to Sunday 2 May

• Vic Careers Show – Melbourne Showgrounds Friday 14 May and Saturday 15 May

• Year 10 Work Experience – 21 June to 25 June

I am more than happy to assist students and parents. I can be contacted at:

helen.madden@pvcc.vic.edu.au

Helen Madden

Careers Practitioner/VET Coordinator

PRIMARY FRENCH DAY

Bonjour tout le monde!

All primary students will be participating in a French

Day on Monday 21 June 2021. It is a great way to

instigate children’s passion for language learning and foster their curiosity about

the French language and culture. This event will give our students the

opportunity to celebrate French language and customs through a fun and

creative day, while encompassing all areas of the curriculum.

More details about French Day will be provided closer to the date. However,

there will be a Dress Up Parade in the morning where students will have the

opportunity to dress in a way that will reflect the French culture.

Madame Agache

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SECONDARY SPORT

The senior boys softball, basketball and hockey all won their EISM Eastern division GF’s yesterday! And the senior girls Basketball only lost by 2 points!

Andy Leslie coached the Basketball A boys to a long awaited EISM boys’ premiership. The team comprised all Year 12’s - how good is it to win with your friends boys! Final score was 58 - 49 and Marley L was MVP.

Softball defeated arch rivals Alphington 7-2 at Jells Park in a fairy tale season led by coach Dan Symons.

The hockey boys dominated from the first whistle in defeating Billanook 4-0. The dream team had a fantastic undefeated season and were a pleasure to coach with six Year 12’s in the team including captain and GF MVP Marnus P.

The senior girls’ Basketball B team won the conference final last week by 2 pts but came up short by the same margin this week in the GF. They had a great season ably led by Brett Robinson.

Our senior boys’ Basketball B team still need to play their GF on Wednesday 12 May.

Sport is thriving at PVCC!

Helen Padget

Head of Secondary Sport

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COLLEGE APPS

THE PVCC APP

• See what’s happening on the up-to-date College Calendar; never miss an event,

• manage your child’s attendance using the Absentee function - no need to call

the school, simply fill in your absence details inside the App,

• when you need more information, the College Connections newsletter and

PVCC website are only 1 click away,

• and don’t forget to turn on Notifications to receive the latest notices from the

Office of any day-to-day changes.

2. SEQTA ENGAGE FOR PARENTS

• View upcoming assessments

• View marked assessments and teacher feedback

• Tracking upcoming homework

• View relevant school notices

• Access academic reports

• View and colour your timetable

• ...and much more!

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Because we are Christ’s Image Bearers, we: Build Community

3. BUSMINDER APP

Once you have downloaded the BusMinder Application, you will be able to view where your child’s bus is at any point in time, through the App. This is helpful if you are running late to a stop or aren’t sure where the bus is.

In addition, you will know when your child taps onto their bus and when they arrive at school in the mornings, as well as when waiting to pick them up at their bus stop after school, and can view how far away the bus is.

With this technology rolled out to all of our PVCC student cards, this simplifies the way we offer casual bus passes for those using the buses on an ad-hoc basis. You can simply pre-load up a value at any point in time to your account via our Reception or Business Office, and use up that value with each casual trip.

The expectation for students using the bus on a casual basis is to let our Admin team know of their intention to use the bus in advance, along with your payment, which also assists us to monitor seat availability.

4. FLEXISCHOOLS APP

Place your lunch orders online through the

app.

Flexischools have released an app on both

Android and iOS which makes the process

easier than before. Just search for:

‘flexischools’ in the app stores.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.flexischools&hl=en

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Because we are Christ’s Image Bearers, we: Build Community

COMMUNITY ADVERTISEMENTS

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Because we are Christ’s Image Bearers, we: Build Community

DIAMOND VALLEY ATHLETIC CLUB

The Diamond Valley Athletic Club invites students - & their parents - interested in a season of Cross Country running with Athletics Victoria, to register their interest with DVAC Registrar, Lyn Davis on mob: 0409 005 406 or email: ldavis_20@bigpond.com

Competition age groups for girls and boys are Under 14, Under 16, Under 18 and Under 20. As well, the competition is available to Open age, 40+ & 50+ age categories. Training sessions are conducted on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at Willinda Park from 5:00pm as well as on Saturday mornings.

The season of Cross Country running with AV commences on Saturday 1st May with Cross Country relays at Jells Park, Wheelers Hill. Junior athletes run a distance of 3km & senior athletes run legs of 6km.

The 2021 Winter season offers a mixture of Cross Country & Road running to cater for all abili-ties.

For further information, contact DVAC Secretary, Max Balchin on 0409 350 280 or check the websites valleyaths.org or athsvic.org.au

Learn English at Thomastown West Community Hub Learn English at Thomastown West Community Hub

Improve your English, make new friends and learn more about your local community. This friendly and supportive program will help local residents build confidence in written and spoken English and engage in community activity. Fridays, 9.30 am —1.00 pm, 5 February — 25 June 2021,ongoing enrolments accepted. English Conversation at Mernda Community House English Conversation at Mernda Community House

This friendly and supportive program will help local residents build confidence in speaking, listening, reading and writing English. Online Thursdays, 9.30am—12.00pm 28 January—24 June 2021, ongoing enrolments accepted. Work With Wood Work With Wood

A friendly, informal course for learning more about wood-working or improving your existing woodworking skills and knowledge.Undertake individual or group projects. Thursdays, 9.30am—2.30pm, 22 April—24 June 2021, 10 sessions.

Ring PRACE on 9462 6077 or visit our website:https://prace.vic.edu.au/

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Because we are Christ’s Image Bearers, we: Build Community

NEW webinar: eSafety's guide to parental controls

Our new webinar, eSafety's guide to parental controls, will look at how par-

ents and carers can set up devices and apps to help keep young people safer

online.

This webinar is targeted to parents and carers of 5 to 13-year-olds.

Encourage your parent community to register for the webinar. Share this with

your school community using the sample text (below), ready for your next email,

newsletter, blog post or on your social media channels.

Register for the free webinar, eSafety's guide to parental controls, for par-

ents and carers from the eSafety Commissioner.

The webinar will look at how parents and carers can set up devices and apps to

help kids and young people stay safe online.

It will cover:

• the benefits and limitations of parental controls

• how to set up iOS and Android devices for safety

• how to set up popular games and apps like YouTube and Roblox for safety

• using family tech agreements and other parenting strategies to manage

online risks

• how eSafety can help when things go wrong.

This webinar will include practical tips, demonstrations and advice.

To register, visit: esafety.gov.au/parents.

Learn more

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Because we are Christ’s Image Bearers, we: Build Community