maffra secondary college · school review we have been advised by the department of education we...

www.maffrasc.vic.edu.au I (03) 5147 1790 I Bill Cane Ct, Maffra, 3860

Newsletter Items: [email protected] Attendance SMS: 0419 345 857

Maffra Secondary College

More than you imagine

Principal’s Report

Principal’s Report

Upcoming Events

April 2017

Happy Easter

18th Term 2 Starts

24th – 28th Year 9 NextGen

Challenge

25th ANZAC DAY HOLIDAY

26th Year 12 TIS Tour

27th Soothplayers Incursion

27th 2018 Year 7

Information Night

May 2017

9th-10th -11th NAPLAN

for Years 7 & 9

School Council Meeting

Tuesday 16th May

Parents’ Club Meeting

Wednesday 10th May

5.30pm in the Staff Room

As a busy first term draws to a close, I’d

like to stop and thank all of our staff for

their hard work and dedication so far.

We’ve achieved a lot as a college this

term, with multiple camps and

excursions, a realignment to two sub-

schools, and a new collaborative

meeting structure for staff to enhance

our focus on student learning growth.

Continuous Reporting

We have commenced our college-wide

roll out of the ‘continuous reporting’

model, whereby parents and students

can access feedback on student learning

progressively throughout the term. We

hope this enables parents to have richer

conversations with students about the

specifics of their learning, and where

they need to focus their attention. This

feedback on learning, together with our

News Feed, are both available via

Compass. The phone app is by far the

easiest way to connect, and is available

by searching “Compass Eduation” in the

various app stores.

School Council

We held our school council Annual

General Meeting last fortnight, and I

congratulate Hans Simon and Meg

Capurso on being elected President and

Vice President, respectively. The college

will operate four sub-committees of

council, being Finance, Curriculum,

Environment and Uniform. As always we

encourage parents to be invovled; if you

have any topics you’d like raised or

discussed please forward them via the

general office and we will agenda them

at school council.

School Review

We have been advised by the

Department of Education we are due

for our four yearly review, a process

that will commence next term. We are

fortunate to be allocated a ‘peer

review’, which occurs because we

have strong learning and culture data

in the school, and thus direct the

review and future strategies ourselves.

A key part of the review is community

feedback and consultation, and I look

forward to engaging with many

parents, students and community

members as we undertake this

important process.

Student Achievement

I would like to congratulate two Year

11 students on outstanding progress

reports this Term – Sam Hyatt and

Adele O’Doherty. To acknowledge

their great work, both joined me for

lunch with the Governor of Victoria at

the end of Term.

Finally, I would like to wish all of our

families a safe and enjoyable Easter

Break. We look forward to seeing you

all again in a couple of weeks.

Adam Hogan, Acting Principal

Ph. 5147 1790

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Karen Burgess

Careers Coordinator

Students studying VCE Legal Studies recently attended a

four day camp to Canberra. The aim of the camp is to

provide students with ‘hands on’ experiences focusing on

law-making in Australia. After a long but picturesque drive

to our accommodation just north of Canberra, students

settled in and had a good night’s sleep in preparation for

two very busy days.

Our first tour was held at Parliament House. We began with

a tour of the building, followed by an educational session

where students role-played the process of debating

proposed laws and voting on an outcome. They learnt

about the importance of parliamentary procedures and the

impact of political party policies in law making. Following

this session students were very lucky to meet our local

member - Hon. Darren Chester, the minister for

infrastructure and transport. Students were keen to ask Mr

Chester about how the federal government can assist in

local issues such as the impending closure of the Heyfield

ASH Mill.

We then moved on to the National Archives of Australia.

Students had a rare opportunity to view the original copy of

our nation’s constitution, and to discuss how this document

sets out the division of law making powers between state

and federal governments. Students completed some

research into record-keeping in Australia to better

understand the importance of archiving original records of

our nation’s history.

Our next stop was the Australian Electoral Commission,

where students conducted a mock election for both the

House of Representatives and the Senate. This allowed

students to better understand the preferential voting

system, and how the distribution of preferences influence

election results.

After this we visited the Museum of

Australian Democracy (MoaD), where

students heard about the history of old

parliament house and participated in a role

play of the dismissal of Gough Whitlam.

This role play further highlighted the

importance of our constitution in

law-making, and in particular the powerful

role the Governor-General holds in

Australia’s democracy.

On Tuesday we began the day at the High Court. Students

toured the three main courtrooms, learning details of the

types of cases heard in each court. This tour further

developed student understanding of settling disputes

about law making powers of the state vs federal

government. Particularly, the Tasmanian Dams case was

discussed, and how the federal government of the day

succeeded in stopping the damming of the Franklin River.

We then walked to the Australian Portrait Gallery, and had

a close look at the ‘Bob Brown portrait’ which is the largest

piece in the gallery and provides a pictorial account of the

Tasmanian Dams Case. We discussed the impact of the case

on the political future of our country - particularly the

conception of the Greens party and the role of the people

in stopping the damming of the Franklin through the law.

After a drive through torrential rain, we arrived at

Government House to learn about the role of the Governor-

General (Peter Cosgrove) in law making, and his powers

under the constitution, as well as his various other jobs.

Students were able to walk around the house, and a couple

of students even got to play the grand piano in the

reception room!

We then attended the Australian War Memorial, with

students completing a role play on the impacts of laws on

conscription, and the political nature of the Vietnam War.

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Students were able to explore the displays at the memorial

before we all attended the Last Post Ceremony at the end

of the day. Mollie and Claire laid a wreath on behalf of our

college during the ceremony - which was an emotional

reminder of the sacrifices Australians have made over

generations to provide us with the freedoms and

opportunities we enjoy today.

After a long drive home in the rain, we were glad to arrive

back in Maffra after school on Wednesday. I would like to

acknowledge this group of students for their attitude and

behaviour on camp - they were excellent ambassadors for

our college. A huge thank you to Mrs Kelly for giving up

her Sunday and joining us on camp.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all

young Australians being able to visit the national capital as

part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist

families to meet the cost of this camp the Australian

Government will contribute some funding for each student

under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER)

program. Without the assistance of this program the camp

would be cost prohibitive for many of our students.

Kristen Raine

Alpine School Coordinator

School for Student Leadership Six Year 9 students will be heading off to Glenormiston next

Term to be involved in a unique residential education

experience that is the School for Student Leadership. Joe

Capurso, Mitch Dekkers, Reece Bedggood, Narelle Brown,

Lucy-Belle MacReadie and Laura Mayne will represent

Maffra SC at the Gnurad-Gundidj campus and will be

involved in a variety of activities that focus on leadership,

team building, personal development and outdoor

expeditions

We wish these students the very best as they embark on this

new and exciting experience, and hope that it helps them

develop into active, confident community members in the

future.

On behalf of the team behind Aussie’s Vacation,

we would like to thank everyone that supported

our casual day fundraiser. We managed to raise

$840 throughout the day.

Our next fundraising event is a Caravan Cake Stall in Maffra.

It is to be held on Friday the 28th of April, 2 weeks into Term

2. It would be greatly appreciated if anyone could drop by

the cake stall near the Post Office in Maffra, by 9 O’clock in

the morning with some cakes, biscuits and other goodies

(labelled with ingredients). Or if it is easier, the goods can

be dropped by the school Admin Office. The more people

we have assisting with the cooking, the more money we will

raise in support of this great cause.

If anyone would like to know more about Aussie’s Vacation

and why we are doing it, you can visit our crowdfunding

page at www.gofundme.com/aussiesvacation .

Thank you, 2016 Maffra Secondary, The Alpine School CLP

Team.

http://www.gofundme.com/aussiesvacation

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Veronica Hudson

VCAL Co-ordinator

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ARE YOU IN YEAR 9 & FEMALE?

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN SCIENCE, TECH,

ENGINEERING, MATHS AND MEDICINE?

Registrations for the Girl Power in STEMM Camp will be

open from Monday 18 April until Monday 8 May. This is

an excellent opportunity for Girls who are interested in

STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics

and Medicine) to be supported in their endeavours for over

FOUR years!

This program starts with girls in Year 9 and runs throughout

their secondary school journey through to Year 12.

The same cohort of students will participate in a camp in

Year 9, then be invited for work experience in year 10 where

they will be placed at the University of Melbourne and the

workplaces of our industry sponsors. In their final two years

of secondary school, the students will also be supported

through ongoing academic and industry mentorship, peer

mentor support and special events to further strengthen

their interest and to help ease and assist the transition to

university life.

The first year of the program features a three-night

on-campus camp during the July school holidays.

The camp will consist of

Presentations by academics

Panel discussions with industry

Hands on and interactive workshops

An opportunity to interact with current Engineering

and IT students at the University

PROGRAM DETAILS

The female student camp will run from the Monday

3 July till mid-day Wednesday 5 July 2017

The program is free of charge and will include 3

nights’ accommodation, all meals and workshops

during the camp

There are a limited number of full and partial

bursaries available to successful applications who

demonstrate a need for financial assistance

Accommodation will be at one of the colleges at the

University of Melbourne – Queens College

To register for the program please visit -

http://www.eng.unimelb.edu.au/engage/schools/girl-

power-in-stemm or speak to Kylie Lambert for more

information.

This is a FANTASTIC opportunity for one of our students

interested in STEMM!

Kylie Lambert

Programs & Engagement Leader

Science Teacher

Maffra Secondary College

| Ph: (03) 5147 1790 | Mob: 0434 585 066 |

[email protected]

Marie Clark

Science Co-ordinator

Year 7 Science This term, students in Year 7 Science have been learning to

use a Bunsen burner and achieve their Bunsen burner

licence. One of their first experiments involved setting up

apparatus to accurately measure the temperature of water

as it heats up.

Elissa-Kate and Jade (7A) Jaylen and Harry (7A)

Kailey and Dodge (7A) Chloe and Tysen (7A)

http://www.eng.unimelb.edu.au/engage/schools/girl-power-in-stemm

http://www.eng.unimelb.edu.au/engage/schools/girl-power-in-stemm

mailto:[email protected]

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YEAR 9 NEXTGEN CHALLENGE,

Sale April 24th, 26-28th

During Term 2, 50 Year 9 students will participate in the

Illuminate NEXTGEN Challenge, where they will, in teams,

develop creative and innovative business solutions for a

problem in their local region in four days. Students will

produce a business plan with two years of financial

forecasting, deliver a sales pitch, create elements of a

marketing strategy including radio and newspaper

advertisements, all while undertaking a number of smaller

challenges along the way.

Five other local schools will be participating in the challenge

alongside our students.

Adam Mostogl will facilitate the project. Adam was

announced the 2015 Tasmanian Young Australian of the

Year – and a finalist for Young Australian of the Year – for

his endeavours in entrepreneurial programs, as well as

community development.

Students will work with a number of people from the local

business community to solve the real-world problem.

These community members will provide students with real-

world advice by sharing their knowledge and experience,

benefitting the creation of their submissions, while leaving

a lasting impact students can take with them into the school

and working lives.

The skills students encounter are not limited to running a

business, as they learn about stress and team

management, independent learning, budgeting, planning,

creative thinking and speaking in public, which benefits

them for the rest of their schooling and working lives.

HOW CAN PARENTS HELP?

During NextGen students will encounter challenging tasks

and activities with tight deadlines, experiences that will

stretch them out of their comfort zone and engage them

with some of the most innovative minds in the business

community today. Students must present and pitch their

ideas on the final day which can be daunting. We ask

parents to motivate and provide support at home

throughout the challenge by listening, and marvel at their

creative and innovative ideas.

Excursion forms will be available at the beginning of Term

2.

For more information, contact Kylie Lambert at the college,

or visit

http://illuminate.education/programs/#nextgenhigh.

Kimberley Bramstedt

Music Co-ordinator

Instrumental Music Report

First of all, I would like to welcome all the new families to

the college. The instrumental music program has seen a big

intake of Year 7 students this year and lessons are well and

truly underway. You may have noticed that charges have

now been added for instrumental music to your accounts.

We ask that you pay these as soon as possible and if you

are having difficulty paying, please speak with the staff in

administration to organise a payment plan. If for some

reason your child no longer wishes to participate in

instrumental music at the college please contact the school

on 03 5147 1790 to notify us. In contrary, if your child wishes

to participate in the music program here at Maffra

Secondary College, please feel free to email myself at,

[email protected], to obtain a

form.

We as a college pride ourselves in the opportunities we give

students, and music is just one of those many areas. Our

Arts Department entered a float into the Maffra Mardi Gras

this month and students from the M.S.C Jazz Ensemble

performed on the float in the parade. This was a fantastic

effort by all students involved, and the Music Department

would like to acknowledge and thank Jackson Binks, Adelle

O’Doherty, Adrienne Hume and Kobey Dorber for their time

and effort on the day. We would also like to say a BIG thank

you to Rowan from Gippsland Music & Sound for allowing

us to borrow a battery powered P.A system to amplify the

guitar and instruments.

http://illuminate.education/programs/#nextgenhigh

mailto:[email protected]

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Emily Boyle

Student Wellbeing Leader

SWPBS The SWPBS team has met three times this term. During this

time, in conjunction with the rest of the staff, we have

looked at our Tier 1 supports of Positive behavioural and

Academic Interventions. We have been pleasantly surprised

at the depth and breadth of what our staff are already

consistently implementing in their classrooms.

These interventions and supports consist of rules, routines

and physical arrangements that are developed and taught

by school staff to prevent initial occurrences of behaviour

the school would like to target for change.

Next term, the team will be looking at areas for

improvement and using data collected to form an Action

Plan for the rest of the year. Anybody interested in being

part of our exciting SWPBS adventure, please feel free to

contact Emily Boyle at the school.

Mentoring Maffra Secondary College has offered a mentoring program

to our students since 2012. The aim of the program is to

build resilience in students, develop and enhance students

feeling of belonging and connectedness to MSC and to

develop student’s sense of purpose. Students are

encouraged and supported to develop their skills and

knowledge to become independent lifelong learners, all

while developing a relationship with a positive adult role

model.

We are currently looking for volunteers to join our

mentoring program. If you think you can volunteer 72

minutes of your time a week/fortnight to develop a

relationship and support a student to grow and learn, we

encourage you to become involved in the mentoring

program. If you are interested or would like more

information, please contact Emily Boyle on 51471790.

Hans Simon

2017 School Council President

Another yearly school council cycle is complete, with a

number of members retiring, and new members joining.

Firstly our sincerest thanks go to Sonya Hanratty and

Leanne Gallatly, for their valued contributions over four

years and two years respectively. Their different skill sets

and community connections have contributed to a strong

school council.

Congratulations also to newly elected members Lisa

Macdonald and Tamsyn Lenne, who join council for an

initial two year term. We look forward to their input to the

collaborative decision making that is school council. Thank

you of course to all continuing school councillors and the

committees that inform them, it is a privilege to be engaged

in Maffra Secondary College in this important community

capacity.

I also acknowledge the trust shown in the office bearers, and

am honoured to be elected as school council president for

2017. We endeavour to serve as best as we can, asking for

support through continued conversations. On that note, I

would also encourage all parents, teachers, staff and

community members connected to the college, to know

that your voice is important. Please air your thoughts or

concerns with any school council member, knowing that it

can be raised at council when appropriate. We look forward

to the year ahead.

Breakfast Program

Maffra Secondary College Friday Breakfast Program will

start the first Friday of Second term from 8:15-9:00am

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Volleyball is off and running with several

events already completed in Term 1. We

took 26 athletes to the Schools Cup Beach volleyball

competition. The traffic was horrendous, the weather was

variable and the volleyballers had loads of fun. The two year

8 girls’ teams played in Quarter finals, but unfortunately did

not progress past that stage. All other teams won matches

but unfortunately not enough to qualify for finals. A big

thank you to all the parents that helped out by driving for

the day.

Interschool Sport

Last week was the first round of Interschool Sport. We took

7 teams to Morwell for the day, which filled up one bus. We

took 51 students for the day, 26 were new volleyballers.

Of the 7 teams competing, 4 teams progressed through to

the Gippsland round, which will be held on the 5th of May.

The 3 teams that didn’t make it through were desperately

close, all winning matches on the day.

GSA Athletes: Tanika Pratt, Kalarni White, Jaz Underwood, Shae

Scully and Bridie Williamson. Absent: Holli Oakley, Mitch Dekkers,

Darren Marks, Gabby Walsh, Jade Leighton and Keily Nikolajew

Next term we compete in the Indoor 1 day schools cup,

which is held on the 25th or 26th of May. We will take as many

teams from years 7-10 as possible, depending on interest.

This competition is in Dandenong and we will need parent

helpers, so keep the date free if you possibly can.

Maffra Volleyballers at Gippsland

Sports Academy

This year we have had a great representation in the GSA

Volleyball program, coached by Luke Cambell, an ex-

Olympian. The program is designed to give rural atheltes

access to high level coaching. The aim is to give rural

athletes the opportunity to compete on a level footing with

city athletes for spots in Victorian teams.

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Week Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri

17th Apr

-

21st Apr

NO SCHOOL

Jodie Underwood

Melissa Fulton

Julie Shingles

Lauren McQuillen

Justine Lowery

Linda Cam

Kim Marchesi

HELP NEEDED

Kimberley Davies

Kerry Flett

24th Apr

-

28th Apr

Jessica Theodore

Sally Kors

NO SCHOOL

Jessica Darvill

Christy-Lee Johnson

Tracey Ryan

Cherie Washe

Brad Coridas

Kimberley Davies

Raquel Douglas

1st May

-

5th May

Amy Semmens

Leisa Madden

Jessica Jorcobi

Christina Cooper

Cathy/Emma Veale

Natasha Jorgensen

Ulrike Herzog

Kate Steinamann

Linda Cam

Vickie Nikolajew

Maree Lang

Kimberley Davies

8th May

-

12th May

Tamsyn Lenn’e

Sandra Dekkers

Sally Kors

Fiona Channing

Irene Devisser Kate Mirims

Emma Williamson

Donna Scott

Janae Berklemans

Kimberley Davies

Julia Miller

Thank you to all the volunteers that gave up their time in Term One to serve in canteen. Your time is much appreciated. Term Two will see Soup return to the menu and Dim Sims will be on special 3 for $2. There will be no

year seven line from term two. Canteen is a great way to meet the kids and help out with your child’s school. 10am until 2pm is all that is needed to fill a shift. Please give Tracey a call on 51471790 if you would like to be a part of this.

To those that have volunteered I look forward to seeing you again next term. Thank you. Tracey

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maffra secondary college · school review we have been advised by the department of education we...

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