YARRA HILLS SECONDARY COLLEGE

PO BOX 42 MOOROOLBARK 3138 Mooroolbark Campus: Tel: 9839 8800 Mt Evelyn Campus : Tel: 9736 3650

25 May 2018 Monthly Bulletin Issue No. 3

Respect ♦ Endeavour ♦ Achievement ♦ Pride

College Principal’s Report Term Two

Dear Parents,

After returning from the Easter school holiday period, Term Two has started well, with a number of successful and important events being held across the college community. Further information and photos from some of these will be found in other reports. Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences

An important aspect of the partnership between the school, parents and students is the opportunity to meet and discuss each student’s progress. Term One Interim Reports were distributed to parents at the end of last term, reporting on student performance and progress. It is important that parents took the time to review these with their child, to not only celebrate their successes, but also to look for areas that were challenging. The P/S/T Conferences are then an opportunity for parents, students and staff to provide feedback and to work on strategies and set goals for continued improvement throughout the remainder of the semester and year. I took some time myself to look through many of these reports and I continue to be impressed by the great attitude, efforts and achievements of the vast majority of our students. Well done and keep up the good work! College Athletics Carnival

Yarra Hills held our annual College Athletics Carnival on Tuesday April 24 at the Morrison Reserve Athletics Facility in Mt Evelyn. As usual it was a hotly contested event, with each of the Houses dressing up and competing against each other to win the coveted title of Athletics Champion 2018. It was a great day and the students participated in great spirit. Well done to all students, staff and parent helpers who assisted or competed on the day. ANZAC Day Commemorations

ANZAC assemblies were held at both campuses on Monday April 23, with moving renditions of “The Last Post’ and readings by Student Leaders. It was humbling to hear the accounts of life and loss in the many conflicts of war. We also had the Student Leaders from both campuses represent the College at official ANZAC Services on ANZAC Day. Thank you to those involved and to all students for your respectful silence and reflection during the services. Lest We Forget! Music Camp

I again had the pleasure to travel to the Portsea Music Camp. This is not only a great opportunity for me personally to get ‘out of the office’, but also to see the students out of class and fully engaged in one of their passion areas. While there was plenty of rehearsal occurring, students also had the chance to do High Ropes, Giant Swing and Flying Fox activities. What an adventure! Many thanks to Richard and the Music team, as well as to those other staff members who gave up their time to be there. Lilydale District Network - Shared Practice Staff Meetings Lilydale District Network of Schools – working together!

There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that when networks of schools work collaboratively, student achievement is

optimised. The Lilydale Network of schools including both primary and secondary are very pleased to be able to work

closely to take the education of our students to the next level. On Thursday May the 10th as part of an ongoing shared

practice agenda, staff engaged with a range of workshops held at varying network schools between 4.15pm and

5.30pm, organised and led by specialist teachers from the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA).

Teachers were able to choose to attend workshops on a range of subjects including: digital coding, STEM, critical

thinking, ethical capabilities, literacy, numeracy, music and health education. They heard from expert teachers who have

the latest in evidence based teaching strategies that will ensure our students benefit when the teachers return to the

classroom. The opportunity for our teachers to come together and share ideas is also an important part of the shared

practice program. We look forward to continuing the ongoing professional learning that engages and inspires our

teachers into the future.

Darren Trippett College Principal

From the Mooroolbark Campus Principal Welcome back to all in our community. We are now well into Term 2 and seems a life-time ago that we were on our term break. Firstly I would like to welcome Phillipa Maher, a new staff member appointed to a teaching position in Visual Communication & Design and IT in the Junior school at both the Mooroolbark and Mt Evelyn Campuses.

There has been many things happening at the college in the 5 weeks since our return. Here are just a few:

Parent/Student/Teacher conference

A big thank you to all our families who attended our Parent/Student/Teacher interviews at Mooroolbark on Thursday April 19. We hope this provided you with a snapshot of the progress of your child.

Commemorating Anzac Day

On Monday April 23, we had our ANZAC Assembly remembering those that have fought and died in war, and those still in active service. Our students at the Mooroolbark Campus must be congratulated on their behaviour and solemn reflection during the service. I would like to thank our music students who performed at the Assembly, Matthew Davison who sang our National Anthem, and Tom Zooeff who did an amazing job of playing the Last Post. Thank you also to our College and Junior Captains for providing us with some reflections and furthering our understanding of the importance of ANZAC Day. It was a very moving and appropriate service. I also want to thank our College Captains, Tyler Kerridge, Tyler Barton and Kate Rolston who did a reading and laid a wreath as part of the Mooroolbark Lions Club ANZAC Day service in Hookey Park on Anzac Day. They represented the College so well. Athletics Carnival

A big thank you to all of our students who participated at our College Athletics Carnival on Tuesday April 24. It was great to see so many students participating in track and field events. A very big thank you to our Parents and Friends Association for providing the BBQ and food on the day. We appreciate the work of all our parent volunteers led by Sheryn Holloway and Linda Martin.

Music Camp

Thanks to Richard O’Toole and a team of dedicated staff who took our biggest group of students (86 in total) to the annual Music Camp to Portsea, May 2 – May 4. The students had a fantastic time, with our Year 7s having a great opportunity to rehearse as a group and see the older students in action. It also gave our intermediate and senior students time to practice some of their music for the upcoming New Zealand Tour in September.

Rotary MUNA

A very big congratulations to Melanie Huisken and Nadjoua Youssouf, 2 of our Year 11 students who took part in the Rotary organised Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA). MUNA is a 2-day event sponsored by local Rotary Clubs, held at Parliament House in Melbourne. As the name suggests, teams of students from a range of schools come togeth-er in a mock United Nations Assembly with each school team representing a country. Melanie and Nadjoua were repre-senting Australia. Congratulations to both for their involvement, representing our school, and thank you to Carol Lawton and the Montrose Rotary Club for their support of our students.

Metropolitan Partnerships Youth Forum

On Monday May 7, 2 or our Year 11 leaders, Heaven Tlianglian and Molly Dickson, as well as Amy Cahill our Year 11 Year Level Coordinator, were invited to participate in the Metropolitan Partnerships Youth Forum. This forum was held at the State Library in Melbourne. It was an opportunity for young people from across Melbourne to discuss their experience of living, studying and working in Melbourne as well as giving young people an opportunity to provide recommenda-tions for future planning for their local community. They also got to meet the State Ministers for Youth and Suburban Development. Both our leaders said it was a great experience.

Year 12 Aspire

Over the last few sessions of the Year 12 Aspire Program on Tuesdays we have had guest speakers looking at wellbeing and pathways. Firstly we had 6 of our past students come and do a Q&A session, talking about their experi-ence of Year 12, and advice on their studies post-school. On Tuesday 8 May, we had Lisa Brooks, from the Lilydale Community Policing Unit, speak to our Year 12 students about Respectful Relationships, with a real focus on how this relates to the law.

Life Skills – Community Walk

The Year 7s on Tuesday 8 May took part in a community walk. The focus being on students getting to know the local community of Mooroolbark and how they are a part of it. This links in with the students Life Skills Curriculum looking at Community.

Doctors in School Program

Both our General Practitioner Dr Maal Marugan Yoganathan and a Nurse Miranda Brooks, have started at the college as part of the Education Department funded ‘Doctors in Schools’ Program. This has already been a great success with students utilising the health care and support.

Parking at Mooroolbark Campus

A very big thank you to our parents for your patience and courtesy when driving and parking at pick up and drop off times. We ask that you please continue to use the parking areas provided and not block the roadways and access for others. As the school continues to grow it is increasingly challenging to fit all of the staff, students and parents in. I would encourage all students to ride their bikes or walk if possible, as this frees up the congestion of traffic in and around the school. Parents are also reminded that the Yarra Ranges Council are handing out fines for those that are parking on nature-strips or NO Parking areas in nearby streets. I have spoken with the council and they will now be giving fines and not warning people any longer.

Vehicle Access to Mooroolbark Campus

A reminder also, now that the bike path behind the school is near completion, there is strictly no vehicle access into the school from this area. The ONLY vehicle access is via Reay Road entrance.

Trivia Night

Reminder to all our in School Community to make a booking for our Fundraising Trivia Night on Saturday 16 June. Our Parents and Friends Association are running the event, to raise money for shade sails at the Mooroolbark Campus. Love to see lots of you there.

Greg Cowan

Campus Principal

From the Mt Evelyn Campus Principal

We have certainly hit the ground running for Term 3 and winter is slowly creeping in. There has been some movement over the holidays in regard to the upgrade of our science rooms. It is very exciting to finally upgrade 40 year old benchtops; I know the science staff are excited about our new rooms.

Grade 5 Explorations Day Grade 5 students from many local primary schools came to visit us at Mt Evelyn Campus to experience a number of activities that centred on Earth Day. It was an opportunity to raise the awareness and importance of sustainability in looking after our precious planet. Our year 7 Ambassadors looked after our visitors so well throughout their visit and everyone went home with goodies and stories to share about their experience. A huge thank you to Rebecca Dunn and Rachel Lynch as well as our Ambassadors for making these such successful days. Information Evening 2018 All secondary schools open their doors for prospective parents and students to see what is on offer. It was a chance for us to showcase our curriculum, our programs, our senior concert band and our students. Many students including student leaders volunteered their time to take tours for families as well as help out in the various class rooms. The evening was well attended and we had some great conversa-tions with parents and prospective students. The presentation was hosted by our

Junior School Captains, Yuri Jupp and Chelsea Gooren. Two of our college captains (both ex-Mt Evelyn students), Katherine Rosevear and Tyler Barton as well as our year 7 Ambassadors, Amy Woodward and Jack Randall, spoke so well about our campus. It was a great night!

National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence

Each year we recognise this day as a reminder of our responsibility in reducing bullying and violence within our community. This year we were fortunate to have a Caterina Politi from the STOP One Punch Kills campaign. She shared her own personal and tragic story of losing her own son to a one punch attack back in 2012. Since then Caterina began the STOP One Punch Kills campaign speaking to many school groups about preventing these dreadful attacks. She spoke about taking control of your emotions and looking out for your mates. “Just walk away” was her biggest message. It was a very emotional and powerful presentation which many students thanked her for with some sharing their own stories.

We then helped students understand the impact of online bullying and highlighted the tragic story of Amy Dolly Everett who took her own life as a result of consistent online bullying. We spoke about the terrible statistics regarding cyberbullying as well as what actually constitutes online bullying. It is so important that students THINK before they post and those who are receiving these posts, speak up. In the majority of cases, the bullying is reduced or stopped when students speak up. The Project presented a powerful clip which featured many celebrities to share Dolly’s message: Speak, even if your voice shakes. If you missed it, I encourage you to watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw3iWDWE8CQ

All staff at Yarra Hills are committed to acting on all incidents reported regarding bullying and violence to ensure all students are safe. Most students have taken a pledge that if they ‘see hear or know that bullying is going on, they will do something about it’. Our year 7 students along with our new students to the school will have the opportunity early this term to make their pledge. Our last day of term was devoted to raising money for Dolly’s Dream where students were encouraged to wear something blue and buy a blue ribbon.

Our assembly was fantastic, being hosted by Aidan Martin and Maeve Tanner. A special thanks

must also go to Maeve Tanner and Zjaune Hindby, who entertained us all with their beautiful singing. I would really like to thank Connor Wilson for raising the awareness in wanting to make a difference to Dolly’s Dream.

Why is our Respectful Relationships program so important?

Teaching children how to have equal and respectful relationships and how to challenge harmful gender stereotypes will have a long lasting, positive impact on the prevalence of violence against women in Australia.

Young people are, from an early age, exposed to harmful messages, attitudes and behaviors that can support violence and stereotype men and women. Many young people witness violence at home, and may experience or even perpetrate violence in their own intimate relationships.

Exposure to negative messages, attitudes and behaviours related to gender, consent and violence means that some young people accept violence as normal in their daily lives. This can take the form of victim-blaming or thinking that some violent acts are not serious.

Compared to the rest of the population, young people aged 16 – 24: are less likely to understand the dynamics of violence against women are less likely to reject violence supportive attitudes are more likely to hold attitudes that support men having greater power than women in relationships.

1

WHAT DRIVES VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN?

Violence against women is serious and prevalent. It is primarily driven by gender inequality, and reinforced or exacerbated by a number of other factors.

Gender inequality is a situation in which women and men do not have equal power, resources or opportunities, and that their voices, ideas and work are not valued equally by society.

Gender inequality provides the underlying social conditions for violence against women. It operates at many levels – from social and cultural norms (the dominant ideas about men and women in a society), to economic structures (such as the pay gap between men and women), to organisational, community, family and relationship practices.

This broad social context of gender inequality produces a number of specific gendered drivers of violence against women. The strongest of these are:

Condoning of violence against women – for example, the idea that it is excusable for men to use violence in certain circumstances, that they cannot always be held responsible, or that some kinds of violence (such as sexual harassment) are not serious.

Men’s control of decision-making and limits to women’s independence in public life and relationships – for example, the idea that men should be the head of the household and decide how money is spent.

Rigid gender roles and stereotyped constructions of masculinity and femininity – the idea that women and men and girls and boys should act in certain ways or fulfill certain roles.

Disrespect towards women and male peer relations that emphasise aggression – for example, the way some groups of men ‘bond’ or seek to prove their ‘manhood’ or ‘masculinity’ through actions that are disrespectful, hostile or aggressive towards women.

While the broad social context of gender inequality provides the underlying conditions and drivers of violence against women, a number of reinforcing factors can contribute to or exacerbate this violence. These include:

The condoning of violence in general, which sees violence normalised or valorised as an expression of masculinity.

Experience of or exposure to violence (such as in childhood, or in communities with high levels of violence). Situations in which the social norms associated with alcohol use weaken positive social behavior (for example

drinking cultures that emphasise male conquest and aggression and social norms and attitudes that position men’s drinking as an excuse for violence, or women’s drinking as a form of victim blaming).

Socio-economic inequality and discrimination. The ‘backlash’ that sometimes comes from men when their existing male privilege or status is challenged.

Violence against women is preventable, but such a significant social problem needs a large scale response, and we must all work together to achieve the social transformation required.

To prevent violence against women we need to promote gender equality in public and private life, particularly through the following actions:

Challenge condoning of violence against women. Promote women’s independence and decision-making in public life and relationships. Challenge gender stereotypes and roles. Strengthen positive, equal and respectful relationships between and among women and men, girls and boys. Prevention efforts will be strengthened if these essential actions are supported by actions address the reinforcing

factors, such as: Challenging the normalisation of violence as an expression of masculinity or male dominance. Preventing exposure to violence and supporting those affected to reduce its consequences. Addressing social norms relating to alcohol particularly by challenging drinking cultures that emphasise male

conquest and aggression or excuse men’s violence. Reducing backlash by developing positive ways to engage men and boys in gender equality, building relationship

skills and social connection and challenging restrictive and rigid gender roles and identities for both men and women.

What can you do as a parent?

Educate yourself about the warning signs of violence in young people’s relationships. Show your children both male and female role models who are succeeding in non-traditional careers. Model equality at home and in your own relationship – make sure your child sees you talking through problems in

an open and respectful way and sharing jobs at home equally. Try not to reinforce gender stereotypes when you talk to your child about things around them – ask yourself,

would I say the same thing to her if she was a boy (or to him if he was a girl)? Have a look at the ‘Our Watch’ website for assistance in talking to your child about issues like sex, consent,

relationships, The Line website

1 Download the report Young Australians’ attitudes to violence against women: Findings from the 2013 National

Community Attitudes towards Violence Against Women Survey for respondents 16–24 years from VicHealth, 2014. HELP & SUPPORT

If you, a child, or another person is in immediate danger, call 000. Our Watch is not a direct service organisation. We do not provide emergency assistance or support services to people who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing domestic and family violence and/or sexual assault.

Helplines & websites These organisations offer 24/7 telephone support and counselling services, and online chat, for specific community groups and for people in specific situations:

1800 RESPECT The national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. 24/7 phone and online services.

1800 737 732 Australian state and territory contact details for specialist sexual assault and domestic and family violence support

services can be found at 1800 Respect services and support website. KIDS HELPLINE: Kids Helpline is a counselling service for Australian children and young people aged between 5

and 25 years. 24/7 phone and online services. 1800 55 1800 Ref: Our Watch Website MENS LINE

Yarra Hills to star in the new Respectful Relationships promotional material

Yarra Hills Secondary College were one of two schools selected (the other was a primary school) from schools across Victoria to be part of the promotional material on behalf of the Department of Education for the Respectful Relation-ships Program. Our students and staff were interviewed by a journalist and a photographer was brought out to take the promotional shots for this material. Then a film crew came out to again and film students in class as well as interview students and staff about this program. It is quite a coup for our school and I want to thank Connor Wilson, Jess Beraud, Shante Gooren (Yr 9) Aidan Martin (Yr 10) as well as Ms Christine Steer and Mr Matthew Sheaves who all interviewed so well for this material. Thank you to the other students across year levels who helped us with the photos. We are so proud of your efforts.

ANZAC Day Assembly

On Monday April 23, each campus held an ANZAC assembly to commemorate and remember our fallen soldiers of the past. Aidan Martin and Maeve Tanner hosted the event and were joined by Anthony McAleer, Roger Boness and Tom Steele from the Mt Evelyn RSL. Anthony spoke of young local soldier from Mt Evelyn and his contribution throughout World War 1. To think that many of these young men were not much older than our own students. It certainly makes us reflect on how lucky we are. Roger Boness preformed Ode to the Fallen whilst Tom played the The Last Post on the Bugle. Yuri Jupp and Chelsea Gooren read a poem and explained the significance of our ANZAC garden. Zjuane Hindby got everyone singing the national anthem at the end. Students then laid poppies into the posts of our ANZAC garden. It was a lovely tribute to our ANZACs.

The sun shone for our Athletics Carnival!

In the past we’ve had many tough athletics carnivals thanks to the poor weather. Well that wasn’t the case this year; it was great weather! Many students donned their house colours and our senior students really dressed up for the occasion. Students competed in every event with blue, green and red ribbons proudly being worn by many. Thanks to a couple of year 12 students, a band of around 100 students did an impromptu performance of ‘The Nutbush’. It was fantastic! Huge thank you to the PE department and their effort in putting on such a great day and thanks to all the staff and students who made this day a success!

The trades come out for our girls!

We were fortunate to have the organisation Supporting and Linking Tradeswomen (SALT) whereby 23 of our girls joined in a workshop to build a carry tray. SALT is a non-profit organisation that teaches young girls how to use the tools to create this tray as well as encouraging them to consider a trade in the future. The girls really enjoyed the workshop and proud of what they had made.

Music Camp was a hit!

The annual music camp was on again for all our musicians from Yr 7 – 12. It’s a great opportunity for students to har-ness their skills, learn new music and connect with students from all year levels. There were some fun activities be-tween all the rehearsals and practice and everyone really enjoyed the camp. Thank you Richard for organising such a great camp and to the other staff for their support throughout the camp.

KEY DATES

MAY

Thursday 24 Intermediate & Junior Band Rehearsal 3.45pm-5.30pm MB

Friday 25 VCE Drama—Ensemble Performance Assessment MB

Year 11 & 12 Boys & Girls Badminton 8.45am—3.10pm MB

Tuesday 29 Year 10 METEC Driver Training Session 2 ME

29/5-21/6 Year 8A-8M Box Hill TAFE-STEM Program-Robot Workshop MB

Senior Band Rehearsal 3.30pm—4.30pm MB

Thursday 31 Intermediate & Junior Band Rehearsal 3.45pm-5.30pm MB

JUNE

Tuesday 5 Senior Band Rehearsal 3.30pm—4.30pm MB

Thursday 7 Intermediate & Junior Band Rehearsal 3.45pm-5.30pm MB

Friday 8 PUPIL FREE DAY - Report Writing Day ME & MB

Year 10 Social—Chateau Wyuna 7.00pm—11.00pm ME & MB

Monday 11 PUBLIC HOLIDAY—Queen’s Birthday ME & MB

Tuesday 12 Senior Band Rehearsal 3.30pm—4.30pm MB

Thursday 14 Intermediate & Junior Band Rehearsal 3.45pm-5.30pm MB

Saturday 16 TRIVIA NIGHT—Performing Arts Centre Mt Evelyn Campus 7.00pm

Monday 18-19 VCE OEDS Unit 2 Ada Tree 18/6 3.30pm—19/6 4.00pm MB

Tuesday 19 Senior Band Rehearsal 3.30pm—4.30pm MB

BRAVO Friends of Music 6.00pm—7.00pm MB

Thursday 21 Intermediate & Junior Band Rehearsal 3.45pm-5.30pm MB

Friday 22-Jul 01 Year 10 & 11 Central Australia Camp ME & MB

Tuesday 26-29 Year 9 City Experience ME & MB

26 Senior Band Rehearsal 3.30pm—4.30pm MB

Teaching and Learning at Yarra Hills – Mentor Texts Students at Yarra Hills are supported in their learning through the use of mentor texts. These assist students by showing them an example, whilst they are completing the set task. Mentor texts give students the opportunity to grow and expand their skills in an area, by providing them with a structured model to assist them in achieving targeted skills. Students in Year 9 Big Bang History are pictured above using a mentor text to assist them in collecting information about various species within the Genus Homo. Students used the mentor text to help identify characteristics of the species. Students in Year 10 Media are exploring the similarities and differences in layout and content of two magazine covers. The covers will also provide students with ideas when constructing their own magazine cover.

Music Camp 2018 The annual three day Music Camp was held at the Portsea Camp at the beginning of May, with a record 86 music students attending the camp. Students had many hours of band rehearsals during the camp, and had the opportunity to enjoy various activities, including the giant swing, flying fox and high ropes course, plus a walk along the beach to the Portsea Pier. As always, it was great to see our older music students mentoring the Year 7s during rehearsals and activities.

With around 14 hours of band rehearsals and some smaller sectional sessions over the three days, all bands had the opportunity to start work on new music for the College Concert on Monday 10 September. The Senior Band has also started preparation for their New Zealand Concert Tour, which is just four months away now.

The Senior Band impressed with ‘Finlandia’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, while the Intermediate Band worked hard on ‘Spiderman’, ‘Dragon Slayer’ and ‘The Tempest’. The Junior Band also started preparation for the College Concert with ‘Samba La Bamba’. The Saxophone and Woodwind Ensembles also had time to rehearse some of their repertoire during the camp, and it was good to hear many students practising their band music in their rooms.

Thank you to all students for their efforts during the camp - your behavior was at a very high standard and the rehearsals have made a huge difference to your playing! Thank you also to staff members for their support during the camp - Virginia Stacey, Matthew Sheaves, Nikki Waterson, Sharon Phillips, Skye Cameron.

Richard O’Toole Instrumental Music Director