Racecourse Road, Yea, 3717 Phone: 57972207 Fax: 57972931 Email: yea.hs@edumail.vic.gov.au Website www.yeahs.vic.edu.au

YEA HIGH SCHOOL YEA HIGH SCHOOL Issue 3, 9th March 2017

Below: Maths teacher Ms. Marion Skovdam working with students for G.R.I.N. —Meilina Zipsin, Abbey

Brunt and Jess Brew

IMPORTANT DATES: TERM 1:

MARCH

9th — Year 7 Quantum Science Excursion

10th — School Vaccinations

13th — Labour Day

16th — Southern Ranges Round Robin

20th— Time & Space 2017 Yr 8 Father/Son

21st — Hume Region Swimming

24th — YHS Athletics Carnival

Parent Teacher Interviews

27th— Time & Space 2017 Yr 8 Mother/Daughter

28th — Year 9 Com Con Healesville Excursion

31st — Last day of Term 1

MATHS PATHWAYS Maths Pathways is beginning in all year 7-9 classes over the next few weeks. This program caters to all mathe-matical abilities. In order to ensure your student can get the most out of the program please remind them to bring a charged laptop to every Maths lesson. For more info, see http://tinyurl.com/parents-mp or contact Ms. Fiona Boyle. boyle.fiona.a@edumail.vic.gov.au

THE GIANT SCIENCE INVESTIGATION:

This week Year 7 students have visited Quantum Victoria and participated in the Giant Science Investigation. They reviewed what they have been learning in class about Ecosystems, Food Webs and Classification, then put their knowledge to the test during their investigation. They worked together to conduct a series of experi-ments to analyse the environment of the endangered Giant Gippsland Earthworm and determine the optimal location to find the species.

PRINCIPAL’S TEAM REPORT School Council The new school council will meet on Tuesday 14th March at 7.15 pm at the school. It is the Council AGM and the meeting will elect 2017 school council officials. Yea HS Annual Implementation Plan The 2017 annual implementation plan is being finalised. The plan provides a framework for improving teach-er practice and improving student outcomes. Elements of the plan include the improvement initiatives; 1. Building practice excellence 2. Curriculum planning and assessment 3. Empowering students and building school pride The plan will be presented to school council on Tuesday. Official opening of the school building upgrade works. Jaclyn Symes (MLC Northern Victoria) will visit the school on Friday 17th March to open the building works which commenced last year with an upgrade to the school driveway and tennis courts. The second stage, a new Art Room and Technology upgrade, will begin on Tuesday 21st March. ‘ Time & Space Program The Time and Space program will continue in 2017. Information has gone out regarding the first part of that program the Year 8 Father/Son evening on the 20th March and the Year 8 Mother/Daughter evening on Monday 27th March. Jacinta Byers and other supporting staff are working closely with Bill Jennings on these programs for 2017. Interim Reports - Parent Teacher interviews Teachers will soon be organising interim reports on student progress. These reports will be posted out be-fore the last week of Term 1. There will be two sessions provided for parents to meet with staff to discuss the reports during that last week of term – Thursday evening and on Friday that week. Details will be pro-vided with the interim report. Reduced parking Lawrences Rd The upgrade works to the Technology area will reduce the parking available in Lawrences Rd. Parents are requested to use the recently upgraded area in the front of the school on Racecourse Rd Year 7 Information evening Year 7 Welcome BBQ Last week, on Monday evening, we had a significant number of family and friends at the Year 7 welcome BBQ. We appreciate the support given to the school and our Year 7 students. Attendance and Compass By now many of you may have received an email and text message regarding your son/daughters school absence on a particular day. The school would like parents to give their approval for the absence on line through Compass. The brochure that you received details how this is done. If you are still unsure there is a help folder called knowledge base that can be found by clicking on the little cog to the right of the home screen. Many parents have been calling the school to explain the absence, which has been a big improve-ment, but to make the process more streamlined we would like you to use the parent portal on compass. If you are having access issues or need help in navigating the portal please do not hesitate to contact the school. If the absence recorded is not accurate as the result of a clerical error we would like you to call the school directly to clarify the issue. A new system such as this can have some early issues and we thank you for your patience. Compass School Documentation: Parents now have full access to our school documentation folder in compass. You can find this folder in ‘Community’ (the two heads) at the top of your dashboard. In this folder you will see the following sub fold-ers: Sub School Administration, School Handbooks and Assessment Calendars. Other folders such as School Policies and School Council Minutes will be available soon. I would like to focus on the Assessment Calendars folder. Staff have been working very hard to develop a whole new range of mandated documen-tation that will assist parents and students to access and understand the curriculum at Yea High School. One of these documents is the Assessment Calendar. This shows parents and students at each year level the assessment that is expected of their student and in which week this is due. This is for all of their current subjects. I encourage you to take the time to look at this calendar. A good idea would be to print it out and stick it to the fridge! VCE assessment calendars will also be available soon.

Bus Travel To ensure safe travel on school buses, 1. At the bus-stop do not play on the road or try to get on the bus before it has stopped. 2. Stay in your seat while the bus is moving. 3. Do not distract drivers with screaming, shouting or unruly behaviour. 4. When you get off the bus only cross the road when the bus has left and it is safe to do so. 5. Seat belts must be worn where fitted. A reminder that failure to comply with safe conduct on the bus may result in suspension from bus travel.

YEAR 12 UPDATE The exciting year continues with the first round of assessments underway. There are only a few weeks left of Term 1 and there are a few days coming up. Thursday 16th March - Last Volleyball sports day! Friday 24th March — Last Athletics Day! Wednesday 10th May—TIS event. Year 12 students attended a Tertiary Information Session held in Sey-mour. The session is a key instigator to get students thinking about the application process for both Univer-sity / TAFE and future employment. Up to 50 Universities /TAFE colleges will be represented from not only Victoria but inter-state tertiary providers too. Wednesday 14th June – GAT (General Achievement Test). All VCE students completing a scored unit 3&4 Subject are required to sit the GAT Wednesday 14th June – Year 12 Mid-Year Excursion. Night out in Melbourne, Dinner and a Movie for all year 12’s Study Workshops The VCE students have had two workshops over the last 2 weeks from the external provider Elevate Edu-cation, looking at Study habits and Time Management. Thanks to the presenters Mia and Dan who were fantastic. We have 3 more workshops later on in the year to look at motivation and exam preparation. Some tips to help your child through their final year of schooling?

Provide a quiet place to study. Encourage your child to develop regular study habits Show an interest in your child’s studies without being intrusive. Encourage and support their efforts. Make sure part time jobs and social activities do not interfere too much with study time. Make sure your child does not miss school without a very good reason for doing so. Be aware of stressful times, such as SACs and exams, and be understanding of moody behaviour at

such times. Understand the importance of a balanced lifestyle; sleep (8 hours), regular exercise, healthy diet and

study habits. Communicate with teachers about your child’s progress, especially when you are concerned that they

are not coping. Manage screen time. Work together to come up with a balance and some priorities.

Study Sessions Our weekly study sessions continue after school. Tuesday and Thursdays. It is good to see some students making use of this time. Student Drivers As you are aware students are now starting to get their licences. As such please note that there are re-quirements for the student drivers and their passengers when traveling to and from school during school hours. Please see Mr Walsh for a form if you are intending to drive to, and park a vehicle, at school. Stu-dents who are passengers require written permission from a parent specifying who they are travelling with, where and when. Any issues please contact me. James Walsh—Year 12 Coordinator walsh.james.p@edumail.vic.gov.au

Mr. Bruce Skewes and Mr Brian D’Arcy

YEAR 8 CAMP

Last week, both year eight classes travelled to the Mornington Peninsula for camp. My favourite activities were kayaking and paddle-boarding. The kayaking was a fun new challenge for me. I loved that we got to visit the beach every day. The camp was a great experience. -Layla 8B

While we were there we did many activities such as, snorkeling, sailing, body boarding and sea kayaking. While sailing, a lot of people and boats capsized. Sarah and I didn’t want to get back on the boat but I had to help oth-ers get Caleb, Luke and Aaron.” Abbey 8A

“While we were there we did many activities and we had a great time!” Archie 8A

“At camp we saw really cool marine life such as schools of fish, stingrays, crabs and starfish in the water and in rock pools” Mia 8A

My personal favourite was the sailing, because at times it felt quite relaxing, but as the wind picked up, the boat would go speeding forwards, or tip over. - Ben S. 8B

Thank you to Ms Miller, Ms Byers, Ms Boyle and Mr Wischer for organising this camp. We all had an amazing time.

YEAR 7 CAMP:

RUBICION OUTDOOR EDUCATION CENTRE-NAYOOK CAMPUS.

On the 8th to the 10th of February our new Year 7’s headed to Poweltown to engage in a three day outdoor ad-

venture camp. Students went caving, completed a high ropes course and went canoeing and swimming. Each

student also completed a community project which they could choose from. The range included making a

bench seat, collecting honey from the bee hives, animal care (giving the guinea pigs a haircut), cooking etc.

Here are some reflections from our time away;

Some of the things I learnt on camp were some of the things I will remember forever. I learnt that two minds are

better than one. I learnt that canoeing with Zahlie because we had to learn how to swap ends of the canoe with-

out falling out. Arienne

What I found challenging at Nayook camp was working in a team on the high ropes because sometimes you

had to wait for your partner and you had to balance yourself. Matthew

I found challenging the high ropes course not because the activity was hard it was the fact I had to overcome

my fear of heights and boy was I scared but I got thought it like a pro (with the exception of some screaming).

Cheyenne

The thing I learnt over all was that no matter what everyone has a role in the team. Riley Ball-Tilbrook

On camp I learnt all the things that makes a good team, like having a captain, listening and being a good sport.

Jake Hale

2017 INDEPENDENT READING CLASSES IN YEARS 7 & 8

This year we have introduced independent reading for a period a week across our Junior School. This is

based on research provided to Yea High School by the University of Melbourne that shows that “If your child

reads for 35 minutes a day, they will learn 2,357,000 words a year. 10 minutes a day 601,000.”(Anderson

and Wilson, 1988)

During these set classes students are individually coached, reading goals are set and students are support-

ed in their reading by their English teacher and myself. They are then encouraged to take their chosen book

home with their reading log and record the minutes/hours spent reading at home. This is then brought back

to their weekly sessions and reflected on.

Why should you encourage your child to read at home :

1. To develop their verbal abilities

Although it doesn’t always make you a better communicator, those who read tend to have a more varied

range of words to express how they feel and to get their point across in a range of situations.

2. It improves their overall focus and concentration levels

Unlike blog posts and news articles, sitting down with a book takes long periods of focus and concentration,

which at first is hard to do. Being fully engaged in a book involves closing off the outside world and immers-

ing oneself into the text, which over time will strengthen their attention span.

3. It Improves their Imagination

You are only limited by what you can imagine, and the worlds described in books, as well as other people’s

views and opinions, will help one expand their understanding of what is possible. By reading a written de-

scription of an event or a place, your mind is responsible for creating that image in your head, instead of

having the image placed in front of you when you watch television.

What parents can do:

Please support your child in improving their literacy levels and skills by encouraging, reminding and finding

quality time (as much as possible) at home for your child to read.

Di Miller: UMNoS Co-ordinator

The science laboratories continue to be a hive of activity. Students in year 8 are learning the three states of

matter and the particle model. Slime – is it a solid or liquid? Students have been using temperature to expand

and contract substances. Unit 1 psychology students have been studying the brain and nervous system and

have dissected sheep brains. Unit 1 biology students have been investigating yeast and understanding optimal

growing conditions.

Youth Voice: Building Community Connections: Ms Miller On Thursday the 2nd of March Amelia Slater (Youth Participation & Resilience Officer

Murrindindi Shire Council), Stuart Coller (Coordinator Recreation and Youth Development Murrindindi Shire

Council) and Councillor Bec Bowles visited Yea HS to have conversations with representatives from Years 7

-12 to gain student engagement and input into the Murrindindi Shire Strategic Plan. These conversations will

help guide the Murrindindi Councillors term over the next four years. The three broad questions being asked

of our students included:

1. What do you like best about living in your community? 2. What would make your community a better place to live? 3. What do you think the new Murrindindi Shire Council should focus on over the next four years?

The findings from these conversations will also help build on the work under ‘Community Belonging’ that was a need identified by our students in the Yea HS Resilience Surveys/Action Plan 2015-2017.