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Mooroolbark College Newsletter – February 2021

28th February 2021

Our latest Mooroolbark College Newsletter is here!
 
The Mooroolbark College newsletters are an important form of communication for our school community.
Each newsletter contains a great deal of information about what is happening in the College including upcoming events and celebration of student success.
 
Enjoy the read…

In this Issue:

Upcoming Events

Next PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

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Welcome Back

It is difficult to believe we have already been back at school for 5 weeks.  In these five weeks so much has occurred.

Following are some of the activities and experiences which our students have been part of:

  • Year 7 students have begun studying in new curriculum areas, been on Camp and undertaken library induction
  • Year 8 students have experienced a whole new range of elective subjects in 2021 including Visual Communication, Music, Product Design Textiles and Information Technology.
  • Year 9 students who are studying Advance Sports Leadership have started volunteering at local primary schools in their sports programs and will soon commence their AFL Umpiring Certificate.
  • Year 9 and 10 students have had the opportunity to take part in Interschool Sport.  Congratulations to the Intermediate boys and girls volley ball teams which achieved great success on Wednesday.
  • Year 10 students have begun preparing for work experience which occurs in June each year. In addition, many of our Year 10 students are undertaking study in either a VCE unit or VET study which aims to extend and challenge them this year.
  • Year 11 students have begun their Senior School Certificates in either the Victorian Certificate of Education or the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning.
  • Year 12 students have been working with Elevate Education as part of our program to support their study skills to help them get the most out of this year. We also have 30 couples who are completing their Debutante Ball in late March.

 

Vale – George Dimitra Lyons

In January, a recent staff member of Mooroolbark College, George Dimitra Lyons passed away as a result of an ongoing illness.  George was a long standing and valued member of our school community and will be missed by us all.  His contributions to both the English and Humanities KLA will have a lasting positive impact on student learning at Mooroolbark College.  George was a brilliant scholar who could always be relied on for advice and information.  His depth of knowledge continually amazed me.  He will be deeply missed by the Mooroolbark College community.

 

Year 7

A warm welcome to our Year 7 students who began this year.  They have settled in very quickly and are enjoying their new high school experiences.  I want to particularly thank our 2020 Year 12 Students who returned as Transition Leaders, spending the first week in all Year 7 classes.  Thanks to Alex Van Empel, Acacia Pearce, Alexandra Linnie, Bianca De Martino Rosaroll, Georgia Gray, Isabellah Smirnow, Kaeli Farrelly, Matthew Bethell, Shae Libbis, Taylah Mcquillen and Mykayla Peterson who gave up their time and have had such a positive impact on the transition of our Year 7s into secondary school.

On Wednesday our Year 7s returned from their Transition Camp.  From all accounts, it was tremendous fun for all.  This camp provides an opportunity for new friendships to be formed, for our Year 7s to challenge themselves and also for our staff to get to know our Year 7 students outside the classroom.

Staffing

I would like to welcome to the College the following staff who are either returning to the College or starting in 2021.

 

Teaching Staff

Jordan Roth – Science/Mathematics

Aaron Cross – Mathematics

Jasmine Evans – Physical Education and Health

Kym Bellamy – The Arts 

Alana Frampton – The Arts 

Stephanie Bell – English and Humanities

Amy Broekmann – English

 

Tutors

Tracey Mattingley – Numeracy

Judy Pattern – Numeracy

Caroline Blomley – Numeracy

Jennifer Young – Numeracy

 

Hannah Trevaskis – Literacy

Felicity Williams – Literacy

Jenny Roberts – Literacy

Educational Support Staff

Tina Forte 

Toby Law  

Rachael Bishop 

Amie Edwards – Tesselaar 

 

Mental Health Practitioners

Siobhan O’Halloran

Amy Donaldson

 

Mooroolbark College Parent’s Association

On behalf of the Mooroolbark College Parent’s Association (MCPA) I would like to extend an invitation to all parents to join the MCPA.  The MCPA is an important group within the College who support the teaching and learning program, our sporting program, The Arts and also student wellbeing on an annual basis.  The focus of the MCPA is not fundraising, but instead focusses on practical support of school events such as the Debutante Ball, music concerts and excursions.  I encourage interested parents to attend the Annual General Meeting at the College on Monday 1st March at 7.00 pm. 

Building Program

We began 2021 by settling into our new buildings which are part of the building program currently being undertaken at Mooroolbark College.  The Discovery Centre is a specialist area which contains six classrooms that encourage active and collaborative learning.  In April, the College will be starting the next stage of the building program which includes the remodelling of the library and B Block into the Student Wellbeing Centre. 

Recent Remote Learning

I wish to thank the College community for their support during the recent Covid related lock down.  It was encouraging to see how well our staff and students adapted to remote learning and how effectively we were able to work together to ensure minimal time was lost during this period.

In this space, things can move very quickly and I would like to remind all students that it is wise to ensure at the end of each day critical items are taken home including students’ pencil case, laptop, diary and paper, to ensure they have the necessary items to continue learning at home if we find ourselves in this situation again.

Key School Personnel

I am aware that schools can be highly complex places, especially with the number of staff involved in supporting both student learning and student wellbeing.  Please keep this list as a quick way of identifying who in the College is able to best support you and your child when the need arises.

ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS

  • Samantha McIntosh – Professional Learning and School Operations
  • Adam Lorkin – Student Wellbeing and Engagement
  • Rachael Williams – Curriculum, Information Technology and Facilities

 

HOUSE POSITIONS

GREEN HOUSE LEADER – Michelle Colette

  • Green House Cluster Coordinator (1 -3) – Michelle Colette
  • Green House Cluster Coordinator (4 – 6) – Jenny Roberts
  • Green House Cluster Coordinator (7 – 9) – Alex Scott

YELLOW HOUSE LEADER – Matthew Bell

  • Yellow House Cluster Coordinator (1 – 3) – Tracey Lackman
  • Yellow House Cluster Coordinator (4 – 6) – Rhonda Harker
  • Yellow House Cluster Coordinator (7 – 9) – Matthew Bell

RED HOUSE LEADER – Allie Grey-Smith

  • Red House Cluster Coordinator (1 -3) – Allie Grey-Smith
  • Red House Cluster Coordinator (4 – 6) – Belinda Cannington
  • Red House Cluster Coordinator (7 – 9) – Lucas Unland

BLUE HOUSE LEADER – Andrew U’ren

  • Blue House Cluster Coordinator (1 – 3) – Abbey Hansen
  • Blue House Cluster Coordinator (4 – 6) – Christopher Stephen
  • Blue House Cluster Coordinator (7 – 9) – Andrew U’ren 

SENIOR SCHOOL AND PATHWAYS

  • Senior School and Pathways Leader – Jennifer Roache
  • VCE Coordinator – Dane Keogh
  • VCAL Coordinator – Natalie Bisi
  • Work Related Skills Coordinator (including work experience) – Tracey Lackman

PATHWAYS COUNSELLORS

  • Dannielle Keogh– Red House & Year 11 & 12
  • Eva Woodward – Yellow House & Year 9
  • Maria Pisano – Blue House & Year 11 & 12
  • Sarah Coghlan – Green House & Year 10

 

STUDENT WELLBEING

  • Student Wellbeing Coordinator – John Nichol
  • College Chaplain – Gill Van Der Ende
  • Mental Health Practitioners – Amy Donaldson and Siobhan O’Halloran

ADDITIONAL AREAS OF SUPPORT

  • Curriculum Support Leader (PSD) – Kelly Ayton
  • Aspire Coordinator – Kara Salmon
  • High Achievement Coordinator – Kara Salmon
  • Library Coordinator – Prue Bon
  • EAL Coordinator – Charlie Chaturapornkul
  • Koori Mentor – Samantha Jacobs
  • QuickSmart Coordinator – Jamila Lopez
  • Instrumental Music Coordinator – Jordan Van Keulen

Professional Learning Day – Monday 1st March

Monday 1st March is a student free, Professional Learning Day across the Lilydale District of schools.  All Government Schools in Lilydale and Mooroolbark (Primary Schools and Secondary Schools) will be working be focussing on literacy across all curriculum areas.  The network has engaged Misty Adoniou, from the University of Canberra.  Misty is a world renowned expert in all aspects of literacy with a special interest and passion for everything to do with words.  I am certain the work we do on Monday will have a direct impact in the classroom.

 

Mooroolbark College Swimming Sports – Tuesday 2nd March

 

We are all looking forward to the annual swimming sports on Tuesday.  It is a great day where our students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities including traditional swimming, carnival races and fun activities like the water dance party or water volley ball.  This day is an important part of school life and I encourage all students to dress in their House colours and actively participate.

Regards,

Ann Stratford
PRINCIPAL

PreviousCover PageNext CAPTAIN’S PROFILE: LILY PHILPOTT

CAPTAIN’S PROFILE: LILY PHILPOTT

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What do you hope to achieve this year in your role?

This year, as College Captain I aspire to encourage all students to emulate our four college
values: Resilience, Endeavour, Compassion and Respect. having resilience when life is tough,
endeavoring to be the best version of yourself, having compassion for others and respecting everybody’s individuality is fundamental in creating a positive and enjoyable experience at school. I hope to help incorporate these values to student’s lives as I believe that it will provide students with the tools they need to achieve their goals now and in the future.

Who is a leader that you admire and why do you admire them?

Somebody I admire is Sir David Attenborough. In his 94 years of being on this earth he has seen and achieved incredible things. However, it is not the lengthy list of places he has been, nor the fact that he is friends with the queen that inspire me. It is his outlook on life and benevolence towards others that I admire most. He is a true hero to all because he dedicates his life to educating the world, showing us that we are all apart of something far bigger than ourselves.

What are some of your goals for the future?

In the immediate future (next year) I am not certain on the path I would like to take. Whether I have a gap year to work and travel, or head straight into Uni, I hope to be learning new things and meeting new people. If I do go to Uni, I aim to study Journalism, otherwise, as a second chance I’d love to get into sports science or even business/arts. My ultimate goal is to travel the world, however in the current climate it is unlikely that will happen in the near future, so if I take a gap year, I would love to do a trip around Australia.

Final words for readers

My favourite teaches says “you don’t have to, you get to” … Let’s all do our best and be our best in 2021

PreviousPRINCIPAL’S REPORTNext CAPTAIN’S PROFILE: JONTY JUST

CAPTAIN’S PROFILE: JONTY JUST

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What do you hope to achieve this year in your role?

As captain of the college, I will endeavour for the improvement of the school community and culture amongst the students. It is my goal to make time in the college as enjoyable and positive for the students as possible. By introducing certain events such as my lunch time radio-show, MC FM, I aim to make the ‘vibe’ in the courtyard fun for my fellow students, whilst providing a bit of commentary and entertainment along the way.

Who is a leader that you admire and why do you admire them?

Since watching the documentary, ‘The Last Dance’, on Netflix, I have had a great admiration for the Michael Jordan and his impact on his teammates. The attitude he had in being the best ever was truly inspirational, and his desire to make his teammates better, and push them to reach their full potential, was also a big standout. These qualities are what I try to emulate every day, to give my 100% to everything I do and to help people to be the best they can be.

What are some of your goals for the future?

Once I finish year 12 this year, I am going to be taking a gap year, and hopefully travel over to England to play cricket during their summer. Fingers crossed the situation improves over there, as it has always been a dream of mine to play cricket in England. I will likely then attend Uni, work a part-time job, and enjoy life while I am young.

Final word for readers

As a lover of surfing and the beach, I have always valued the saying “the best surfer out there is the one having the most fun”. This in many ways is so true, because enjoying what you do every day is key to life. Stay cool everyone, let’s have a grouse year!

 

PreviousCAPTAIN’S PROFILE: LILY PHILPOTTNext RED HOUSE

RED HOUSE

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What a start to the year! We welcomed our Red House Year 7s on Friday 29th January and welcomed back our VCE students. The Year 7s started the day off in our Red House group, getting to know each other and the Red House Coordinators. The Year 7s showed excellent team skills later in the day in their first house competition which included a rock paper scissors tournament, games of bodyguard and tunnel ball. The Red House spirit was high in tunnel ball with Red House taking the win for the afternoon.

Monday the 1st February, saw all our students return and we started the day with a Red House assembly, it was great to see them again. Our senior and middle school captains spoke about one of our school values Compassion and being kind to each other as we start a new year of school, especially after a tough year in 2020.

The message we want students to take away is to think about how you can display kindness each and everyday to one another in the school community. An example given was seeing someone who has dropped their books and helping them, not just walking past. You can make someone’s day a little better even with a smile. So be kind Red House and look after each other.

Looking forward to watching the Red House Devils team come together at the Swimming Carnival in March. Let’s create a sea of RED! Dress up in anything red and get creative. Go DEVILS!

Allie Grey-Smith
Head of Red House

PreviousCAPTAIN’S PROFILE: JONTY JUSTNext STUDENT WELLBEING

STUDENT WELLBEING

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Welcome back to a new school year. Lets hope for a less disrupted year than 2020.
Exciting news in student wellbeing at Mooroolbark College, we welcome two new mental health workers to the College. Siobhan O’Halloran and Amy Donaldson are working part time in the College as counsellors to support our students. The positions has been funded by The Department of Education in an initiative to support the mental health of young Victorians.

If you think your child would benefit from some counselling at the College, please speak to one of our wellbeing team or your child’s coordinator. 

And finally we want to remind you, that your child’s mental health and successful transition back into “normal covid” schooling is our priority and we want to continue to provide quality welfare support to our students. If you have any concerns at all about your child then please contact your child’s coordinator, myself or  Chaplain Gill Van Der Ende. Your child can also contact us directly by knocking on the door of our office. We are here to support you.

Regards,

John Nichol
Well-Being Leader

WELLBEING AND WELFARE SUPPORT SERVICES

24 Hour Emergency
Kids Helpline Counselling service for people aged between 5 and 25 24 hours/7 days 1800 551 800

www.kidshelpline.com.au

www.kidshelpline.com.au/young-adults

(email, web chat)

LifelineCrisis support, suicide prevention and mental health support services24 hours/7 days
www.lifeline.org.au

13 11 14

Beyond BlueInformation and support for all ages to promote optimal mental health.24 hours/7 days1300 224 636

www.beyondblue.org.au

(Chat online or email)

E headspaceProvide mental health support for young people aged 12–25Phone:

10pm – 1am

Online counselling: 1pm – 1am

1800 650 890

https://headspace.org.au/eheadspace/

Yarra Ranges Youth TeamProvide support and advice to young people 9294 6716

1300 368 333 or 9294 6905

www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Community/Youth

youth@yarraranges.vic.gov.au

InspiroFree youth, teen, young adult and family counselling 9738 8801

or visit https://www.inspiro.org.au/
for more information

Parent lineSupport for Parents and carers with children from birth to 18 years8am–midnight/7 dayswww.parentline.com.au

13 22 89 

1300 30 1300

EDVOSFamily violence service in Melbourne’s eastern metropolitan regionMon-Fri 9am-8pm

Sat 9am-5pm (phone or email) 

03 9259 4200 

edvos@edvos.org.au

https://www.edvos.org.au/

No To ViolenceSupports for men who use family violenceMon – Fri 8am-9pm

 

 1300 766 491

 

PreviousRED HOUSENext VCAL

VCAL

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Students have hit the ground running with vocational learning programmes at Mooroolbark College.

In Year 11 students have been getting to grips with the demands of their VCAL and VET curriculums. Students have risen to the challenge and we are very pleased to welcome them to the VCAL program.

In Year 12 Personal Development Skills (PDS), students have been completing class challenges to enhance their employability skills. The first one put the students’ ability to communicate to the test as they were asked to sit ‘back-to-back’ and draw a variety of subject matters as similarly as possible. As always, our students were commended for their willingness, positive attitude and resilience in completing an unusual task! Well done Year 12!

In other news, both Year 11 and 12 students will be given the opportunity to take part in JOB CAMP this year, through their Work-Related Skills (WRS) Program. JOB CAMP is a 16-hour (over 2 days) program assisting young people transition from secondary school into paid hospitality and services job roles. Enrolled students will be given the guidance and training to achieve certificates in:

  • Responsible Service of Alcohol(RSA) (Year 12s only)
  • Food Safety Handler (FSH)
  • Prepare and Serve Espresso Coffee
  • Café Skill Training

More information to follow.

 

Natalie Bisi
VCAL Co-ordinator

PreviousSTUDENT WELLBEINGNext VCE

VCE

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We’ve particularly enjoyed welcoming our VCE students back to school this year and are proud of the wonderful beginning to 2021 that they’ve had!

Both Year levels enjoyed a productive start-up day that involved learning from motivational speakers, absorbing expert study tips and advice delivered by guest speakers from Elevate and taking in the finer details of how VCE operates. It was especially pleasing to hear unsolicited feedback from the Elevate speakers regarding how attentive and respectful our students were. Their behaviour was a credit to both themselves and the school. Many thanks go to Jenny Roache and Andy U’Ren for the professional organisation of these days.

The Year 12 cohort received a pleasant surprise in week 3 when their jackets arrived earlier than expected. The excitement was palpable and the expressions of joy on their faces as they received these important symbols of their final year of schooling were truly something to behold.

While the unexpected lockdown has been an inconvenience, our VCE students deserve praise for their resilience and their ability to quickly adapt to the situation.

It’s been a fantastic beginning, and we’re all looking forward to the rest of the year!

Dane Keogh
VCE Co-ordinator

PreviousVCALNext CAREERS/PATHWAYS REPORT

CAREERS/PATHWAYS REPORT

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Our Year 12 Class of 2020 received their results in the holidays and we are so proud of all of them. We had students achieving scores that would rival that of any other school in the state, with ATARs over 90 and study scores over 40, students who battled not only remote learning but their own challenges who managed to achieve a Year 12 pass.

The pathways team (2020/2021) were at school for a few days prior to the new year to discuss options with our students and as always, the students all left (or ‘hung up’ in the case of our teams conferences!) with a smile on their face and a plan of action for 2021.  

A few days later, we were then excited to learn that the majority of our students who completed a VTAC application received an offer in the first round. We understand that some of the students who did not receive offers had secured employment or an offer via direct application.  We wish them all well in their future endeavours.  

In 2021 we welcome Sarah Coghlan as the new Green House Pathways Advisor, who is a wonderful addition to the team.  We would like to thank Janet Whitby for her contribution over the past two years. 

All houses are beginning their Year 12 individual MIPs appointments early this term and with such a large cohort we are expecting this to take the majority of the term.   

Jenny Roache
Senior School Leader

 

PreviousVCENext ENGLISH

ENGLISH

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Welcome back to all our lovely new and returning English students. The year ahead is hopefully going to be a great one where we take back what we may have lost in the year that was. I want to take this opportunity too, to thank our amazing English faculty and ES support staff involved at each year level – their dedication to their students and work is commendable and I could not be more proud of the team. Thank you! 

Starting the year off with some momentum, we have our seniors channelling their creative writing skills to read and produce a short story akin to the authors Tim Winton and Cate Kennedy in years 11 and 12 respectively. With a slight hiccup of remote learning, I am sure students will feel at ease in their attempts to provide rich environments and relatable characters within their stories. We wish them all the best in their first official VCE SAC! 

Year 9 English students have crawled into the world of Edgar Allan Poe, via his crime short story ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue’. To truly capture the frightening atmosphere and gruesome events of Poe’s writing, we agreed as a class to shut the blinds, turn the lights off and play ‘scary/frightening’ music on repeat in the background. It was quite the experience and students were noticeably engaged and some even admitted to being acutely afraid. This was followed by their own chance to write horror fiction where they were tasked to write a two-sentence horror story.  

Some examples shown: 

“The decaying body lay lifeless and bare in front of me, as though it had been struck down and forgotten years ago. In my mind however, I hear the dusty, growling voice of it whisper, “You will not leave this place alive…”.
Tyrone Ingham 

For this brief interlude prior to a return to remote learning, Year 7 English students have been hard at work engaging in both creative and self-analytical projects. Students have been considering their own experiences and replicating documented narratives of their lives in the form of autobiographies. Additionally, classes have been diligently working at creating “Zines” – short, flipbook style comics with a focus on tight narrative structure. We press on throughout the term, with much to come – two-point perspective writing, fables and many more explorations of narrative structure! 
Andy Nyhuis 

Year 12 Literature students were treated to a journey amongst the rocks as part of their studies for “Picnic at Hanging Rock”. Being able to visit the setting in real life helped to provide context and appreciation for the magnificence of the novel and the place.  

English Recommendations: 
 
Film: Over the Moon 
 
TV Shows: WandaVision 
 
Novel: Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick 
 
Prue Bon
Year 12 Literature Teacher

 
Introducing Neologism of the month… 
A neologism, from Greek meaning ‘new speech/utterance’ is a relatively recent or isolated word or phrase that is emerging into common or frequent use.  
 
February Neologism: ‘Cottagecore’ 
 
This neologism has become quite popular in recent times. This term is all about living your life and decorating your home in a whimsical, nature and quaint countryside inspired type of way. Those that live within a suburban or city area are frequently drawn to this type of living as it may provide a sense of ‘escape’.  

 

Tyrone Ingham
English KLA Leader

PreviousCAREERS/PATHWAYS REPORTNext LITERACY

LITERACY

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The Literacy Team were inundated with entries into the remote learning Literacy Challenge, in which students were encouraged to send a ‘selfie’ or photo of their favourite reading spot at home and write a short explanation of why it was important to them. We had a range of entries – from students who were making the most of the sunshine by reading outside, to others who had set up a reading nook in a quiet area of their home. The winning entries have earned valuable House Points and are published below. Congratulations to all of our entrants! 

VCE Winner – Stephanie Troiano G3 
This is my lockdown reading spot. It’s hard to see in the photos but its just a small wooden table and chair set up on a little pathway out the front of my house. This little spot of the yard has grown with me and my interest throughout my life; from riding my bike around this path to covering it with chalk drawings, it is significant in many positive childhood memories. Now it acts as a spot to lose myself in between words and pages. On gorgeous days like today the sun warms my heart as it shines down, reflecting through the lush green plants, lighting up the entire area, and drawing my dog in to come relax here with me too. This spot makes me understand that life is all about finding happiness in the little things. Most importantly, it forces me to show gratitude for not only the good but also the bad as that is the result of life. 
 
Year 10 Winner – Tara Barnewall Y5 
This is my favourite reading place, in the apple tree in our back yard. The branches are quite comfortable once you find the right position. This is my favourite place because I’ve always enjoyed nature and this lets me read while outdoors and literally surrounded by nature. The leaves also provide great coverage, meaning my family can’t see me unless they’re looking for me and know I’m there, which means I don’t get disturbed by my family or our pets, since our pets don’t realise I’m up the tree. Plus, the branches allow for a great setup, including a spot for food or drink, and to rest my book or device that I’m reading on while I get up or down from my branch. 
 
Year 9 Winner – Olivia Ross Y9 
This is my favourite spot to sit and read as it just calms me down as I gracefully swing side to side. The book I am reading is ‘When Rain Turns to Snow’ and it’s about a girl home alone one day and a random person comes up to the door with a suspicious look on their face! It is also my favourite reading spot as it’s in my room and it’s just a calm and collected place to sit and read a great novel. 
 
Year 8 Winner – Laura Harrison R9 
This is my absolute favourite reading place because it’s my room, and I always feel safe and happy there. It’s also where I have a mini library of my own (all my bookcases) and reading just lets you flow into another world where you are free from every trouble in the universe. 
 
Year 7 Winners – Abbey Heemskerk B9, Jax Davies G3, and Jaziah Madronio G7 
Reading my favourite book in the cool flowing breeze is such a joyous feeling. This spot on my back deck is where I like to while away the hours with my nose stuck in a book, inspecting the happenings in the neighbourhood. Whether it’s 38 degrees or 5 and raining, I curl up and read until the words are ingrained on the backs of my eyeballs and the seat has a dent in it. – Abbey  

I’m currently reading the new Anh Doh, E-boy, book. I’m interested in Anh Doh and his history, especially his artwork which I have seen in an exhibition. I chose my reading spot to be my pool with flippers and snorkel as I could imagine that this is the sort of thing Anh would write about being wacky and fun! I do actually read when I am relaxing so this seemed a great place to choose today! – Jax  
My favourite place to read is in the living area where the books are placed. I love reading in here as well as sitting on the couch with a back massager. I can read my favourite book and get a back massage at the same time. The fish tank is also in front of me where I can hear water that makes me calm. I can concentrate on reading with no distractions at all. It’s also a quiet and peaceful place to read. I feel relaxed and comfortable while reading in this favourite spot of mine. – Jaziah  

 
Sarah Garnaut 
Learning Specialist – Literacy  
 

PreviousENGLISHNext MATHEMATICS

MATHEMATICS

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Mathematics would like to extend a very warm welcome back to all of our Students. We are excited to start the year off running with plenty of new initiatives and some new faces. In 2021 we welcome 3 new staff members to the Mathematics team; Aaron Cross, Jordan Roth and Tracey Mattingley. We are excited to have them join us at Mooroolbark College. 

Student Learning Goals has been introduced into our year 7 and 8 Mathematics classes this year. It’s intention is to provide student agency and learner independence in the classroom, allowing for students to take charge in their own learning journey. This means all year 7 and 8’s are also expected to bring their devices to every class (maths classes for year 8s). 

Our year 7’s will return to our Targeted Learning Program once a fortnight. This will enable flexibility within our year 7 classes so that teachers can cater to the learning needs of our year 7 cohort.  

Our Year 8 students have begun their Fitness Investigation Assessment Task that will be completed across Mathematics, Science and Physical Education to continue to build on the college’s holistic approach to learning and provide students with opportunities to make connections and apply their knowledge across subject areas. 

We are excited for the new opportunities that will arise in 2021 but are mostly just happy to have our students return to face to face learning. Let the magic begin! 

Jade Hubben
Head of Mathematics
 

PreviousLITERACYNext HUMANITIES

HUMANITIES

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Welcome back to all Humanities students! It’s been great seeing our classes engaged in so many collaborative activities in the early weeks of Term 1.

Our new Year 9 subject “Be Your Own Boss” is a focus for fun, relevant and business-related activities. Recently students worked in groups on prioritising customer needs ahead of creating social enterprises.

In other Humanities classes, students have completed many engaging and action-oriented activities, frequently in the new Discovery Centre. Highlights so far include:

  • Year 7 History students role-played life as gladiators in Ancient Rome. They have also begun an Ancient Australia project in which they are designing a museum exhibit showing the interaction of Ancient Australians and extinct megafauna.
  • Year 7 Geography students collaborated in an activity in which they identified and ranked their Top 5 World Tourist Destinations. In future lessons they will create posters with the annotated spatial characteristics of each location.
  • Our Year 7 and 8 History and Geography classes have used Education Perfect exercises (for the first time ever in Humanities subjects). It’s been an exciting resource for teachers and has added an extra dimension to our junior classes.
  • Year 7 and 8 Geography students have completed exercises outside the classroom, in which they observed human and natural features.
  • Year 9 Making the Modern World students began examining key aspects of the Industrial Revolution.
  • Year 10 Small Business Accounting students created posters in which they taught groups (such as business owners and students) about the nature of accounting and what an accounting career involves.
  • Year 11 Legal Studies students had great fun with a “Guess My Rules” game.
  • Year 12 Accounting students completed an intriguing quiz on the topics of “Accounting Assumptions” and “Qualitative Characteristics”.

 

Year 7C Geography students collaborating on countries of world and their spatial:

Year 9 Be Your Own Boss Students – activity on prioritising customer needs ahead of creating social enterprises:

 

Year 10 Small Business Accounting – example of student information poster:

 

Chris Hanneberry
Humanities KLA Leader

PreviousMATHEMATICSNext HEALTH & PE

HEALTH & PE

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A huge welcome back to all students for 2021. I would first like to welcome all of our Year 7s to the College. I hope you enjoy everything that Mooroolbark College has to offer in our Health and Physical Education program. I encourage all students to participate in house events and interschool sports. This is a fantastic way to meet new people and teachers, push yourself outside of your comfort zone, make some new friends and even win a few games and house points along the way.  

It has been a fantastic start to Term 1 with all students including our new Year 7s getting a chance to earn house points and engage in some physical activity challenges in our newly renovated ECA Centre during their transition program. 

Whilst we reentered remote learning for a couple of days this hasn’t stopped the chance to get active and win some house points. Whilst students were eagerly waiting for their learning tasks to be delivered on Monday, a series of Literacy, Numeracy and Health and Well-being challenges were set up for students to complete. In Health and PE students were asked to exercise in their backyard safely or in their house to increase their physical activity and reduce screen time. The most creative photo is set to earn 20 house points and the most creative at each year level is set to be awarded 5 house points.  

I am pleased to announce the winner of the Health and Well-being competition is Olivia Cahoon in Year 8 (Yellow House) with her 4–way photo series of her exercising in her bedroom. The determination in her face says it all. Well done Olivia you have earnt 20 points for Yellow House. 

Our runners up who will be awarded 5 points for their houses are: 

Jesse Jackson (Year 9) – Yellow House  

Zaide Hughes (Year 10) – Red House 

Well done to all students who sent in their photos to Mr. Exon. 

 

Never fear if you missed this challenge there are some very exciting events coming up on the calendar and we can’t wait to be able to run them. I am sure the house spirit will be unmatched by anything this year after so long behind closed doors. These include the annual House Swimming Carnival, Athletics and Cross-Country carnivals. Be sure to dress in your house colours loud and proud! Interschool Sport is also back up and running for Term 1 lead by Mr. Exon for both junior and senior school students. Students are encouraged to keep an eye out on Compass for the sign-up links.  

I look forward to a busy year filled with challenges, triumphs and a whole lot of house spirit.  

Stephanie Todd
KLA Leader Health and Physical Education

PreviousHUMANITIESNext LANGUAGES

LANGUAGES

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Welcome back to school everyone! Whether it’s welcome back to our returning students or to school generally for our new Year 7s, we would like to extend our welcoming greetings to everyone.

We hope 2021 will be a return to normality. Mrs Henderson, Ms Jiang and I are very much looking forward to sharing our passion for languages and cultures as much as we can, so that our students can better appreciate the variety our world offers when we can travel freely again. We can’t wait!

General News:

If 2020 showed us one thing, it was that our faculty will adapt to challenges and find something positive regardless. One thing that has changed is that with Mooroolbark College having more broadly embraced Education Perfect (EP), we have made one CAT per semester wholly assessed through this platform. Most of our 2021 Language Learners have at the time of writing already accessed this powerful resource. Students will find TASKs to practise regularly before getting feedback on the follow-up PRACTICE TESTs. These Practice Tests are the foundation for completing the Online CAT later in the term. If any student or parent has difficulty accessing EP, please use the login guide posted in COMPASS RESOURCES entitled HOW TO GET INTO EDUCATION PERFECT. It shows users how to get onto EP in simple steps as shown in the example below.

If you still have trouble, please contact your teacher and mention which step you managed to get up to.

Events & Excursions:

As the Year 7 Barbeque has been cancelled, we will be getting students to sign up to our Friday Lunch EP Competitions in class. We’ll open up a room at lunch for students to earn double points!

Languages are currently looking into how we can run our end of Term 2 excursion to complement our Year 8 unit of work on food. Due to COVID19, we may not be able to run it as we have in the past.

Teaching & Learning:

Last week in Chinese, our Year 7 and Year 8 students made some amazing paper craft to celebrate the Lunar New Year of the Ox. They have created 3 dimensional (the Chinese character for spring) and used calligraphy brush pens for the door decoration artworks of the word (meaning all good luck). Not only are our Year 7s keen to learn Chinese characters by handwriting, but they are also very excited about sending new year greetings and messages in Teams. Almost all students have developed the basic skills of using a Chinese Pinyin keyboard and are able to type their words and phrases accurately! What a wonderful start to the new year. Can’t be prouder of our newbies.

Common Assessment Tasks (CATs) & more:

In Languages, as in all subjects, three CATs must be successfully completed to complete a semester’s work. We have posted our Assessment Guides in Compass Resources. In German students will complete one ORAL CAT (CAT 1), one WRITTEN CAT (CAT 2) and one COMPREHENSION CAT (CAT 3), which is the online CAT outlined above. Apart from that there is regular coursework that practises key skills for which students can collect points for Merit Certificates. Neat and well-organised book-work is one of these. Here is a sample of what a good Year 8 Title Page looks like: Congratulations Matthew Nimbs of Year 8!

We wish all our students and the wider school community all the best for 2021!

Jonas Bahlo
KLA Leader – Languages

PreviousHEALTH & PENext THE ARTS

THE ARTS

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The Arts has hit the ground running in 2021. The junior students have already produced some amazing and creative work whilst our senior students have started to develop some truly incredible ideas that we can’t wait to see come to fruition.  
 
MEDIA 
Our Year 10 Media students began the semester by completing their first filmmaking challenge: The Timetable. Students were tasked with planning, filming and editing together a short sequence all in under one hour. They all did such a fantastic job. We can’t wait to see what else they create this semester. 
 

VISUAL ARTS 
Our Year 10 Art students have begun their semester by exploring the materials and techniques of Impressionist portraiture. Students are currently learning how to engage in quick sketches and how to construct the proportions of the face before beginning their final painting for CAT 1. 
 

THE ARTS INSTAGRAM WORK 
This month’s Instagram Collage showcases the amazing work produced by our Year 7s and 9s late last year as well as the amazing ‘element hands’ that the Year 9 Art students are currently working on. Well done, everyone. You can check out more of our students amazing work at https://www.instagram.com/mooroolbarkcollegeofficial/. 
 

PRODUCTIONS
We are looking forward to many events this year, including the 2021 production of The Addams Family. The team is already working away at costumes, props, music, dance and acting. The introduction of a second production in the form of a junior pantomime of Alice in Wonderland, which is coming up very shortly at the end of Term 1, is a very exciting addition to the College’s performing arts program.  
 

  

Jordan van Keulen
The Arts KLA Leader

PreviousLANGUAGESNext SCIENCE

SCIENCE

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A huge welcome to all of our students as we begin another exciting year at Mooroolbark College. We look forward to spending many lessons together exploring and experimenting to find out how the universe works.

Our Year 7 students have already begun by transforming into detectives as they investigate the importance of safety in our Science labs and identifying hazards in CSI style crime scenes. Soon after they will be demonstrating how they can safely operate a Bunsen burner and will receive their own licence to operate the equipment.

Our Year 8s are exploring how the how human body works, more specifically how blood flows through it and its importance in the survival of organisms. This will lead students into performing their own dissection of a sheep’s heart, investigating the blood pathways.

The Year 9s now know that neurons carry messages around the human body at approximately 430 kph. The students wanted to see how fast they could send a message around the class (acting as neuron’s themselves) and after a bit of practice they proved to be very fast too! Here they are getting ready to send their message.

Last week on Thursday 11th February we celebrated the United Nations 6th International Day of Women and Girls in Science. With less than 30 per cent of researchers worldwide being women there is great importance in encouraging our girls to enter STEM-related careers. The Royal Women’s Hospital hosted a virtual ‘Meet a Scientist’ event and our Year 9 Innovate Science class were lucky to watch the broadcast. The presenters included specialist researchers in neonatology, midwifery, paediatric physiotherapy and reproductive biology. They shared their career journeys and inspired many of our students.

Our VCE Biology classes have been exploring cellular functions with the Unit 1 classes examining the chloroplasts within the Elodea plant and the Unit 3 classes delving deeper into the nucleus of cells to gain an understanding of how proteins are made. Below are some of our Biology students role playing the process of protein synthesis.

Looking forward to another busy year!

Skye Jennings
Science KLA Leader

PreviousTHE ARTSNext TECHNOLOGY

TECHNOLOGY

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2021 has started with students back in the workshop and getting busy. Students have looked at workshop safety and are starting to design their projects as well as learning the skills required to successfully execute their designs.

This year, Technology studies welcomes the first Year 12 students for many years into the area. We have senior Product Design and senior Systems Engineering classes and look forward to seeing many successful outcomes from these students during 2021.

Upgrades to the workshops are being planned and students will notice the changes already made to the metalwork room. These upgrades will enable changes to the curriculum and more room to safely move around the workshop.

Looking forward to seeing students progress during the semester.

Andrew Dingey
KLA Leader Technology

PreviousSCIENCENext EAL

EAL

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It’s been an eventful start to 2021 for EAL students and staff.  We have been busy welcoming new students: 9 who have come from primary school and have started Year 7, and 4 new students who have moved schools into Year levels 8-11. We are very pleased to see these students transitioning so well!  
 
This year we have 54 students in our EAL program, and 75 students whose families are supported by Sarah (MEA) with translated information in Hakha Chin. 
 
EAL Home group will be running again this year, where our newest EAL students will meet once a week to learn about Mooroolbark College and events that are happening in the school. This is also an opportunity for students to access extra support when needed.   

The General Assembly on Thursday 11th February was a significant event for Mooroolbark College, and in particular students from Myanmar.  Given recent political events in Myanmar, a presentation was given by John Nichol to raise awareness of the difficulties being experienced by people of Myanmar, both historically and currently. A group of very talented Chin students gave a stunning performance of a Chin national song, and bravely answered questions relating to culture and personal experiences. A big thank you to Chin Chin, Esther, Lydia and Cung Cung for sharing your talents and experiences with your peers.   

Additionally, to celebrate and acknowledge Chin National Day on Saturday 20th February, the school has purchased a Chin state flag and will be displaying this on the school flag poles for a week. Students will be invited to participate in raising this flag once school returns.  

Charlie Chaturapornkul, Alisa Hammersley and Sarah Awi 

 

EAL Leader

PreviousTECHNOLOGYNext ASPIRE

ASPIRE

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The year 7 Aspire class started the year with excitement and challenges. As well as getting to know each other and becoming familiar with the school, the class has been busy engaging in lots of work! They have competed open-ended Numeracy tasks and started their first CAT with Mrs Salmon in Maths, they have had a Library introduction and started Independent Reading with Ms Garnaut, enjoyed PE with Mr Lorkin, completed an Escape Room activity and introduction to Science with Mrs Raven and lots more! But don’t take my word for it – here are some of the highlights from our students!

Kara Salmon
ASPIRE Coordinator

“So far in Aspire I have really enjoyed getting to know everyone and making new friends. One of my favourite things we have done so far is the escape room with Mrs Raven and working together with all of my classmates. I’m really looking forward to new challenges and working really hard. I am very excited for ASPIRE this year!” – Matilda Sleeman 7A

“So far out of Aspire I have most enjoyed the friendly teachers and how they have welcomed all the year 7’s. My favourite activity that I have completed was peer support because we had year 9’s teaching us and we also got to do a scavenger hunt. I have made new friends, Morrison and Jax. I am looking forward to doing some cooking for food studies.” – Micah Cove 7A

“I’ve loved being in Aspire as it is a like a little community where everyone wants to learn and help each other. Even though we haven’t done many experiments, I have been loving science. It’s really exciting learning about the equipment because I know soon we will be doing really cool experiments with that equipment. The escape room was fun too. Maths would have to be a close second as I just really love maths in general. I’ve made quite a lot of friends during these 3 weeks I have been at school for. It’s great having new friends, but I have been missing the old ones. I’m looking forward to all the excursions we get to go on, like being able to go to Cambodia and China. I am also really excited for all the other subjects we have that you don’t have in primary school like woodwork, food studies and technology.” – Thomas Stafford 7A

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LIBRARY

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Have you been in to visit the Library yet? We have some fantastic new recommendations on display for our Year 7 and 8 students to read during Independent Reading and we encourage you to speak to the Librarians if you need some more ideas.

Our non-fiction section is undergoing review and we are working hard to update it with some new texts that might provide a bit of inspiration for you! Some particular favourites of the Library that have recently arrived include:

• The Australia Survival Guide, by George Ivanoff
Packed with facts, stories and life-saving information about Australia’s most dangerous things, reading this book is like playing the ultimate survival game!

• Weird, Wild, Amazing, by Tim Flannery
Bursting with bizarre facts and vibrant illustrations, take a tour through the natural world with one of the world’s greatest living scientists, Professor Tim Flannery.

• Me Time, by Jessica Sanders
You are worthy! From minute long activities to day long adventures, this fantastic book has heaps of self care pursuits for you to practice!

February is Library Lover’s Month. Have a “blind date with a book” this month and introduce yourself to something you might not normally read or set your heart on something from our Romance display. While we think that nothing beats the smell and feel of a book, we’d also like to remind you to check out Wheelers ebooks and see what love can be found online. Don’t forget that you are our favourite bookworms, and we look forward to seeing you in the Library soon!

 

Prue Bon
Library Coordinator

PreviousASPIRENext YEAR 7 INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC DEMONSTRATION

YEAR 7 INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC DEMONSTRATION

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The Mooroolbark College Instrumental Music Program provides excellent opportunities for students to learn and participate in music performance.

The proven benefits of learning an instrument include the enhancement of fine motor skills, improvement of short & long term memory, and ensemble participation expands student’s social networks. But most importantly, it’s fun! Participation in the Instrumental Music Program is a great opportunity for students at Mooroolbark College access to a vast array of numerical experiences.

Currently, lessons are still available on the following instruments: Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone and French Horn.

All Year 7 students will be attending an information session in the next few weeks about the Instrumental Music Program and be given a demonstration of the instruments that we teach at the College.

We believe all students have the potential to achieve great success learning to play an instrument and we look forward to all the new students being involved in the music program.

For more information, please contact the College or speak to the music staff, Ms Gaudion, Mr Van Keulen or Mr Neil-Holland as there are still a few places left.

Jordan Van Keulen
KLA Coordinator – Arts

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SPORT

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On Thursday 11th February, the senior school participated in the Maroondah summer interschool sport carnival. Mooroolbark College sent teams to compete in volleyball and cricket.

Despite playing in the final, the girls cricket team fell to the experienced Norwood Secondary College. It was great to see the comradery between all members of our team, who tried their best and had a fantastic time.

We had an incredible number of students interested in volleyball, with a record 7 teams participating in the carnival held at Dandenong Stadium. It was a fantastic result, with the A-teams for both boys and girls returning victorious. They will now compete in the eastern region championships later in the term. Well done to all involved!

Interschool sports for Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 are also fast approaching. Please complete the quick survey on Compass if you are interested in playing (or come and see Mr Exon in the Maths office).

We also have our annual swimming carnival on Tuesday 2nd March. Let’s continue the amazing atmosphere from previous years and get as many people in the pool as possible. Wear your colours with pride and try to earn house points. Remember, just attending the day and participating in the various events will help your house win the cup!

Ryan Exon
Sport Coordinator

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Mooroolbark College Newsletter – February 2021