Mooroolbark College Newsletter – November 2021

13th November 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…

Upcoming Events

Apr

Wed

General Assembly (ANZAC Assembly)

Tickets

Apr 24 – Apr 25 all-day

Year 11 & 12 Art Gallery Excursion

Tickets

Apr 24 – Apr 25 all-day

Apr

Thu

ANZAC Day

Tickets

Apr 25 all-day

ANZAC DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Apr 25 all-day

Senior Boys Netball

Apr 26 all-day

ENGLISH

Print Page Print All Pages

Read Time: ( words)

On the 18th of October, English’s online Night of Excellence was made available to our school community, and we could not have been prouder of those who volunteered and/or agreed to showcase their excellent work.
What an amazing initiative by the social media team at Mooroolbark to utilise one of the most powerful and collaborative tools we all have access to – Facebook! There was a variety of text types on display including well-crafted essay responses, editing, and annotating examples, short stories, analyses of articles and texts all sourced from year levels 7-12. We would like to thank everyone involved in the creation of this year’s Night of Excellence and hope you have a great time perusing the English contributions!

Tyrone Ingham
English Key Learning Head

Below are some of the pieces that were shown at our NIGHT OF EXCELLENCE. Well done to all students for their amazing work!

MATHEMATICS

Print Page Print All Pages

Read Time: ( words)

It has been a couple of weeks since all students returned to learning on-site and we are beginning to find normality in the classroom again.

Just like it is for students, it’s also a great time to remind our wider community of the variety of programs we offer at Mooroolbark College.

Our Student Learning Goals is a new program offered for Year 7 and 8, where students have the opportunity to select and progress on a particular skill at their own pace. Students have a variety of resources available to assist in their understanding and application of new skills and will get this checked off by their teacher each week. Students also have a separate book to complete this in where they can record their goals and reflect on their progress.

We continue to conduct our Numeracy program as a core feature of Mathematics at Mooroolbark. There is dedicated classroom time to exploring real work challenges to promote the critical and creative thinking of our students. Students are encouraged to problem solve in a collaborative way in order to develop their skills, understanding and Mathematics proficiencies.

In lieu of our Night of Excellence, this year we highlighted the excellent work created in the different learning areas of the College in 2021 via our Facebook page. Our students in Mathematics have completed some amazing work this year to such a high standard.

Below are some of the pieces that were shown at our NIGHT OF EXCELLENCE. Well done to all students for their amazing work!

Jade Hubben
Mathematics Key Learning Head

SCIENCE

Print Page Print All Pages

Read Time: ( words)

In Science we celebrated the return to onsite learning by engaging students with experiments and activities. Students were able to continue the development of their practical skills in a fun way.

Our Year 7 students used water beads to explore the differing effects of hot and cold water as well as salt and sugar solution on their size. This led to discussions on how to make scientific predictions and develop hypotheses.

Year 8s have been exploring the building blocks of life by preparing their own slides of plant cells and viewing them under our new microscopes. It can be difficult to use a microscope correctly but our students put in a huge effort and were rewarded with some great images.

Our Year 9s have been busy developing a scientific question for their independent investigations. Students have considered the independent and dependent variables and which variables must be kept controlled throughout their investigation to ensure validity of the data collected. Some questions students are investigating include “Which type of soft drink contains the highest concentration of CO2?”, “Which liquid will allow a cut flower to stay alive for the longest?” and “What concentration of vinegar will make an egg bounce the highest?”. Once students have collected and analysed their data they will present their findings as a scientific poster to be displayed in our Science classrooms.

Our Year 10 Chemistry students have been performing acid-base titrations in class. They were set the challenge of determining the concentration of acid in an unknown liquid.

Our senior students have now completed their coursework for the year and we wish them all the best with their exams. We will welcome back our 2022, Year 11 and 12 students for their Orientation classes shortly.

Farewell and good luck to the class of 2021, we are so proud of you and hope you come back to visit!

Skye Jennings
Science Key Learning Head

Below are some of the pieces that were shown at our NIGHT OF EXCELLENCE. Well done to all students for their amazing work!

VCAL

Print Page Print All Pages

Read Time: ( words)

Below are some of the pieces that were shown at our NIGHT OF EXCELLENCE. Well done to all students for their amazing work!

Natalie Bisi
VCAL Coordinator

HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Print Page Print All Pages

Read Time: ( words)

This year has presented many challenges, during COVID and teaching remotely. It has been great to be back in action this term and even better to see both staff and students’ enthusiasm as we get back into the normal routine of practical classes.

Our VCE students have shown incredible resilience this year and all have been rewarded as they completed their exams without interruption. Recently, our Health and Human Development and Physical Education students completed their exams. Teachers awaited eagerly outside for the first copy of the exam, I am not sure who was more nervous and excited all at the same time. Outdoor and Environmental studies will be approaching soon, we wish all the students who have exams to come and those who have completed their exams the absolute best of luck. All students should be so proud of the effort they have put into their education this year.

Year 10 and 11 students have been working hard towards completing their final units of work as they too head into exams during their scheduled class time over the next two weeks.

Year 9 students have waited anxiously to return to school so they can get into their final SEPEP European Handball unit. This unit allows students to explore roles such as player, coach, referee, and scorer. The rivalry between class teams is high and we cannot wait to see the excitement of their class tournaments come alive.

Year 7 students are also getting a taste of their first SEPEP Netball tournament. Learning new roles and positions on the court has been difficult, many have embraced the challenge of helping others and supporting one another if they step into enemy territory. Lastly, let us not forget about our wonderful Year 8’s who are working through their rotations of AFL, Soccer, Speedball and Basketball.

In health, students have commenced their final units across 7-9 including looking at Respectful Relationships, Alcohol and Road Safety.

It is a timely reminder to all students to keep working hard and aiming to achieve their absolute best that they can. Term 4 reports will be just around the corner. Make sure you are checking Compass to see any red dots and if you have submitted something and have not received feedback, or you have submitted work late, please let your teacher know via Microsoft teams’ message or email so they can provide you with feedback.

Stephanie Todd
Health & Physical Education Key Learning Head

Below are some of the pieces that were shown at our NIGHT OF EXCELLENCE. Well done to all students for their amazing work!

TECHNOLOGY

Print Page Print All Pages

Read Time: ( words)

In lieu of our Night of Excellence, this year we highlighted the excellent work created in the different learning areas of the College in 2021 via our Facebook page. Our students in Technology have completed some amazing work in a variety of subjects including Food Studies, Information Technology, Product Design and Technology, Systems Engineering and Textiles.

Below are some of the pieces that were shown at our NIGHT OF EXCELLENCE. Well done to all students for their amazing work!

Andrew Dingey
KLA Leader Technology

LANGUAGES

Print Page Print All Pages

Read Time: ( words)

Languages have been very happy to see the return of face-to-face learning at the end of what will hopefully be the last major lockdown. It has been wonderful to see a return to normal style lessons in which we can see students investigate new skills and showcase their learning. We were proud to be able to show off some of these earlier endeavours during the Night of Excellence display and we are looking forward to more!

In both Chinese and German our students are busy completing their final assessment tasks. There are Monster posters to complete and Education Perfect Challenges to master. The staff are there to make sure all of these tasks are running smoothly, as we are aware that a class full of students will have learners at a variety of entry and exit points to the set tasks. It is wonderful to see how a good poster assignment of Education Perfect allows students to find a place to start their investigations at their own level and then excel in that area before moving onto the next. These investigations cover core skills like spelling and organisation, but also allow the students then to move onto extension tasks by finding related content on the online platform or by using their available time to challenge themselves with writing more complex responses or even adding to their presentations to make these shine in all criteria: Content, Spelling and Presentation.

Naturally, there have been some real restrictions put on what we can do due to COVID; our excursions had to be cancelled and our cultural investigations, such as cooking, have had to be postponed. Nonetheless, we hope that with us nearing the end of the assessment process we will find the time to look into some aspects of the Chinese and German speaking worlds with online explorations and by investigating the culture of these areas and their people as well.

Finally, it is necessary to remind students to give their best effort over the next few weeks to maximize their marks for their reports. We must also stress that it is essential for students to check the status of their CATs. If they notice that there is a problem, e.g. a red flag where they believe work has been completed, they must contact their teacher as soon as possible to resolve this.

Jonas Bahlo
Languages Key Learning Head

Below are some of the pieces that were shown at our NIGHT OF EXCELLENCE. Well done to all students for their amazing work!

THE ARTS

Print Page Print All Pages

Read Time: ( words)

We were so thrilled to welcome students back in to our classrooms and return to practical on-site learning, where students were able to apply many theoretical skills covered in remote learning to real life situations.

Instrumental teachers were very happy that the operation guide allowed them to teach on site and see their students play their instruments. The program is growing quickly with some renewed energy and support from the principal class.

Across the department, our students have been learning guitar basics in Music, floor plans and elevation drawings in VCD, etchings and using the printing in Arts and observational drawings in Studio Arts. We have been blown away by the quality of our VCE students and their folio creations, which is always a highlight this time of year. We wish our VCE students and teachers all the best as they approach the exam period.

Jordan van Keulen
The Arts Key Learning Head

Below are some of the pieces that were shown at our NIGHT OF EXCELLENCE. Well done to all students for their amazing work!

HUMANITIES

Print Page Print All Pages

Read Time: ( words)

Outstanding work produced by Humanities students was the focus of the online Night of Excellence on the 19th of October. We had a variety of assignments, reports, posters, collaborative exercises, charts, maps and line drawings from across our Commerce, Geography and History subjects. Be Your Own Boss students were featured with their Trade Week businesses and Accounting students displayed cupcakes created earlier in the year. History students examined Weimar banknotes from one hundred years ago. There was research into iconic archaeological sites in Australia and many maps and line drawings of Mooroolbark College.

Thank you to everyone who was involved in creating the work displayed on the night. These students should be very proud of what you wrote, designed and created.

Chris Hanneberry
Humanities Key Learning Head

Below are some of the pieces that were shown at our NIGHT OF EXCELLENCE. Well done to all students for their amazing work!

ASPIRE

Print Page Print All Pages

Read Time: ( words)

Whilst our ASPIRE students continued to work hard in remote learning, it has been wonderful welcoming our students back onsite!

This term during remote learning our Year 8 and 9 ASPIRE classes participated in the Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series online event, Scratch AI. It was great to see students developing their skills in coding and trying something new.

Here’s what James Odgers from Year 9 had to say about the session:

“The A.I. Scratch online excursion to Y.R.T.S. was a refreshing change to normal schoolwork. Presenter Al taught us about how A.I. works, how to use Teachable Machine and bring it into scratch, and how to code a motion-controlled game. I was very happy to have a new, unique idea for making scratch games and enjoyed today a lot.”

During remote learning in Science, our Year 7 students recently participated in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count where they spent 20 minutes in their favourite outdoor space and counted the birds that they saw during that time frame. Their participation helped BirdLife Australia find out about the common species that live where our students live. It also gives an of the health of the environment – think of birds as a barometer for nature!

Back on site, students have been reconnecting with each other, participating in engaging activities and working hard to complete their CATs. Our Year 7 Science class had fun doing hands-on practical activities with Mrs Raven creating bubbles. They were investigating how changing different variables can alter the outcome of an experiment.

Later in the term we will be fare welling our Year 9 students from the ASPIRE program. I wanted to take this opportunity to say congratulations to you all for the endeavor and resilience you have shown over the last 3 years. It has been pleasing to witness your progress over your time in the program and I wish you all the best of luck as you enter Year 10!

Kara Salmon
ASPIRE Program Coordinator

CAREERS/PATHWAYS REPORT

Print Page Print All Pages

Read Time: ( words)

We would like to start off by wishing our Year 12 VCE students all the best with their exams over the next month. These students have had a senior schooling experience that we can only imagine with and we hope that despite this, they achieve the results that they deserve. VCE or VCAL, they are certainly a resilient group of students and we are so proud of them.

Some of our Year 12 students are fortunate enough to have received an early offer/ conditional offer already, and others already have full time work/ apprenticeships lined up for 2022, and we would like to congratulate these students and know that their hard work has paid off.

At the other end of the pathways journey, we have our Year 9 students completing their Morrisby interviews over the next 3 weeks after being rescheduled to avoid completing interviews during remote learning. We hope that the students are able to make the most of these interviews, and we welcome them to further discuss these results with their pathways advisor.

Year 11 students have also recently had their follow up pathways appointments and we are so thankful to be able to see the students face to face for the majority of these, using our new outdoor learning spaces to do so in a number of cases. It is inspiring to hear about so many aspirant students, with some even applying to complete a university subject alongside their Year 12 studies in 2022.

All Year 8 to 11 students will receive (or have received) their 2022 subjects over the next few weeks, and they are welcome to discuss these with Mrs Roache at the appropriate appointment times, following the directions in the letter in the package with the subjects and compass. Students are also invited to discuss options with their pathways advisor prior to their appointment time if required.

Like most, we are now looking forward to 2022, and would like to wish our students and families a safe and happy holidays.

Jenny Roache
Senior School Leader

STUDENT WELLBEING

Print Page Print All Pages

Read Time: ( words)

While lockdown and remote learning are coming to an end, the mental health experts are telling us that the ‘hidden pandemic’ of ongoing mental health issues will continue for some time and may not peak for another 12 months. As a school and as parents we need to continue to monitor our young people and provide them with a safe, caring environment and ongoing support.

Below are three high quality organisations that support the mental health and wellbeing of young people. On each website you will find resources, helpful tips and videos, and counseling support if needed.

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/

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

And as always, we want to remind you, that your child’s mental health is our priority and we want to continue to provide quality welfare support to our students, even during remote learning. If you have any concerns at all about your child then please contact your child’s coordinator or myself and chaplain Gill Van Der Ende. We are available to parents via phone or text. Your child can also contact us directly by knocking on the door of our office or drop-in. We are here to support you.

Regards,

John Nichol
Well-Being Leader

WELLBEING AND WELFARE SUPPORT SERVICES

24 Hour Emergency
Police/Fire/Ambulance		24 hours/7 days	000
Kids Helpline	Counselling service for people aged between 5 and 25	24 hours/7 days	1800 551 800 www.kidshelp.com.au www.kidshelpline.com.au/young-adults (email, web chat)
Lifeline	Crisis support, suicide prevention and mental health support services	24 hours/7 days	13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au
Beyond Blue	Information and support for all ages to promote optimal mental health.	24 hours/7 days	1300 224 636 www.beyondblue.org.au (Chat online or email)
1800 RESPECT	24 hour counselling line for anyone who has experienced, or is at risk of, family and domestic violence and/or sexual assault.	24 hours/7 days	1800 737 732 https://www.1800respect.org.au/
E headspace	Provide mental health support for young people aged 12–25	Phone: 10pm – 1am Online counselling: 1pm – 1am	1800 650 890 https://headspace.org.au/eheadspace/
Inspiro	Free youth, teen, young adult and family		counselling 9738 8801 or visit https://www.inspiro.org.au/ for more information
Parent line	Support for Parents and Carers with children from birth to 18 years	8am–midnight/7 days	13 22 89
EDVOS	Family violence service in Melbourne’s eastern metropolitan region	Mon-Fri 9am-8pm Sat 9am-5pm (phone or email)	03 9259 4200 edvos@edvos.org.au https://www.edvos.org.au/

LIBRARY

Print Page Print All Pages

Read Time: ( words)

This year has again thrown a number of challenges at the Library, with much of the last part of the year spent in lockdown and away from our Library. The books have become very lonely without excursions outside of the Library. However, it’s been great to see everyone access Wheelers ebooks and audio books for something a bit different, and we do hope that you will continue to use this additional service into next year. (It’s a bit perfect for Summer reading, too, since you can borrow ebooks and audiobooks over the holidays!)

We know that many of you are starting to clean out your lockers, and maybe even your bedrooms, and we’d like to remind you to return any books or equipment that you may come across that you’ve borrowed from the library. If you have an overdue book, then it means that no one else is able to borrow it!

The Library staff are working very diligently behind the scenes to process new arrivals to the Library but we’d like to remind you that we still have shelves full of classics and old favourites that are waiting for you to read! Pop in and visit us in the last few weeks of school – we’re always happy to offer you some recommendations for reading over the Summer holidays!

There are lots of changes coming to the Library in 2022 so watch this space!

Premier’s Reading Challenge

We are super excited to announce that 15 students completed the Premier’s Reading Challenge in 2021. This is an incredible effort given how much time we were in remote learning, which made it just that little bit more challenging for students to access our physical books!

Congratulations to every student that made some progress through the Challenge – we had a whopping 554 books finished throughout the Challenge! The class that finished reading the most books was 8A, with a whopping 176 books between 25 students! Blue House is also clearly full of readers, as they contributed 231 of those finished books, so go Blue House!

Book Club

Book Club has certainly had its challenges throughout the year, swapping between being remote and being in person! We’d like to thank Miss Giles for her commitment to keeping Book Club running in 2021 and providing an opportunity for students to discuss reading outside of class.

Book Club will return in 2022, so keep an eye out for announcements on how you can attend!

Book Returns

It’s really important that you remember to return all your overdue library books by November 19th! The library has to undertake a very important stocktake of our resources, and there are always other people who would like to read what might be out on loan!

Returning your books is easy – just drop them into the returns box at the desk in the library!

As an incentive to remember to return your books, you’ll be able to earn house points! For each Homegroup with no overdue books by the end of Term 4, there is a whopping 50 house points on offer!

Prue Bon
Library Coordinator