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Mooroolbark College Newsletter – March 2023

28th March 2023

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 reading about all the amazing things happening around our College.

Upcoming Events

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

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Welcome to the 2023 school year and the College’s 50th Anniversary. 

 

 

 An especially warm welcome to both new staff, students, and families. It is an extremely exciting time of year where we watch our Year 7s as they begin their secondary school journey. We commenced with our ‘Welcome’ Assembly introducing the new Year 7 students, along with celebrating the Class of 2022 high achievers and introducing our new Year 12 students. We are very proud of the Senior Student Leadership team who ran their first whole school assembly, committed to aligning the College values of Compassion, Endeavour, Resilience, and Respect in all aspect of college life. 

 

 

We look forward to working with the Senior School Leadership Team, especially the 2023 College Captains – Ciara Delaney and Carla Hunaidi 


I extend a warm welcome to our Mooroolbark College community our new staff. They had a busy start with induction programs, two days of Staff Professional Learning and new teachers’ sessions. 

Welcome: 

David Quinn Jacob Ellum Blake Pearson Paige Carr 

Bradley Blair Matthew Sheaves Megan Furphy Tracey Leicester 

Nathan Contebardo Kailey Scott Michael Jones Matthew Coghlan  

Mikayla Cassidy Katie Nott Tracey Mc McCombe Brodie Challis 

Meg Williams Sarah Schoenmaker   

 

 Class of 2022  

Again, we are extremely proud of the 2022 Year 12 Cohort who achieved excellent results, reflecting on the hard work and effort of both VCE and VCAL.  

We congratulate the College Dux, Rhys Thomson  

 

‘Ready to Learn’ and ‘Deep Dive into 2023

On the first day of term we welcomed our Year 12 Class of 2023 and our new Year 7s to the Mooroolbark College Community. This was a fantastic time as it allowed us to get to know our students, and focus on them as a learning community. The ‘Ready to Learn’ program introduced Year 7 students to the learning culture at the College, setting them up ready to engage in their learning this year. Students were given their House folders, Numeracy and Literacy Journals and shown to their learning space, The Discovery Centre. To support this, the students attended sessions presented by their House Leaders, guided through setting their digital devises up for eLearning, and engaged with external presenters, The Maths Show, Professor Maths and author Geoff Ivanoff. Similarly the Class of 2023 were given the opportunity to take a ‘Deep Dive’ into the year ahead with presentations to build resilience from Daniel Merza, participating in circus skills and reflecting on pathways opportunities. This was again a huge success with the senior students gaining momentum for the year ahead.

 

We welcome the rest of the school community back with a whole school assembly where the Year 7 students were made feel very welcome and Mrs Ann Stratford College Principal addressed the community setting them up for a successful academic year. We also sent Mrs Stratford off with well wishes for her long service leave adventures for the remainder of the term.

 

Rachael Williams

ACTING PRINCIPAL

 

 

 

 

 

ENGLISH

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Year 7 

Our new Year 7 students have made a flying start in English this year, they have been creating Zines on a topic of their choice as part of their orientation unit and are now beginning their creative non-fiction writing folio which will see them explore autobiographies, biographies and memoirs. Their Zines have been so creatively presented and we can’t wait to see what they will be able to produce in the space of creative non-fiction! 

 

 

Year 12 

The Year 12 classes have also had a fantastic start to the year.  

In English they have already completed their first SAC which was a creative response to ‘Born a Crime’ by Trevor Noah and have enjoyed the opportunity to express themselves creatively.  

The Literature class have also completed their first SAC which was a close analysis of the classic ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ by Joan Lindsay and have thoroughly enjoyed discussing key concepts like colonialism, oppression, nature and order vs chaos. 

This year we have launched an exciting new program in English at year 9 where students are given the agency to choose two different English subjects to study across the year, instead of everyone studying the same year long course. The units have been designed to teach the same knowledge and skills, but within the interest areas of the students. Here is an overview of what each subject has been doing so far this year: 

 

Crime  

The year 9 ‘crime cadre’, that is Ms. Silver’s and Mr. Marz’s English classes, have spent the early part of the term investigating just what are the ingredients of a great crime story. We have also been ‘digging the dirt’ on the different styles of crime fiction, from your classic ‘whodunnit’s to the ‘hard boiled’ tales of 1940-50’s America right up to our CSI investigators of today. Right now ,the two classes are shining a light on the worlds first modern detective story, The Murders in the Rue Morgue’. Once we have deducted what makes it so important, we will ‘lift the lid’ on some other writers before embarking on our own crime adventures. The students will soon be creating characters and cases and writing their own Crime Story! 

– Ms. Silver and Mr. Marz 

 

Literature 

This week, Literature students continue to prepare presentations on a text of personal significance to them. Such texts include Louis Sachar’s Holes and JK Rowling’s Harry Potter. Students must defend why these texts hold equal value to “powerhouse” texts of the literary canon, such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula, or the Shakespearean catalogue. 

– Mr. Nyhuis 

 

Horror 

This week in Horror we have been exploring different monsters. Using Carroll’s Taxonomy of Monsters, students have been having vigorous discussions, defending their classification choices. We have been delving into the things that a text needs to make it Horror- fear, suspense, supernatural, violence and gore and looking for these in various texts. Students are working towards their oral presentations on their chosen aspect of the genre. 

– Ms. Valk 

 

Sporting Greats 

In Year 9 Sporting Greats we have taken on the role of being a Sports Journalist. Thus far into the unit we have dived into researching and writing about our favourite sporting teams and athletes. Furthermore, we have explored and debated some of sports most scandalous moments.? 

– Ms. Foleti 

 

Social Justice 

In the Social Justice class, we have been researching the Australian of the Year awards, viewing previous winners’ speeches and exploring issues and causes. Students will be competing in their own Australian of the Year speech competition, where students share their own personal causes and how they want the world to be a better place. Students will be voting and will crown their own Young Australian of the Year afterwards. 

– Mr. Van Keulen 

 

Teen Stories 

Teens Stories has begun with a film study of 10 things I hate about you. Students have enjoyed exploring the ideas of honesty, status, and individualism alongside the classic teen beats of high school, house parties and young love. Students are beginning to review the structure of TEAL. A particular enjoyment of students has been reviewing the importance of music and its impact on tone throughout the film. 

– Ms. Williams 

 

Amy Broekmann

ENGLISH KEY LEARNING HEAD

LITERACY

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Welcome back to everyone in the Mooroolbark College community. It has been a minute! 

As many of you may have been aware over the last few newsletters of 2022, we were looking at starting this year with some big and exciting changes and this has certainly been the case. What we can guarantee in the land of literacy at MC is more competitions, a lot more writing opportunities and an impressively elevated award system (stickers and all!). How… you may ask? Read ahead and brace yourselves ? 

 

Ready to Learn 2023

The Year 7s were in education and social networking overload in the first couple of days of their secondary school careers as part of the ‘Ready to Learn’ sessions. We had the opportunity to give them the first look at our new literacy models at MC and had a chance to learn from the ever entertaining and experienced children’s author George Ivanoff. George shared his wisdom on beginning a story, creating uniqueness in writing and being bold with ideas and character creation during the drafting process. 

QuickStart (formerly QuickSmart) 

Our commitment to offering more support for our learners in years 7 and 8 continues via the QuickStart program. We have been on the front foot with learning about our new students and have used contemporary data to shortlist our candidates for 2023. 
 

For those unfamiliar, QuickStart offers literacy support to students in sharp and meaningful sessions throughout the week outside of the classroom. Students in the program will work with our QuickStart support three times a week for approx. 30 mins each session. 

Parents of students who have been shortlisted and recommended for the program will be contacted in the coming weeks to inform of the opportunities moving forward. 

 
Literacy LORE Program 

The Literacy LORE Program aims to help Mooroolbark students cultivate a ‘Love of Reading’ and ‘Evolve’ their writing and communication literacy skills in preparation for secondary school. 

We believe that reading is linked with the ability to write well, and the Literacy LORE program grants an abundance of opportunities for students to put this belief to the test. It will also help students develop literacy skills in real-life situations that require problem-solving techniques and tools to ‘function’ in the world they live in. Media Literacy, Computer Literacy, Civic Literacy, Health Literacy, Emotional Literacy, Legal Literacy, Scientific Literacy, Financial Literacy will all be navigated. 
When these skills are mastered, students have what is known as functional literacy. 

Additionally, the program is connected to the idea of ‘Lore’. This is a word that describes stories, knowledge, history, or traditions that have been passed on throughout time about a group or people, subject, or a thing. 

We also are excited to announce our partnership with StepsWeb which will feature heavily in Literacy LORE. The online adaptive literacy suite provides every student a personalised gamified experience with spelling, punctuation, grammar rules and many more.  

 

Literacy Shield 

It is with delight that we announce the launch of the inaugural ‘Literacy Shield’ in 2023. Adding to the bevy of wonderful house system awards will be the much-needed acknowledgement of those who thrive in the literacy space. This could mean participation or success in competitions, literacy related CATs or SACs from every KLA or external events that showcase and elevate the profile of literacy in the school.  There will be literacy champions for each house at each year level and an overall house that wins the coveted shield. We are very excited and below are some of the new clubs or events to get involved in! Exciting times ahead. 

 

 
 

Tyrone Ingham 

LEARNING SPECIALIST LITERACY

EAL

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Embracing the new year of 2023, the EAL team has placed a big focus on getting prepared. At the end of 2022, the school offered two workshops for the EAL families regarding the re-enrolment paperwork and Compass communication. More than 60 families showed up on the day and took the opportunity to get things organised for their children, like CSEF applications, permission forms, textbooks, and uniform orders.  

February 20th of 2023 marks the 75th Chin National Day, which is of significant importance for many of our Burmese students and families. The canteen and admin staff have organised free cupcakes with Chin National Flag to celebrate it. Homegroup teachers have also run various activities like story sharing and Kahoot quizzes to promote the awareness of different cultures in the school.  

Mooroolbark College has collaborated with MIC (Migrant Information Centre) on a few programs to support our EAL and refugee students over the last couple of years. This year we are launching two more exciting programs with them – a volleyball club on Monday afternoons and youth caseworkers on-site. Let me introduce the two lovely case workers, Ezgi and Shani! They will be in every Monday. Students are welcome to pop into the wellbeing centre to say hi to them and make bookings for individual consultancy.  

 

Yi Jiang

EAL KEY LEARNING HEAD

LANGUAGES

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from the Languages Team for the first time for 2023! 

Well, here’s a big welcome to all our new Year 7s, new arrivals in Year 8 and an equally big welcome back to everyone else! We hope you had a restorative break over Christmas and every opportunity to catch up with family, pursue personal interests and maybe even just ‘get away’. Be that as it may, once again, welcome back! 

There have been some obvious changes to the school and the way it is run. In summary it is worth being aware of the following. 

  • Languages are taught in C Block: 

While the Year 7s have their classes based in the Discovery Centre, specialist subjects are still run in specialist areas. Languages are certainly special and we have fantastically decorated educational rooms set up in C1, C7 & C8. So, should any student forget where their language classes are, just head down to C Block. Our staff room is attached to all three rooms and we will help any lost soul. 

 

  • MC have introduced a five period day and a change for CATs:  

In Languages the five period day has meant that we now no longer have any half periods. All periods are 57minutes long and we most commonly see each class twice a week. However, we have lost some instruction time overall. This means we now only set two CATs per Semester (One Oral & one Written). Year 7 & 8 German, for example, will complete their Oral CAT in Term 1 and the Written CAT – a poster– in Term 2. There will be lots of help and planning and practice time. A teacher will always show up to Club3/4 on Thursday for anyone looking for extra help. 

 

In addition to the two CATs, there will be regular tests on paper as well as through our online learning platform Education Perfect. Furthermore there is regular class work which will need to be sighted, so that teachers can give appropriate feedback for improvement. An example is in Year 7&8 German where students have recently had time to produce title pages and then record the information included in these. Parents will get to inspect the fruits of these labours at Parent Teacher Interviews. We are looking forward to seeing you there! 

 

Recently we had the Year 7 Barbeque and it was nice to put some names to parents’ faces as well as being able to get to know a few students just that little bit better. There’s nothing like having a friendly chat over sausages, cordial and icy-poles, right? Students who signed up for the EP club will be notified shortly about our activities. 

The Education Perfect World Championship will this year run from the 7th to the 14th of March. During that time we will dedicate classwork and homework to this competition. It allows students to collect points, aim for certificates and prizes all while building vocabulary. We can hardly wait! Of course, students should always bring their charged device as well as their other equipment to all classes. 

 

Jonas Bahlo

LANGUAGES KEY LEARNING HEAD

MATHEMATICS

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Welcome back to Maths for 2023! 

We have started the year off strongly across all year levels. Classes have been completing hands-on activities, building fluency by completing practice questions and developing their problem solving and collaboration skills during our Numeracy lessons. 

Each newsletter we will highlight some of the fabulous activities and programs offered at each Year Level in our school. At Year 7 and 8, we have a variety of programs that work together to provide each student with an engaging, challenging and differentiated program. 

Numeracy ProgramThe activities completed in this program provide students with an opportunity to develop a range of problem-solving techniques and teach them the value of reflecting on their thinking and the processes used. Developing these metacognitive strategies enables students to become more flexible, creative and self-directed learners. 

Learning Goals This program allows students the opportunity to choose which area of Maths they would like to improve in. They learn how to set appropriate SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely) goals and reflect on their own progress. 

Maths classes – During these lessons, students work to achieve growth in the relevant areas of the Victorian Curriculum. Students will complete activities, practice solving problems and develop their understanding and fluency.

Homework program – Starting from Year 7, Maths students at Mooroolbark College are set regular weekly homework. Scaled to suit the year level, this program is designed to reinforce classroom learning by providing students with multiple exposures to the work covered in class, whilst also developing good work habits and routines for later in their schooling.  

Club 3/4 – This is our homework and after school support session. Students are encouraged to come along if they need help with any work or if they want to complete their homework at a dedicated time each week. Club 3/4 runs each Tuesday and Thursday from 3-4pm. Year 7-10 students should head to the Student Wellbeing Centre, whilst Year 11 & 12 students can be found in the Study Centre. 

Each Newsletter we will highlight the fabulous work being done across the Maths classes in our College. This newsletter we shine a spotlight on our Year 7 classes. To start the term, the Year 7 classes have been reviewing their Number skills, including BODMAS, Multiples, Factors, Primes and they have just started working with Negative Integers. 

Here’s some highlights from our students: 

“I have been liking the choice of different skill levels -the stars-, and how we are able to choose our own task for the lesson. This allows me to look at the questions and have the choice of pushing myself further, instead of learning stuff that I might already know.” – Alexis Williams 

“I have enjoyed BODMAS and how to solve equations in the correct order. I also enjoyed the square root puzzle and connecting the pieces.” – Taylah Deveson 

“I enjoy Maths because I’m good at the mathematical equations and stuff.” – Josh O’Connor 

“The numeracy challenges provide a good amount of thinking and effort to complete and the homework isn’t overwhelming.” – Cooper Harrison 

“In maths I have enjoyed all the games we have played and the group activities.” – Jacinta Cove 

“I have enjoyed working with friends and going into High School maths with a fresh start.” – Olivia Fowler 

“I have enjoyed working on the tasks from the textbook and working them out. I also liked the square root cards where we had to match the square roots and numbers together to end up making a shape.”?– Ella McKenzie 

As part of our Year 7 Orientation, we held a Maths Show Presentation and a Maths Activity Day.  These activities provided students with the opportunity to explore and develop their Mathematics learning skills.  The students had a great time and it was a lot of fun with a hands-on experience and a step into their learning journey. 

 

Kara Salmon 

MATHEMATICS KEY LEARNING HEAD

ASPIRE

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This month, we offer a warm welcome to our brand new Year 7 ASPIRE class for 2023! Secondly, and no less importantly, we also welcome back our Year 8 ASPIRE class for an exciting new year. This year will be jam-packed with engaging experiences (including a visit to Yarra Ranges Tech School for our Year 7 class, which took place on the 14th of February!).  

Year 7 ASPIRE has kicked off into a range of exploratory activities. In English, students have crafted Zines! Short comic books, with a focus on examining the possibilities of punctuation in prose. Images of these are attached below – with students detailing some truly adventurous stories! Additionally, Year 7 students have begun their Yarra Ranges Tech School journey, drafting simple objects using Computer-aided Design software to three-dimensionally print items.  

This year’s ASPIRE information night and testing day dates are still to be decided upon, but watch this space for further information. Please contact Mr Andrew Nyhuis with any questions at aspire@mooroolbarkcollege.vic.edu.au. 

Victorian High Ability Program Term 1 2023 

This term we have six Year 8 students participating in the Victorian High Ability Program, delivered online by Virtual Schools Victoria. These students were selected based on their previous NAPLAN results and attend weekly lessons with high ability students from other schools. This program is offered each term for both English and Maths for students working approximately 12 months or more ahead of standard in the Victorian Curriculum. If you or your child would like more information about the program, or would like to be considered for a position based on your last report or teacher recommendation, please contact Mr Andrew Nyhuis at aspire@mooroolbarkcollege.vic.edu.au. 

 

Andrew Nyhuis 

ASPIRE COORDINATOR

SCIENCE

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It’s been a busy start to the year, as always in Science. Our Year 7 students have enthusiastically been learning about laboratory safety and learning to select the correct equipment fit for purpose. They are putting this knowledge into practice when doing experiments, and students will be gaining their Bunsen burner licenses over the next few weeks.  

The Year 8 Science students have focused on the States of Matter, particularly concentrating on the behavior of particles in solids, liquids, and gases. Highlights of this topic were the Diffusion with Skittles and making Oobleck experiments.  

Control and Coordination is the focus of Core Science in Year 9; students have been learning about Body Control Systems, exploring nerves, the brain, eyes and hormones. For the first time Year 9 students were given the opportunity to choose Forensic Science and Sustainability (which will be offered in Semester 2) in addition to the Innovate Science electives.  

All senior science classes are well underway with many opportunities for students to be involved in hands on learning; including simulations of TRP Operons made from pool noodles, Diffusion and Osmosis experiments, using Calorimeters, testing Alkali Metals in Water and flame testing chemical compounds.  

 

Melinda Lori Pui

SCIENCE KEY LEARNING HEAD

STEAM

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Welcome to 2023. 

In the STEAM space, we have started the year strongly with students across Years 7 to 10 exposed to various STEM-related activities.  

Students from the Year 9 ARTECH classes recently took part in an experience related to Energy and Sustainability. They used the STELR kits to analyse the rising energy costs. This Inquiry-based learning program engaged and challenged students to think about Sustainability housing. 

Students also investigated the causes and effects of climate change and explored the concept of conservation and efficiency of energy. Students also connected circuits and designed their own Inquiry questions. 

The Year 10 Robotics class also visited the Yarra Ranges Tech School where they took part in a program that introduced them to horticulture and agricultural practices. Students investigated the current trends and explored the application of technology and innovation that could benefit agricultural practices. Students understood the needs of growers and farmers to maximise production yields while improving sustainability. 

That is not all this year we have started a brand-new STEAM club called Tournament of Minds that meets every Tuesday and Thursday. TOMs is an International competition where students are involved in problem-solving. Its aim is to enhance students’ potential by developing diverse skills, enterprise, time management, and the discipline to work collaboratively within a challenging and competitive environment. There are four categories to choose from ARTS, STEM, Language and Literature and Social Sciences.  

Tournament of Minds is an opportunity for students with a passion for learning and problem-solving to demonstrate skills and talents in an exciting, vibrant, and public way. We are looking forward for teams to joining our very first TOMs competition this year. 

 

Tooba Awais

LEARNING SPECIALIST – STEAM

 

 

 

 

 

DUKE OF EDINBURGH

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As we establish a new team part of the Duke of Edinburgh program in 2023 we have been completing many trust, teamwork and leadership activities. We have discussed what it means to be a part of a team and the importance of understanding our uniqueness. 

We also had our first excursion to the Kokoda Memorial Trail (1000 steps) as a test of our physical fitness in preparation for our upcoming Practice Journey at the Cathedral Ranges next term.  

I cannot wait to work with a team of enthusiastic students willing to leave their comfort zone. 

Jade Hubben 

DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD LEADER

HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION

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Welcome to Term 1. I hope all students and their families have had a restful Christmas and New Year break. 

During Term 1 students in Year 7-10 participate in a Fitness and Minor Games unit. The unit is designed so that students can get to know each other and their teacher whilst participating in a range of fun mini games and team challenges. Below is a snapshot of some students in 8B. Their goal was to get their entire team in and out of a single hula-hoop, the only rule was that if they stepped out of the hula-hoop at any time they had to go back to the start. It was fantastic to see their teamwork and collaboration during this activity. 

Peer Support has commenced this week (Week 4) and the Year 10 Leadership Development students have been working hard in preparation to create and deliver a range of mini lessons with the Year 7’s. Lesson topics include: Making friends, identifying personal strengths, how to manage and curb bullying. Students will also commence their very first CAT – Time Capsule Assignment with the Year 10’s. This CAT is saved and stored away until students are in Year 12, they get it back. It contains information all about them, their interests, what is popular in 2023 and even a little letter to themselves. I cannot wait to see their transformations as they progress through their school years. 

Swimming Carnival was an absolute blast. The weather was not favourable, but it was great to see students in all houses dressed up and ready to go. There were many activities for students to join in even if they are not strong swimmers. Water Polo was a hit and 9-Square was an out of water crowd favourite too. So many house points and prizes to be won. Congratulations to Ngawan House who were crowned the winners and all the swimmers who got involved and who have made it onto Division Swimming Sports on Monday 6th March.  

Year 9 Human Development students have been exploring all things pregnancy and developmental changes in a new and exciting elective for 2023. Below you can see them completing a review task which required them to use their memory of the previous two lessons and match up developmental changes with the correct pregnancy stage. It was challenging but the students did an excellent job! 

Year 11 Health and Human Development students have been busy learning how to analyse data. Students were tasked with 5 different bus stop stations, each with their own set of data and questions. Students worked together to problem solve and answer the questions in a short time frame. 

There are also lots of fantastic opportunities during Term 1 to participate in Inter-School Sports that are running. Please see the Forms Link on Compass or you can speak to Mr. Exon in the Maths office. Sports include Volleyball, Baseball, Tennis and Cricket.  

I look forward to celebrating all students’ achievements in Health and Physical Education this Term.  

 

Stephanie Todd 

HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION KEY LEARNING HEAD 

 

 

 

 

HUMANITIES

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A big welcome back to all of our Mooroolbark community from the Humanities Faculty. We’re ready and raring to get into things with all the new Year 7s in both Geography and History. The team in the Discovery Centre have already put in some great effort to set up our Humanities learning space. We’re equally excited to work with our returning students as they progress into new subjects to explore. There are a few changes moving forward in Humanities this semester and a few new faces to introduce to our team. 

New Subject – Year 9 – Herstory 

Paige Williams has already been hard at work with our new and exciting history unit – Herstory. Already students have reflected on why studying female history is important and how we can ensure current female history does not follow the trend of being overlooked or erased. The students have looked at figures such as Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, Mary Seacole and Florence Nightingale; the study of the latter two against the backdrop of the Crimean War to discuss how women are remembered after the fact. We’re really excited to see how this unit unfolds and explores this important area of history. 

Changes to the Humanities team 

First of all, I am proud to introduce myself as the new Coordinator of the Humanities KLA. I would take this opportunity to thank Chris Hanneberry for his years of service in the role and I thank him for his continuing support as a key member of the Humanities team. 

We’re excited to have 2 new teachers in Humanities this semester. We have Matthew Coghlan coming in new this year as our new Director of Curriculum as well as teaching a slew of subjects in Humanities; Be Your Own Boss and Economics and Business in year 9 and Business Management and Legal Studies in year 11. We also have Blake Pearson who is taking Small Business Accounting this semester in year 10. It’s exciting to see these new faces really hit the ground running at Mooroolbark College and the great benefit that their new energies and experiences add to our culture. 

The year has just begun and there is plenty to look forward to in the Humanities Learning Area. A quick note to make sure that all students are making sure they bring all the required materials for Humanities subjects to ensure that they are fully able to get involved with our exciting content!  

 

I look forward to seeing all the exciting work we can do together this term. 

 

Alex Scott 

HUMANITIES KEY LEARNING HEAD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MOOROOLBARK PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION (MCPA)

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DID YOU KNOW? 

Did you know Mooroolbark College has an established Parents Association It is unique for a secondary school, and we value the contribution we can make to the College.  Through some fundraising activities we have recently been able to support the purchase of things for the school that otherwise would be beyond financial reach.   

Keep cool under the new shade sails? MCPA helped pay for those!   
Sat on the fantastic furniture in the Wellbeing Centre? MCPA helped pay for that!                                                         
Has your child used new photography equipment recently? We purchased those! 

The MCPA also offers a great way for parents to be involved in the school setting, gain a direct ear to decisions made that affect our children, and be part of supporting the broader school community. 

WANT TO BE PART OF IT? 

We meet twice per term alternating between in-person and online meetings. On Monday 6 March, we have the Annual General Meeting at 6:30pm at the College.  Come join us and become a general committee member, there is NO obligation to take on an office bearing role.   

Many hands make light work, and more heads make more ideas, so join us and see the difference you can make. 

For more information, please contact Sally Jackson at the College on 9727 8100.

SENIOR SCHOOL

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The senior school student’s year has started with a bang! All year 12 students took part in a “Deep Dive into 2023” which involved a day spent together forming relationships, team building and motivating them for the year ahead.  

Circus skills including plate spinning, juggling and hoola hooping allowed them to have a laugh, explore their levels of resilience and re-establish their connections with their peers. At the same time, some team building activities were taking place outdoors.  

After a session about stress management and VCCA rules and regulations, they students enjoyed a BBQ lunch together before a session with Daniel Merza, a speaker who travels the world talking to students about being leaders of their life. He also talked about the monkeys we all have on our backs and students got to identify which monkey was holding them back from experiencing success for 2023. 

We have also welcomed Year 11 VCE and VCE-VM students back and they have settled into classes quickly. The jump from year 10 to 11 has been made apparent and it is good to see all senior students making the most of their study time and utilising Club 3/4. 

We celebrated the success of the Class of 2022 in a general assembly, and also celebrated the high achievers in Year 11 who did well in their accelerated subject in 2022. Congratulations to Jordan Barnwell, Par Ku Hnialum, Anisa Aganovic, Shaylee Goodwin, Kyle Roache, Hannah Schofield, Ciara Delaney and Grace Kilgour. 

We are now settling into the first of many SAC-heavy weeks. Some advice to all our VCE and VCE-VM students: 

Balance is important 

Senior school years are hard work! Keep up your hobbies and leisure activities and talk to someone if things are getting overwhelming. All staff at Mooroolbark College are here to support you through these two years. 

Find your own best way to study 

VCE and VCE-VM is all about independent learning and finding out how you learn best. This means discovering how you study. You might learn best by drawing pictures and diagrams, making up songs with matching dances, or you might learn by simply writing things down. 

As well as experimenting with different methods of study, try studying at different times of the day. You might be sharpest of an evening, rather than the morning! If you know yourself and how you study, learn and remember, you will have a better chance of knowing your coursework. 

SACs are intended to prepare you for exams 

School Assessed Coursework (SACs) is the closest you’re going to get to an exam situation throughout the year, especially with regards to time constraints. Use your SACs to practise completing assessment tasks in allocated times. That practise is absolutely essential and will give you an advantage in the exam. It will also help you to feel at ease and less pressured when having to write a lot in such a short amount of time. Treat every SAC like you would an exam 

Consistency is key 

No one can cram a unit of work in one or two nights before a SAC. Give yourself every opportunity to succeed. Regular study sessions every night will pay off in the end. Whether you are doing VCE or VCE-VM, keeping up-to-date with your coursework as it is due, is the best way to stay ahead of the game.  

 

 

Michelle Colette

SENIOR SCHOOL LEADER

SRC

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The SRC has had an amazing start to the year, welcoming our new executive team and general SRC. We have had a very productive start to the year with a planned and executed stall at the swimming carnival with $200 made in profit.  We have had an outstanding number of students who volunteered their time to help run the stall and we are hoping for that number to grow throughout the year. 

The SRC is planning a meeting next Friday specifically for year 7’s who expressed their interest at the year 7 barbeque, at this meeting we are hoping to inspire the year 7’s to help support their school and volunteer themselves for new opportunities that the SRC can provide. We are hoping to involve the year 7’s in as many experiences as possible so that they get a chance to work on their collaborative skills and meet and build relationships with students from other year levels. 

Our next step is to decide what charities we are hoping to support this year, so this will hopefully start being discussed within the near future. Our next event that we are already beginning to plan is our easter raffle which will be run within the last few weeks of the term featuring prizes like easter eggs, chocolate bunnies, and more. Raffle tickets will be available to buy within the next few weeks so make sure to keep your eye out for a chance at the prizes on offer!! 

 

Aliyah Orwin 

SRC PRESIDENT

  

PRIVACY REMINDER

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Annual privacy reminder for our school community 

Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy. 

Please take time to read our school’s collection notice, found on our website Privacy-Collection-Notice.pdf (mooroolbarkcollege.vic.edu.au) 

Currently, we are reviewing the guidance we provide on how we use Compass safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. Please look out for a Compass post and after reviewing the guidance, if you have any questions or concerns regarding you or your child’s information being stored on Compass, please contact the school. 

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in ten community languages. 

 

TECHNOLOGY

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What a wonderful start to the year we have had in technology!  
Our Junior students have been settling into their new tech subjects.   
It is great to see them becoming excited about the new skills they are mastering and all the equipment they are going to be using.  
All year levels have been starting the year with a big push on safe work practices.  
Students in Wood and Metal classes have been learning and implementing workshop safety protocols, these students are also starting to research and design projects.   
Our Year 8 Juniors in textiles have been learning, once again, safety with the equipment in the textiles room, such as parts of a sewing machine, how to safely handle and thread them. In addition to this we are seeing some wonderful finger knitting and crochet projects being created in this area.  
In the Foods area students have also learning about safety with the different equipment in the kitchen, as well as, the all-important hygiene when cooking and handling food. Juniors have already started making pita pockets, ramen noodle soup, smoothies, and scrambled eggs. Our Middle classes have already been making some breads and pull aparts, (although so delicious we would be surprised if they all made the trip home in one piece!)  
Our Year 10s Bakers BBQ students began the year making their own sausages as well as making their own rub for Jerk Chicken. Our Bakery students have really showed their off their skills by making bacon, herb and cheese pull a part bread as well as cinnamon twists. The Year 10 students have produced delicious chicken Caesar salad and followed it up by making gluten free chocolate chip cookies. If the quality of work they have already produced is anything to go by it is going to be a great semester for our Year 10 students. 
Our Juniors students in Digitech have settled with learning how to use the internet safely, they are using online research skills to create some amazing posters on a technology of their choice.  The Year 9 Robotics visited YRTS and worked collaboratively to program robotic puppies, including posing, animating, and chaining commands in sequence. They also learned about areas for future employment around robotics in local industry and health. In class, they have started production of a simple Stomper robot, where students will work on soldering simple circuits to make their robot move. 
The technology Teachers are really looking forward to seeing the students creations throughout the rest of their units.  
 

Perie Edmonds

TECHNOLOGY KEY LEARNING HEAD
 
  

 

 

 

THE ARTS

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It has been a fantastic start to the year for The Arts. Our students and staff are well rested after the break and can’t wait to create some amazing artworks and performances this year. This year we welcome Megan Furphy, Paige Carr, Jacob Ellum, Kailey Scott, Michael Jones and Bradley Blair to the faculty. 

In Year 7 and 8 Performing Arts, students have started with drama this term. Year 7 have been exploring energy and focus, as well as looking at expressive skills of voice, facial expression, gesture, and movement. Year 8 have been reacquainting themselves with drama, developing an awareness of vocal delivery, projection, and intonation. 

In the Visual Arts, the Year 7 Art students are being introduced to the art elements and principles as a precursor to analysing artworks. They have also been learning basic drawing techniques relevant to observational drawing. In Year 10 Art students have experimented with Impressionist techniques such as sketching ‘En-plein air’ (outdoors) and have completed tonal painting tasks to learn how to find the dips and falls in tonal variation. Students used short deliberate brushstrokes and painted over their school photographs emulating Impressionist styles. In VCD, Year 8s are working on creating book cover designs for the Year 7 novel “things a map won’t show you”. They are generating original cover ideas from their annotated research imagery. The Year 9 and 10 VCD students are working on their communication design skills: generating a fully developed client brief and developing an original illustration in response to this brief. 

A brand new subject for this year is Year 9 Artech. Students have experimented applying the elements and principles of Art through hand tracing and expressing their own unique ideas about how to represent each element or principle within their hand. Students have engaged in their first Art analysis, writing with passion and elevating their vocabularies through the use of new descriptive words. Students will soon begin lino printing and have the opportunity to apply their new knowledge to produce dynamic and exciting compositions. 

 Our Year 10 students in Studio Arts have begun their first CAT which is based on the art movement ‘Surrealism’. They have also been introduced to observational drawing and the skills required to achieve a representational likeness. The Year 10 Photography students are getting to know their camera settings and engaging with photographic techniques such as Camera angles, Framing and fast shutter speed. 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.  

In VCE, Year 11 and Year 12 Art Making & Exhibiting students have been researching artists for inspiration & experimenting with materials and techniques of their choice. Year 11 Creative Practice students have been introduced to Ancient art and are completing a contemporary self portrait appropriating the styles and techniques used from the ancient era. We have engaged with intaglio printing techniques using recycled tetra paks as an environmentally conscious printing plate. Over in Media, Year 11 students are analysing the film Spiderman: Into the Spider Verse looking at representations in Media while learning about Technical Codes and Narrative Conventions. Our Year 12 Media students are exploring how feminism is conveyed in the films, Aliens and Black Widow. In VCD Year 11 students are developing their industrial design concepts for SAC 1, exploring different textures, shapes and materials, and are starting to explore 3d design using isometric drawing. Year 12 VCD students are developing outdoor pavilions as part of their environmental design folio. These pavilions will be displayed as floor plan drawings, elevations and planometric projections. 

  

THE ARTS INSTAGRAM WORK 
Be sure to check out the College’s Instagram page which showcases amazing work produced by our students in The Arts at?https://www.instagram.com/mooroolbarkcollegeofficial/. 

 

Matthew Neil-Holland

THE ARTS KEY LEARNING HEAD

SPORT

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Swimming Carnival: 

On the 13th February, we hosted our annual swimming carnival at Croydon Memorial pool. Despite a cooler day than usual, it was amazing to see the participation in all events. The venue was flooded in a sea of blue, green, red and yellow. Each house was heavily represented in the events throughout the day. It was especially encouraging to see the incredible number of students in the walking lane, water polo and nine square. 

Congratulations to all swimmers who participated and were awarded vital points for their house. We witnessed outstanding results with plenty of students taking away multiple blue ribbons and booking their spot in the 2023 Mooroolbark College swimming team.  

I would like to give a massive thank you to all staff who assisted with officiating, supervising and taking part in the events on the day. I look forward to our athletics and cross country carnivals later in the year.  

 

Division Swimming: 

Well done to Jordan Barnewall and Owen Wahrenberger who won multiple events at the division carnival and progressed through to the EMR event as age group champions. Congratulations to Liam Price, James Flewellen and Jacob Garratt who also won their way through to EMR swimming in one or more events.  

 

Interschool Sport: 

Congratulations to the following sport teams for winning their division round-robin. Good luck at the next stage! 

  • Senior girls volleyball 
  • Intermediate girls volleyball 
  • Intermediate boys volleyball 

In the next few weeks, we will have our year 7 and 8’s going out on their first round robin for the year.  

Make sure you are all keeping an eye on Compass for the sign-up sheet for term 2. The sports that will be running are: 

  • AFL 
  • Netball 
  • Soccer 
  • Badminton 

 

 

Ryan Exon 

INTERSCHOOL SPORT COORDINATOR

 

HOUSE REPORT

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It has been an exciting start to the year for all four houses. We have enjoyed getting to know our new Year 7 students and introducing them to their teammates. Our Year 7s participated in their first inter-house competition on their first day of school, where they competed in a variety of challenges. Congratulations goes to Darrang House, whose Year 7s won all three competitions and were crowned the overall champions! 

Another exciting event on the whole-school calendar is our Swimming Sports, which was held on February 13th at Croydon. It was great to see students showing house spirit by wearing their house colours and cheering on their peers. The Year 12 inflatables race was a highlight, although some of the swimming techniques were definitely questionable! We are proud of all of the students who earnt points for their house by competing in an event, joining in the walking lane, or playing a game of water polo. The overall winner for the 2023 Swimming Carnival was Ngawan House, with a stellar effort across all age groups. Congratulations, Ngawan! 

It has been fantastic to see so many students embodying our value of Respect by wearing full school uniform each day. In the unlikely event that your child is not wearing correct uniform, please ensure that you write them a note so that they can obtain a uniform pass from their home group teacher or coordinator.  

One of the ways that the College recognises students who show our values, is through awarding Merits. These Merits can be given by any staff member to a student who displays any of the four College values in the classroom or the yard. Once a student obtains several Merits for each value, they earn a Principal’s Award – which is worth 50 house points! Our challenge to all students is: how many Merits can you earn this term? 

 

David Quinn (Baan), Tracey Leicester (Biik), Sarah Garnaut (Darrang), and Matthew Bell (Ngawan) 

HOUSE LEADERS

 

 

 

 

STUDENT WELLBEING

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Welcome to 2023! Its been great to see a mix of new and old faces at the College and to hear all about the holidays. One of the strengths of Mooroolbark College is the sense of community that has been formed through relationship building. The wellbeing team has been busy supporting students and programs at the school.  

Our Year 12’s took part in a Wellbeing Seminar with a focus on proactive mental wellbeing strategies. Each student was resourced with a mental health action plan, a motivation tool, and a circles of control activity. We hope that students find these tools useful as they navigate their final year of schooling.  

It was fantastic to see some of 2022’s graduate class back to support the Year 7 students in their transition to secondary schooling. It can be difficult navigating a new school with different peers and teachers. We commend our Year 7’s on their resilience in managing the change and thank our past students for welcoming our new students into the community – we can’t wait to see where your endeavours take you! 

Speaking of welcoming students, we have had an influx of enrolments across the school. The wellbeing team has held a welcome lunch for all enrolments from Year 8 – 11 who are new to the college. Here we were able to answer an array of questions like ‘who do I see for a uniform pass’ and ‘what is the best food at the canteen’. It was a pleasure to see the relationships forming between peers and the compassion that they showed one another. 

Our college unequivocally has a strong connection to the Chin community. We delight in sharing celebrations for Chin National Day – which was on Sunday 20th of February. The homegroups ran a competition which resulted in winners receiving a bag of lollies. We thank the canteen for organising a special treat for our Chin students! 

We have a fantastic team of support for students who need a helping hand. Below are some faces that you may see.  

 

Please note that the amazing Mr Nichol is on leave for Term One. We wish Mr Nichol all the best galivanting across Antarctica and South America – I’m sure we will hear all about his fantastic travels when he is back. In the meantime, you can come and talk to me, Miss Coghlan. I’ll be in Darrang House.  
 

What a great start to the year! 
 
Sarah Coghlan 

ACTING STUDENT WELLBEING LEADER

CANTEEN

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Welcome Back to our Mooroolbark College community and an extra special welcome to our new Year 7 students, we are so excited to support you on your high school journey.  

The term is racing along and the canteen is humming! We are extremely busy and thankful for your patience and understanding as we navigate more food shortages such as frozen chips, potato cakes and flavoured milk. Please be assured that we are doing our very best to have all our menu items available, but occasionally certain items will show as unavailable on Flexi schools. If you haven’t already, I would strongly encourage you to download the Flexi schools App and order your recess and lunch orders through here. This ensures that you always get what you would like and no waiting in the busy canteen lines. Alternatively, you can order with the canteen staff prior to 9.00am. 

In addition to our student helpers, Campbell Robertson and Leonardo Gideon we are now excited to welcome Liam Thomson, Ethan Moss and Wil Harston to the canteen!  We are extremely grateful for the help that these students provide, as it ensures that the lines at recess and lunchtime move quickly and efficiently and that the fridges and stock are replenished in preparation for the next day! 

The canteen recently celebrated Chin National Day with our Burmese students on Monday, 20th February Chin National Day is a day to celebrate being Chin, a day to celebrate identity, culture and traditions and a day to promote understanding, sense of identity and most of all unity in diversity. We have a number of Chin students at Mooroolbark College and it was wonderful to see all of our school community take part in homegroup activities and embrace such an important day in our College calendar. The canteen provided cupcakes for our Chin students and we had other items available for sale. It was lovely to see such happy and smiling faces as the students collected their cupcakes!  

This term we have also organized for authentic Burmese cuisine through Shwe’s Kitchen every fortnight to the canteen. We hope that this will be an ongoing arrangement and look forward to connecting our school community through new delicious food.    

Thank you for your support of the canteen! 

 

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Mooroolbark College Newsletter – March 2023