Newsletter Volume 21 No: 1/14 th February 7 2014 PO Box 508 HORSHAM 3402 Ph: 5381 7100 Fax: 5382 6105 “Learning Achieving and Growing Together” ABSENCE HOTLINE – 5382 1191 WEBSITE – http://www.horsham-college.vic.edu.au to view the latest edition of the Newsletter Email Address – horsham.co@edumail.vic.gov.au IMPORTANT DATES····· ····· th Tuesday February 11 Tuesday February 11th th Tuesday February 11 th Wednesday February 12 th Wednesday February 12 Monday February 17th th Tuesday February 18 th Wednesday February 19 th Wednesday February 26 rd Monday March 3 Tuesday March 11th th Tuesday March 11 Wednesday March 12th Friday March 28th th Wednesday March 26 Friday February 28th Year 7 BBQ & Music Information Evening – 6.00pm – Middle School Site Finance Sub Committee Meeting – 6.00pm – Administration Building Grounds & Facilities Sub Committee Meeting – 7.00pm – Administration Building School Council Meeting – 7.30pm – Administration Building Year 11 Study Day Year 12 Parent Information Night – Wimmera Trade Training Centre – 7.30pm House Swimming Trials – Year 8 & 9 students (Periods 1 to 4) - Year 7 (Period 5 & 6) Darwin Defenders Service – Assembly Hall Year 11 Study Day Accountability & Improvement Sub Committee Meeting – 6.00pm – Administration Building Finance Sub Committee Meeting – 6.00pm – Administration Building Grounds & Facilities Sub Committee Meeting – 7.00pm – Administration Building Year 11 Study Day Free Dress Day – $1.00 to SRC Year 11 Study Day House Swimming Sports Sports Dates See In2Sport on back page of Newsletter From the Principal I’m impressed! Yes, it was a great start to the school year last week. We started with a whole school assembly followed by Year Level meetings. The students were eager to meet their friends, keen to get to class and were ready to learn. I had a quick chat with some of the students prior to the first assembly. The Year 7 students were a little hesitant about starting at “High School” but were looking forward to the experience. The older students reported a having a good holiday and indicated they were ready to start school. When I spoke at the whole school assembly I made three points – put in effort, take responsibility for your learning and enjoy your schooling. With effort, responsibility and enjoyment comes learning, achieving and growing together. New Staff Horsham College has a number of new staff this year. Welcome to: Mrs. Faye Shaw – QuickSmart Tutor Mr. Daniel Garner – Humanities Mr. John Nichols – Science Mr. Freddy Dyer – QuickSmart Tutor Ms. Susan Pavlovich – Art/Photography Ms. Patricia O’Connor – Technology Ms. Caroline O’Donnell – English Ms. Huan Jiang – Chinese Language Assistant Mr. Dan Frost – English Ms. Kristin Haughton – Integration Aide Ms. Georgina Hobbs – English Ms. Kerrie Pietsch – ConnectEd Mr. Tim Carter – AFL Sports Trainee Mr. David Jabornik – English Mr. Eric Jones – Technology (returning Staff member) Ms. Jaymi O’Connor – Year 10 Team Leader/PE You will be meeting these staff through this Newsletter over the next few editions. School Captains It was pleasing to meet up with our school captains, Lucas and Lauren, on Tuesday. They are keen to improve communication within the SRC and to increase participation across a wide range of sporting and cultural activities. These inspiring students have clear plans for their role this year and know exactly what they want to do in the future. I am sure they will be excellent leaders of the student body. School Council Elections Yes, it is election time already. Information on vacancies and dates accompany this Newsletter. Please consider nominating for School Council as the council plays a central role in policy making and other significant decisions which impacts on students and you as parents and carers. Appointment of new Principal The selection process for a new principal has commenced. The College Council was briefed earlier this week and advertisements should be published soon. Thank You Thanks goes to the many people, too many to name here, for making me feel so welcome here at Horsham College. Please feel free to drop in and see me at the office if you would like to discuss any matters. Graeme Holmes, Principal 59 – 61 Wilson Street HORSHAM 3400 Phone: 5382 5577 Fax: 5382 5588 Call in and see Geoff or Darren for all your stationery needs. UNIFORM SHOP Hours – Term 1, 2014 12noon to 2.00pm th st Term 1 – Week 3 & 4: February 10 to February 21 2014 Monday Wednesday Friday Monday Wednesday Friday th th th st Term 1 – Week 3: February 10 to 14 2012 Senior Canteen Monday, Wednesday & Friday UNIFORM SHOP ROSTER Canteen Roster 2014 Buffy Harrison Katie Walsgott Susie Schmidt Janine Launder Anna Potter Jennie Emmerson If volunteers are unable to attend on their appointed day, could they please swap with someone else and leave a message on 5381 7131. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Leanne Robertson Prue Beltz Year 11 Study Day Rhonda Clyne Tania Barber Junior Canteen Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Geraldine Scott Kelli Dickerson Gayle Manwaring Amanda Wynne Sacha Rose Term 1 – Week 4: February 17 to 21 2014 SECONDHAND UNIFORM SALES Senior Canteen The following people have money to collect from the Uniform Shop: Atkins, Teena Ellis, Wendy King, Kelly Radford, Sue Atwood, Rosalie Emmett, Kaye Knight, Dana Roach, Janice Bamford, Cathy Gregory, Anne Kosch, Amanda Robertson, Jane Barnes, Chris Hannan, Helen Krahe, Marcia Robson, Inge Barnott, Colleen Hansen, Sue Kruger, Deb Rook, Chris Black, Robyn Harrison, Gina Ladlow, Alice Scott, Debbie Blackwell, Peter Hateley, Deb Lawson, Joanne Sleep, Delwyn Brooks, Heather Hermans, Ray Liston, Maree Smith, Annette Brown, Monica Hill, Rachel Mackley, Sharon Snowden, Donna Burke, Justine Hinge, Robyn Margetts, Pauline Sullivan, Louis Carberry, Anna Hobbs, Abbey McAlpine, Darren Sudholz, Gianna Carine, Judy Hobbs, Dianne McCourt, Lea Taylor, Sharon Carter, Ash Horsham Special School McLean, Janelle Taylor, Leanne Carter, Jenny Hunter, Maddison Mellington, Di Thompson, Jan Chamberlain, Sarah James, Wendy Meyer, Helen Thompson, Jan Clark, Tara Janetzki, Lisa Miller, Nadine Tucker, Olivia Cowan, Travis Johns, Donna Moyle, Lynne Wallis, Zac Cross, Belinda Johnson, Judy Norton, Debbie Wills, Chris Dempster, Paige Johnston, Sharon Nuzum, Julie Wilson, Leisa Dixon, Mandy Jones, Jennifer O’Connor, Narelle Duldig, Dianne Jorgensen, Andrea Pirouet, Mandy Dymke, Sharon Jorgensen, Linda Price, Fiona There is a good range of secondhand uniform available at present. Prices range for $5.00 - $30.00 Lay-By facilities are available if desired If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact Uniform Shop Manageress Marg Gunning – 5381 7131 NEWSLETTER BY EMAIL Would you like to receive the Newsletter by email each fortnight? If you would like to receive the Newsletter by email, please contact Mrs. Judi Landwehr in the Administration Office by phone 5381 7114 (direct line) or by email: landwehr.judi.m@edumail.vic.gov.au ABSENCE HOTLINE !! Parents are reminded that if your child is going to be absent from school you can call the school’s Absence Hotline to advise details of the absence. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Megan Preusker Cynthia Hill Julie Schuller Celeste Patterson Genni Smith Junior Canteen Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Noela Lawson House Swimming Trials – no helper required Rohan Dalgleish Alison Smith Anna Carberry MUSIC NEWS !! YEAR 7 MUSIC INFORMATION NIGHT – TUESDAY FEBRUARY 11 7.00pm immediately following on from the Year 7 BBQ th Thinking of learning an instrument or voice? Want to become part of a band? Come and find out about the possibilities and opportunities available for your child in the music program at Horsham College. Meet the Music Staff and music students while you enjoy the Year 7 BBQ. If you have indicated on Transition forms that you would like to learn an instrument it is essential that you come to this Information Night to sign up for lessons. If you are unable to attend please contact Mrs. Angela Facey or Mr. Nick Shirrefs in the Music Office by phoning 5381 7184. Music Lessons and Bands/String Ensemble & Choir Music lessons for existing students began on Tuesday February 5 th String Ensemble begins Wednesday February 12th - 3.30pm to 4.45pm – please note Change of Day ! Stage/Concert Band begins Tuesday February 11th – 3.30pm to 5.00pm Mrs. Angela Facey/Mr. Nick Shirrefs, Music The number is 5382 1191 TOWN BUS FARE INCREASE.. MATHS TUTORING !! Free Maths Tutoring for students will be held as follows: Middle School students - Wednesday nights after school in the Library from 3.30pm to 4.15pm with Ms. Denise Vallance Senior School students – Monday nights after school in Room 1 from 3.30pm to 5.00pm with Mr. Gordon Poultney Students who need assistance with their Mathematics or just a supportive environment to complete their work are invited to attend at any time. Ms. Denise Vallance & Mr. Gordon Poultney, Maths Teachers Wimmera Roadways have advised that the bus fares, within the Horsham boundary have increased for 2014. These apply to Bus Nos: 17 and 18 only, who pick up and drop off in town. The fares are as follows: One Way = $1.10 Daily = $2.00 Weekly Ticket = $10.20 Please contact Mr. Martin Harris, Bus Coordinator at the College if you have any queries in relation to country bus travel. Enquiries regarding town bus travel should be directed to Wimmera Roadways on 5381 1548. Mr. Martin Harris, Bus Coordinator Senior School Update Middle School Update In 2014 we are continuing the message of personal responsibility which worked so well last year. Our year 12 students achieved excellent results and are now about to start a wide variety of study options or moving directly into work. We would now like all our students to consider their futures and talk to their Learning Advisor and Chris Wallis in Careers if they have need more information. Welcome Welcome to parents, students and staff to the 2014 academic year. It was a real pleasure to see the students start the year with enthusiasm and get on with their work. Our Year 7 students dealt with the transition into a new school with a positive attitude and were very keen to know their teachers and their new environment. A number of issues have been raised by parents regarding the parent-school communication. Traditionally our school has used the diaries as a mode of day-to-day communication. Parents were informed during the parent information sessions that the inbuilt calendar in the iPad would act as the diary. We are currently training our teachers in the use of a wide variety of strategies to harness new media in order to enhance and complement our communication with parents. We anticipate that our communication will be more frequent and effective than before. After welcoming all our new students and staff, the school started quickly and efficiently with all students in class Period 3. This year we have adopted a new system - if students in Years 10 and 11 wish to change a class they collect a form from their Year Level Office, take it home and discuss and get a signature from a parent or carer. If a VCE subject is involved it must be then taken to Chris Wallis who will check that it does not affect the VCE pathway. The form is then returned to the Year Level office where the Team Leader or Learning Advisor will sign if the change is appropriate. The form will then be processed and the student informed if the change is possible. While Year 12 changes are dealt with immediately changes at Years 10 and 11 must wait until all numbers are confirmed in each class. The forms are processed in order of receipt. On Thursday February 13th we are formally opening our newly renovated Koorie Centre and would encourage all interested families to attend. The event starts at 2.30pm but families who cannot come then are encouraged to come after school. Mrs. Sheila White, Associate Principal, Senior School STUDENT LOCKERS The school provides each student with a locker provided they keep it LOCKED, clean and tidy. This is an Occupational Health and Safety issue. Unlocked doors provide a possible danger to other people using the area. Unlocked lockers are also obviously not secure so items can be easily removed without permission and doors and locks can be damaged by other students or the wind. In previous years there have been break-ins where students had valuable items, including prescription glasses and expensive calculators, stolen from unlocked lockers. All students will be given until Monday February 10th to put a lock on their locker. After this time unlocked lockers will be repossessed and locked by the school. As carrying bags to class is also an OH&S issue these will have to be left on top of the locker banks. The simple message is to ensure that all students HAVE and USE a LOCK from the start of the school year. With the laptop program, securing lockers is even more essential. Students are reminded that their laptop must be taken home each night for charging. The laptop must not stay in the locker overnight or at weekends. YEAR 7 NEWS… The Year 7 Team would like to extend a warm welcome to all students and family members to the 2014 school year at Horsham College. This is an exciting time of the year and we hope that your experience is both enjoyable and rewarding. The 2014 Year 7 team includes: Team Leader - Megan Woolford and Leading Teacher - Rod Kirkwood Learning Advisors: 7A- Denise Vallance 7B- Paul Denson 7C- Luke McCallum 7D- Alison Bain 7E- Julia Chen We encourage all parents/guardians to contact their relevant Learning Advisors with feedback concerning their child. You can make contact with anyone in the Year 7 Team either through e-mail (available via the Horsham College website) or by calling the Year 7 Office on 5381 7107. There will be numerous opportunities for students to get involved in Horsham College life including SRC, class leaders, school sports, the music program, production amongst others. I can guarantee that it will be a rewarding experience for all students who get involved in the wider college community. The Meet, Eat and Greet for 2014 will be held on the Tuesday 11th of February commencing at 6pm. Please return RSVP slips this week for catering purposes. The BBQ is a great opportunity for you to meet with your child’s teachers and learning advisors and we hope to see you there. Directly following the BBQ the Music Department will hold an information session for any student interested in learning a musical instrument. For those of you who have children in older years who will have noticed some differences; with the implementation of the iPad program some things have changed. These include that students no longer have physical diaries and also that there is no Math Mates. Finally the Year 7 team wish each student a successful year and that they strive for personal excellence. Ms. Meg Woolford, Year 7 Team Leader Swimming Standards – weather warning The Swimming Standards for Years 7, 8 & 9 students have been scheduled for Tuesday February 18th. At this stage, the long-range weather forecast is for 40 degrees. If this does not change over the next couple of weeks, we may need to postpone. If so, we will let you know. Year 7 BBQ We are looking forward to meeting Year 7 parents and their students at the BBQ to be held at 6.00pm on Tuesday February 11th at the Middle School BBQ area. We will be working hard to strengthen relationships with parents and facilitate family and community participation. Working Bees A school of the size of Horsham College requires some attention and we will shortly be scheduling a number of working bees to focus on particular areas where improvement can be made to the amenity. These will be arranged by year levels as we have found this enables the working bees to have a social component where parents can meet the families of students from the same year level. Mr. Carlos Lopez, Associate Principal, Middle School YEAR 8 NEWS… On behalf of the Year 8 team, I would like to welcome back all students and parents for another school year. The start of Term 1 is always a busy but exciting time, and we are all looking forward to an enjoyable and productive year ahead. This year, the Year 8 team consists of the following members: Mr. Dean Berger – Leading Teacher Mr. Daniel Marget – Year Team Leader Mr. Leon Barents – Hands on Learning Coordinator Mrs. Tina Fitzgerald Mr. Graeme Wilkinson As well as our Learning Advisors for each form group: 8A – Mr. Daniel Garner 8B – Mrs. Patricia O’Connor 8C – Ms. Mary-Lee Fenech 8D – Mr. Dan Frost 8E – Mr. Will Hehir At our first year level assembly last week, we stressed that this year is all about the students. It is our goal to make the school year as enjoyable as possible for our Year 8 students, providing them with a number of opportunities and listening to their feedback and suggestions. At the College, our key values are Communication, Respect and Achievement, which are continually being reinforced by members of staff. Should students fail to adhere to these values and not meet the expectations at Horsham College, we will not be able to accommodate them as willingly as previously mentioned. Parents should note that this term there will be a fixed weekly afterschool detention timeslot on Friday afternoons. If students are to engage in behaviour that warrants this level of consequence, parents will be notified and students will be required to attend at this time. On additional housekeeping matters, it is imperative that students take responsibility for their belongings. Each student has been assigned a locker number, which is to remain his or hers for the entirety of the year. If a student misplaces a key to their lock, we are unable to remove it until a replacement lock has been provided. Lastly, if students have not yet returned their signed Acceptable Use Agreement to the IT office, they will be unable to access the school’s network until this has occurred. The Year 8 team wishes all students the very best for the start of the 2014 school year and beyond! Mr. Daniel Marget, Year 8 Team Leader CANTEEN PRICE LIST Financial Assistance - Information for Parents (effective February 2014) HOT FOOD Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA): The Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is provided by the Victorian Government to lower-income families to help with education-related costs. If you have a child under 16, and you hold a valid Health Care Card, Pension Card, or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible to receive the EMA. The allowance is paid in two instalments, one in March and one in August. The payment is intended to assist with education-related costs such as; uniforms, excursions, textbooks, and stationery. You can elect to have your EMA paid in one of the following ways: Paid by direct deposit (Electronic Funds Transfer) into your own nominated bank account; or Paid to the school to be held as credit which you can use towards education expenses; or Paid by cheque which will be posted to the school for collection. In 2014, the annual EMA amount per student is: $200 for prep students $150 for students in Years 1 – 6. $300 for year 7 students $250 for students in year 8 – until age 16*. * A pro-rata amount is payable for students turning 16 in 2014. How to Apply: Contact the Administration Office to obtain an EMA application form. Closing Date: You need to obtain an EMA application form from the Horsham College Administration Office and return it by February 28th 2014 For more information about the EMA, visit: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/parents/financial/Pages/default.aspx TERM DATES – 2014 Term 1 – 2012 Term 2 – 2012 Term 3 – 2012 Term 4 – 2012 January 31st – April 4th Easter: April 18th – 21st April 22nd – June 27th Anzac Day Holiday – April 25th July 14th – September 19th October 6th – December 19th Sweet Chilli Chicken Wraps Chicken Burgers Focaccia’s chargrilled chick Hot Chicken Roll Cheese Burger Home Made Pizza Pasta (Wednesday) Hot Dogs (Friday) Chicken Nuggets/Goujons 3.00 3.00 4.00 3.00 3.00 1.50 2.50 2.50 2.50 COLD FOOD Sandwiches Salad Rolls (Chicken/Ham, Lettuce, Tomato, Cheese, Carrot, Beetroot) Salad Wraps $ 2.50 4.00 3.50 Yoghurt – Large Yoghurt – Small Jelly Mousse – Chocolate Donuts Slices – Hedgehog – Large Slices – Hedgehog – Small Fruit Cups 2.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 3.00 1.50 1.00 DRINKS 450ml bottles (Diet flavours only) Cans (Diet flavours only) 600ml Cool Ridge Water 750 ml Cool Ridge Water Big M (Straw/Choc/Coffee) Big M (small milk) Nippy’s Choc Coffee Berri Fruit Juice 100% - Large $ 3.00 2.00 2.50 3.50 3.00 2.00 2.50 2.50 OTHER ITEMS Chips – Red Rock 28g ANZAC Cookies Popcorn Nutella Zooper Doopers 1.00 1.00 .60 .60 .50 SHELTON & LANE STATIONERY AWARDS Shelton and Lane Stationery are pleased to announce the following winners in their Stationery List Competition: Year 7 – Elly Potter Year 8 – Matthew Pannan Year 9 – Ella Hernon-Dalgleish Year 10 – Ellena Binney Year 11 – Ruby Blair Year 12 – Dean Hole These students will receive the total of their 2014 Stationery List refunded in full. The students will be presented with this Award at Assembly next week. Geoff, Darren and staff, Shelton and Lane Stationery would like to thank all students who purchased required stationery items for school. The College wishes to thank Shelton and Lane Stationery for their ongoing support in many areas. INTRODUCING OUR NEW STAFF… In this edition we would like to introduce our Principal, Mr. Graeme Holmes. Graeme Holmes: Teaching Subjects: Physical Education Humanities, History, Philosophy, Positions of responsibility: Principal Where have you taught previously?: Camperdown, Hamilton Apollo Bay, Interests: Squash, jogging, reading, writing Family: wife Gail, and three children Where did you grow up?: In a very small country community named Drik Drik which is on the Glenelg River near Dartmoor What do you most enjoy about your job?: Working with positive people and seeing students grow in their learning and social skills. APOLOGY ANNIVERSAY KOORIE CENTRE OPENING & Horsham College in partnership with various groups would like to invite your family to an Afternoon Tea to be held at the Wimmera Trade Training Centre on Thursday February 13th 2014 at 2.30pm. We would also like to discuss options of utilising the Koorie Education Centre located on our Middle School Site. Mrs. Sheila White, Associate Principal, Senior School P HOT OG R A P HS F R OM D A Y ON E… YEAR 9 NEWS… We have had a great start to the 2014 school year with our Year 9 classes. Day One started with a General Assembly with the involvement of the whole school. We then moved into our Year 9 Assembly before our individual classes then moved into their rooms, spending time with their Learning Advisors before starting official classes after recess. From that time it has been ‘all systems go’ with students being introduced to their elective subjects and working hard in their core classes of Communication and Culture (C&C), Investigation and Discovery (I&D), Physical Education and the new subject called Health and Community which runs for a double lesson each week. All reports from Year 9 teachers have been very positive and we are all looking forward to a great year. Our team of Year 9 Core teachers are very keen to be working with parents in supporting your children throughout the year. We have found that communication is often easier via email and request that parents make contact with your child’s core teachers via email so email addresses can be verified and used when messages need to be sent. The table below outlines the Year 9 Team with the classes they teach and their contact email addresses. Ms Melissa Twaddell Mrs. Nellie Op de Coul Mr Neil King Ms. Claire Breed Ms. Heather Deayton Ms. Denise Vallance Ms. Bianca Tyler Mr. Nick Rigas Mr. Mark Block Ms. Megan Shaw Mr. David Jabornik Mrs. Kellie Gardy Leading Teacher Year 9 Team (supporting Year 9 staff) Year Team Leader 9 Orange I&D teacher 9 Purple Learning Advisor and C&C teacher 9 Purple I&D teacher 9 Green Learning Advisor and C&C teacher 9 Green I&D teacher twaddell.melissa.a@edumail.vic.gov.au 9 Blue Learning Advisor and C&C teacher 9 Blue I&D teacher 9 Orange Learning Advisor and C&C teacher 9 Aqua C&C teacher 9 Aqua Learning Advisor and I&D teacher 9 Red Learning Advisor and C&C teacher 9 Red I&D teacher tyler.bianca.c@edumail.vic.gov.au op.de.coul.nellie.a@edumail.vic.gov.au king.neil.a@edumail.vic.gov.au Breed.claire.c@edumail.vic.gov.au deayton.heather.m@edumail.vic.gov.au vallance.denise.d@edumail.vic.gov.au rigas.nicholas.n@edumail.vic.gov.au block.mark.s@edumail.vic.gov.au shaw.megan.m@edumail.vic.gov.au This email address will be advised as soon as possible gardy.kellie.kjg@edumail.vic.gov.au It is really important that the College has up-to-date details regarding students on record so contact can be made easily with families in case of emergency. Please remember that if you have moved, if you have changed landline or mobile phone numbers or if you have started work with a new employer to let the College know so our information is kept as accurate as possible. It is also a good idea to ensure that the emergency contacts you nominated are still appropriate and that their details are also updated. It is also important to inform us of any changes in your child’s medical information. There are a lot of great experiences coming up for our Year 9 students that you will soon be hearing more about – the Mudmap to Manhood and Girls’ Day Out are the first of our special activities with a trip to the Wimmera Machinery Field Days and to the Biolab in Geelong also being planned for March. More details about these events will be forthcoming in the near future. Please ensure that your child promptly returns all authorisation forms that were issued earlier this week to ensure that they are able to participate fully in class activities. Mrs. Heather Deayton, Year 9 Team YEAR 12 NEWS… The year 12 motto this year, as chosen by this group is: “The Best You’ve Ever Seen, 2014”. This is a wonderful self-statement for our Year 12 group to make, although, it needs to be addressed in terms of concrete ambitions and actions now. To become the best, you need dreams, dreams become desires, but only desires are fulfilled if they are driven by written goals (and hard work). Written goals only then become a reality if you take personal responsibility for them to happen. This then is (one of) the key themes for this year’s group: Personal Responsibility. Another theme that the group has briefly reflected so far this year is adopting the traits of successful athletes. In our first meeting of the year, we discussed among other things, that there are close connections between an elite athlete and a Year 12 VCE student. For both to succeed they must have clear, written, SMART goals, they must be patient to overcome the testing times that lay ahead, they must adopt appropriate tactics to succeed, their responses to adversity must be positive, something to learn from, always strive to keep beating your previous best, to maintain that driving passion and desire to succeed. And, they must stay healthy (sleep, good food, etc.) Once out on the arena, the athlete needs to be fully prepared. So, for the Year 12 student, the “arena” for them is the end of the year and all that it contains: exams, assessments, planning for the future, etc. It is about (continual) learning, growth, achievements and doing all this together as a cohesive group; hence the school motto is reflected most acutely in this year level - “Learning, Achieving and Growing Together” To support your son/daughter achieve their best, we have put together a wonderful team this year. At the centre of this, are the Learning Advisors. These staff have been specifically appointed to this year level. They have the skills and attributes to work closely and consistently with a small group of students throughout the year in learning groups. These people will be the first contact with your student and will get to know them well, and support them in seeking out solutions to issues which may arise throughout the year. The Learning Advisors are: · Nick Rigas (12A) · Steve Hu (12B) · Sharon Warrick (12C) · Emily Friedrichsen (12D) · Caroline O’Donnell (12E). Added to this team, is the VCE Coordinator, Nick Rigas and the Pathways Leader, Chris Wallis. Together, your student will have access to people with vast experience across key areas that they will need to tap into throughout 2014. Learning Advisor sessions will be 30 minutes weekly on Thursdays in Semester 1 and Fridays in Semester 2. The Year 12 team would like to emphasise, that although that support is there for your student, the success(es) that your son/daughter will experience this year, is going to (have to)be self-driven. Previous students who have adopted the positive habits we have discussed, have generally been quite successful at this level. The Year 12 team would cordially like to invite ALL of the parents of students tackling year 12 this year to an information/meet and greet evening on Monday February 17th. This evening will be a wonderful opportunity to meet many of the subject teachers and Year 12 team, and to discuss the various issues that you may like addressed, and understand how you may be able to positively influence the outcomes of your child this year. We would love to have you all there on the night. Mr. Campbell Pallot, Year 12 Team Leader Welcome to the new year and in particular to all the new families starting at Horsham College. Hands on Learning will continue in 2014 (and long term). What is Hands on Learning? Hands on Learning is a supportive in-school learning program. Students come out of normal classes one day per week to join a small team (up to 10) formed of Years 7 to 10 students to work on creative construction projects around their school and in their local community. The students remain part of their normal school program the other four days of the week. Participation is voluntary and long term — students can remain in the program from several weeks to several years, depending upon their needs. HOL was reviewed by the University of Melbourne and identified as an example of effective strategies for increasing school completion. The program was also considered by Monash University as a way of improving educational outcomes. The program has featured in newspaper and radio broadcasts in Melbourne media, is acknowledged by the Dusseldorp Skills Forum and endorsed as a strategy to be implemented by schools in the Gippsland region as part of their Youth Commitment to help increase retention rates. What are the program outcomes for students? Increased self-esteem, motivation and confidence Through the successful completion of projects Through seeing what they are capable of Through ongoing encouragement from HOL teachers/mentors Increased knowledge of their individual skills and talents Through participating in a diverse range of activities and environments Strengthened links between HOL students, their school and the local community By students completing projects that have a positive impact on the community Through connecting students with local community representatives Through students’ increased pride towards their community More highly developed self-management and co-operative group skills By observing and taking on more appropriate behaviours as modelled by the HOL leaders (such as peaceful conflict resolution, negotiation, decisionmaking strategies and group co-operation) Increased awareness of the need for a more sustainable lifestyle Through completing projects that have an emphasis on sustainability Through HOL leaders modelling lifestyles that promote a more holistic outlook on life (such as reducing, reusing and recycling project materials) HOL requires a team effort. Mr. Leon Barents, HOL Coordinator YEAR 11 NEWS… The Year 11 Team would like to welcome back all students to the 2014 school year. This is an exciting year as you commence your VCE or VCAL studies and we wish you every success in your endeavours. As was stated at the Year 11 Assembly on your first day back, this is the pointy end of your secondary education and your results will be a reflection of the efforts you have put in over the year. The 2014 Year 11 Team consists of Team Leader ‐ Miss Claire Breed, Leading Teacher ‐ Mrs. Cheryl Bradshaw and our Learning Advisors: 11A - Ms. Susan Pavlovich 11B - Mrs. Angela Facey 11C - Miss Georgina Hobbs 11E - Mr. Ben Hobbs 11D – Mrs. Merrilyn Opie 11F - Ms. Lenda Newton Also part of the team is Mr. Gordon Poultney, Mr. Martin Harris and our new Sports Trainee Mr. Tim Carter. Just a reminder, timetable changes can only be made after Monday February 10th for one week. Students require a note from home giving permission and a valid reason for the change. This will then need to be signed by either the students’ Learning Advisor or the Team Leader then be submitted to Mrs. Celeste Patterson in the Senior Site Administration Office for consideration. If there are any other issues with your Timetable, or if you don’t have six subjects, please see Miss Claire Breed as soon as possible. Students have received their Media Consent Form and General Excursion Form and we ask that they are returned to the Year 11 Office as soon as possible so it doesn’t interfere with classroom activities. If the General Excursion Form is not returned, students will NOT be allowed to attend activities off school campus. If there are any questions about Year 11 studies or any other issue please do not hesitate to contact Team Leader Miss Claire Breed either by email breed.claire.c@edumail.vic.gov.au or telephone 5381 7111. To all our new and existing Year 11 students, good luck this year! Miss Claire Breed, Year 11 Team Leader VCAL OUT & ABOUT LANGUAGE NEWS… Welcome back to the 2014 school year! We hope that you have had a safe and relaxing holiday and are looking forward to the year ahead. Frau Pfitzner and Ms. Megan Woolford will again be teaching German this year. We extend a warm welcome to Ms. Julia Chen and our Chinese Language Assistant Ms. Huan Jiang who will be working with Mr. Steve Hu in the delivery of Chinese to our students. During 2014 our Year 7 students will each study one semester of German and one semester of Chinese. This will enable them to have an introduction to each of the languages that Horsham College offers. People often comment on a good year for wine, however I would like to shout from the roof tops, “2014 is a great year for VCAL”. VCAL is the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning and is a Senior School Certificate for students wishing to gain an apprenticeship or traineeship, rather than go on to University. This year we have an exceptional group of young people who have motivation, enthusiasm and drive. Already the students are planning their projects for the year, with some fantastic ideas to support and enhance our community. If you have an idea for a project that you would like to present to the VCAL Class please ring Sharon Warrick on 5381 7112 or email: warrick.sharon.k@edumail.vic.gov.au This year we already have a number of students with School Based Apprenticeships (SBA) in the areas of hospitality, agriculture, engineering, hairdressing, building and carpentry. This is a great start for the year for those students who are expanding their knowledge in their chosen field. All other students will be completing a VET Certificate on Wednesday. VET All VCAL Students not doing a SBA need to be ready for their VET Program on Wednesday. VET is a compulsory part of the VCAL Certificate. Congratulations Congratulations to Monique Wissell who has been accepted into Ballarat to pursue her career in Nursing. This is a credit to Monique who gained her Senior VCAL Certificate last year. We are also excited to welcome Tim Carter to the Horsham College Staff, another student who gained his Senior VCAL Last year. The community are recognising the skills that VCAL students come out with. VCAL Camp As part of the VCAL program we have a VCAL Camp each year. The camp is a valuable opportunity for students to connect with each other and the staff. It is also a chance for students to meet some of the course competencies in Personal Development Skills. Students will be assessed on their employability skills such as the ability to work in a team, effective communication, problem solving, initiative, negotiation and leadership. Students are observed as they participate in a range of activities from Raft Building to supporting each other on the Ropes Activities. Cost: $125.00 to be paid to Admin Building by March 3rd, 2013. Date: Monday March 24th and Tuesday March 25th, 2014. Leave: Horsham College at 8:30am and return at 3:20pm. Bring: Sleeping Bag, Pillow, Clothing, notepad & pens, shoes for canoeing and shoes for walking. Further details including a video can be found on the following site: http://logcabincamp.com.au/ VCAL Expo This year Horsham College VCAL Students will be hosting the VCAL EXPO for the region. Keep your eye on this space for more details. Have a great year everyone. Ms. Sharon Warrick, VCAL Coordinator CONVEYANCE ALLOWANCE Conveyance Allowance forms are available from the Administration Office. All new students will need to apply or re-apply for Conveyance Allowance and be lodged at the Administration Office by February 28th 2014. Students who already receive Conveyance Allowance DO NOT NEED to reapply, your application will automatically rollover. Queries can be directed to Miss Sophie Matthews or Mrs. Sue Williams at the College. Conveyance Allowance – Eligibility To receive a conveyance allowance individual students must meet all of the following criteria: 1. Attend a school/campus located outside Melbourne’s Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). 2. Attend the closest appropriate school/campus at which admission is permissible. 3. Reside 4.8km or more from the school/campus (shortest practicable route calculated by school at time of application from the student’s home to the school/campus attended) or 4.8km from home to the student’s bus stop. 4. Be of school age (between five and 18 years old at the time of application), and a resident of Victoria 5. Be enrolled and travelling to school three or more days per week. The Senior Site is abuzz with senior German students who have recently returned from time overseas. Lucas Shaw (our School Captain) has returned from ten weeks in Germany and will be completing Year 12 German this year. Chloe Maroske and Alex Blake (both Year 11) have also spent ten weeks in Germany as part of the BJR Exchange. In addition we welcome back Lily Talbot who has spent a year in Switzerland and Victoria Oliver who has spent a year in Denmark. These students have all been keen to share their language and cultural experiences with others. They are reaping the benefits of learning a language! Thomas Oliver (Year 10) and his family will also soon be hosting Konrad Kruse as part of the 2014/2015 BJR German Exchange. Tom will then be travelling back to Germany towards the end of this year. We wish all students well as they embark on their 2014 language studies! Ms Kristen Pfitzner, Learning Area Head - Languages eLearning Report - Communication Communication is one of the key college values. At Horsham College we recognise that digital technologies are evolving very quickly and we too must evolve with respect to the way we communicate with the college community. All staff are still able to be contacted via a simple phone call. This has not changed. However, we would like to encourage you to use email as an additional communication method. The college does have some email from parents on our system, however many have not been provided or need to be updated. Can you please contact the college to add or update your email address. Last year we introduced a new intranet system (EWS) which enables all staff to easily communicate with parents via email. This year EWS will be extended to allow for parent access (more information on parent access codes will be provided soon). We also use SMS to deliver key messages and to remind you that the next edition of the Newsletter is available on the College website. If you would like to receive the Newsletter via email, please contact Mrs. Judi Landwehr in the Administration Office. Staff have introduced some interactive online classroom spaces this year. We will be using Edmodo.com as our online educational centre for the majority of our classes. Your child will provide you with your unique parent code that enables you to view your child’s progress and assessment results/feedback from their classroom teachers. We encourage you to download the Edmodo app which is free for apple and android devices. We trialled Edmodo last year and the feedback from the trial parent group was very receptive Some staff are trialling classdojo.com which gives the student and parent feedback on the student’s behaviour in class. With respect to social media, the college can be followed on twitter @Horsham_College, YouTube search for HCTV AU and on Facebook Horsham College. For Year 7 parents, please note your child is not required to have a school diary. This is a break in tradition, but we believe that the iPad will be more that suitable replacement for a diary. The majority of key school information can be found on our college website http://www.horsham-college.vic.edu.au/ We recommend that your child uses the following apps to help with their day to day management of information; calendar, edmodo (planner), reminders, evernote and notes. We also suggest that commonly visited pages such as the college website, college portal and edmodo be bookmarked and added to the home screen. Mr. Rod Kirkwood, Leading Teacher: eLearning (Assessment & Reporting) LOST PROPERTY At the end of last term many of the lockers were not completely cleared out and I have a collection of student books, pencil cases, shoes and uniform items. If you think that you are missing anything please come and see me this week. Mrs. Susie Penny, Chaplain UNIFORM SHOP We are looking for a volunteer in the school community who can occasionally help out by doing minor sewing repairs on secondhand uniform items. Please see Mrs. Marg Gunning in the Uniform Shop if you can help out in any way. Mrs. Susie Penny, Chaplain YEAR 10 NEWS… HISTORY OF HORSHAM COLLEGE… Year 10 staff and students have started the year full of enthusiasm! 2014 marks the 21st year of operation of Horsham College having been sent into operation on January 1st 1994. Students are particularly excited about being able to choose their own subjects and start working towards their career pathways. The year has started off on a really positive note, with teachers and students happy with their progress so far. Some of the things students are most looking forward to in the year ahead include the Melbourne trip and snow trip as well as their work experience. We would like to welcome new teacher Mr. John Nichols to the Year 10 team this year, his happy and positive attitude has been very well received by both staff and students alike. I would also like to welcome all new students to the school and hope that everyone can help support them to settle in. Here’s looking forward to an enjoyable and successful year ahead. Ms. Jaymi O’Connor, Year 10 Team Leader VCE EXAMS 2014 Special Examination Arrangements If students, because of illness or disability, are unable to complete their VCE examinations in the same way or under the same conditions as other students they can apply to sit their exams under special conditions. Special Examination Arrangements enable students to access the examination questions and communicate their responses in a timed examination. Students are eligible for Special Examination Arrangements if it can be demonstrated that their capacity to access the examination is impaired due to: Severe health impairment Significant physical disability Hearing impairment Vision impairment Learning disability Severe language disorder Some examples of where students have accessed Special Examination Arrangements in the past • A student is a diabetic and would like to bring food, drink & medicine into their exams. • A student suffers from severe migraines and will need to sit their exams in a separate darkened room and have rest breaks. • A student has a disability that affects the speed at which they write. The student will need more time to complete their exams. Applications are submitted from the school and must be accompanied by recent supporting medical or other specialist reports. Some additional testing may be required. If students wish to apply for Special Examination Arrangements for 2014 they should speak with Mr. Nick Rigas as soon as possible. Applications must be received by the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority (VCAA) by Friday March 7th 2014. Mr. Nick Rigas, VCE Coordinator In a series of articles we take a look back at the development of the College and its growth over those 21 years. In 1989 there were two Secondary schools in Horsham - Horsham Technical School in High Street and Horsham High School in Dimboola Road. Both schools were coeducational schools, both offered VCE subjects and both offered alternative eLearning options. The schools were fierce rivals in the sporting field, in the community and had unique identities. The Technical School's principal was Fenton Colliton while the late Jock McRae was the Deputy Principal whereas the High School had Robert Munro as principal with Iain McNee as his deputy. It was at this time that discussions started to merge the schools into a single identity. The schools shared a Chaplain; the Rev Father John Matthes. The early 1990's saw the arrival of McDonald's in Horsham closely followed by KFC and a move away by students from riding their bicycles in school. Schools suffered budget cuts under the Kirner Labour Government and further cuts under the Kennett Liberal Government. the curriculum was becoming more crowded with things like drug education, road safety, the provision of counselling and health services, breakfast, uniforms, school equipment etc. all now the responsibility of schools rather than many families. Computers were now widespread in schools with computer rooms. So 1991 rolled in and the discussions about a merger got serious. The Horsham Technical School with 750 students and 76 staff were in favour of a merger with the High school arguing that it would broaden curriculum and establish the concept of junior and senior campuses while the Horsham High School with 680 students and 60 teachers was opposed to any amalgamation believing that parents should have a choice of schools and a larger school would increase discipline issues. 1992 saw the completion of an investigation into a proposed merger conducted by John Scott from the local Department of Education Regional Office and the celebration of the High School's 80th birthday. 1993 saw the Technical school renamed Horsham Secondary College and while the local member Bill McGrath said "There will be no forced merger, the question is whether there is enough money to facilitate any proposed changes." In March the High school staff voted 47 to 10 to oppose the merger while the High School Council voted 12 to 3 to oppose the merger while the Secondary College staff voted 62 to 3 in favour and the Secondary College council voted 19 to 0 in favour. The issue of reorganisation continued to escalate making forward planning difficult until a decision was made one way or another. The decision was announced to both schools on the October 6th that the merger would go ahead with Rob Munro to be the new Principal of Horsham College and the Secondary College site was to be the home of Years 7 to 10 students and the High school site was to house Year 11 and 12 plus specialised teaching areas like Home Economics and Music. Mr. Munro said it was now time to forge ahead so Term 4 became a frantic time of planning, meetings, packing up and moving. Once the decision was made both schools buried the hatchet and moved into the task of creating a new school identity. A Joint School Council was set up headed by Colin Hobbs and Barry Bardell. The Timetabler was appointed who was Rod Dunn and Deputy Principals were put in place - Iain McNee on the Senior Campus in Dimboola Road while Graeme Sargent secured the position created by the retirement of Jock McRae and Jane Wilkinson became the third Assistant Principal. Mrs. Bev Walker was appointed Curriculum Director and Mrs. Barbara Voigt the Sports Coordinator. The Chaplain was Rev Father John Mathes. It quickly became clear that the new Horsham College was not going to get a new school so work was done to rationalise and consolidate facilities and buildings through a master planning process. Next time the first few years and settling in to the new school. Sourced from materials held by Horsham College including " A Notable Century Indeed" by Simone Dalton Mr. Neil King, College Historian Musical Production - 2014 The 2014 Horsham College musical production will be Disney’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’. A student information session will be held this Friday February 7th at 1.00pm in the Drama Room (Assembly Hall Foyer) on the Senior Site. Ms. Larissa Riddell, Production Coordinator In2Sport… Career News Sports Dates – Term 1 WELCOME BACK You have just come back to school and if you are reading this, chances are that you are thinking about exploring your career and pathway options. It is never too early to start thinking about career ideas, researching your options, developing pathway action plans, or simply having a discussion with your Career Advisor (Mr Wallis) or your Learning Advisor. If you are in Year 12, it is essential that you discuss your options with the key people in your life as soon as possible. Have no idea what you would like to do when you leave school? No stress!!! Don’t delay seeing your Career Advisor- now is the perfect time! Not sure what to say? Don’t worrywe will assist in opening up possibilities you may not have considered before. If you are interested in pursuing a traineeship or apprenticeship pathway, it is important that you gain as much industry experience as possible. Seeing the Work Experience Coordinator (Mrs Genni Smith) and Mr Wallis early in the year is important to ensure you can get organised early and to be able to start making links with local employers. It is important to read the Career News each fortnight to ensure that you keep up to date with upcoming career events, and to make an interview with your Career Advisor as soon as possible. Date Event Venue February 18th February 18th February 28th House Swimming Trials – Year 8 & 9 – Periods 1 to 4 House Swimming Trials – Year 7 – Period 4 to 6 House Swimming Carnival Horsham Horsham Horsham Welcome back to all for another big year in school sport. There has been some changes to the School sport structure with Horsham College moving into the Greater Western Sports Region. We continue to be in Black Ranges Sports Division. The Greater Western Sports region runs from Colac to Portland to Kaniva, Hopetoun and back to Ballarat and includes Hamilton and Warrnambool. We welcome ex-student Tim Carter as our AFL Trainee and we are pleased to have on board the expertise of Mr. Ben Hobbs and Mrs. Fiona Rowe. We would like to thank all those students who took up the Challenge and became House leaders on Senior Years and Middle Years sites and House Assistants on the Middle Years site. The list of House appointments are set out below: 2014 House Leadership Positions – Middle Years POSITION BRIGGS DARLOT HALL MCLACHLAN Male Captains Zane Batson Lucy Brand Tyler Puls Remy Cross Louis Goudie Female Captains Maddy King Ashley Lawson (Term 1) Kieren Priestley (Term 2, 3 & 4) Jasper Gunn Kaylee Schmidt Georgia Hiscock Katie Ladlow Indi Chipperfield Male Vice Captains Reuben Macchia Wade Francis Jarrod Morrow Female Vice Captains Sarah Hateley Sam Leith Aidan Jones Ashley Lawson (Term 2, 3 & 4) Sally Baker Maddi Focroul Alex Hiscock Tamika Baker Lily Martin Bardell Shield Representative Dawson Cross Alex Hiscock Jarrod Morrow House Assistants Tara Emmerson McKenzie Fennell Emma Buwalda Aiden Jones (Term 1) Thomas Jones (Term 2, 3 & 4) Charlotte Launder Olivia Treacy Bella Patterson Zara Burford Neve Lawson Sarah Hughes Angus Gove Mitchell Crough Zachary Smith Nick Smith Molly Parfett-Oliver Nia Harrison Diani Leslie Oscar Crosgrove Luke Dickerson Ben Russell Riley Jervis Matt McCulloch Lily Risson Kali Roberts Millie Kemp Riley Winfield Traiyth Leffler Brayden Helyar Jackson Walsgott 2014 House Leadership Positions – Senior Years POSITION BRIGGS DARLOT HALL Male Captains Beau Cross Michael Roldan Daniel Easson MCLACHLAN Sid Hernon Female Captains Kobi Batson Freya Effrett Taylah Klemm Lucy O’Connor Maddie Milton Male Vice Captains Charlie Pennant Keegan Mellington Cameron Robinson Matt Clyne Female Vice Captains Rani Decker Hannah Laffy To be advised Belinda Warren FEBRUARY EVENTS 17 Feb: VCE PARENT INFORMATION EVENING. 7.30pm, Wimmera Trade Training Centre, Baillie St. Horsham College 22 & 23 Feb: PASSIONATE ABOUT IT, GAMING, MULTIMEDIA, AND ANIMATION? Monash University is running an interactive program called First Strike on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 February at the Caulfield Campus for students in Years 7 – 12. This is an induction event for students who would like to be involved in IT events run by the University such as the Computer Games Boot Camp, IT Challenge Competition and the Step IT Up program. This is a free event and parents are welcome to attend. For more information and to register, go to: https://cgbc.infotech.monash.edu/general/first-strike/overview.html MARCH EVENTS 16 March: VETERINARY SCIENCE OPEN DAY, University of Melbourne, Werribee, http://www.vet.unimelb.edu.au/openday/index.html 26 March: ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA CAREERS EXPO, Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, www.engineeringexpo.org.au 2013 YEAR 12 TERTIARY OFFER REPORT At the end of 2013, 65 Year 12 Horsham College students applied for courses with tertiary institutions in Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland. Course firstround offers came out in mid-January and it was very pleasing to see the following offers: 98% of our student applicants were offered a position either in Victoria or interstate. This is well-above the State average 71 offers were made. Many students received two or more offers (ie from both Victoria, SA and other states). 89% of students received their first or second course preference Victorian institutions: (64 offers): ACU 1; AIE 1; Deakin Uni (Geelong) 15; Deakin Uni (Melb) 5; Federation Uni (Ballarat) 14; Federation Uni (Horsham& Off-campus) 4; JMC 1; La Trobe Uni (Bendigo) 4; La Trobe Uni (Bundoora)4; Longerenong 1; Monash 4; RMIT 4; The Gordon 1; Uni Melb 3; Victoria Uni 1. South Australia (5) Flinders Uni (5) James Cook University (1) Uni Tasmania (1) First Round course offers from Victoria, SA, Tasmania and Queensland included: 52 different course options were offered to our students. These included: Accounting, Acting, Agronomy, Animal & Veterinary Biosciences, Arts (3), Arts/Visual Arts; Arts/Law, Beauty Therapy (2), Biological Science, Biomedical Science Advanced with Honours, Bioscience, Business Scholars Program, Chiropractic/Health Sci, Clinical Science (Medicine), Commerce (2), Construction Management, Criminal Justice, Criminology (2), Criminology /Pschological Science, Dentistry, Education, Education (Early Childhood) (2), Education (P-6) or (P-10), Education (Primary), Engineering (Chemical), Engineering (Civil), Engineering (Civil) (Honours)/Science,), Engineering- Mechatronics and Robotics (2), Exercise and Sport Science (2), Exercise Science & Human Movement, Fine Arts, Fine Art (Expanded studio Practice, Fine Arts (Visual Art), Food & Nutrition Science, Forensic Sci / Criminology, Game Programming, Graphic Design, Health Sciences (2), Health Sciences & Physical Education, , International Business, International Tourism, Justice & Society (Law), Law / Business, Medicine/Surgery, Music, Nursing (5), Nursing (Div 2)- (1), Psychological Science, Psychology, Rural Social Welfare, Science (3), Science (Wildlife & Conservation Biology). Congratulations to the students who were offered places at a University or TAFE College. POSITION AVAILABLE: CADET JOURNALIST The Warracknabeal Herald currently has a part-time position vacant for a Cadet Journalist including sports writing (3 days per week). Enquiries should be directed to the Editor, David Ward, on 0418 504 059. Full advertisement details are available from Chris Wallis at Horsham College. Applications to be submitted in the applicants own handwriting with resume attached and should be addressed to: The Editor, Warracknabeal Herald, 89 Scott Street, Warracknabeal 3393 Neil King/Ben Hobbs/Tim Carter/Fiona Rowe Sports Team INTERESTED IN STUDENT EXCHANGE TO FRANCE? If you would like to study in France on exchange, please explore the AFX Student Exchange website and speak to your French teacher or Career Adviser. Any students who participate in a high school program this year, will be eligible for a free holidays intensive course run by your local Alliance Francaise, providing you apply by 15th February. For more information and to register, go to: http://www.australia-france-exchange.com/australie/ School Council Elections 2014 What is a School Council and what does it do? All government schools in Victoria have a school council. They are legally constituted bodies that are given powers to set the key directions of a school within statewide guidelines. In doing this, a school council is able to directly influence the quality of education that the school provides for its students. Who is on the School Council? For most school councils, there are three possible categories of membership: A mandated elected Parent category - more than one third of the total members must be from this category. Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) employees can be parent members at their child’s school as long as they are engaged in work at the school. A mandated elected DEECD employee category - members of this category may make up no more than one-third of the total membership of school council. The principal of the school is automatically one of these members. An optional Community member category - members are coopted by a decision of the council because of their special skills, interests or experiences. DEECD employees are not eligible to be community members. Generally, the term of office for members is two years. The term of office of half of the members expires each year, creating vacancies for the annual School Council Elections. Why is parent membership so important? Parents on school councils provide important viewpoints and have valuable skills that can help shape the direction of the school. Those parents who become active on a school council find their involvement satisfying in itself and may also find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging. How can you become involved? The most obvious way is to vote in the elections, which are held in Term 1 each year. However, ballots are only held if more people nominate as candidates than there are positions vacant. In view of this, you might seriously consider: standing for election as a member of the school council encouraging another person to stand for election. Do I need special experience to be on School Council? No. What you do need is an interest in your child’s school and the desire to work in partnership with others to help shape the school’s future. What do you need to do to stand for election? The Principal will issue a Notice of Election and Call for Nominations following the commencement of Term 1 each year. All school council elections must be completed by the end of March unless the usual timeline has been varied by the Minister. If you decide to stand for election, you can arrange for someone to nominate you as a candidate or you can nominate yourself in the Parent category. DEECD employees whose child is enrolled in a school in which they are not engaged in work are eligible to nominate for parent membership of the School Council at that school. Once the Nomination Form is completed, return it to the Principal within the time stated on the Notice of Election. You will receive a Nomination Form Receipt in the mail following the receipt of your completed nomination. Generally, if there are more nominations received than there are vacancies on Council, a ballot will be conducted during the two weeks after the call for nominations has closed. Remember Ask at the school for help if you would like to stand for election and are not sure what to do. Consider standing for election to council this year. Be sure to vote in the elections. Contact Graeme Holmes, Acting Principal for further information School Council Elections 2014 SScchheedduullee 33:: N NO OTTIICCEE O OFF EELLEECCTTIIO ON N AAN ND D CCAALLLL FFO ORR N NO OM MIIN NAATTIIO ON NSS An election is to be conducted for members of the School Council of Horsham College. Nomination forms may be obtained from the school and must be lodged by 4.00pm on Friday February 28th 2014. The ballot (if required) will close at 4.00pm on Monday March 7th 2014. Following the closing of nominations a list of the nominations received will be posted at the school. The terms of office, membership categories and number of positions in each membership category open for election are as follows: M Meem mbbeerrsshhiipp CCaatteeggoorryy Parent Member Parent Member DEECD Employee Member TTeerrm m ooff O Offffiiccee NNuum mbbeerr ooff PPoossiittiioonnss From March 7 2014 to and inclusive of the date of the declaration of the poll in 2015 th From March 7 2014 to and inclusive of the date of the declaration of the poll in 2016 th From March 7 2014 to and inclusive of the date of the declaration of the poll in 2016 2 th 3 2 If the number of nominations is less than the number of vacancies, a notice to that effect and calling for further nominations will be posted in a prominent position at the school. G GRRAAEEM MEE H HO OLLM MEESS AAccttiinngg PPrriinncciippaall _________________________________________________________________________________________ The full list of current School Councillors is listed below with an indication of those members whose tenure is about to expire and those who still have one year more to serve. Outgoing Councillors are free to renominate if they are still eligible. There are three categories of membership: Parent, Department employee and Community member. Elections are held for the first two categories and the third category is filled through cooption. Parent category – ongoing: Tim Shaw, Vacant, Vacant Parent category – tenure expires: Rowan Smith, Simone Dalton, Stuart Hobbs Department employee category – ongoing: Graeme Holmes, Ros Matthews, Sheila White Department employee category – tenure expires: Brandi Galpin, Neil King Community category – ongoing: None applicable Community category – tenure expires: Pauline Schmidt, SRC representative