Nhill College Newsletter

Our School Values:

• Respect
• Honesty
• Teamwork
• Confidence
• Excellence
• Endeavour
  

The School Wide Positive Behaviour Support program is designed to bring together school communities to develop positive, safe and supportive learning cultures by helping to foster an environment that assists schools to improve social, emotional, behavioural and academic outcomes for children.  As part of the SWPBS program, a rewards system has been developed to encourage students to always:

• Be Safe
• Be Respectful
• Be a Learner

An extremely high quality of public speaking was again on display this morning during the final of the Noreen Wheaton House Public Speaking competition.  All students who participated in this event throughout Years 3-6 should be congratulated on their fine efforts in preparing and delivering their talks.  The finalists this morning maintained the very high standards that have been established over the life of this competition, and our panel of judges were once again impressed by their research, poise and delivery.  Thank you to our judges for playing their important role in this event, and to the parents, grandparents and family friends who also attended.  Special thanks to Mrs Magrath for her co-ordination on the competition, to Mr McDonald for his role as emcee, and to all the staff and support staff who assisted the students in the preparation and delivery of their speeches. Next Thursday we will host Dimboola Primary School in the first inter-school Public Speaking competition.  A full list results - and pictures - from today's final appear later in this newsletter.

This week has unfortunately been dominated by a number of student - and staff - absences due to the bout of gastro that has developed throughout the community.  As with all cases of gastro, please remain vigilant in regards to reminding children to wash their hands, and if any students are affected, please ensure that they stay home from school for at least 48 hours after symptoms clear to help prevent any spread to others.  I have again attached a fact sheet relating to viral gastroenteritis for the benefit of those families who would like further information.

With all VET programs now finished for the year, it appears that there is a little confusion among some VET students as to what their attendance requirements are for the remainder of the year.  All Year 10 and Year 11 VCE students who studied VET this year are now required to be at school each Wednesday until the end of their school year.  They are to attend their regular timetabled classes and participate in assessments and preparations for exams.  VET students should not continue in any Structured Workplace Learning placements on Wednesdays as they are now expected back at school.  Any confusion relating to this attendance expectation has likely occurred as Year 11 students who studied VET as part of their VCAL program are not expected back at school on Wednesdays and Thursdays after the completion of their VET programs.  A number of students and parents have also made enquiries about the end of year finish dates for students at school due to casual employment opportunities.  To clarify, senior secondary students have a staggered finish to the school year.  All current Year 11 VCE students are expected to be at school up to and including Thursday 28th November.  It is especially important for these students to attend the Unit 3 Orientation program scheduled for Friday 22nd - Thursday 28th November.  All current Year 11 VCAL students are expected to be at school up to and including Tuesday 26th November.  All current Year 10 students are expected to be at school up to and including Friday 6th December.  It is especially important for these students to attend the Unit 1 Orientation program scheduled for Monday 2nd - Friday 6th December.  From Monday 9th December, Year 10 students may be released from school upon confirmation from their parents that they have part-time employment positions to go to, but they cannot be excused from school to start holiday employment prior to Monday 9th December.  All students in Years 7 - 9 must continue to attend throughout the Headstart program (9th - 13th December) and the End of Year Activities program (16th - 20th December).  For any questions relating to end of year attendance expectations, please contact the school. 

Nhill College has signed on with Edunet to help give more variety and cost effectiveness to our BYOD program, including delivery and finance. Parents/guardians are still welcome to purchase a BYOD from Bi-Rite, Wimmera Office Equipment, or elsewhere if you would prefer – however, there may be a preference for using the streamlined Edunet portal. By using Edunet, families can have their BYODs delivered directly to the school and arrange accessories, finance and insurance if required. However, before paying extra for insurance we strongly recommend checking if your own home and contents insurance may already have you covered. The Edunet portal can also be used to log warranty jobs or an insurance claim if (if purchased). Brochures for Wimmera Office Equipment, Bi-Rite and Edunet will continue to appear on our website and on Compass.

We encourage students from Years 4 through to 12 to take up the BYOD program for class use. This allows students to install Microsoft Office and Adobe products on their own device to take home, as well as access the school’s internet, server and printing while at the college. Students can also access Compass as required, as well as other online programs when directed by staff.

Should you wish to order a new BYOD via Edunet before Christmas, the cut-off date for guaranteed arrival is Wednesday,  30th of October. To guarantee you receive your device before the start of Term 1 2020 the cut-off date is Wednesday, 4th of December. Please note that devices can be ordered via the portal at any time; these are simply the dates which must be met if you would like to receive your device before Christmas or Term 1. 

When students receive their new device, they will need to set it up as per the BYOD instructions found on Compass and on our website. College staff are not involved in the initial setup, but they will help students troubleshoot their device if they run into issues.

Please view the attached PDF for full instructions and device specifications for the portal. To access the portal parents/guardians need to visit https://nhillcollege.technologyportal.com.au and use the code NC2020.

If you have questions about the college’s BYOD program, or if you would like to talk about suitable devices, Mr Shrive can be emailed any time at shrive.joshua.w@edumail.vic.gov.au

Six Year 9 – 11 students have enjoyed two days in Melbourne, experiencing immersion in Indonesian! Highlights included: learning to play gamelan at the Indonesian Consulate, meals at Indonesian restaurants, completing an ‘Indonesian product’ hunt at an Indonesian Supermarket, and completing the Trail of the Elephants at Melbourne zoo.

There were also opportunities for Indonesian conversation. Bu Winda and her fiancé helped out with this, along with an Indonesian friend of Bu Kube’s son, Fitri, from Solo in Java. Each evening, participants wrote up the day’s happenings in Indonesian, and enjoyed competitive Indonesian word games.

Travelling formed a big part of the adventure, with Bu Winda guiding us in how to use Melbourne trams and trains. The experience was shared with participants’ classmates upon their return, both in talking about the trip in Indonesian, and by sampling the variety of cuisine bought for sampling purposes at the Laguna Supermarket.

It was special to celebrate Talen’s birthday while we were away. We would like to thank all six young people for making the most of this opportunity and being such wonderful ambassadors for those learning Indonesian in Nhill.

Bu Kube dan Bu Winda

Last Friday, a group of students and mentors travelled to Horsham to participate in the MATES on the Green activities.  All Wimmera schools participating in the MATES program were invited to come together and celebrate a successful year.  The event was hosted by the Wimmera Southern Mallee LLEN (Local Learning and Employment Network) who supports the MATES program throughout the region.

 

MATES is a mentoring program that matches volunteer community members with students who catch up once a fortnight for 1 hour during school hours.  Nhill College currently has 5 students benefiting from a regular catch up with a mentor.  During catch up times, students and mentors chat, cook, play games, garden, walk and enjoy each other’s company.

 

While at Horsham, students and mentors enjoyed playing games of quoits, Jenga, pickup sticks, connect four, and table tennis, although that was challenging in the wind.  The students were able to decorate a MATES t-shirt; Nhill College students displayed their artistic talents and shared positive affirmations on their shirts.

 

Wimmera Southern Mallee LLEN acknowledge Nhill College for its participation over a number of years in the program.  Long serving mentors and businesses were also acknowledged individually.  Nhill College thanks all mentors who are part of the current program; Ange Marra, Stacey Rethus, Suz Menzel, Wendy Bywaters and Steve Wilson.  If you would like to be part of the program or hear more about it, please contact the office on 5391 2111.

We are excited to be offering a trip to Indonesia next year for students who are continuing with their Indonesian language studies in Year 9 and above. The trip will take place from around March 26th to April 5th, 2020 (dates to be confirmed according to airfare prices and availability). These dates include the last two or three days of Term One and the first week of the first-term holidays. 

We have received a proposed itinerary from Amansar Tours, and it looks amazing. Students will explore the ‘cultural capital’ of Indonesia, Yogyakarta, on the island of Java, with a few days in Bali. In Yogyakarta, a highlight will be going to a local school, along with language lessons at Wisma Bahasa. We will also visit the world-famous Borobudur Temple and the chicken church before being welcomed at a traditional village. The itinerary includes planting rice in a rice field and mingling with local people as well as a visit to an orphanage. There are also opportunities to learn to play gamelan and make batik under the tutelage of experts.

These are just a few of the activities and experiences. Anyone who is interested is welcome to come and find out more at 5.30 on Wednesday 13th November. This meeting will give more details about the tour and arrangements, along with information about the next steps to take. At this stage, the trip will be around $3000. Again, this is dependent upon airfares. 

Top of the list for a smooth process is to ensure that everyone has a passport. For those who are committed to participating, the application can be completed online or forms are available from the Post Office. It is important that you do this as soon as possible as airlines need this information before they can generate the official ticket.  Any concerns, please contact Bu Kube.

 

The primary swimming program will commence on the 26th November. The 8 day swimming program will run from the 26th -28th Nov, and the 2nd to the 6th of December from 1pm to 3pm at the Nhill Aquatic Centre. Swimming notes will be going home to families next week.

It is a requirement of the department that all grade 6s are achieving or working towards obtaining the VWSC therefore we are strongly encouraging participation across all year levels.

Nhill College is looking for some volunteers to help out with the sessions from 12:45-3pm during the program - especially in the first week of lessons. If you are able to volunteer please ring the college on 53912111 and talk to Mrs Emma Toll.

Have you ordered the 2019 Nhill College Magazine yet?  The annual school magazine is jam packed with photographs, articles and samples of student works.  It is a wonderful keep-sake for all students and parents and celebrates the many achievements, fun moments and changes around the school throughout 2019.

If you have not already ordered your copy earlier in the year you can still do so by contacting the school office and paying $20 per copy.

Mrs Natalie Sampson

Editor Nhill College Magazine

The College is looking for donations of any old smartphones, tablets or iPads which are still in working condition, as we need these devices to help run our new robotics gadgets. We do not require SIM cards as the devices use Bluetooth to communicate. Please send any smartphones or tablets to the front office if you are able to donate, including chargers if you have them.

Regular attendance at school is extremely important to the social and academic development of all children.  It is a Department requirement that parents contact the school each day their child is absent.  Any unauthorised absences currently trigger an SMS via Compass at 9.45am each morning to notify parents that their child is not at school.  If a parent receives such an SMS, it is requested that they contact the school as soon as possible to provide a reason for their child’s absence.  This can be done by entering an explanation directly onto Compass via the app installed on your phone, or by calling the College on 53912111.  (Please note that the Skoolbag app is no longer being used by the school to communicate messages.)  In an effort to further reduce the rate of unauthorised absences being recorded at Nhill College, office staff will follow up with a phone call if a response to the SMS has not been received by 10.45am on the day of each absence.