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

Earlier this week the Premier announced that the current restrictions would be extended until 11.59pm Tuesday 27th July, with classes hopefully set to resume onsite on Wednesday 28th July.  Thank you to all those families who came in during the week to collect devices and resources from school so that students could actively engage in their learning programs from home.  Details of the varying programs being put in place across the school were sent home to parents via Compass and students have been contacted each day with specific information regarding their individual learning and wellbeing programs.

For each day of remote learning, it is requested that attendance is registered by clicking on the link that will appear in the daily message via COMPASS.  

As with other remote learning periods, our school will continue to provide on-site supervision for students in the following categories: 

• Children where both parents and/or carers are authorised workers who cannot work from home, work for an essential provider and where no other supervision arrangements can be made:
  • Where there are two parents/carers, both must be authorised workers, working outside the home in order for their children to be eligible for on-site provision
  • For single parents/ carers, the authorised worker must be working outside the home in order for their children to be eligible for on-site provision.

• Children experiencing vulnerability, including:
  • children in out-of-home care
  • children deemed vulnerable by a government agency, funded family or family violence service, and is assessed as requiring education and care outside the family home
  • children identified by a school or early childhood service as vulnerable, including via referral from a government agency, or funded family or family violence service, homeless or youth justice service or mental health or other health service.

  • Where a parent/carer indicates that a student with a disability is vulnerable because they cannot learn from home, and/or informs the school the student is vulnerable due to family stress, the school must provide on-site supervision for that student. This may apply to students enrolled in specialist schools and students with a disability enrolled in mainstream schools.

If your child requires on-site supervision from Monday 26th  - Tuesday 27th July, please submit the online application form by using the following link: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=N7Ns2Ycaz0S2mzzsM0pMH1kQXYH8EsVMvUtl8PJsegpUNkJRUE9IUkU3SEg2SDFQV1BXRUE0WU1GNS4u

Kim Magrath and myself will continue to be onsite during each day of remote learning, and can be contacted by calling the school on 5391 2111, or:

Mark Zimmermann

School Mobile: 0418 368 013

Email: mark.zimmermann@education.vic.gov.au 

Kim Magrath

School Mobile: 0448 912 111

Email: kim.magrath@education.vic.gov.au  

If there are any further developments, these will be communicated to families via Compass.

Advice was received this morning from the VCAA that the GAT has been rescheduled to Thursday 12 August 2021.

The rescheduling of the GAT allows schools time to organise logistics and put COVIDSafe protocols in place, so that students and staff can return onsite to participate safely.

It's important that as many students as possible have the opportunity to sit the GAT. The new date will allow students who may be impacted by school closures, quarantine and the need to self-isolate to participate in the test. 

As part of the 2020 COVID Recovery Budget the Victorian Government has made funding available for the establishment of up to 400 new Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) services in Victorian government schools.  Nhill College may be eligible to apply for funding to establish an OSHC program, and would like to seek feedback from our school community to determine if there is a demand for such a program here in Nhill.

Before we can consider applying for the program, we need answers to a wide range of questions, including:

• What is the demand for OSHC services at Nhill College?  How many students are likely to utilise such a service?  For how many days?
• What type of services are required by families?  After school?  Before and after school?  School holidays?
• Should an OSHC program be delivered from Nhill College or a nearby off-site location? 

Attached to this newsletter is an online survey asking Nhill College families to indicate if they are interested in exploring this option further.  Results of this survey will be discussed at the next meeting of school council where it will be determined if an application will be submitted at this time.  Interested parents are asked to respond to the attached survey by Friday 6th August. 

Since the beginning of last year we have been working with The Resilience Project to help us deliver curriculum programs to students in Years F-10 based on the principles of Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness (GEM).  These sessions have been invaluable in assisting staff to deal with the pressures students are facing in this time of COVID-19 while also providing practical and engaging age-appropriate strategies to support general wellbeing.  The founder of The Resilience Project, Hugh van Cuylenburg, is a renowned public speaker who has worked with a wide range of organisations, schools and professional sporting clubs in promoting the principles of GEM and generally supporting individual and collective wellbeing.  Hugh also hosts a podcast called The Academy of Imperfection.

During the last 18 months, Nhill College has also developed a close working relationship with leading Paediatrician from the the Royal Children's Hospital - Dr Billy Garvey.  Billy has visited the school and has met with staff a number of times remotely already this year.  He spoke at a local community gathering last year and had to cancel a second parent meeting at Nhill College last term due to COVID-19.  Nhill College is currently involved in a research project being conducted by Dr Garvey and we are very excited by the potential for him to work closely with our school and our students.  Billy has a waiting list of two and a half years for people to see him in person, but through a co-consultation partnership developed by Dr Garvey, his colleague Dr Claire Nagic and Nhill College, we can arrange access for our students to speak with him and benefit from his support in a matter of weeks.

During the week, Hugh van Cuylenburg met with Dr Billy Garvey and spoke to him as a special guest on his podcast - The Academy of Imperfection.  Below I have included a small promotion for that podcast, but importantly I have also added 4 links for you to be able to access it.  In this time of COVID-19, children are experiencing things that they have never had to deal with before, and this podcast may help provide parents with the strategies they need to best support their children at this time.

The Academy of Imperfection - Dr Billy Garvey, Paediatrician

Go get your pens and notebooks everyone! In this edition of The Academy of Imperfection, students Hugh, Ryan & Josh sit down with famed paediatrician, Dr Billy Garvey of The Royal Children’s Hospital. Currently, Billy regretfully has a two and a half year waiting list to see him in person, but is keen to reach as many of you as possible NOW. And with all the talk on our podcast about parenting recently, we felt this was a very necessary episode. Billy may not look like one of Australia’s most respected and in-demand paediatricians, as we speak about in the episode, but gee whiz, he sure does talk like it!

·  Apple Podcasts - Click Here

·  iHeart Radio - Click Here  

·  Spotify Podcasts - Click here 

·  Stitcher - Click Here

The latest venture into lockdown has unfortunately forced the postponement of the College's Production of 'Pride and Prejudice'.  Originally scheduled for July 30-31, we have had to start looking at other options later in the year.  Miss Bates and her enthusiastic cast of students and staff are committed to finding a suitable alternative date, and they have been meeting remotely this week to work something out.  Please keep reading the newsletter for updates...

Due to the arrival of the navy polo shirts we need to clear some uniform items at fantastic savings.  Feel free to pop into the office during office hours, to check out the heavily discounted children's fleecy line trackpants as well as some gaberdine trousers, at 50% discounted prices.

Fleecy trackpants - $14- (were $28-)

Unisex Gaberdine  trousers - $20- (were $40-)

Our sincere apologies for this disappointing development.

Since the commencement of the latest period of Remote Learning, staff have been establishing clear expectations of students for when they are participating in an online learning environment.  In line with the School Wide Positive Behaviour Support Program, these expectations focus on students Being Respectful, Being A Learner and Being Safe.  They are also consistent with the College’s Student Engagement & Wellbeing Policy, Digital Technologies Policy, Digital Learning Agreement and Child Safe Standards.  The Nhill College Remote Learning Expected Behaviours Matrix and Virtual Classroom Expectations have been presented in poster form that is easy to read and can be displayed prominently next to your child’s workstation at home.  Both resources have been attached and I would encourage parents to discuss and reinforce these expectations with your children during this period of remote learning. 

https://theresilienceproject.com.au/at-home/

Please click on the link provided to access TRP@Home and start practicing GEM with your family.

Over the next month or so University and TAFE Open Days will be planning to host Open Days to prospective students.  Attached below is a list of upcoming dates.  Many of these were planned to be Face-to-Face this year, however, given the current Covid developments and Lockdown 5.0, I would strongly suggest you keep a close eye on the websites of any institutions you were planning on visiting.  I would suggest many of them will be changing to a Virtual presentation or will at least add a Virtual option to their program, which you may feel much more comfortable in 'attending'.  If you have already registered your interest in attending any events the universities will be in touch with you with any changes.  It is really important you do register online if you wish to attend, this will ensure you will be kept up to date of any changes to their program and/or delivery of the event.  Whether presented Virtually or Face-to-Face, Open Days are very useful and informative events, so please do your research and make the most of these opportunities.

​Mrs Natalie Sampson

Our senior students are advised that Deakin University has some webinars coming up on various courses they offer.   If you are considering further study you may wish to look into what they have available. Please check out the following link: https://www.deakin.edu.au/student-life-and-services/events/future-student-events?cid=em|mkt|evnt|dide|na|na|pr|eml&mkt-unique=EEEMEN&mkt_tok=MjA5LUlOUS0zNjcAAAF8ceiMSwRy_1nHe4yU-LsrEl7ymW1VRRXKeskV30shzPBbdGhxzSGzhbgzwm-S8zeNmnQxk9CKxlnR3NzNTYCv11u571Y4-ehppJVh9pKJGISi_w#study

Mrs Natalie Sampson

Anyone interested in studying at La Trobe University should strongly consider applying for the Aspire Early Admissions Program.  Applications opened 19th April, and close 17th September. What can Aspire offer you?  Successful applicants can:

• Be rewarded for your involvement in community, leadership, and volunteering with an early conditional offer at La Trobe.  
• When you apply for Aspire, you’ll be automatically considered for one of 40 available Aspire scholarships.
• Receive an early offer for your course by October and know what your future holds.
• Smash your Year 12 goals with access to hundreds of free VCE and HSC study guides and revision lectures.

Please check out the following link for more information: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/study/aspire?cid=edm%3Aacs%3Anan%3Anan%3Ainf%3Anan%3Anan%3Anan%3Anan%3Anan%3Aall%3Abch%3Anan%3Anan&deliveryName=DM15688

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) helps eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.

If you have a valid means-tested concession card, such as a Veterans Affairs Gold Card, Centrelink Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible. There is also a special consideration category for asylum seeker and refugee families.

Payment amounts this year are $125 for eligible primary school students and $225 for eligible secondary school students. Payments are made direct to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions and sporting activities for the benefit of your child.

If you applied for CSEF through our school last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year, unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.

If you would like to apply for the first time, please contact the school office on 5391 2111 and ask for an application form.

You can also download the form, and find out more about the program and eligibility, on the Department of Education and Training’s Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund web page.

Check with the school office if you are unsure, and please return completed forms to the school office as soon as possible.

It is a Department of Education requirement that each enrolled student who has an action plan updates this each year.  Please see below the forms required, those students who currently have an action plan in place will be sent out a form to be completed by your Doctor or specialist.  If your child has recently been diagnosed with an Anaphylaxis, Asthma, Allergy or new medical condition please advise the general office.