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

The Little Desert Lodge was the venue for the Nhill College Year 12 Class of 2019 Graduation Dinner. Students, parents/special people and staff came together to celebrate the completion of 13 years of formal education with a night of memories, laughs and tears. Year 12 Coordinator, Mrs. Cole and Mr. Zimmermann both spoke thanking the students, and their families, for their contributions to the school. Thank you also to Lucy Bone, Ellie Murden and helpers for their decorating of the venue and to Alex Argall for her work in putting together the PowerPoint and funny movies prepared by the students.

Year 12 students are now either looking for employment, starting full-time or summer casual employment and/or patiently awaiting for release of their Year 12 results on the 13th of December. The last official school function for Year 12 students is the Nhill College Presentation Night on Tuesday the 17th of December.

The College wishes all graduating students the very best for a bright future ahead, and please remember that we are still here to support you through this transition. 

Every year Nhill College students from Year 1 to Year 10 are asked to sit PAT online tests in Reading and Mathematics.  These Progressive Achievement Tests are designed to provide objective, norm-referenced information to teachers about their students’ skills and understandings in a range of key areas.  They provide another data source to compare student growth against teacher judgements and the NAPLAN tests which were conducted in May.  Over the past few years, we have acknowledged student performance in these PAT tests by presenting a certificate to each child who achieved more than 12 months learning growth from the tests conducted in the previous year.  This year there were 119 certificates presented at our school assemblies (58 Maths, 61 English).  This is an outstanding achievement and I would like to congratulate all students for their efforts throughout the year.  More details relating to the secondary certificate presentations will appear later in this newsletter.

At school council this week we discussed changes to the Mobile Phone Policy that will be introduced from the commencement of the 2020 school year.  This policy reflects the new directive from the Minister of Education in regards to student use of and access to mobile phones in all government schools.  While this will create major change for some schools, there will not be a significant departure from our existing policy, although there are certainly one or two key differences.  A copy of our new mobile phone policy has been attached to this newsletter, but the key features that students and parents need to be made aware of are as follows:

• In accordance with the Department's Mobile Phones Policy issued by the Minister for Education, personal mobile phones must not be used at Nhill College during school hours, including lunchtime and recess, unless an exception has been granted.
• Students who choose to bring mobile phones to school must have them switched off and securely stored during school hours.
• Secondary age students will be required to store their phones in their lockers - using the secure combination locks provided.
• Primary age students will be required to hand their phone to their classroom teacher so it can be stored in a lockable cupboard. 
• When emergencies occur, parents or carers should reach their child by calling the school's office.
• Students without permission to have mobile phones at school or who misuse devices would be required to relinquish them.   Confiscated phones will be stored at the General Office until they are signed for by a parent/legal guardian.  Mobile phones will not be released to parents/legal guardians until after 3.25pm. 
• There are categories for exceptions to the policy, each requiring documentation and needing to be granted by the principal in accordance with the Department's Mobile Phones Policy.
• Exemptions may be created for some learning-related activities, but this will be expressly communicated to students in advance and the phones will need to be returned to secure storage at the end of the lesson. 
• Students and parents will be advised about items that can and cannot be taken on camps and excursions - including personal mobile phones.

Discussions have already been held with students regarding these changes to the Mobile Phones Policy in an effort to prepare them for the new conditions.  Parents can help to support the school in the implementation of this new policy by encouraging their child to leave their phone at home.  If it is necessary for children to have access to their phone after school, please reinforce that the phone is for after school use only, and that the new rules are to apply during the school day. 

Completed Booklists were due to be submitted to school last week.  Families who have not yet done this, can still send their booklists to our supplier - Warrnambool Books - by submitting it to them directly online at warrnamboolbooks.com.au.  Distribution of booklist parcels will occur on Friday 17th January, 2020, at the College Music Shed.

On Wednesday night, three students from Year Eleven participated in the annual Club Final of the Lions Youth of the Year. Adam Zimmermann, Mikayla Farmers and Lucy Dorrington were involved with the quite lengthy process of completing each component of this internationally recognised  award. The students were required to fill out an application form detailing their academic achievements and leadership experience before undertaking a half hour interview with a panel of three judges on the day.  The evening's proceedings then continued with two impromptu questions which were based on the notion of volunteering and of the crisis facing the lack of doctors in our rural communities. The candidates were given two minutes to respond to these questions.

These were quickly followed by the delivery of a prepared five minute speech on a topic chosen prior to the night. All three students acquitted themselves with confidence and poise. 

The overall winner on Wednesday night was Mikayla Farmers who will go on to represent the Nhill Lions Club at the next level early 2020. Mikayla was also successful in taking out the Public Speaking award with her oral presentation on Social Media. Adam spoke strongly on the issue of rugby player Israel Falau and Lucy on the impact that Vegan Activists have had on local farming communities.

The College would like to congratulate all three on their performance and we wish Mikayla well at the District level next year

Lynne Coughlan

Year Eleven Coordinator

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 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.

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 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 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

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.