Nhill College Newsletter

June 21st, 2019 - Number 19

School Council

Principal: Mark Zimmermann

President: Michelle Marshall, Vice President: Peta Foster

Parent Reps: Tarrah Dodds, Emily Donnell, Simon Dufty, Carlee Kennedy, Bree Lowe, Megan Nossack

Student Reps: Solly Marshall, Ellie Murden

DET Reps: Amanda Cole, Felix Cunningham, Alannah King, Kim Magrath

Nhill College is a Child Safe School

Our School Values:

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

From The Principal: Mark Zimmermann

Parent Survey - Please Have Your Say

In preparation for next term's school review, we would like to extend the opportunity for parents to provide constructive feedback on matters relating to the school.  A link to a short survey (only 6 questions) has been attached below for any parents interested in sharing their views.  The same survey has already been provided to students, staff and members of school council.  We value parent input and thank you for taking the time to provide this important feedback.   

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=N7Ns2Ycaz0S2mzzsM0pMH1kQXYH8EsVMvUtl8PJsegpUMko4VVM1MjJDV0w0TE9RSDNJSDY2TUFIMy4u 


 

Winter Lightning Premierships

Chilly winds did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the many students participating in the very successful Primary Winter Lightning Premierships.  It was terrific to welcome students from our neighbouring schools and it is was also great to see so many parents in our school enjoying the day.  A huge thank you to Miss Jones for co-ordinating the event, along with the able assistance of our primary staff, some VIPs (very important parents!) and the Year 9 students who also helped out on the day.

Charlton Traffic Safety Education School

Our VCAL students were lucky enough to travel to Charlton on Monday to take advantage of the facilities available at the Charlton Traffic Education School.  Students were provided with the opportunity to get behind the wheel and learn some important skills that will help turn them into responsible road users of the future.  This hands-on experience is the perfect follow-up to the Fit2Drive and Roadsmart road safety sessions delivered at school by VicRoads last week.  Thanks to Mrs Cole and Mr Dahlenburg for their organisation of this valuable learning experience and for taking the students to Charlton for the day. 

WWHS - SPARK Visit

This morning, the SPARK program had a visit from Mrs Kate Pilgrim from the West Wimmera Health Service.  As part of the SPARK program in Semester Two, Year 9 students have been offered a fantastic opportunity from WWHS.  Students will be volunteering at Iona during SPARK classes, planning activities and forming meaningful relationships with the residents, under the guidance of staff at Iona and Nhill College.  This experience will provide many opportunities for our students to not only develop personal qualities and skills, but to give something back to our community.  We are very grateful to receive this support from the West Wimmera Health Service and to be able to create this partnership.  Such opportunities not only provide valuable life experiences, but they may significantly influence the future pathway plans of some students.

Year 10 Canberra Camp Preparations

Year 10 students will be heading off to sunny Canberra on Sunday 14th July and will be away for the duration of the first week of Term 3.  There is great excitement surrounding the Canberra camp this year as it will be the first time that a trip to the snow has been included in the itinerary.  Mr Shrive, who is currently on leave, had intended to meet with students at lunchtime today to go through the final preparations in readiness for the camp.  However, due to a debilitating dose of man flu, Mr Shrive has had to postpone that meeting until lunchtime on Monday.  It is requested that all Year 10 students attending the Canberra camp attend that meeting so that they are fully informed on all the camp details before the school holidays. 

School Wide Positive Behaviour Support Program

Nhill College is currently in the developmental stages of our implementation of the School Wide Positive Behaviour Support program.  This 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 our introduction of SWPBS, students selected a school mascot in Term 1.  Since then, we have been developing documentation such as a Positive Behaviour Expectations Matrix.  This Matrix (pictured) has been posted in every classroom.  The SWPBS Team has also started developing positive behaviour posters - featuring our new mascot - which will be placed in other prominent locations throughout the school.   Staff will soon start to provide a series of short, specific lessons to teach students about positive behaviour expectations throughout each of the school's learning and non-learning environments.  These lessons will be based around the school's Values of Respect, Honesty, Teamwork, Confidence, Excellence and Endeavour.  They will also reflect the three core expectations that students always Be Respectful, Be a Learner and Be Safe.  Many of the behaviour expectations listed on the attached Matrix can be applied to any setting in the wider community and at home.  Parents can assist the school in the implementation of SWPBS by role modelling positive behaviours to their children.  Listening to others, being considerate, taking responsibility for actions, being supportive and encouraging of others, as well as using appropriate language and manners, are all traits that will help ensure that our children develop into the fine young adults we know they can be.

Access to Nhill College Newsletter

If you are reading this, you obviously have access to the school newsletter.  However, some families have asked how grandparents or community members can stay in touch with the school when they don't have access to Compass.  The answer is that anyone can access the school's newsletter through the College website: www.nhillcollege.vic.edu.au.  Please advise any family, friends or interested members of the wider community, that the newsletter is the main source of information from the school and that it is available to anyone who would like to read it.  Spread the word!

2019 School Year - Important Dates

  • WASM Careers Expo: Tuesday 25th June
  • Grandparents Day: Friday 28th June
  • Casual Clothes Day - PJs Theme: Friday 28th June 
  • Last Day Term 2: Friday 28th June (2.30pm finish)
  • First Day Term 3: Monday 15th July
  • Year 10 Canberra Trip: July 14-19
  • Year 11 Work Experience: July 14-19

From Assistant Principal: Mrs Magrath

Secondary Assembly

At the secondary assembly the weekly awards were announced where form groups are rotated each week and teachers get the opportunity to nominate students who are displaying positive habits in the classroom. All nominees are read out and two students are randomly drawn to win a milkshake voucher from the canteen. This week’s winners were chosen from Year 7. Teachers had 154 nominated candidates to go into the draw. Congratulations to all Year 7’s! The winners of the milkshakes were Rhiannon and Heath.

Hindmarsh Shire Youth Awards

On Monday at assembly,  Nhill College students were presented with certificates in recognition of being nominated for Hindmarsh Shire Youth Awards earlier in the year. Councillor Rob Gersh honoured several students for their outstanding contribution to our community, including one of our teachers.

Mr Mitchell Dahlenburg - Young Sportsperson Award

Year 9 SPARK program - Group Community Award

Josh Lees - Young Sportsperson Award

Alister Dickinson - Youth Volunteer Award

Jenna Schneider - Young Sportsperson Award

Ruby James - Young Sportsperson Award

Zara Clark - Young Artist Award

Sarena Be Nyo - Young Artist Award

Congratulations to all the award recipients. It is an outstanding effort from Nhill College youth to participate and contribute so much to our local organisations in our community.

Grandparents Day

Nhill College will be hosting a Grandparents Day in the Primary section on the last day of Term 2 , Friday the 28th June. Events will start in the Wimmera building at 10am, where grandparents will watch some primary class performances, participate in some primary classroom activities, be taken on a tour of the school and invited to stay to have morning tea with staff.

We would like to invite all grandparents of our primary students to attend this fun morning from 10am until 11.30am on the 28th June.

Primary Assembly

Primary assembly hosts this week were Alexis and Alissa

Just a reminder that the primary assembly commences on a Monday afternoon at 2.50pm in the Wimmera building. All family members are welcome to attend each week.

ANZ Tennis Hot Shots program

Andrew from Tennis Victoria attended the primary assembly on Monday to present the Foundation students with brand new tennis racquets. Thanks to ANZ, 140,000 racquets will be handed to first year primary students this year and Nhill College students were one of the happy recipients. Andrew stated that we’ve always known tennis is a fantastic sport for people of all ages to play as part of living a healthy lifestyle, and the ANZ Tennis Hot Shots program is a fantastic and fun way to get kids active. It’s extraordinary to think that playing tennis can add almost 10 years to your life and I’m sure this is a statistic that will encourage more families and kids to pick up a racquet and get out on a court. ANZ Tennis Hot Shots and Tennis Australia’s School Partnership Program aims to encourage more children to pick up a racquet and learn tennis as part of their health and physical education curriculum. There are more than 540,000 kids participating in ANZ Tennis Hot Shots around Australia and this initiative is another way to encourage more kids to be active and healthy and take up a sport they can play for life. The delivery of the racquets would not be possible without the support of ANZ who together with Tennis Australia have a joint commitment to increase tennis participation and ensure kids are active at school. So a big thank you to Andrew, Tennis Australia and ANZ.

     

           

Healthy Relationship Awards

The Healthy Relationship Value focus week seven was Enthusiasm. The weekly winners of this value were – F/1 Kerber – Jordan, 1/2 Smith – Hugo, 3 McDonald – James, 4/5/6 Jones – Nicah and 4/5/6 Crouch – Hope.

The Healthy Relationship Value focus last week was Fairness. The weekly winners of this value were – F/1 Kerber – Zahra, 1/2 Smith – Peta, 3 McDonald – Rachel, 4/5/6 Jones – Lacy and 4/5/6 Crouch – Ashlie.

The winners of the last two weeks for the canteen voucher were Jordan and Zahra.

Congratulations to all students who were nominated.

GOTCHAS

Our Gotcha winners for displaying positive behaviour out in the yard during the seventh and eighth week of Term 2 were:

◾Katani for making a friend smile

◾Lah Si for playing with others

◾Hope for helping an injured friend

◾Casey for making a friend happy

◾Zahra for cleaning up the yard

Well done to all students who were nominated.

Reading Awards

Students in Mrs Kerber’s Foundation and Year One class were recognised for their excellent progress in reading this week. Students have started to recognise and read the Magic Coloured Words. The various colours come from the 100 most used word list, which make up around 50% of words read in any given text. Congratulations to Hseh Ku, Harrison, Paige, Lah June, Sam and Braydan for their great progress in reading.

It's Not Ok To Be Away

Attendance is an important aspect of schooling at Nhill College. If you are not attending school it makes it difficult to learn. Class attendance will be celebrated each week, with classes being recognised for the best attendance in both primary and secondary classes. During the eighth week of Term 2, the class awards went to F/1 Kerber and 10Y. These classes will be going into the draw for a chance to win pizza for lunch at the end of the term.        

    

Winter Lightning Premierships

On Tuesday the 18th June, Nhill College hosted the Primary Winter Lightning Premierships. Students from our local schools, Dimboola, Kaniva and Warracknabeal competed in football, netball, hockey and teeball. Students had a great day, showing off their great sporting skills and sportsmanship. A big thank you to Miss Jones and her team for organising this great event for Nhill College, to all our year 9 helpers, to our parent helpers on the day and to our amazing BBQ crew of secondary staff and students. We really appreciated all the help and support from everyone. It was a great day for Nhill College.

 

Stamp Out Bullying

On Thursday morning the primary students thoroughly enjoyed an incursion full of magic, laughs and valuable information about stamping out bullying.  Students learnt the acronym of S - Stay away, T - tell someone, A - always help, M - make friends, P - play nicely. 

Thank you to Mr. Dahlenburg for organising the incursion.

NHILL COLLEGE STUDENTS BENEFIT FROM ROAD SAFETY PROGRAMS

PJ DAY

The SRC are holding a casual day on Friday the 28th of June (the last day of Term 2).

We encourage all students to come dressed in their PJs- onesies, dressing gowns, trackies etc.

Students are required to bring a gold coin donation. Proceeds will support the Big Umbrella Foundation, a foundation that the Year 11s work closely in order to help the homeless.

We cannot wait to see everyone looking cozy next Friday!

SRC

PAINT DONATIONS REQUIRED

Have you got any paint at home that you dont use anymore?  The SPARK program is seeking donations of paint for use in projects.

If you can help out in any way, please drop donated item/s to the Front Office at the school.

Any donations will be greatfully accepted.

Mrs Trenery & Miss Roantree - SPARK Team.

YEAR 8 FOOD TECH DISHES

Student Absences

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. 

Year 7 Cell Models

Throughout term 2, Miss King’s year 7 science class has been learning about cells. As part of their studies, the year 7s were given a 5 week project to create a model of a plant or animal cell and describe the functions of the different parts. This task was completed entirely at home, giving the students an opportunity to work on their time management and intrapersonal skills. The students did a fantastic job, not only with their understanding of cells, but also with their creativity and effort that they put into their project. It was amazing to see the variety of ways cells can be represented. Well done to all.

Senior School information…

It has been a super busy time for all students, and staff, in Years 10 to 12. Mid-year exams, practice exams, completing coursework and assessments have kept everyone on their toes. The last two weeks of this term see the beginning of Unit 2 and 4 studies. While it may be tempting to take the pedal off the gas for these couple of weeks, it is imperative that a good, solid start be made to these units so that timelines can be adhered to in what will be a busy second semester. There are also lots of other things senior students should be doing or thinking about so we have put together the following…..

There are numerous commercial organisations who offer VCE revision/headstart lectures over the July holidays. Advertising materials for these is usually distributed at form assemblies, and copies left in the Pathways resource area next to the Library/IT rooms. Two events that we have received information regarding are offering FREE or low-cost options:

1.      ATAR Notes (who also provide lots of free resources if you sign up for their newsletters) have lectures in a range of subjects at both Units 1/2 and Units 3/4 being held at RMIT in Melbourne – these are FREE but do require registration

2.      SWOT VCE Revision week – is run by a division of the University of Melbourne for underrepresented schools (such as Nhill College) They have a program for a small number of subjects (English, all Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology, as well as general study topic sessions) – these are at a very low cost ($4-$6) with resources and lunch provided.

Many universities offer “come and try” programs during the school holidays. Students and parents can visit the university and hear about various courses and what is on offer at that particular institution. It is well worth checking at the university website, but a couple that we have received information regarding:

1.      Monash University Tours Monash University are again offering the opportunity for students to take a closer look at their brilliant facilities and learning spaces including a Monash student-led science precinct tour. Tours are open to Year 11/12 students during this July school holiday period, please visit the Science Events page for more information and registration, places are limited. Look up: https://www.monash.edu/science/about/events

2.      DeakInspire is designed to help students tap into their potential and shape a better tomorrow. Hear incredible speakers discuss their lives and careers. Get hands-on in workshops that give you a taste of university life or the workplace.

This event is especially for Year 10, 11 and 12 students who want to explore their future direction. Also included is a program for parents to gain an understanding of the tools and support students might need as they transition from school to university.

DeakInspire is a free event, with lunch and entertainment provided. Check the website for dates at various campuses and a full list of workshops on offer.

We are also heading into Open Day’s for numerous TAFE’s, universities and other training organisations. A comprehensive list of dates was put together by Mrs. Sampson and distributed to Year 11 and 12 students. This document can also be found on Compass and is attached to this newsletter. We highly recommend attendance at Open Day’s, and really encourage Year 11 students to try and get to some in order to reduce the time commitment in Year 12.

Scholarships:

Latrobe University Regional Benefits Program

La Trobe’s new Regional Benefits Program empowers high achieving students from regional communities to live, study and thrive in regional Victoria. If you obtain an ATAR of 80 or higher, you can choose from any undergraduate degree (Biomed (medical) & Dentistry excluded, Physio requires an 85 ATAR) at Latrobe Bendigo, Albury-Wodonga, Shepparton or the Mildura campus and they will guarantee you a place in the Regional Benefits program. Students will also have access to a guaranteed scholarship: · ATAR 80 – 94.95: $2,000 Annual Scholarship · ATAR 95+: $5,000 Annual Scholarship

On top of the guaranteed place and scholarship, students will receive a grant to study overseas, access to attend workshops and seminars to prepare them to be leaders or to continue growing their leadership skills, guaranteed Work Integrated Learning opportunity and become part of a regional network with like-minded students.

Early Offer/Alternate Entry programs

Students should look into early offer programs such as Aspire (La Trobe), Community Achiever Program (ACU) and School Recommendation Program (Flinders Uni).  These due dates all vary so we advise students get onto this early to ensure they don't miss out on the opportunity to apply. A flyer with information regarding this is also attached to this week’s newsletter.

Youthrive University Scholarships

Scholarships include $10,000 per year for three years plus mentoring and leadership development. Since 2011, Youthrive Victoria (formerly the Macpherson Smith Rural Foundation) has provided over $1.4 million in scholarships to young rural Victorians to support their university education. We are also pleased to have supported over 350 young people (many of them scholarship applicants) through participation in our Mentoring and Young Rural Leaders programs and Alumni network. 

Each school in regional and rural Victoria is invited to endorse the applications of three Year 12 students who plan to attend university in Victoria in 2020. Students interested in applying for this scholarship will need to see Mrs Cole to submit an expression of interest – the College will then select the three applications that we will endorse. The closing date for Expressions of Interest is Monday 29th July. The application will then need to be submitted online by the 9th August.

Rural Chances Vocational Scholarships

Youthrive Victoria also offers Rural Chances Vocational Scholarships for students planning to go to TAFE or do apprenticeships. Rural Chances Scholarships will open on Monday August 19th and close on Friday 18th October. More information will be sent in Term 3. Nhill College was quite successful with these scholarships last year, with two of our students being selected to receive scholarships.

Work Experience:

Mrs. Sampson has been doing a terrific job in co-ordinating arrangements for Year 11’s heading out on work experience at the start of Term 3. Year 10 students should be trying to finalise their placements, getting the necessary paperwork completed and making a start on their safe@work requirements. Even though the Year 10 work experience week (16th to 20th September) seems a long way off, the time to get organised is NOW.

Information nights:

Term 3 will also be a busy time with our Information Nights regarding subject selections, VCE and VCAL pathways information and details regarding the lead up to the completion of Year 12 for our class of 2019. The Year 12 Information Night will include information on tertiary application procedures - Year 12’s wanting to apply for University places should be researching NOW, not in August when preferences open.

Further information about the Information nights will be communicated shortly.

If students or parents have any questions about any senior school issues or need information please make contact with your Year Level Co-ordinator and/or Pathways Co-ordinator, Mrs. Hedt.

Senior School Team – Mr Shrive, Mrs Coughlan, Mrs Cole, Mrs Hedt and Mrs Sampson.

OPEN DAYS & CONTACT DETAILS

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OPEN DAYS & CONTACT DETAILS Contd....

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School Magazine ~ Front & Back Cover Competition

Canteen Menu Term 2 2019

Term 2 Canteen Menu

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BYODs

A list of latest model computers available from Nhill Bi-Rite and Wimmera Office Equipment has been included in this week’s newsletter for the consideration of families interested in a BYOD.  These lists contain a range of devices that will be able to support student learning – at home and at school – over the next few years.  A reminder that all students have free access to Microsoft Office, as well as some Adobe programs through their school subscription.  For families considering a BYOD, it is worth noting that electronic resources are being used more and more frequently in classes, with the College subsidising Edrolo subscriptions for all VCE students, while Maths Pathways and Education Perfect resources are also being used more extensively across Years 7-10 this year.  If you have any questions related to the College’s BYOD program, feel free to contact Mr Shrive.   The BYOD product lists can be downloaded from the link below, as well as being available from the College website.  Printed copies can be obtained from Mr Shrive on request. 

Community News and Events