Dear Parents/Guardians

On behalf of the staff, we would like to thank all parents for your continued support of the school throughout this term. Whether through your attendance at information evenings, coming along to Parent Teacher interviews, communicating through Compass, or participating in parent meetings, we really appreciate and value the partnership we have with you. It is such an important part of the work we do together – guaranteeing the best possible education and pathways for your child.

Congratulations...and farewell

At the end of this term, we will bid farewell to two of our teaching staff members, Assistant Principal, Ms Losh Pillay, and EAL teacher, Ms Louise Talevska.

Losh has been appointed as Principal to Box Hill High School, and on behalf of our school council, staff and school community, we congratulate her on her appointment. It is a fitting recognition of Losh’s outstanding leadership, her commitment to the government school system, and her determination to make a difference through education.

Losh commenced teaching at Mill Park Secondary College in 1999 after moving to Australia from South Africa. She also taught at Craigieburn and Keilor Downs Secondary Colleges before joining us as Assistant Principal in 2012. Not only did Losh bring an expert knowledge of teaching, learning, curriculum and assessment, but also a fresh perspective, and new insight and ideas. She leads us with compassionate, decisiveness and her characteristic and ever present sense of humour and goodwill. Losh has forged excellent relationships with the students she teaches and those in the Senior Sub School, with parents and colleagues, and we have all learnt from her in so many ways. We wish Losh all the very best in her new role as Principal. Box Hill High School is very fortunate, and we will miss her enormously.

Louise commenced teaching at St Albans Secondary College in 1996 after several years at Deer Park Secondary College. Louise’s commitment to second language learners has been evident not only in her work at our school, but also as a coordinator of a weekend language school. She has been a strong advocate for newly arrived students as a classroom teacher, liaison coordinator for students commencing from the language centre, and as EAL Learning Area Coordinator.

On behalf of our students, staff and parents, we thank Louise for her contribution and commitment to education over many years. We wish her all the very best of health and happiness in her retirement.

Kids Teaching Kids

Congratulations to Ms Marion Mortimer and her Year 9 Advance students for their excellent presentations as part of this year’s Kids Teaching Kids Week. Students from four other schools joined us for a day of learning focussed on the environment. The difference was that the students were the teachers, as well as, the learners, for the day. The presentations were engaging and challenging, and explored significant issues facing civilisations and societies around the world. And most importantly, they showcased the talents, passion, creativity and knowledge of the students from all of the schools involved.

Congratulations…

To Ms Shona Cowell and partner, Trevor, on the arrival of their baby boy. Harrison Michael was born on 8 September, weighing in at 8 pounds and 3 ounces. The whole family is doing very well.

VCAL at Sunshine Hospital – a great partnership

Earlier this term, a number of staff had the pleasure of attending the Sunshine Hospital to see our Year 12 VCAL students present their Personal Development Skills (PDS) community projects. The students worked with Ms Jo Spence, and her team in the Rehabilitation Ward to plan, develop and implement projects to support the rehab program for patients. The VCAL students, together with their teachers, constructed a model bedroom, designed and constructed two large mosaics to decorate an outdoor reception area, and ran a patient activities group.

Their presentations were well planned, thoughtful and articulate, and such a credit to themselves and their VCAL teachers, and to all the staff at Sunshine Hospital who supported the PDS projects.

Congratulations to all the VCAL team.

Education Support Staff Month

Each year in August, school communities recognise the contributions of their Education Support Staff to the running of the school, and education of their students. At St Albans Secondary College, we are really fortunate to have a wonderful team of talented, dedicated ES staff who work in a wide variety of roles to support students, staff and parents. They are instrumental in everything we do to provide the highest quality education for our students. On behalf of all of us, thank you to each and every member of our ES team.

Year 12 Practice Exams and Revision lectures

Victoria University, Melbourne University as well as RMIT offer a range of high quality revision lectures from 26 September to 8 October 2017. The details have been posted on Compass and all students undertaking those subjects are encouraged to attend. Some of these lectures are free of charge.

St Albans Secondary College also holds compulsory practice exams in all subjects during the school holidays. All students have received a copy of the timetable which is also posted on Compass.

Students are provided with an authentic exam experience that will help build their confidence and maximise their performance. The practice exams are an effective way to develop a revision strategy for the final exams which begin in October, and to learn how to communicate knowledge to the examiner in an appropriate way.

All students are expected to complete all of their practice exams in this week. Feedback on the exam will be provided to students at the start of Term 4.

VET Hospitality

Thanks to the VET hospitality team, led by Ms Max Smith, for providing school council members with tasty and nutritious dinners this semester.

The parents and staff members have been impressed with the creativity and skill you have demonstrated in providing gourmet fare such as lamb shanks, pastas, stuffed capsicums, an array of vegetables and salads as well as tempting sweet treats such as strawberry shortcake and chocolate jaffa mousse.

Congratulations on your efforts and we await the next round of school council meetings next term.

Grade 6 Welcome evening

On Tuesday 12 September we were pleased to welcome the families and students who will be joining our school community next year. There were over 400 people present, and it was lovely to meet the students and their families. We look forward to seeing you all at the events later in the year, such as the Big Day In and Orientation Day. These events will help the smooth transition of all the students into Year 7 next year. Congratulations to Ms Marlene Cassar and Ms Ashwini Mana Mohan for their organisation of the event, and to the office staff and other, who under the leadership of Ms Stella Hunter managed the administrative tasks carried out on the night.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Thank you to all of the Parents and Guardians who were able to attend the Parent Teacher interviews held on Wednesday 20 September. It was wonderful to see parents and teachers working together in partnership to support the learning of our students. If you were unable to attend and would like some feedback on your child’s progress please contact the relevant Sub School directly.

Women in STEM

Congratulations to the Year 9 & 10 girls who have been selected to attend the 2017 ‘Emerging Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) for Women Program’ on Monday 16 October at Ecolinc Science & Technology Centre in Bacchus Marsh. The day will consist of guest speakers, a range of workshops and a ‘STEM Careers speed-dating’ session where the students will get to meet, talk with, and learn from, a range of women in the STEM fields, as well as a range of higher education providers who will be able to outline career pathway opportunities and courses available for students in the STEM fields. The students selected are:

Justine Nghiem 9D

Habiba Habib 10C

Nayana Premjit 9I

Cindy Tran 10C

Vicky Le 10D

Emily Luu 10C

Kristy Ha 10B

Shayla Pham 9B

Ivy Tran 9B

Jade Huynh 9C

Thanks to Mr Eli Goldbaum for his organisation of this event, and to all of the Science teachers who nominated the students.

We are sure will find the event very enjoyable, informative and inspirational.

Beacon Speed Careering

On Tuesday the 5 of September Year 10 students were engaged in what has become a key event on the Middle School calendar. Representatives from a wide range of industries and professions from the external community gathered at the school to participate in the annual Speed Careering event.

In this event groups of Year 10 students rotate through 10 minute meet and discuss sessions with the various community representatives and gather information about that profession and gain a better understanding of what is required to be successful in that profession.

As I wandered through the 2 separate locations where the event was held I was so impressed with the interest levels of the students, the willingness of the visiting representatives to share their knowledge and the high quality management and organisation of Ms Becky Annetts and Ms Lynda Vo.

There is no doubt our students emerged from the experience better informed about potential careers and/or further opportunities to study so they could achieve their goals for the future.

A special thankyou to all community members who gave freely of their time to support and inform our students.

Doctors in Schools

St Albans Secondary College is pleased to welcome Mr Andy Dao (general Practitioner) and Ms Sophie Nguyen (Qualified Practice Nurse) to our extensive Student Support Team. Mr Dao and Ms Nguyen. Along with our Student Wellbeing Coordinator Ms Nicole Thompson, will provide opportunities for our students to receive medical advice and support at the school each Wednesday between 10am and 2pm next term.

A parents information session was held in the school library on parent Teacher Interview night and both staff and students have been given information on how the program will operate.

For additional information please read the other article in this newsletter or visit our school website.

Interact Handover Ceremony

Another exciting chapter has been written for the school’s INTERACT Club. On Tuesday 19 September, at an event hosted by the Rotary Club of Brimbank Central, current Interact President Mr Tony Micallef handed on the presidency to 2017/18 President Ms Vanessa Duong.

Brimbank Central President Mr John Youings spoke highly of the Interact Clubs achievements in its’ first year of operation in raising funds for The Smith family, OXFAM and undertaking garden refurbishment works at the local SCOPE facility in St Albans. The students received a special surprise and were proud and excited when the District Officer for Metropolitan Interact Clubs Ms Jane Watters awarded the St Albans Interact Club a Presidential Citation for their service to the community.

The current and new office bearers were acknowledged with certificates of service and badges of office and new members were inducted into the club. It is a testament to the community connectedness of our students that the club has grown its numbers from 12 in 2016/17 to 22 in 2017/18.

A special thanks to our special guests Ms Jane Watters, Mr Bernard Watters, Ms Barbara Rafter, Mr John Rafter, Mr John Youings, Ms Marjorie Youings, Ms Kerrie Dowsley and Ms Jennifer Crocker for their organisation of the day, involvement in the ceremony and support of this wonderful program. We look forward to bigger and better opportunities in 2018.

Alpine School Team – Ready to Go

The school is excited to announce that our application to be involved in the 2018 Alpine School Program has been successful. This will enable 6 students (3 Girls and 3 Boys) from Year 9 to attend the Country Victoria camp near Warnambool known as Gnurad-Gundidj.

Students will stay at the camp for Term 2 and be involved in a wide range of activities to develop their leadership skills and promote excellence in their growth as an individual. This is a unique opportunity for our students and the school is grateful for all the hard work of Ms Clara Singh in securing our students a place in the program.

A key element of the program requires students to develop a community project whilst on the camp and then implement it upon their return to school in Term 3. These projects provide students with an opportunity to give something back to their community and build real citizenship awareness and responsibility.

And finally…

We wish you, our students and staff, a happy, safe break over the holidays, and look forward to seeing you on Monday, 9 October for the start of Term 4.

Principal - Ms Kerrie Dowsley

Assistant Principal - Mr Ian Crocker

Assistant Principal - Ms Losh Pillay

Assistant Principal - Mr Craig Jennings

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