It has been a good start for all the Year 7 students this year. They have turned up in their new uniform and are looking fantastic. Students have settled in well and the teachers and I look forward to working closely with them to ensure we get to know the students well and support them in building positive relationships with each other. This can only benefit all of the students as it will allow for a very individualised and personal learning environment.

I have enjoyed meeting all the students, talking to them, finding out about their holidays and family life as well as challenging them to set goals and to work hard in all their classes. I have told them that they are the future of the school and I want them to embrace this and challenge themselves to achieve wonderful things.

I have challenged the Year 7 students to step out of their comfort zone and try new things, to not be afraid of making mistakes and to learn from these mistakes. I am sure we will have our ups and down over this year and the years to come, but it is an exciting time for Carwatha College and I am ready to help the Year 7 cohort excel.

We ask all parents / guardians to please ensure that their student comes to school in full school uniform including blazer, tie and proper school shoes. Please also ensure they have all their equipment and they are organised. A number of students still do not have work book and pens for all their subjects. If any parents or students are having troubles with Compass please contact the office or come and see me.

It has been a pleasure getting to know the students and I am thoroughly looking forward to the remainder of the year.

Mr Hammond - Year 7 Coordinator

Welcome back Year 8s!!

I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome back the Year 8 students and their families to Carwatha College for 2019. I’m also thrilled to be given the opportunity of coordinating this wonderful group of students.

It has been great to see all our Year 8 students settling in well and having a very positive start to the school year. The standard of behaviour has been excellent both in lessons and around the school, with many teachers commenting on the good progress being made by students, even at this early stage.

It has been particularly encouraging to see how supportive the students have been not only of each other but of the new students that have started at Carwatha. Students also look very smart in their uniforms and are proving to be a credit to themselves, to you and to Carwatha College.

To help students this year, I strongly recommend that you check that your child’s uniform, books, planner and equipment are clearly labelled with their name. It’s also important that students have all the equipment they need to be successful. To help students with their studies, a quiet place at home to complete their homework/ home study would be an advantage. To support this process, I encourage parents to check the planner on a regular basis to ensure that tasks are being recorded and completed. It’s important to keep the lines of communication open so we can work together to ensure your child has a successful 2020.

I would also like to congratulate the following students for being recognised at the High achievers Awards assembly

Nigina Srichuang

Jessica Ryan

Nilu Perera

Melissa Ludwick

Katherine Irving

Nurija Hota

Daphne Garcia

Thu Doan

Udayveer Cheema

Sienna Brunning

Anastasia Cabo

Seneja Alles

Congratulations to all these students and I hope to see many more names from the Year 8 students in the future.

If you have any concerns about your son or daughter’s progress please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Mrs Rentzis - Year 8 Coordinator

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome back the Year 9 students and their families to Carwatha College for 2020. I am excited to introduce myself as the new Year 9 co-ordinator for 2020.

The Year 9 students have been exemplary in representing our college values and are settling in well and are having a very positive start to the school year.

Students are doing a fantastic job representing Carwatha College in the presentation of their uniforms and are looking incredibly smart as they come through our gates.

As this is their final year in junior school there will be many new challenges faced by the students as expectations and workloads increase in preparation for senior school and VCE. To help students this year, I strongly recommend that you check that your child’s equipment, including books, stationary and most importantly laptop or tablet. It’s also important that students have all the equipment they need to successful.

Coming up this term there will be an excursion to Funfields theme park which is set to create a positive culture and strong team spirit for the Year 9 cohort. There is much excitement from the students about this upcoming event. Please ensure that excursion levies are paid as the Year 9s have many excursions planned throughout the year.

I would like to congratulate the following students on being recognised at the High achievers Awards assembly:

Styliani Alvanos

Nicola Weerasinghe

Felicity Liagourdis

Angie Baika

Jaqueline Dao

Jessica Ho

Sam Norton

Pavethra Mohanraj

Congratulations to all these students and I hope to see many more names from the Year 9 students in the future.

If you have any concerns about your son or daughter’s progress please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Mr Zannen Brown - Year 9 Coordinator

Year 9 – Future Me program with Deakin University

Year 9 students had the great opportunity to work over 3 sessions with Deakin staff, academics and industry. Students learned about employability skills and how to navigate the future world of work.

Day 1. Students took a look at the future world of work and what it will look like for them. They were able to engage in workshops and strength –building games

Day 2. Students attended Deakin University and continued the conversation learning about communication and body language. Students were given the opportunity to use their new skills in a networking activity involving ‘speed meets’ with community, industry and university stakeholders.

Day 3. Students reflected on their progress and the process they had been through in fun and engaging series of activities

Kylie Borchers

VET/Careers & Pathways Coordinator

The shift from year 9 to year 10 has been extremely exciting yet a little confronting.

Teachers are being very supportive and helpful towards the huge transition. We are enjoying being independent and being more in command of our futures as we are studying subjects that may lead us into our future pathways. We face new challenges each day but we are loving every moment of it.

We had a Year 10 team building event on Friday, 21st February. Pizzas and drinks were provided for lunch. School captains ran activities with us, helping us understand some of the V3 policies, helping us settle in. They were very encouraging and reassuring as quite a few of us are still getting used to this big jump into V1.

This was followed by bubble soccer which was an awesome activity. I hope we can participate in such activities through the year. We are looking forward to all the excursions and activities that have been planned for this year.

Ro Mon Lay - Year 10 Student

2020 has started and school is in session. The year 11s are excited and ready for what awaits them in the upcoming year, not to mention the fact that we are all almost in our final year of high school and VCE. Everyone has started the year off with a flying start. Leadership applications have been handed out for the Student Representative Council and for year level leadership. SACs and test have started to appear and the drive to study is extra high with the new pass mark being 50% which is good as it will push us to apply ourselves more to our subjects.

An upcoming event that everyone is looking forward to is the Urban City Quest in which all year 10’s, 11’s and 12’s get into groups and walk around the city completing challenges as they go along. It is a fun and enjoyable day that everyone is looking forward to. Another event we are all excited about is the swimming carnival. This day is a great way for us to express our school and house spirit. Our house captains ran an assembly to get us organized and motivated. We hope the sun shines on us on the day and we can have heaps of fun!

Grace Garcia - Year 11 Student

Meet the 2020 Year 12 Leadership Team!

Name: Naduwa Baika

Position: College Captain

What you’d like to do as captain: As a College Captain I would like to be able to achieve my best in my studies as well as make our school proud. I would also like to find out ways to improve our school for future students and captains to better their education.

Why you chose to be a captain: I chose to be a captain so I can hear the problems that my peers and other students have and try to work these problems out. Also I'd like to work with teachers to make school easier and more accessible for students to learn.

Name: Reggie Comeros

Position: Cuthbert House Captain

What you'd like to do as a captain: I’d like to add more competitive events involving houses to outline the importance of houses and a sense of teamwork within the school. Also I feel being on the leadership team would be a great opportunity to learn as well as gain experience for future leadership roles in my career.

Why you chose to be a captain: I chose to be a House Captain because I’d like to provide every assistance to make the best out of what we have and connect with others as much as possible.

Name: Liv Elumba

Position: Bradman House Captain

What you'd like to do as a captain: As a House Captain I would like to create positive outcomes for the house by working closely with the house members during events and other house captains by organizing different activities. I believe that if everyone works together and attempts their best it makes them all winners. I hope that anyone in any year will be able to approach me with any issues or ideas they may have.

Why you chose to be a captain: Personally, I would like the challenge as it is a role I have never had the chance to have in school before.

Name: Angela Fourie

Position: College Captain

What you want to achieve as captain: As a College Captain I'd like to be able to help students in our school. If they aren't confident enough to ask a teacher, I'd like them to be able to ask other students who would be able and willing to help. I’d also like to encourage my fellow peers to gain confidence in what they do.

Why you chose to be a captain: I chose to be a captain because I'd like to be a role model for students and encourage them to step out of their comfort zones as we are able to grow more when we step out of what we’re comfortable with.

Name: Daisy Yao

Position: International Captain

What you want to achieve as captain: Being the International Captain, I will help organise and participate in many activities. I will ensure that the international students can fully exercise their comprehensive abilities of communication and overall participation, which will be of great benefit to them as well as our school culture. As a captain, I will treat everyone equally and with respect.

I am always willing to help, listen to opinions, and am not afraid of setbacks and challenges. Moreover, I will always try to understand the needs of students and offer meaningful support. For example, report ideas or suggestions to teachers, help peers find a balance between independence and responsibility, and support international students to integrate better with the school life in Australia.

Why you chose to be a captain: This is a great responsibility for me as I must abide by school rules, be diligent, study hard and be an example for others by achieving my social and academic potential.

I have high expectations of myself which will help me strive for excellence for myself as well as my peers.

Name: Zoe Hannan

Position: Arts Captain

What you want to achieve as captain: I would like to try and get more art programs into the school to try and cater for everyone.

Why you chose to be a captain: I chose to be a captain to get over my fears and I wanted to push myself further. Art is a passion of mine and I really enjoy expressing myself through different forms of art.

Name: Christopher Prentice

Position: Fraser House Captain

What you want to achieve as a captain: I’d like to be a positive supportive influence for my house and build team spirit

Why you chose to be a captain: I chose to be captain to bring out the best in myself and others. This opportunity will also help me build my leadership skills for the future.

Name: Austinn Spicer

Position: Laver House Captain

What you want to achieve as a captain: As a captain the main thing I would like is to be able to add my input, help the leadership team and to be there for the younger year levels to help them become more confident in participating in college events.

Why you chose to be a captain: I chose to be captain as I see it as opportunity to represent the school and for me to grow as a person by gaining more confidence. Working in a team will allow me to expand my knowledge and leave my mark on the school.

Name: Hannah Whitaker

Position: College Captain

What you would like to achieve as a captain: In this role I would like to lead and be an example for other students to always put their best into all they do.

Why you chose to be a captain: I chose to be a captain because I wanted to put myself out of my comfort zone for my last year and take on a leadership role. I was also encouraged by others who believed I would be a good leader.

Name: Belinda Zaccaria

Position: Sports Captain

What you want to achieve as a captain: I would like to really improve sport involvement through the school so that we have students participating in interschool sport events.

Why you chose to be a captain: I chose to be a captain so that I could give students more things to do during recess and lunch as well as make memorable events that have a lasting impression on our peers.

Ms Hudson - Year 12 Coordinator

Senior Interschool Sport Update

Congratulations to the Senior Girls Volleyball team who are Division Champions! They were undefeated today and progress through to Southern Metro Region Finals!

Congratulations to the Senior Boys Volleyball team, that finished up as Division Runners Up.

Well done to the Senior Girls/Boys Tennis teams that faced some tough competition and represented our college with pride today.

Ms Thomas - PE Coordinator

Welcome to our new Food Technology teacher - Ms Go.

Year 7 and 8 students have been busy this term learning new skills and cooking tasty and healthy foods.

Welcome to Drama for 2020!

All classes have had a great start to the year and it has been wonderful to see students participating in warm-ups and supporting each other in class.

The Year 7s are exploring Voice this term through Reader's Theatre. After experimenting with volume, accent, pitch, and pace, the students will be using their voice to create a character, and will then record themselves reading a script while in character. The students have especially enjoyed practising vocal warm-ups and tongue twisters.

The Year 8s have jumped into Improvisation, and have enjoyed participating in games such as Space-jump and Sentence-and-Response to practise their skills in making offers and accepting offers. In small groups, the students are currently preparing for short improvised performances.

The journey ahead is full of Mime, Melodrama, and Fractured Fairytales, and it will be exciting to experience it together.

Lemon Lime Linements!

Mrs. Holten - Drama Teacher.

CSEF

CAMPS, SPORTS & EXCURSIONS FUND (CSEF)

CSEF is provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.

If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. A special consideration category also exists for asylum seeker and refugee families. The allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting activities for the benefit of your child.

Eligibility Date

CSEF eligibility will be subject to the parent/legal guardian’s concession card being successfully validated with Centrelink on either:

Term 1 28th January 2020

Term 2 14th April 2020

The CSEF program for 2020 closes on the 26th June 2020. Application forms cannot be accepted after this date.

The annual CSEF amount per student is:

$125 for primary school students

$225 for secondary school students

HOW TO APPLY

New applicants should contact the school office to obtain a CSEF application form or download from www.education.vic.gov.au/csef

If you applied for the CSEF at your child's school in 2019, you do not need to complete an application form in 2020 unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.

You only need to complete an application form if any of the following changes have occurred:

 New student enrolments; your child has started or changed schools in 2020 or you did not apply in 2019.

 changed family circumstances; such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new siblings commencing at the school in 2020.

Check with the school office if you are unsure.

Compass Guide