Merbein P-10 College Newsletter

Secondary News

English News - ‘Speak Off’

K. James

Welcome back to Term 3 Secondary English students.  We are kicking off this term with our annual public speaking competition, ‘Speak Off’.

Each Year Level will be given a specific prompt to address in a timed speech.  We encourage students to have fun with the prompts and to create an engaging and entertaining speech to present to their peers in class as an assessment task.  The top two performing orators will then compete in the Year Level finals to be in the running to win some great prizes and of course bragging rights as being the best public speaker for their Year Level.  We have lots of fun with this competition all the while encouraging confidence and skill development for public speaking.

Our prompts this year are:

Year 7 – Sell us your new invention.                                                    

Year 8 – I should be elected as president of…

Year 9 – The person I would nominate for Australian of the Year is…

Year 10 – Adopt a persona, determine an audience and convince them of your point of view on an issue of your choice.                                             

Year 7-8 students need to speak for 2-3 minutes.  Year 9-10 students need to speak for 3-4 minutes. 

We understand that public speaking can be difficult for some students so we encourage you to talk about your child’s speech with them.  Discuss possible ideas for their content and strategies that they can use to create an engaging speech.  Offer to help them to rehearse and provide them with constructive feedback for improvement.  As a school we aim to support all of our students to present a speech in class as this will prepare them for future schooling and of course give them meaningful life skills, so please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher for suggestions as to how to support your child to achieve with public speaking.

‘Write On’ Competition Results

K. James

Last term students completed the second round of our ‘Write On’ competition.  For this round of writing students were asked to prepare a persuasive response to the possible banning of all mobile devices within our school.  The responses were in the form of a letter addressed to our school leadership team.  Many of our students expressed strong opinions about this issue and it was great to see them argue their point of view with a high level of skill using the strategy of MEAT n FRIES to help them remember key persuasive writing techniques.

Over the holidays our judges read the letters of the finalists and awarded first, second and third for each year level.

Our winners for ‘Write On: Persuasive’ are:

Year 7

1st: Nicole Stewart

2nd: Jack Taylor

3rd: Lani Mulvihill

 

Year 8

1st: Codi-Lee Dimasi

2nd: Indi Hansen

3rd: Darci Eastmond/Jasmine McDermott

Year 9

1st: Elisabeth Mazzini

2nd: Saja Al Salman

3rd: Eleanore Sands

Year 10:

1st: Justice Carlaw

2nd: Phoebe Stephens

3rd: Charlie Bambrick-Cameron

Certificates and vouchers will be distributed shortly.  Well done to all our winners and thank you to our judges.

Year 10 - Mildura Senior College (MSC) Discovery Day Consent Forms

C. Blackie

Consent forms for Discovery Day were handed out on Monday during Form Assembly.  Please check that the form has been returned to the front office.  A reminder that students must travel to and from Merbein P-10 College with our group. They cannot arrive at MSC independently and they cannot be dismissed from MSC at the end of the day.

Mildura Senior College (MSC) Course Selection Forms

C. Blackie

The deadline for these to be returned to school is not until Friday 9 August.

Mildura Senior College  Student and Parent Information Night

C. Blackie

Mildura Senior College (MSC) is holding a Student and Parent Information Night on Tuesday 30th July from 5.30-6.30pm in the College Gym on Fourteenth Street.  In recent years there have been significant changes to the way VCE and VCAL are structured at MSC so all families are strongly advised to attend this event even if students have had older siblings attend MSC. This event is an important step in the Transition Partnership between Merbein P-10 and Mildura Senior College.  It will help families support students to make a successful transition to Year 11.

Year 10 - Universal Student Identifier (USI)

C. Blackie

Mildura Senior College require all enrolling students to have a Universal Student Identifier (USI).  A USI is required for all nationally recognized training programs, including TAFE and VET courses as well as training in First Aid, Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA), etc. Students currently enrolled in a VET course will already have a USI.  Obtaining a USI is a quick, five minute process, and can be completed online at www.usi.gov.au

Students will have the opportunity to use school computers to obtain a USI during their Humanities classes if required. If students need to complete this process at school, they will need to bring one of the following forms of identification:

  • Australian Passport
  • Non-Australian Passport (with Australian Visa)
  • Australian Birth Certificate
  • Australian Driver's Licence
  • Medicare Card
  • Certificate of Registration by Decent
  • Citzenship Certificate
  • ImmiCard

Doctors in Secondary Schools

Remember our doctor’s room is open every Tuesday from 10am–3pm for secondary students.  Student appointments can be made through staff at the school or by calling the Merbein Family Practice on 03 5025 2511 or students can simply drop into the rooms at recess or lunch on Tuesdays. This is a great service, not just when students are sick but for things like prescriptions, asthma and anaphylaxis plans, catch-up immunisations, mental health and any other issues facing secondary students.  Students will need to give their Medicare Card details to the GP clinic.  An easy way to do this is for the student to take a photo of the card on their phone.  Parents do not need to attend appointments with students but are very welcome to come along if the students wish.

Red Cliffs Secondary College

Senior School Course Information Evening

Monday, 29th July from 5-7pm.

Students and parents of students who will commence Year 11 or 12 in 2020 are invited to attend the Red Cliffs Secondary College Senior School Information Evening.

Parents and students will be introduced to the various Senior School subjects offered at Red Cliffs Secondary College.  There will be a short presentation on the VCE/VCAL/VET and pathways, as well as what students and parents can expect in the coming years.

Also present will be a Chances 4 Children representative re: scholarship opportunities as well as a representative from the Deakin Trade Training Centre, Riverside Trade Training Centre and SuniTAFE with information.

Any enquires please contact Miss Tauree Kay (Acting Senior School Leader) on 5024 1522.