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Meet our 2019 SRC!

The Student Representative Council has a long history of providing safe and supportive leadership experiences to students at Carwatha College. It is an opportunity for students to develop strong organisational and interpersonal skills as well as their leadership potential. By being a member of the council, students will set an example for their peers, be ambassadors for their school, and be the voice and passion for new ideas, raise concerns and be the agents for change.

Our SRC members have all received their badges, and are wearing them with pride. If you see them around the yard, be sure to say hello and feel free to provide some suggestions. These elected persons will be your voice!

Presidents

• Hamza Mandzic
• Jewel Dao

College Council Representatives

• Zeik Zeik
• Naduwa Baika

Secretaries

• Ro Mon Lay
• Paul Saba

Treasurers

• Jash Patel
• Ethan Chinery

Publicity Officers

• Tahsi Sultan
• Maryam Sarhan
• Paul Alexiadis
• Austinn Spicer

International SRC members (to take on year level and publicity roles for the International cohort)

• Bethany Le
• Cecilia Zhao

Year 12 member

• Simran Kaur

Year 11 member

• Jame Ho

Year 9 members

• Asha De La Haye
• Aliah Zimah

Year 8 members

• Sam Norton
• Mylene Vales
• Trinnay Peyroux
• Jacqueline Dao

Year 7 members

• Jaydine Alapati
• Cristian Macciocca
• Daphne Garcia
• Jessica Ryan

We have a big team this year with some big ideas. With the expertise and dedication of this team, I am sure that 2019 will be a great year!

SRC News

Carwatha College is proud to be a Vic SRC Partner School. As a partner school, we have the benefit of being able to participate in inter-school Student Representative Council competitions and hosting SRC events.

On Monday 25th March, we hosted the Vic SRC Student Voice Workshop for the region. SRC members from Hallam , Wellington, Minaret and Rowville Colleges  worked together in our MPC to discuss how the SRC can affect change in schools and communities. We learnt effective communication skills and how to monitor the effectiveness of our progress and plans. It was a valuable day for all of us, and it was especially great meeting other SRC members from other schools, and hearing about the things they are doing in their schools.

On Monday 1st April all of the Carwatha workshop attendees will be training the other SRC members on peer communication, so the team can effectively listen to ideas, provide feedback, implement strategies and monitor progress.

So far the SRC team is working on collating the events calendar for the year, which should be established early in Term 2. It’s looking like a great year so far for the SRC!

Pictured, are some of our Secondary SRC members who attended the VicSRC Workshop on Monday: Daphne Garcia, Zeik Zeik, Jewel Dao, Hamza Mandzic, Naduwa Baika, Simran Kaur and Ethan Chinery.

Ms Wright - SRC Coordinator

Year 8 Interschool Sport

Greater Dandenong Division Volleyball Playoffs, were held on Wednesday 20th March. Both of our girls and boys teams won multiple matches, with our girls team finishing up as the Division Champions. A big thank you to Mr Pieta for attending and coaching the boys team. I would also like to thank our wonderful parent coach Terry for attending and coaching the girls team. The Southern Metro Region finals will be held Thursday 2nd May, at Dandenong Basketball Stadium. Good luck girls!

Year 10 Recreational Pursuits: Volunteer Umpires

On Friday 29th March, Year 10 Recreational Pursuits students volunteered to attend the Year 5/6 Interschool Sport Gala Day and umpire Tee Ball matches. Students travelled to Greaves Reserve, where they officiated six matches compromising of teams within our Dandenong School Sport Victoria District. Our students demonstrated excellent leadership, sport specific knowledge and communication skills. I would like to commend our students for accepting this challenge and representing our college with pride.

Swimmers are Winners at District Swimming.

The day got off to a great start with practically every student achieving a ribbon in their event. Our small contingent of 9 students performed so well that at the midway point Carwatha College P-12 was the leading school. Those who entered for the maximum number of events ended up being the champions for their age group. These were Nutteda Davidson, Alessia Macciocca and  Aalyah Janikowski. Shakalah De Le Haye came second for her age group.

The boys did a great job to do their best and participated in all their entered events. They were Konstantino Karapetsas (2nd) Brenden Luc (1st) Cristian Macciocca, Riley Stevens and Sam Norton.

We were able to put 2 relay teams together Girls 18-20 Freestyle (2nd) and Boys Under 14 (4th). The Girls relay team were one second off the race record. All but one participant swam above their age group to achieve this.

The students were able to attend this event because of the work of Amanda Thomas, Sports Co-ordinator.

While we came 4th overall; the students embodied the values of teamwork, commitment, respect and doing your best.

Well done team.

Ms Thomas - Sports Coordinator.

2019 Athletics Carnival

Year 4 – 12 College Athletics Carnival

On Tuesday 26th Match, Year 4 – 12 students attending the annual College House Athletics Carnival. The carnival was held at Knox athletics track and featured a variety of track and field events. Students wore their house colours, cheered on their peers and participated in their preferred events. It was fantastic seeing so many students enjoying themselves and pushing past their comfort zones with many sporting 1st – 4th place ribbons.

The winning House and Age Champions will be announced at assembly, on Tuesday 30th April. Students will be notified in writing if they have made the District/Division Athletics Team.

Athletics Carnival Review

By New Staff Member Ms Caldwell

I have a confession to make …

As a decidedly uncoordinated English/Drama teacher who can barely even walk a straight line, my memories of Athletics Carnivals usually bring up past trauma that dates way, way back to my old school days of being laughed at for my total lack of athleticism.

I have since changed my tune, after I was able to witness (being a new member of staff) the true essence of what Carwatha College P-12 really does encapsulate. I was able to revel in the spirited attempts of both the serious and elegant strides of the accomplished athletes, alongside those who were in it to do their bit for house points and/or friendship.

To see those students whom I am usually drilling with grammar or stagecraft in this environment was great. What really did it for me was how moving it was to witness after almost every race the gestures offered up amongst its competitors; a handshake, a hug or a pat on the back to those gasping for breath after giving it their all, a salute to the efforts of all participants.

This was unprompted and came from a place of true and genuine sportsmanship, and once again managed to reinforce how fortunate I am to be a part of this community. Thank you to all the kids for changing my perceptions of what an Athletics Carnival really can be.

Ms Caldwell 

Year 9 Art  - Portraits

Students in Year 9 Art have been studying the history of portraits and viewing and responding to a range of different portrait styles. They then chose an image to recreate using white pencil/chalk on black paper. They learnt how to use the pencil/chalk to create different tones and textures. Students developed skills in drawing from observation, proportion, pencil stroke direction, pressure, smudging, highlighting and creating implied texture and form.

Year 8 Art

Inspired by Wassily Kandinsky’s, Squares with Concentric Circles, 1913.

Students learnt about Kandinsky’s influences, his art style and in particular his abstract pieces. They began to understand how to analyse and interpret abstract pieces.

They learnt how colours can be used in art to represent feelings and emotions. Using oil pastels, students created their own concentric circles and were asked to explain their colour choices.

After a busy first term Yr 7s have made an aluminium key tag, a silver soldered brass ring and are starting work on a saw pierced aluminium design.

Yr 8s have been working on a mixed media model using wood and acrylic sheet.

Yr 9s have been working on a wooden trinket box with a lid made from saw pierced aluminium and polished acrylic sheet.

VCE Product Design & Technology students are well under way with their furniture models.

Visual Communication & Studio Arts students have been working on developing their design brief responses and some excellent work is being produced.

Teachers of Design Technology and the Arts are already beginning to identify potential end of year Art/Technology Show candidates.

Mr Skeggs - Design & Technology Coordinator

Name: Ermir Topali

Primary school in 2018: Harrisfield

What have you liked about year 7 at Carwatha College P-12? Hanging out with all my new friends, how friendly and accepting everyone is and learning new things. I have also loved being in the SEE program, it is really challenging and pushes me to do better in all my classes.

What is your favourite subject and why? English, because I love to read and write stories.

What are you looking forward to in the coming year? Doing more elective subjects like Art, Music and Drama as well as being a captain.

Why do you like the J Block area? It is safe, quiet, clean and I get to talk and joke with my friends.

A word on Mr Antony (haha) He is nice and the best support but sometimes annoying.

What advice would you give to any year 7’s coming to Carwatha P-12 next year? Be organised, ask questions, get involved and have fun. It is a great school and I recommend that all kids have a look at Carwatha for their secondary education.

Name: Seneja Alles

Primary school in 2018: Carwatha College P-12

What have you liked about year 7 at Carwatha College P-12? Making new friends, learning new subjects.

What is your favourite subject and why? Maths, I love learning the new concepts and I feel really strong at this.

What are you looking forward to in the coming year? All the upcoming excursions and activities that year 7 students get to do.

Why do you like the J Block area? It is relaxing, there is no pressure, I can be with my friends and I get to have fun.

A word on Mr Antony (haha) Year 7 coordinator, is a great person, kind, funny (though sometimes annoying). Best teacher I know.

What advice would you give to any year 7’s coming to Carwatha P-12 next year? Be prepared and organised, ask for help if you need it, don’t be afraid and have fun.

Name: Nick Brown

Primary school in 2018: Carwatha College P-12

What have you liked about year 7 at Carwatha College P-12? All the different subjects, activities, excursions and friendships.

What is your favourite subject and why? English, as I love creating new stories and using my imagination.

What are you looking forward to in the coming year? The excursions and the activities.

Why do you like the J Block area? It is a lovely place for everyone, it is relaxing, it is nice as it is a private place for the junior students to feel safe and together.

A word on Mr Antony (haha) He is really cool.

What advice would you give to any year 7’s coming to Carwatha P-12 next year? Be prepared, have lots of fun, enjoy doing everything around the school and get involved in the activities.

Name: Holly Walpole

Primary school in 2018 Carwatha College P-12

What have you liked about year 7 at Carwatha College P-12? That Mr Antony is fun and helpful, all the new subjects we do, all the friends I have made. I also like how safe and comfortable I feel around the school.

What is your favourite subject and why? Maths, I have a lovely and caring teacher and I enjoy learning the subject.

What are you looking forward to in the coming year? All the variety of subjects, especially food technology as I love to cook.

Why do you like the J Block area? Because it is clean and nice place. It is safe and a friendly area.

A word on Mr Antony (haha) He is nice and caring.

What advice would you give to any year 7’s coming to Carwatha P-12 next year? Be excited, try to be open minded, try all the new subjects, ask for help and be friendly to everyone. Carwatha is a great place.

Name:  Anastasia Cabo

Primary school in 2018: Silverton Primary School

What have you liked about year 7 at Carwatha College P-12? That is a polite, caring and beautiful school.

What is your favourite subject and why? I love all of my subjects, they increase my learning and give me inspiration and happiness.

What are you looking forward to in the coming year? Getting good results, improving my learning, making new and stronger friends and doing all the activities.

Why do you like the J Block area? I love walking into J Block, it makes me feel safe, positive and happy.

A word on Mr Antony (haha) A sweet person, a great help and very helpful.

What advice would you give to any year 7’s coming to Carwatha P-12 next year? Study hard, read a lot and understand the importance of your education.

Mr Antony - Year Level Coordinator

This term has been very busy, we have had lots of activities and the students have been doing an amazing job both in and out of class!

We have new form captains and I would like to congratulate Nikila and Wynet from 8A and Hari and Nasiya in 8B who were voted in by their peers.

I asked two students to write a short paragraph to tell you what they have been up to!

This year in term one at Carwatha College, the year 8’s went to clip and cave they had lots of fun. Everyone in year 8 enjoyed the clip whilst we were there we challenged each other and also encouraged each other to try different things and climb as high as we could.

The swimming carnival and the athletics carnival were also something the year 8 were involved in which was lots of fun.

BY: Pave

This term, the year 8s have participated in many events such as swimming carnival, athletics and other excursions. They were all a massive success which everyone was happy about. We had many year 8s get amazing scores and ribbons from swimming carnival and athletics. One of the events that everyone enjoyed was an excursion to Clip n’ Climb which was followed by going to the park and a BBQ.

This excursion especially, brought all the students closer to each other. They got along well which was one of the best things the teachers saw. The bonding between every student was a big change from what they were like at the start of the year.

By: Jacqueline

Mr Hammond - Year Level Coordinator

March has been a very busy month for the Year 9 students.

Year 9 students participated enthusiastically at the Carwatha College Swimming and Athletics Carnivals.  It was great to see so many of our year 9 students participating in the varied events.  A number of the year 9’s produced great times in the events.  Congratulations to all the students who put in their best efforts but also to all the year 9 students as a whole who encouraged and cheered one another on the days.

We had a number of year 9 students who made very impressive speeches to the year level.  The speeches reflected honesty, desire and a want to be involved in the school community. 

The following students were selected by their peers to take on some important roles and to represent their year level.

Form Captains for 2019  :  Cassandra Lazarakis, Shay De La Haye, Ramona Ghandour, Mustafa Coskun, Skye Garrard, Norah Hoang and Sarah Dib

Year 9 SCR representatives for 2019 :  Asha De La Haye,  Ro Mon Lay and Aliah Zimah

Congratulations to all these students!!

All  Year 9 students participated in a Positive Relationships Day.  The purpose of the day was to assist students to be more self-reliant and resilient in their relationship with others. Others includes their friends, peers and teachers. The sessions focused on the following attributes: Individual empowerment, reaching out to others, self confidence, self worth and making positive decisions. 

Early March saw all Year 9 students involved in a program called Coaching for success.  This enabled students to start thinking about possible Career Pathways.  The  modules covered  during the session included : Possibilities for life/career,  Organised-design life and career plan, will power – to do what it takes, emotional skills to cope with demands and pressures, results by taking action.  There will be many opportunities throughout the year, for the students to start thinking about the pathways they are contemplating  taking in the future.

Please continue to check Compass, to ensure you are up to date and fully informed of what is happening in your child’s school life. There are many activities and excursions planned for the Year 9 students in Term 2.   I’m always pleased to hear from you so please do keep in touch.

Georgia Rentzis

(Year 8 coordinator)

The Year 10s have been settling into their Unit 1 and 2 subjects. They have met the challenge of VCE level SACs with some students doing exceptionally well.

We were lucky enough to have an Amazing Race event in the city organised by Mrs Bawa. We were split into teams and had to complete challenges like finding a hidden busker then naming the songs he played, performing a cheer leading dance and competing against other teams in an egg-hording game.

The Year 10s really got into it and had a great time. In fact, it was a Year 10, “The Fairies” team that actually won the day.

 I’d also like to congratulate all the competitors at the Athletic Carnival too!

 Next term, we’re looking forward to the Road Smart incursion and excursion on March 7th and 9th.

 Thanks for a great term 1!

Mr Quinn - Year  Level Coordinator

Girls run the world event:

On the 1st of March, a select group of girls from Carwatha College had the opportunity to attend the ‘Girls run the world’ event. There were a variety of female guest speakers who all provided an empowering and encouraging message. It was interesting to hear about all the effort that went into getting to their point of success in the technology industry.

Even though they went through setbacks and difficult challenges, they managed to keep trying. Hearing their stories provided encouragement to never give up and always pursue what you want. It was also empowering to see women thriving in the technology industry, an industry that has been traditionally and is currently male dominated. Overall, it was a really great experience and very motivating for young ladies.- Hannah W

Year 11 leaders:

This year we would like to help our year 11 leadership team by making this year as fun and enjoyable for everyone. We will lead by example to demonstrate and enhance our leadership skills and to improve our year level. – Zeik Z

We have recently been appointed as Year 11 Leaders and some of us have been allotted jobs. I am the year 11 publicity officer, so you will be hearing from me regularly. We have already started helping out around the school. Last week, we ushered in students from other schools and had them sign in for the Vic SRC conference held in the MPC. The year 11 leadership team also ensured that the morning tea and lunch was delivered on time. – Angela Fourie

The Amazing race:

On the 5th of March, the year 10,11 and 12 students went to the city for a team building exercise. Students had to sort themselves into groups and then appoint a leader. We were tasked with doing a few dares to get starter points before going and doing other challenges as seen in the TV show. Some teams worked faster than other teams, eager to win the trophy. The activities were fun to complete, and students had a good time spending the day outside school with their friends making happy high school memories.

Access Monash Mentor program:

The Access Monash Mentoring Program is an excellent tailored scheme and resource for VCE students to explore university courses, career branches, aspirations for the future and interests. Students are individually matched with mentors who have recently experienced VCE and university life and meet with them fortnightly throughout the year.

It is a great support system for students who seek information about university life and are unsure of the scary transition that falls between school and university. Mentors are able to help in school work, offer effective studying techniques, work with their mentee to develop/refine skills and guide them through excellence. I think the program is an engaging and additional resource that Year 11/12 students can utilise and am fortunate to be involved in it this year.  – Marcella T

Athletics Carnival:

On the 26th of March, students from grade 4 to year 12 went out on our annual athletics carnival. There were a lot of happy memories created and it was good seeing both teachers and students in their house colours supporting peers who competed in track as well as field events earning points for their houses.

It was a good to see students bring out their competitive side trying their best to win. Many students tried out for field events even though they knew that they were not good at the event. It was great to see students participate in huge numbers so that they could gain points for their houses. Austinn S

Collated and edited by Angela Fourie, Year 11 Leader

Everybody says that the first term of Year 12 will go by so fast, but you don’t really believe it until you are in Year 12. The past few weeks has been filled with the usual SACs, tears, lateness, threats of the V3 centre being locked because of our untidiness, and discussion of what life holds for us after Year 12. But more importantly, this term has also been filled with great memories and opportunities for the Year 12s to come together.

Some highlights include:

  *   A group of Year 11 and 12 girls attended the ‘Run the world’ conference at Deakin Edge, Federation Square. They heard from a range of women about how to conquer their fears, bounce back from adversity and to take advantage of every opportunity that comes their way.

  *   VCAL students started their volunteering program at Belvedere Aged Care. Students have participated in a range of activities including pet therapy and interviewing the residents.

  *   We had another successful Athletics Carnival led by our wonderful house captains. Results won’t be out for a few weeks but my money is on Fraser to take the crown once again.

  *   Some of our students have participated in the Monash Mentors Program or represented our school at district swimming.

  *   Our Year 12 Leadership team ran our first Year 10 event. This was aimed at ensuring our Year 10 students were coping with their first year in our V3 program and to help them come together as a group.

Our final event of the term will be the Year 12 annual sleepover. Our teachers might not be looking so forward to it, but we can’t wait to eat food from Jacksons Kebab and sleep on the cold, hard floor in J Block.

Congratulations Year 12s for making it through the first term. One down, two to go.

Ramzi Ghandour - Year 12 Student & Fraser House Captain