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Low-cost counselling services- MHFA Wellness Hub psychology clinic

The MHFA Wellness Hub psychology clinic currently offers in-clinic and telehealth counselling services with provisional psychologists/counsellors at an affordable fee of $20 per 50-minute session. For individuals requiring more advanced long-term therapeutic services, we have partnered with Inspire Health & Medical to offer counselling services with their team of experienced psychologists and counsellors. GP referrals accepted but not required. The Wellness Hub Psychology Clinic accepts children, youth, and adult clients. In person appointments in South Yarra or via online. 

https://wellnesshub.mhfa.org.au/mhfa-clinicians

UPCOMING PARENTS WEBINAR - BUTTERFLY

SUPPORTING TEENS TO EAT WELL | BODY CONFIDENT CHILDREN & TEENS

Supporting Teens to Eat Well in a Food Confused World - FREE Parent Webinar

Join Butterfly and two Practicing Accredited Dietitians and learn how to help your teen have a positive and balanced relationship with food.  Topics covered include: Why it's hard to charter a healthy course | What's helpful diet information and what's problematic | Supporting eating through puberty | Troubleshooting common eating dilemmas - 'junk food', 'high protein diets', veganism, not eating at school.

Details

Tuesday, 12th September

7 - 8pm (AEST), plus question time

Via Zoom (time-limited recording available)

Free

Register:  https://events.butterfly.org.au/portal//event/?id=EP_BCCT_Parent_Webinar477928020&Name=12/09/23 BKF Teens Eating

Body Confident Children and Teens - For Parents

Information and practical tips for parents of primary and secondary-age children on how to promote positive body image in the home.  Topics covered include: Body image influences | The role of body image in problematic eating and exercise behaviours | How to positively role model | Responding to appearance talk and appearance-teasing |What to do if concerned.

Details

Tuesday, 17th October

7 - 8pm (AEDT), plus question time

Via Zoom (recording available)

$15

Register: https://events.butterfly.org.au/portal//event/?id=EP_BCCT_Parent_Webinar2583081573&Name=17/10/23 BCCT

YEAR 10 MENINGOCOCCAL ACWY VACCINE PROGRAM

If your child who is in Year 10 hasn't received their Meningococcal vaccination as yet, could you please ensure you complete the consent form and return it to the Front Office of your respective campus.  The form is required to be returned even if you don't want your child to receive the vaccination. 

HOMEWORK CLUB

Homework Club is available for students every Monday after school in the

Senior school library.  A tutor attends who can help students with

questions about their subjects.  Homework club is between 3.20pm and 4.30pm.

If you need assistance with your homework, or are preparing for a test or sac, then

you are encouraged to make use of Homework club to improve your results.

Mr. Dimitrov - Homework club coordinator

LIBRARY NEWS

Book Week 2023 has come and gone! Book Week took place from 19-25 August, and the theme this year was ‘Read, Grow, Inspire’, and students in our libraries enjoyed reading, growing and inspiring via quizzes, puzzles, activities and challenges galore.

Prizes were won- please enjoy these pictures of our lucky prize winners! If you didn’t get involved this year, watch out for Book Week next year! Please see your nearest friendly librarian for more information. 

YEAR 8 FRENCH FILM EXCURSION

On Tuesday the 15th of August, over 70 students and staff from both Acacia and Banksia

attended a French movie excursion at ACMI cinema in the city. The movie was Nehneh 

Superstar directed by Ramzi Ban Sliman and was showing as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF). The movie is about Neneh-Fanta Gnaoré (played by Oumi Bruni Garrel), a young girl who is black and dreams of becoming a principal dancer with the Paris Ballet Opera Company. The movie follows Nehneh as she faces discrimination from the director of the ballet and her classmates who do not support her. Students of 8F were angered by the treatment of Nehneh and noted that she was judged by her appearance and attitude. Students admired Nehneh’s relationship with her caring parents and enjoyed the multiple dance sequences in the movie. All students did a great job of respecting fellow movie goers and got to enjoy time together at Melbourne Central after the movie. Students stated that they enjoyed being in the city with their peers and are looking forward to doing City Experience in Year 9 next year! By Claire Miller, French Teacher at Acacia - with contributions from students in 8F

HISTORY DAY

On Friday 25th August, all Year 7-9 students celebrated History Day at both campuses.

Students enjoyed a day of hands-on learning, activities and adventure.

There were activities for most subjects, ranging from Ancient Science to World War cooking and even Medieval Jousting.

Students participated in historically accurate activities from the time period they were studying, as stated here:

Year 7s: Ancient History

Year 8s: Medieval History

Year 9s: World War 1

Thank you to all staff and students who participated, and we look forward to the next annual installment of History Day!

YEAR 12 CAPTAINS REVIEW

Hi Year 12s

The end is nigh, graduation is just around the corner! In these last few weeks, we not only have to make the most of our last days of our 13-year-long school journey, but also make sure we go out knowing we strived to succeed to the best of our ability. 

This term has been busy with many memorable events. Formal was one. It was a night to remember! A big thank you to the formal committee and Ms Naganivatu and Mr McGinley for planning such a beautiful night!! Colour run was also held this Monday! The year levels had the opportunity to run through the arches the house captains took their time to make. It was a success and the oval was radiating with endless amounts of colours!!

Holidays are coming up and this is the time to crack down on exam revision, creating study schedules and improving our time management, so the stress of exams don't get the better of us. This is where things like study buddies and group study sessions are great - because we can simultaneously enjoy time with our friends while being productive. 

Although there’s only a few weeks left, we still have a lot to look forward to. Next week we have Genes for Jeans day, so remember to dress up and make the most of our last casual dress day. And of course, we can prepare for our Celebration Day next term, which should be really enjoyable! We also have practice exams to ready us for the real VCAA exams which for the most of us, start in October with English/EAL and end in November.

To the Year 12s, our last few weeks are coming to an end. This is our time to enjoy our last few moments with our friends and teachers and enjoy every break and class. Enjoy your well-earned break, but make time to study for your exams and make an effort to attend the practice exam sessions that have been organised for us. Happy studying!

A Night In Paris awaits….  The night seniors have been dreaming of since junior school. The talk about what dresses to wear, where to get the suits, who we are going with… all the talk came down to August 18 at Cathies Lane Receptions. The formal committee worked overtime for 16 weeks to throw a memorable night with the help of Ms Naganivatu and Mr McGinley- calling it a success would be an understatement! 

The night started out so well as the Year 12’s proudly walked through the fairy light arbour, on a bold red carpet that led us into the modern dance room of the venue. The vibe of the night was up from the doors opening with both students and Keysborough staff excited to get on the dance floor. As everyone roamed the venue to take their instagramble photos, the heavily debated awards were announced, from the Ray of Sunshine to Most Ambitious to Best Dancer and Dressed. The food was beyond yummy, from the mushroom risotto to the lamb shank to crème brulee, everything about the food was so delicious! We thank the catering and venue staff at Cathies Lane for their tiresome effort to get the food out in a timely manner and working closely with the Formal committee in making our night a very special highlight, one we will remember for years to come! 

Theresa Hua on behalf of the 2023 Year 12 Formal Committee

VICTORIAN SCHOOL MUSIC FESTIVAL

On Thursday 31st August, our Acacia Senior Band students travelled to the Hawthorn Arts Centre to perform at the VSMF (the Victorian School Music Festival). 

Over 100 other public and private Victorian schools attended this event to perform music that stretched their technical skills and musical abilities. Our Band performed in the Intermediate division of the festival, which is the 2nd highest division, reserved for schools with excellent music programs. Our students performed 2 set songs, The Country Club Stomp and Bamboo Warrior. 

We had been preparing these songs in Wednesday after-school band rehearsals for many months so we could do our absolute best job and make the music come alive. 

Thank you to the many staff and students who tuned in to the livestream of our performance and I’m sure you’ll agree with me, our Acacia Senior band sounded quite amazing!

After we played our two songs, the festival adjudicator from America, came on stage to do a workshop with our band. She said out of all the schools that attended the festival, our rendition of our song Country Club Stomp, was perhaps the best she had heard. 

There are 5 different award levels given out to schools at the festival - Participation, Bronze, Silver, Gold and finally Platinum. Platinum is only given to bands that effectively play a flawless performance. 

I’m proud to announce that our Acacia Senior Band was given the platinum award at this year’s festival! We have never received this award before and it is a true honour for our campus and our College.  I, along with our acacia staff, principal team and wider school community, are incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication that our Senior band students have shown in order to achieve such an amazing result. 

Countless hours of practise at home, in lessons and rehearsals is what allowed the band to sound as amazing as we did, which shows that we can all achieve great things when we really apply ourselves. 

Congratulations again to our Senior Music students. 

Tom Kenneth – Senior Band Conductor

YEAR 8 CHINESE EXCURSION TO MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Basir Sangin

On the 10th of August 2023, about 130 Year 8 Chinese students from both Acacia and Banksia campus went on an excursion to Melbourne International Film Festival at ACMI in the city. We watched the film "Deep Sea", a 3D animated Chinese fantasy film. Arriving by train, we were filled with excitement for the day ahead. After recess around the Federation Square, we eagerly entered the cinema and settled in for the show. 

The movie is about a girl named Shenxiu who is abandoned by her mother when she is a child. One day, she travels on a cruise ship with her family and on the stormy night, she sees a monster on the deck, humming her mother's song and calling her to the ocean. She falls and breaks into the "Deep Sea" restaurant, an old transformed submarine, where she meets the Chef, Nanhe, and sets out on a mysterious journey. Inspired by the Chinese brush painting style and added with some modern touch, the visuals of the movie are aesthetically stunning, taking us on an adventure to the dreamy undersea world with an explosion of colours. While the film entertains us with a fantasy world where cute baby otters serve peculiar fish to customers and chubby walruses peddling the ship madly, it is also filled with emotions. We are deeply touched by the courage of the protagonist embarking on a quest to find the Eye of the Deep Sea and blooming friendship she forms with Nanhe in face of the challenges.

After the film, we enjoyed a delightful lunch break and then made our way back to Noble Park train station. The excursion offered us not only entertainment but also a chance to escape into a world of imagination. At the end of the day, we felt content and grateful for the unforgettable experience.

by Basir Sangin

YEAR 8 TERM 3 UPDATE

Year 8 had a very busy term 3 with several incursions and excursions. We learned about the future of STEM and how Artificial Intelligence can help us learn and we learned about the risks of underage drinking in a forum theatre performance. Both of these incursions were run in the theatre and we were lucky to have professionals come out and share their knowledge with us.

In Week 6, all language classes attended a LOTE excursion in the city where we watched a French or Chinese film in the cinemas at ACMI in Fed Square. Both films were in another language, and we practiced reading subtitles and picking up on words that we’ve learned in class. We were then treated to lunch in the city before heading back to school.

In Week 7 we had our second annual Junior History Day that was perfectly organised by Ms Tomlinson and the Humanities teachers. Each year level celebrated by participating in activities that matched the period of history they have been studying. Year 8’s participated in Medieval activities such as jousting, apothecary potion mixing and we created our own family crests and stained glass windows. It was a great day and the weather was perfect for outdoor activities.

Next term Year 8’s will be looking at their future careers, exploring respectful relationships and developing their leadership skills before they apply and interview for Leadership roles in Year 9.

YEAR 12 EAL EXCURSION

This term, the Year 12 EAL students from both campuses had the opportunity to explore more of The Queen and Ransom on our excursion to ACMI where we viewed the film and then engaged in an informative lecture. This provided a great opportunity to revisit and catch 

onto important nuanced information in the study of these texts, that we might have missed in our hectic school schedules. The trip consisted of two parts: first, we took part in rewatching the film, The Queen and then we listened to a presentation on the juxtaposition of the two texts. This inspired us students to analyse the narrative strategies and overarching themes in Ransom and The Queen. Ultimately, we were able to identify contrasts and similarities in storytelling, character development, and historical context that allowed us to gain a better understanding of making comparative connections and using them in our final upcoming Unit 4 SAC. This excursion to ACMI was a priceless educational opportunity because it connected the worlds of literature and film. It helped to improve our critical thinking skills in addition to broadening our cultural horizons rather than being stuck on a narrow mindset. Lastly, we would like to thank the teachers and staff involved who put effort into organising and making this excursion happen. 

Venching Heng, Jacklim Kong and Gecjing Taing

On behalf of the Year 12 EAL students

COLOUR RUN

Students from Year 7,8,10,11 and 12 participated in the House Activities Colour Run on Monday afternoon. The event was run by our House Coordinators Candice Chalmers and Rob Brew alongside our House Leaders Chanh (Jayden) NGUYEN, Rameez REHMAN, Elli PSIRRIS, Celina NGUYEN, Feda NADIRI, Ali Hasnin (Ali) NADIRI & Aalysha NGUYEN.

The students showed amazing leadership and the day was very exciting for all students and staff.