IMPORTANT DATES

Tuesday 30 May

Year 9 & 10 - Football (Boys), Netball (Girls), Soccer

Thursday 8 June

Year 9 Health & Wellbeing Day

Monday 12 June

Queen's Birthday - PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Tuesday 13 June

VCE Year 10 Exams

Thursday 15 June

VCE Year 10 Exams

Friday 16 June

VCE Year 10 Exams

Monday 19 June

Year 10 Exams

Tuesday 20 June

EMR 2017 Cross Country

Year 10 Exams

Wednesday 21 June

Year 10 Exams

Year 9 City Experience: Metro/Police Talk - Period 6

Friday 23 June

Curriculum Day - Student FREE DAY

Friday 30 June

End of Term 2 - 2.30 pm Finish

Year 9

Health & Wellbeing Day

Thursday 8 June

$10 per student

All Year 9 students will be involved in the Health & Wellbeing Day, that will build students' resilience, mindfulness and empathy. Students will be given the opportunity to engage in a range of workshops tailored towards building students' trust, confidence, self-esteem and connectedness to the school community.

Please pay and consent for the Health & Wellbeing Day on Compass or at the School Office by Monday, June 5, 2017.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Year 9 Captains

We are halfway through the term already and a lot has happened since our last report.

Market Day was held on May 4, in the Middle School courtyards. Year 11's and some Year 10 students did very well with the overall outcome of the day and it was successful.

Very recently, Cross Country and Inter-school football training was held. Hopefully everybody who participated did well at Cross Country and the training session for AFL was enjoyable.

Mindfulness morning have been held every morning from 8.10 am to 8.20 am before school. The 10 minutes is to help with mindfulness, gratititude and resilience.

On Friday 26 May, IDAHOT Day is being run by the SRC. It is to spread awareness about homophobia, transphobia and biphobia. There will be a bake sale, face paint and a bottom half free dress for all students (gold coin donation to participate).

Recently, an Astronomy Club was launched if anybody is interested in joining too.

Very soon, the Year 9 Health and Wellbeing Day will be held. It is a chance for us all to come closer as a year level. We will all be spoken to about resilience and wellbeing, goal setting, and forming heathly relationships with each other.

Good luck for the rest of the term!

Reuben and Keira

Central Australia Camp

As we assembled in front of the school, the eager Year 10’s staggered onto the bus. The long awaited Central Camp was just beginning.

After the dreaded 24-hour bus trip, we rolled into Coober Pedy, ready for the first real day to begin. After we got to Coober Pedy, we enjoyed a tour that showed the highlights of the small town. Starting at Umoona Mine, we learnt about cutting and polishing opals and the history behind them. We continued around the town, noodling/fossicking for opals ourselves and went on our way to Marla for the night.

On our travels to Alice Springs, we had the opportunity to ride the ever talked about camels. Every night three awards were awarded; ‘Princess of the Bus’, for committing princess like acts, ‘Tool of the Day' for someone who did something silly, and the ‘Hero Award’ for someone who did something great/heroic that day. The princess award soon followed for me personally, after finally braving the camel, only to scream hysterically the entire way.

On sunset, we experienced Simpsons Gap, even after our extreme excitement and noise we were lucky enough to see a rock wallaby.

The next day followed with a visit to the aboriginal culture centre with some daring students taking on the task of eating witchetty grub and kangaroo tail. Mark, an aboriginal elder at the centre, teaching us how to throw a boomerang and Ben’s success hitting the target on the first go were highlights of this experience. The day continued with a visit to the Royal Flying Doctors Service and the School of the Air, where some students were lucky enough to be featured in a live broadcast.

Kings Canyon was one of my favourite parts of Central Australia. We did an unbelievable hike through the canyon while taking many great photos. The walk was beautiful and full of life, not only was it great weather but the scenery was mind blowing. To add to that experience, I received the converted ‘Tool of the Day' award for many reasons! The most memorable being, at the end of the hike a friend of mine hurt her ankle. She had her foot rested and an ice pack on top. To check if the icepack was still cold, I slapped her ankle extremely hard, oblivious to what I had done and how much pain she was in afterwards.

Never in my life have I seen 40, fifteen year olds as quiet as they were in the presence of Uluru. It is not only a sacred Aboriginal place, but also a place none of us will ever forget.

Kata Tjuta (Olgas) hike was one of many challenges, but a great accomplishment soon followed. Not only the view, but also the memories made here are marked in my memory.

Overall, I thought Central was an amazing camp, meeting many new people and getting to know the teachers more, was great. The cooks and drivers were fantastic and we learnt so much about the culture of the Aboriginal people and how beautiful Australia can really be.

A big thank you has to go out to all of the teachers who committed themselves to us for 9 days straight, something many of us would not be too keen on.

Molly Nyhuis and Jett Harris

Spirit of Anzac Prize Competition

The Premier's Spirit of Anzac Prize provides 22 students with the opportunity to participate in an overseas study tour to sites where Australians have served in times of war and peacekeeping.

In addition, 20 regional finalists will visit Canberra and be invited to attend the Premier's ANZAC Day Luncheon.

The Premier's Spirit of Anzac Prize is open to students in Years 9 and 10 currently enrolled in all Victorian Government, Catholic and Independent Schools. Students need their parents' permission to enter the competition.

For more information please visit the website, Facebook page or see Ms Mays in Staffroom 2;

http://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/index.php/veterans/premiers-spirit-of-anzac-prize

https://www.facebook.com/ThePremiersSpiritOfANZACPrize

The Simpson Prize

The Simpson Prize is a national competition for Year 9 and 10 students. The competition encourages participants to explore the significance of the Anzac experience and what it has meant for Australia.

Winners of the Simpson Prize travel to overseas battlefields the year after they submit their entry. Thus, winners of the 2017 Prize travel in 2017, winners of the 2018 Prize travel in 2018, and so on.

If you wish to enter the 2018 Simpson Prize, please respond to the question below:

Some historians have described 1917 as “the worst year of the Great War” for Australia and Australians. To what extent is this an accurate statement?

See the Australian War Memorial's website for more information or Ms Mays in Staffroom 2;

https://www.awm.gov.au/education/simpson-prize/

Congratulations

Congratulations to Callum Doyle (Year 10) on winning the 2017 Junior Matchplay Championships at Gardiners Run Golf Course, Lilydale on Sunday 13 May.

Callum had a great day out and won 7/6 over. Well done Callum!

Scholarship received

Jiorgia Blackie 10.03

I received a $20,000 Scholarship at Jason Coleman's Minstery of Dance; one of the largest dance academy's in Australia.

I was one out 50 students competing for this scholarship and only 5 students received a scholarship.

Jason Coleman's studio's host some of the biggest shows playing in Melbourne.

Jiorgia Blackie

Approving Absences

Student absences should be entered on COMPASS by parents/guardians OR by calling the school Absence Line on 9735 5644.

The Middle School Office should be contacted if it is expected that your child will be away for more than two days.

Parents and Guardians who may have forgotten their Compass username and password, can contact Lauren Kelso in the Middle School Office for assistance.

Middle School Coordinators

STEAMWORKS

This week @ Steamworks