NGSC Newsletter

ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS’ REPORT

Mrs Julie Andrews, Mr Paul Dawson &

Mr Bradley Headlam

Assistant Principals 

Cyberbullying vs Bullying

 

It is important that all students understand the consequences of cyberbullying and the serious effect it can have on the victim of these online posts. Students need to think about the harm they can cause by uploading inappropriate posts onto any form of social media and the trouble they can get into at school and also with the law.

Cyberbullying vs bullying

 

While cyberbullying is similar to bullying in some ways, there are also differences.

 

Differences:

Cyberbullying is invasive

Cyberbullying can be difficult to escape and is incredibly invasive. It is more likely to occur outside of school, including while at home, and can happen at any time.

 

Cyberbullying can involve a large audience

Cyberbullying can involve harmful material being widely and rapidly shared to a large audience, for example, rumours and images can be posted on public forums or sent to many people at once. This material can also continue to be available and harmful long after the cyberbullying has ceased.

 

Cyberbullies have a sense of anonymity

Cyberbullying can provide the bully with a sense of relative anonymity and distance from the target, so there is a lack of immediate feedback or consequences.

This is now changing as new laws now allow victims of online bullying to access the eSafety Commissioner who has a working relationship with social media companies the ability to find out who is making the anonymous posts. In order to lodge a complaint about social media posts you can log on to the eSafety website: www.esafety.gov.au

Here you can access various avenues of support such as kids-help and beyond blue but also put in a complaint to the commissioner. To support the complaint you will need to identify the type of bullying and then provide evidence in screenshots or via a Word file. They will provide a case number and then make contact with you.

 

Similarities:

Power imbalance

The power imbalance between the ‘bully’ and ‘target’, the repetitive nature of the bullying behaviour and the intent to harm, humiliate, embarrass, ostracise, or isolate can occur in bullying and cyberbullying.

 

Types of behaviour

Types of behaviour including spreading rumours and making threats or insults, can occur in bullying and cyberbullying.

 

Reasons for behaving in a bullying way

People often engage in cyberbullying for the same reasons they engage in bullying.

 

Any form of bullying will not be tolerated at North Geelong Secondary College.  The school has been very proud of the many students who have reported cyberbullying actions to the school or to social media companies.

If you become aware of any inappropriate social media posts please do not hesitate to contact of the staff members at the school.

Year 10 Careers and  Counselling Week 3 Term 3

 

  • Preparation

The course counselling period is a critical component in finalising the senior school pathway and steps towards an appropriate career. Our program starts in the last few weeks of this term with a Student Survey. This survey will enable us to tailor the Careers Week program to the needs of the students. It will also help start to shape the pathway of the students and we invite parents to participate in this via Compass Insights. Parents will be able to view the pathway planning of their children. A member of the Careers team will pair up with a member of the Middle Sub School will spend a period with each group of students to enable them to complete the survey with the guidance they require.

 

Other important dates to put on the calendar:

Week 1 Term 3:

  • Bookings for Counselling Interviews start
  • Excursion information circulated

 Week 3, Term 3: Careers Week (Year 10)

Monday-

  • Parent/ Teacher interviews
  • Parent information session

 

Tuesday

  • Qualification/ Certificate/ Ticket Day

Wednesday

  • Federation Uni and TAFE visit- Ballarat

Thursday

  • Pathways groups- CAPS plan
  • Lunch provided for students- dismissed at 1:30pm
  • After Hours Course Counselling 2pm- 6pm

Friday

  • Course Counselling 7:00am- 3pm
  • Student to attend with parents

Asessment and Reporting Friday 15th June

 

Please note that on this day staff will be correcting assessments such as exams and learning tasks and writing reports. Therefore students will not be required at school on this day.

Reports

 

The Semester reports will be provided to parents via Compass in the last week of term. This will provide information on the performance of your child for the semester. These are different to the Progress Reports as they also identify the level of understanding compared with the expected standard. The specific date for the reports availability will be communicated via Compass.

 

Some students have been identified by previous Progress Reports as not meeting basic requirements and are at risk of under performing throughout the year. The Sub Schools have been working through a range of strategies to encourage students to be better organised, improve engagement, increase motivation and improve study habits. These students will be given another Progress Report from their teachers which we use to measure their improved work habits.

School Photographs

 

The school recently distributed the school photographs taken in Term 1. If there are any concerns with your order or for further orders, please contact Arthur Reed Photos directly on 5243 4390 or email enquiries@arphotos.com.au.

Year 10 Meningococcal Immunisations

 

It is not too late to complete the consent card for this immunisation which will be conducted at school on 24 July, 2018.

Here are some resources regarding the immunisation.

Why get the free meningococcal vaccine?

To continue to combat increasing cases of meningococcal disease, a free meningococcal ACWY vaccine program is underway in 2018 for young people in Year 10 of secondary school in Victoria, or those young people not in secondary school but of an equivalent age (15 or 16 years old), until 31 December 2018. You do not need to be a Medicare card holder to be eligible.

The free meningococcal ACWY vaccine safely boosts a person's protection against the C strain if they received the vaccine at aged 12 months, and will also protect against three other strains of the disease, the A, W and Y strains.

Although uncommon, meningococcal disease can become life-threatening very quickly. In fatal cases of meningococcal disease the average time from the first symptom until death is 24 to 48 hours.

The bacteria that causes meningococcal disease are divided into different strains and known by letters of the alphabet, such as A, B, C, W and Y. Cases of all strains of meningococcal disease are on the rise.

Since 2014 the meningococcal W strain has increased across Australia, and it is now one of the predominant strains in Victoria, increasing from a single case of the ‘W’ strain in 2013, to 48 cases in 2016. In 2017, there were 36 cases of meningococcal W.

Recently, cases of meningococcal Y strain have also been increasing with 17 cases in 2017, compared to nine cases in 2015. 

If you are vaccinated, you protect yourself and others around you by reducing the spread of the disease.

Please remind your Yr. 10 child if you haven’t yet seen the Meningococcal consent card to bring it home. There are spare cards in your school office.

 

A timetable for those who would rather come to us privately is available at the school office.