Dear Middle School Parents/Carers and Students

We are more than halfway through Term 2 and I am incredibly proud of our students ongoing hard work and engagement within our school community.

Year 9 students completed their Morrisby Profiles and students will participate in their interviews early Term 3. The Connect 9 Murray River camp was a huge success thanks to our incredible staff Ms Georgie Tierney, Mr Joshua Smith, Mr Mark Quiambao, Thomas Lean, and Riley Lovick.

Year 10 students participated in their Term 2 Challenge Accepted Program focusing on exam ready study skills in preparation for their Semester 1 exams.

Our Peer Support Leaders have been busy running workshops with the Year 7 students in their tutorial classes and the police education sessions were very informative.

Middle School exams are taking place on Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 June. Students will be required to attend all exams and more information will be communicated to students, parents and carers.

On Monday 19 June there will be a Careers and Course Counselling evening to inform parents/carers and students of the 2024 Subject Selection process.

We will finish off the term with the Year 9 Discovery Week program and Year 10 Work Experience, both of which are mandatory for students to attend.

Thank you once again to our amazing students, parents/carers, and staff for your dedication and commitment throughout this year so far.

Ms Leah Hannas

Campus Principal

Middle School

MIDDLE SCHOOL UPCOMING EVENTS

Middle School Exams

The Middle School exams are on Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 June

All Middle School students are required to participate in Semester 1 exams for English, Maths and Science as per the exam schedule below. Student exam timetables will also appear on their COMPASS schedules.

All Middle School timetabled classes on these days will be cancelled and students will only be required to attend school as per their exam schedule. On these two days, students who study a Year 11 subject will be expected to attend their Year 10 exams and are welcome to attend their VCE classes where possible outside of exams. Middle School classes resume as normal from Thursday 15 June.

At home, students can be supported by implementing the following recommendations:

Providing a quiet study space at home free from distractions
Encouraging your child to eat well and get plenty of sleep
Encouraging students to limit social engagements around exam time, including their use of social media. Students should focus solely on their studies, without distraction from social media.

Students will participate in an exam information session prior to exams to go over all important information and PowerPoint resources from these sessions can be provided to parents/carers via compass.

Year 9 Discovery Week

Students with 100% attendance during Discovery Week will go in the draw to win a Giant bike!

In the last week of Term 2, all Year 9 students will participate in the compulsory Discovery Week program. As part of the Discovery Week program, students will attend a one-day city experience excursion and participate in a range of activities and workshops. Some of the guest speakers and organizations include Speak Share, Toolbox Education, Empowered Together, Pat Cronin Foundation, the Frankston Youth Bus and Monash University.

On the last day of term, we have a special celebration planned to include house competitions, lunch and a magician performance!

More information will be communicated to parents/carers soon. If you have any questions, please contact the Year Level Leaders.

Year 10 Work Experience

The Work Experience Program for 2023 will be conducted during the last week of Term 2, Monday 19 to Friday 23 June 2023.

The Year 10 Work Experience Program is a mandatory one-week placement, which Year 10 students are required to undertake with an employer.

Work Experience Arrangement Forms are now overdue and must be returned by Friday 9 June.

If students have not arranged a Work Experience placement by Friday 9 June, they will be required to attend school during that week and participate in a virtual work experience program to receive satisfaction for the Work Experience Unit on their Semester 2 reports.

MIDDLE SCHOOL CAPTAINS

"The Year Level Captains for Year 9 have been off to a busy start for the year, with several projects already underway. One of our highlights for Term 2 has been running Focus Groups in response to results from a student opinion survey, conducted within the school. These groups provided some insights into what the school is doing well, and what can be improved. Results from these groups are being discussed with the Year 9 coordinators, and action taken to improve the school, as wanted by the cohort. Another key project that has been worked on this term is Discovery Week (previously known as MEGAR Week). This is happening in the last week of Term 2 after exams are finished, and includes a day in the city (with a scavenger hunt), a raffle (with prizes like a new bike up for grabs), inspirational speakers, and lots more. One final focus from this term so far has been working on our Legacy Goals, which are plans for the rest of the year based on results from both the survey and the focus groups. Projects centred around student requested improvements, like greater preventative measures being taken to stop bullying, and more support for people who have been bullied, more events to create connection with all students and the school, and better student-teacher relationships, have begun to be planned, with lots of exciting opportunities ahead!"

Michaela, Oliver Hallam, Eliza and Matilda

Year 9 Captains

"This term the Year 10 Captains have successfully been able to run Focus Groups that identified key areas of improvement for our cohort and overall school community; we gathered a select group of students to run a SWOT (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, Threats) analysis on fairness and safety at school. One of the Year 10 Captains has also been involved in planning a special day for the Year 10 cohort in the upcoming term.

We had the opportunity to speak at assemblies, and this term’s Challenge Accepted program which focused on the upcoming exams for the Year 10 students. We had the opportunity to give our advice on exams, studying, and preparation to our peers to help them as we fast approach exams.

In Term 3 we want to focus on implementing the ideas gathered from student feedback from the focus groups to improve fairness and safety within out school community. Planning and running more Year 10 events will also be a big focus next term, as we try to improve the Year 10 experience."

Lucas, Callum, Maryjo and Blake

Year 10 Captains

MIDDLE SCHOOL TEAM

The Middle School Team is here to support the student’s learning and wellbeing throughout 2023. Please see the below table for key contacts:

Year 9
Year 9 Coordinator	Ms Hannah Martin	hmartin@fhs.vic.edu.au
Year 9 Coordinator	Mr Mark Quiambao	mquiambao@fhs.vic.edu.au
Head of Year 9	Mr Darin Joyce	djoyce@fhs.vic.edu.au
Year 10
Year 10 Coordinator	Mr James Cameron	jcameron@fhs.vic.edu.au
Year 10 Coordinator	Mr Tyler Sawrey	tsawrey@fhs.vic.edu.au
Head of Year 10	Ms Paige Jessulat	pjessulat@fhs.vic.edu.au
Middle School Support
Middle School Admin	Mrs Bianca Johnson	bjohnnson@fhs.vic.edu.au
Campus Principal	Ms Leah Hannas	lhannas@fhs.vic.edu.au

If you have any concerns or questions please do not hesitate to contact any member of the teams.

IMPORTANT DATES | MIDDLE SCHOOL

DAY	WHEN	WHAT
Wednesday	31 May	Year 9 Morrisby Testing (catch-up) Year 11 Exams commence* (until 8 June)
Thursday	1 June	Division Cross Country
Thursday	8 June	Year 11 Exams Conclude*
Friday	9 June	Report Writing Day (Student Free)
Monday	12 June	King's Birthday (Public Holiday)
Tuesday	13 June	Middle School Exams (No Scheduled Classes) Unit 2 Commences*
Wednesday	14 June	Middle School Exams (No Scheduled Classes)
Thursday	15 June	Middle School Exams (catch-up)
Friday	16 June	Production Rehearsal (all day) Middle School Exams (catch-up) All Unit 1 coursework and attendance to be redeemed*
Monday	19 June	Year 9 Discovery Week (compulsory) Year 10 Work Experience (compulsory) Year 10 2024 , Course Counselling Information Evening
Tuesday	20 June	School Council, 6.30pm (remotely)
Thursday	22 June	School Reports published
Friday	23 June	Last Day of Term 2, 2.30pm dismissal
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
Monday	10 July	Professional Learning Day (student free)
Tuesday	11 July	Students Commence Term 3

* (Year 10 students studying a Year 11 subject)

Click HERE for Year 9 into Year 10 2024 and Year 10 into Year 11 2024 Course Selection process

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