Year 11 & 12

A warm welcome back to all students and families.

Our year 12 students started their year with the Year 12 Study Camp at Lady Northcote. Over 3 days, students participated in a range of study skills sessions, wellbeing sessions, career sessions and some group team building activities. After 3 very hot days, all staff and students were smiling and ready for the academic year upon return. A massive thank you to our staff on camp for all of their work making this an excellent experience for students.

The year 11 students are already well underway in their VCE and VCAL courses. Students have had a successful start to the year setting goals in their first private study period of the year.

It’s been a great start to the year with the majority of our students wearing their uniform with pride. Those students that have non uniform items have been given an opportunity to rectify this and we expect that all of our students will be in full school uniform from today.

I am happy to report that our students have responded well to the state wide mobile phone ban. Students are more actively engaged with each other in the yard and more focused in classes. A reminder that a student can contact you via the general office and that parents are able to get information to students during the school day via the general office. If a student is using their phone during school hours, this will be confiscated and kept at the general office for collection by a parent.

All students are invited to bring in an approved device (iPad or laptop) from home or order one through the JB HiFi school portal on our website if students would like to access technology in classes. For more information on this please refer to the college website or call Michael Georgiopoulos in IT. https://www.lalorsc.vic.edu.au/special-programs/digital-technology-at-lsc/

Julie Ryan

Assistant Principal

Year 9 & 10

Welcome back to all our Middle School students and their families!

I would like to extend a very warm welcome back to students and parents of our new and returning students at years 9 and 10. I hope the holidays have allowed you all to enjoy festivities with families and loved ones and to relax and enjoy the warmer weather.

We are certainly very excited to begin the year, and teaching staff have been busy preparing lessons and learning opportunities to meet the learning needs of all our students.

Students are expected to be prepared for learning with all their resources, including textbooks and other equipment for each class. Thank you to parents for all you have done to contribute to such a great start of the year, we appreciate your continued support to set your children up for the school year, it goes a very long way in ensuring a positive start for your child. If you have not yet looked at your child’s 2019-semester two report, we strongly advise you to do so. It is also critical that you check Compass regularly to see due dates for set tasks as well as the feedback comments staff are contributing after your child has completed assessment tasks. This will allow you to be kept up to date with their progress in all subjects.

For students in year 9 and 10, these are very exciting and important years of their schooling.

I am pleased to have observed over these past few days that all students have settled in very quickly to their new classes and new locker areas with the move of our 9 and 10 sub school office to the former administration office in the 300’s building. The year 10 students have selected from a new range of specialist subjects to study and this provides a great opportunity to begin planning a pathway for future courses. Students will soon begin their preparations for their Work Experience placements. This too, allows them to really explore individual strengths and weakness and to get a firsthand insight into a field of work they may be interested in pursuing in future years. As parents, you can encourage them to begin to investigate options through discussion of possible employment options, and perhaps of goals for life beyond Lalor Secondary College. Planning early will allow for a rewarding work experience placement. Further information will be provided shortly.

This year the Year 9 students have the opportunity to be involved in a range of activities and pastoral care based learning, through the Explore Program. The aims of which, are to expose students to the wider community of ours, and broaden their understanding of the world in which they live. The team at year 9 have already been planning some wonderful excursions for students.

At the assemblies last week, the students were introduced to the team and years 9 and 10.

Mr Chris Danher will continue to lead the Sub School and will be working closely with Ms Rebecca Kotsopoulos and Mr Steven Murcott who are the year 9 Student Managers, and Mr Tony Wilkinson and Mr Michael Mc Donald who will be the year 10 Student Managers. Should you at any time throughout the year have any concerns regarding your child and wish to meet with the relevant member of the team please do not hesitate to call and arrange an appointment.

As parents, I encourage you to support your children to develop regular routines for study.

Mr Danher outlined to students the difference between homework and study, and at this stage of their schooling, we recommend approximately an hour of study each school night, excluding the time necessary to complete homework. As the academic challenges become greater at each subsequent year level, the expectation is that good study practices and regular routines in these Middle Years will strengthen independent work habits required for successful results in VCE/ VCAL and the senior years. Monitor and check in with your child about their progress. Ask them questions about their work and support them with their organisational planning required in readiness for the next school day. Be positive about their academic growth at school, praise their efforts and look for opportunities to celebrate academic improvement and progress.

I look forward to meeting you all and to another positive and productive year for our students at year 9 and 10.

Laura Forster

Assistant Principal.

Year 8 & 7

Dear Parents,

A great big welcome to the the new term. ‘A Time to Change’ is the theme for our year 7 students, and they are settling in beautifully. Students are learning new routines, often making new friends, engaging with their teachers, while also getting to know their Student Managers. Welcome to Brittany Duncan at year 7, and to Rami Mustafovski at year 8, who have joined the junior school team, it’s great to have you aboard.

Junior Sub-School Staff:

Sub-School Leader: Josh Simpson

Year 7 Student Managers: Samantha Laird / Brittany Duncan

Year 8 Student Managers: Adriana Trajkovic / Rami Mustafovski

A reminder to all parents that we encourage you to contact our student management team with regard to anything we can help with. Early attention to any concern keeps us all confident and engaged in learning. Learning is a partnership between students, families and staff. Communication is invaluable.

Year 7 Camp is around the corner (26 – 28th February), and is always a great experience for students. For many of our young people, being away from home is a new experience. Please encourage your children to embrace the new opportunities that camp presents. It is an exceptionally well-organised experience that allows student to further develop and build important social connections with peers and staff.

Student Photos for most students will occur on Friday 14th February. Please make doubly sure that students observe strict uniform guidelines for the photographs.

For year 7 families, ‘ Year 7 Meet the Teacher’ (Thursday 5th March, 5.30pm) is always an evening not to be missed. This evening provides an opportunity to chat with your children’s teachers in an informal setting over an informal dinner. Sometimes important discussions occur on this evening that greatly assist our students and their connection to school. Please ensure this date is in your diary. All are welcome, so please bring the family for an enjoyable evening and meal.

This year’s ‘Meet the Teacher’ will also celebrate the opening of our new Innovation Centre. So there is added reason to be sure to come along.

I have greatly enjoyed speaking with many of our new parents/carers, and will always make myself available to meet as many of you as possible. Please phone the college if you would like to make an appointment, I will be very pleased to do so.

Lastly, a hearty congratulations to all students at years 7 and 8 for an outstanding start to the year. Everywhere I go I am greeted by positive, friendly students who are enjoying their start to the year. The grounds are exceptionally clean, students are strictly observing uniform guidelines, and classrooms are truly places rich in learning, student agency and participation.

Tim Cottrell

Assistant Pricipal

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