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Viewbank College - Annual General Meeting (AGM)

On Wednesday, the 27th March the Annual General Meeting of the College was held. At this time, the 2018 Annual Report to the School Community was delivered. This Report will be available to the College community on our website early next term.

We also farewelled retiring College Councillors, parent representative, Tom Drummond (4 years) and student representative, Darcy Brown (1 year). I wish to thank Tom for his outstanding contribution to the College Council. Tom’s willingness to be an active member of various committees has been greatly appreciated. Tom always had the interest of the school and the community at the forefront of any decision-making and always supported what was best for the College.

An inaugural student member of College Council, Darcy’s input has been forthright and refreshing. It has been of great value to have a students’ perspective brought to the table. I am sure this experience has been just as valuable for Darcy as it has been for our Council members.

Well done, and on behalf of the Council and broader College community, I thank you both.

I welcome our new members, Lisa Stalder as our parent representative and Tristan Western as our student representative to College Council. The Executive of School Council and council members are as listed:

Alexander Boughen
Emma Ford
Nicholas Goulding
David Green
Amanda Hale
Rachel Kennedy
David Mackay
Chris Madden
John Munro
Darren Murray
Ruurd Jan Ross
Rachael Smith
Lisa Stalder
Jennifer Varrasso
Zoe Wakelin
Tristan Western

Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences

Thank you to parents, students and teachers who attended the recent Term 1 Student/Parent/Teacher conference evenings. The conference evenings provide the opportunity for feedback and how you can best support your child. Remember that communication lines are always open so please contact relevant teachers, Level Leaders or Principal Class Officers at any time throughout the year as required.

Lockdown and Displan drills

On Friday, 22nd March, a lockdown drill and displan drill were conducted at the College. I am pleased to advise that both drills were carried out smoothly and students responded well. We hope we never have to go into lockdown or displan mode, but in the event that we do, I feel we are well-prepared as a College. Additional drills will be conducted throughout the year to reinforce emergency procedures.

Staff v Student cricket match

The traditional Staff v Student Pink Stumps McGrath Foundation cricket match was played recently and what a match it was! A combination of some excellent staff bowling and some very ordinary fielding (10 dropped catches) saw the Year 12 students amass a score of 57 runs from 11 overs on day 1. While the students’ efforts with the ball were admirable on day 2, a disciplined batting display saw the teachers reach the target with two overs to spare. The game was played in great spirit and I congratulate all involved, including the large number of students who attended.

Congratulations Jack Carter!

Year 8 student, Jack Carter, will be performing at the Melbourne convention centre on Friday 5th April at the Country Women’s Association of Australia world-wide Conference. He will be performing in front of an audience of 3000 people! Jack was selected to perform following his outstanding performance in the Victorian State Schools Spectacular in 2018. At the world-wide Conference he will be performing a number of songs as the principal vocalist, as he did in the VSSS last year. It is a great honour and achievement and we are all very proud of his selection for this role. Jack will be performing alongside former Viewbank student, Jake Lonergan.

The Viewbank College community wish you well Jack!

House Athletics Carnival

The House Athletics Carnival was a great success with students and teachers enjoying the perfect weather conditions. The venue management once again commented on the polite and respectful nature of our students. A very big thank you to our staff for their involvement and Mr Mark Eagling in particular, for his wonderful organisation and management of the day. For the first time in the history of the College we had a tied result!

Point scores were as follows:

1st Place: Terra and Stella

3rd Place: Ignis

4th Place: Hydra

As Term 1 draws to an end, I would like to acknowledge the wonderful involvement and support given to the College by parents, students and the staff. It has been a privilege to have been in the role of Acting Principal this term. Please enjoy the break and I look forward to Term 2, commencing on Tuesday, 23rd April.

John Munro

Acting Principal

Snowy River Campus of the School for Student Leadership

On Friday, the 29th of March I had the very great pleasure of visiting the 7 Viewbank College students who have spent term 1 at the Snowy River Campus of the School for Student Leadership (SSL). I was greeted kindly, taken on a tour of the facilities and had time to chat with the students from various schools. We were served lunch and this was the perfect opportunity to hear of the adventures all the students have been on during the 8 week term. The students identified highlights such as the challenging exhibitions (including hikes, mountain climbs, kayaking and mountain bike riding), camp outs, cooking and cleaning for themselves and learning to pack light when carrying your own belongings. Rest days were also a positive with surfing being a common down time activity together with watching movies and spending time getting to know each other.

The purpose for my visit was to see the presentation of the community learning project. This is something the students have worked on throughout their time at the SSL and although there have been changes and challenges along the way the team have come up with a valuable project to assist and add to the lives of students at the Bulleen Heights Specialist School. I look forward to seeing this come into fruition in the near future as I believe both the VBC students and the Bulleen Heights students will get a lot out of the activities and experience.

Congratulations on surviving 9 weeks away from home, without mobile phone reception, TV or many other ‘typical’ creature comforts in an unfamiliar place. The life skills learned and resilience demonstrated is a credit to you as individuals and as a cohesive group. Well done to Aaron J, Alex W, Connor G, Ethan K, Maggie B, Rose C and Tyler R.

Emma Ford

Assistant Principal

Tuning into Teens - Parenting Program

Tuning in to Teens teaches you how to help your teen develop emotional intelligence and keep the lines of communication open. This helps you to have a better relationship with your teen so that life is harmonious. It also helps them to be more assertive in situations of peer pressure, have greater success with making friends and managing conflict with peers. Teens with high emotional intelligence are more able to cope when upset or angry, have fewer mental health difficulties and more stable, satisfying relationships. Emotional Intelligence is said to be a better predictor of academic and career success than IQ.

This evidence based program is practical, informative and gives you the opportunity to learn more about enhancing your adolescent’s emotional health and connect with other parents through discussion. It is suitable for parents of children in years 7 to 9.

‘With my changes (controlling my anger, sharing his feelings, listening with empathy), my son has changed a lot. He’s very calm, very understanding, and very helpful. I feel the relationship with my son has become stronger and he trusts me more.’

‘It was also good to hear that the types of emotional reactions of my child are being experienced by the children of all the parents attending — that was a comfort — it’s not just us/me!’

‘It has given me strategies to deal with major meltdowns to minor incidences.

“I am in awe at how much this program has helped me as an adult, a mother and us as a family”

‘I would really like to thank you for your warmth, support, consideration and empathy for our journey”

The program runs for 6 weeks on Wednesday evenings starting May 13th 7-9 pm and numbers are strictly limited. The cost is $160 or $240 per couple.

Kate Culy and Jodie Harris are very experienced facilitators of the Tuning in to Kids and Tuning in to Teens programs. Kate's background is in Speech Therapy, Coaching and counselling. She is particularly passionate about supporting parents and helping families to communicate effectively. Jodie is trained in Gestalt Therapy and brings her background in counselling and her love for working with parents to the groups. Kate and Jodie are parents of adolescents themselves and are also both Program Counsellors with Raise Youth Mentoring Foundation.

For bookings please contact Kate Culy on 0404 042 789 or kateculy@gmail.com

ANZAC Appeal

Please support the ANZAC Appeal and Watsonia RSL by purchasing a badge, wristband or bag tag from the General Office:

Bag Tags $4

Wristband $3

Badges $1, $2, $5 and $10

John Munro, Acting Principal

Emma Ford, Assistant Principal

Rachael Smith, Assistant Principal

Darren Murray, Acting Assistant Principal

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