Year 11 & 12

Our Year 12 students began their final VCAA last Wednesday 30th October with the English Exam. Exams continue until Wednesday 20th November. The exam period is going well and though this period can be stressful for our Year 12 students, it has been great to see students around the college in the study centre and asking their teachers for support.

Year 11 students are on SWOT for this week and will commence their final exams for Unit 2 starting on the 11th of November. A range of information has been published via Compass for students and parents. You will also find these dates below. Once exams are complete, current Year 11 students will be returning to the college for exam feedback and a rigorous orientation program to prepare them for the demands of Year 12 in 2020.

Year 11 exams are an opportunity for students to demonstrate the sum of their knowledge of Unit 2. Students should see this as a chance to get some valuable practice in exam conditions and detailed feedback from their teachers about their performance in that exam.

Week 5
Monday 4 – Friday 8 November	SWOT SWOT is an acronym for ‘Study Without Teaching’. During this time students should be at home studying, revising for exams. If it is necessary to see a teacher then the student must phone ahead and make an appointment. This will ensure that no time is wasted in the case of a teacher being absent etc. Students must be in school uniform when at school visiting teachers. Normal classes for VCAL students.
Week 6
Monday 11 – Friday 15 November	VCE Unit 2 Examinations Students are expected to be on time for all exams - there can be no allowances for students who miss an exam or arrive late. If an unforeseen circumstance arises affecting your child’s attendance please contact the school immediately. Students must be in school uniform when at the school during the examination period. Normal classes for VCAL students.
Week 7
Monday 18 November & Tuesday 19 November	Exam Feedback Students will receive their exam results and feedback from their teachers. Timetable for this week will be advised closer to the week.
Tuesday 19 – Thursday 21 November	Year 12 Orientation Program All students (VCE and VCAL students) are expected to attend. Students are given subject outlines/programs and holiday homework for each subject during the Orientation Program. It is the expectation that all Holiday Homework distributed will be completed prior to the beginning of classes in 2018. This includes the end of year assembly on Thursday 23rd November.
Friday 22 November	Counselling and promotion meetings for some students. Meetings for subject changes.
Week 9
Thursday 5 December	Second Hand Book Sale Books are brought to school between 10.30am and 1pm. Books will be sold between 3.10pm and 5pm. Please see information sheet on the Book Sale for terms, conditions and prices.
Week 11
Wednesday 18 December	Presentation Evening Awards presentation and speech night – Lalor Secondary College at 7pm.

Julie Ryan

Assistant Pricipal

Year 9 &10

The weather has warmed up just in time for the first of our year 9 Advance classes to head off on their coastal hiking camp. We wish them all the best of fun and happy adventures. The next couple of weeks will be a busy time for our students in years 9 and 10, as we approach the culmination of semester two assessment tasks, including Exams. As always at LSC, it is important that students embrace all learning opportunities seriously and to work efficiently to prepare for their exams and complete responses to the best of their ability. Exams form one aspect of student assessment for this semester however more importantly they also provide valuable practice in developing and building exam techniques in preparation for the senior years of schooling. Through these exams, students begin to refine their time management skills and continue to develop skills of working under exam conditions and building cognitive stamina. Even though students may start to prepare for their exams in class it is essential that they prepare for these exams at home with effective revision. We encourage all students to plan out a study revision timetable, so they can adequately prepare summaries and study notes for each of their subjects. Please encourage your child by asking about their progress and the work that they are currently completing. This partnership between home and school is a vital one and goes a long way in ensuring successful outcomes for your child. As always, please feel free to email individual class teachers and to regularly check Compass to monitor their progress. Year 10 exams start Monday 18th November and go through to Thursday 21st November.

Year 9 students will have their English Exam on the morning of Friday 22 November and their Maths exam the morning of Monday 25th November. It is important for all students to approach these exams with adequate preparation and a positive attitude to do their best.

Students will be provided with their exam timetables shortly, please check in with your child to ensure they are aware of arrangements. These will also available on Compass.

An Orientation Program will follow the year 10 examination period. This program allows our students to obtain a head start to their studies in VCE or VCAL. In all of their subjects they will be provided with course timelines, and begin preparatory course work to allow for a successful start to the academic year in 2020. They will also be allocated some holiday homework. Please check in with their progress on these tasks.

Finally a reminder for all current year 9 students who are wishing to apply for one of the senior School Scholarships that all applications are returned to the general Office by Friday November 8th

Laura Forster

Assistant Principal

Year 7 & 8

Dear Parents,

It was a great pleasure to attend the Youth Exhibition for the Thomastown Electorate hosted at Parliament House by local Member, Bronwyn Halfpenny. The exhibition featured art works, and a wide range of other student and community members’ work, from across the Northern area of Melbourne. It is a matter of great pride that a range of our students’ creative and artistic work selected for display, and became quite a feature viewed by many politicians, Ambassadors, other visiting dignitaries. Development of our music program was also highlighted in a write up by Bronwyn Halfpenny’s office, having interviewed and photographed some of our music students. This write up can be seen in these pages.

The great talents and achievements of our students was everywhere present in the exhibition and witnessed by many working in the North. Premier Daniel Andrews launched the exhibition and said ‘It is clearly evident from this exhibition that our young artists and individuals in Victoria come together to form the heart and soul of our community. Congratulations to all students who had work selected for display, and also to the many teachers who have guided the students. A special thanks to Lana Siryani and Isaac Mercado who assisted with the Lalor Secondary College display. Please see the many photographs in this issue.

As the weather warms up, and student become increasingly weary towards the end of the year, it is a good time for year 7 and 8 students to focus upon their positive relationships with friends and teachers, timely completion of set tasks and upon ensuring that they get adequate sleep and relaxation. Positivity, health and happiness goes a long way to maintaining a strong mindset for personal achievement and wellbeing. This is a time also to reflect upon the many achievements of the year, and upon how we want to complete the year – ‘beginning with the end in mind’ can result in a great sense of satisfaction and legacy of a year of schooling well done. My best wishes to every student for this, and please remember to seek the assistance of our year 7/8 team, Mr Simpson, Ms Laird, Mr Carey, Ms Christian and Ms Trajkovic if you require assistance of any kind. Also Mr Zaekis and Ms Dipasquontonio are always available to make a time for a chat about all wellbeing matters.

It was exciting to meet so many of our year 7s for 2020 at testing day last week. The day has a fairly scary title, but we endeavour to set students mind at ease as they work through the day. The data gained is invaluable on our support for students during the year to come. Thank you to all our new students, also to the many staff and students who helped to make the current grade 6s students welcome. A huge thank you goes to Ms Snowball who planned and co-ordinated the day. Fortunately this is not the last time we will greet the grade 6 students, as they will also be welcomed to Orientation Day.

Mr Tim Cottrell

Assistant Principal

Wellbeing

ASH- Afterschool Homework Program

Baseline- Creative Youth

Headspace - Music Therapy

Baseline- Tuning into Teens

ILBIJERRI Theatre Company