Student News
Christmas Toy Drive
From the 31 November to 4 December, our school community supported the Werribee Hospital Foundation through running a Christmas Toy Drive. Throughout the week, there was a vast number of gifts donated including books, board games, plushies, crafts, toy figurines and notepads amongst many others. The presents that we collected have been sent to Werribee Mercy Hospital Paediatrics Ward and Special Care Nursery in order to be handed out to the children on Christmas morning and help bring a smile to their faces during their difficult situations.
We would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who donated and the whole Suzanne Cory High School community for embracing this fundraiser and being so supportive, kind and generous with their gifts!
Pictured: Leanne Down, CEO of Werribee Hospital Foundation seeing the donations from the students.
Charlie Vu (K3) and Esha Bhatia (B5).
Student leadership day
On Thursday 26 November, the 2021 student leaders gathered for the annual planning day. This year due to restrictions it was held at school but still allowed for planning time, team activities, workshops and collaboration between houses. Thank you to Miss Nguyen for organising a virtual escape room which all the groups enjoyed and yes they managed to escape (some more quickly than others). Mr Mandouit facilitated a workshop on student voice and leadership which was very informative and well received by the students. The houses also went through some logistical planning for 2021, brainstorming and goal setting to continue to improve student life at Suzanne Cory High School. There were some great ideas that came out of the day so I look forward to seeing what the leaders do next year.
Ms Claire Breed Director of Sport and Student Engagement.
ATAR and Results Release and University Course Advise
Congratulations to all Year 12 students for completing VCE, especially through the difficulties of 2020. Your dedication to online learning during lockdown shows that you are ready for the challenge of an independent environment of tertiary study. Although you are leaving SCHS, please continue to embody the SCHS values of Respect, Contribution and Aspiration, as they will serve you well in your careers.
Now that exams are complete, it is time to relax, but also to review your university course applications. You ATAR and Study Scores will be released at 7am, Wednesday 30 December. To access your results, please sign-up for the VCE Results and ATAR Service. You can adjust your VTAC preferences until 12pm, Monday 4 January in preparation for Round 1 offers on 2pm, Thursday 14 January.
I will be assisting Year 12 students via email and Zoom until the end of Term 4 (Friday 18 December), and when the ATAR is released. I will be available between 30 December and 4 January. I will also be contacting students during this time to offer my support. Universities are also hosting a variety of support services, which you can access via the VTAC website. If you have any questions, please contact Book an Appointment, or send me an email (Brendan.Taig@education.vic.gov.au).
Mr Taig, Careers Practitioner.
High Notes! from the Music Department
Term 4
Term 4 has seen our wonderful students all return. It has been great to see all of our Year 9 and 10 students to classes in Music as this semester’s cohort has been entirely online. For staff, it was really great to actually see our students for real and not just as a tile on Zoom, both within the classes and for instrumental music lessons. It has been very apparent that Music-Making was one of the activities that our students actually did at home over the lockdown, with many outstanding performances ensuing in classes and lessons. We would like to thank our students very much for their dedication and commitment to music-making thorough this time.
This term has also seen our VCE Music Performance Unit 4 students sit for their final recitals. Most of these were 25-minute recitals, demonstrating for some, 2 years development and work in their chosen fields of Group Performance and Solo Performance. Student sit these final recitals off campus at a range of venues around Melbourne. I am sure that you would wish with the rest of the School, all the very best for their results which will be released with the rest of the VCE results after Christmas.
Normally at this time, the Music staff and students are engaged in preparing our ADT Showcase. This prestigious event has been growing in status and importance over the last few years. Due to current restrictions, the School is unable to present this event as in the past. However please take a look at our ADT Online Showcase, featuring the best that our Art and Music departments can present. Last week, the Auditorium was transformed into a television studio where we were able to record some of the best of work from our class and ensemble programs. All year levels have been featured and the performance have demonstrated not only the commitment of the students and the staff to their work, but the diversity of items chosen but the students and their teachers. I do hope that you check in to the School’s website and enjoy these performances and enjoy what the students have enjoyed in rehearsing and presenting the items.
I have great pleasure in announcing our Music Captains for 2021. They are Arati Nair and Matt Sabarez. Both Arati and Matt have long histories in Music and performing here at Suzanne Cory High School and we are very proud of their appointments. Below is an introduction from them.
Mr Paye, Director of Music.
Your 2021 Music Captains
This year took a lot away from us, away from everyone, however we shall strive together in order to help bring the Music program back up and running. Our names are Matt and Arati and we are more than honoured to be the leaders to a core program that Suzanne Cory High School takes pride in: Music. You may have seen both of us around, whether it be in the Musical, Orchestra and choirs; Music is a passion of both of ours and we hope to bring it back into full swing as well as take it further to a level in which everyone can get involved in. We’d love to hear your beautiful voices again
We would also like to say a big thank you to Alexi and Krystelle, our 2020 music captains, for continuing to support music in the SCHS community during the pandemic, through events such as Online Open Mics, which were recordings that were broadcasted over Zoom.
Keeping the Spirit alive is important to us in music.
Please feel free to contact us and ask us any questions with regards to the music program
In the end, whether you love singing on the mic or banging on the drums, we hope you can help us get SCHS music back up to full tempo.
Arati Nair and Matt Sabarez
Music Captains 2021
Book Week 2020
Due to the extended lockdown, Book Week ran in Term 4 this year instead of Term 3 but that didn’t diminish the enthusiasm of those who took part and we were impressed at the level of participation in all events.
The theme for the week, set by The Children’s Book Council of Australia, was ‘Curious Creatures, Wild Minds’ so the students ran with it and we had some great costumes in the Dress Up Competitions
For the week we ran a ‘Match the Teacher to the Book They are Reading’ competition as well as Treasure Hunt in the Library, a Literary Trivia Quiz and the big ticket event which was the Dress Up Competition.
It was a busy but fun schedule. Thanks to everybody who participated and thanks to Sam and Davorka in the library who helped put the activities together. A special thanks to Ms Box and Ms Goodridge-Kelly who adjudicated the Dress Up Day parade.
Here is a list of the winners.
‘Match the Teacher to the Book They are Reading’ Winners
Bridie Taylor (R8)
Ella Pettigrove (C1)
Treasure Hunt Winners
1st Prize: Esha Bhatia (B5) & Shuobing Kuang (B5)
Trivia Quiz Winners
1st Prize: Andrea Rose Thomas (C8), Carol Danial (C7) & Carin Danial (C8)
Dress Up Competition Winners 1st Prize: Adeleine Zuniga (R1) & Nicole Nguyen (B6) (for their great take on Alice in Wonderland)
Mr Paul Byrne, Library Manager/Debating-Public Speaking Coordinator.
Middle Year Debating 2020
Middle Year Inter-house debating is usually a fixture on the school calendar in Term 4 and despite the disruptions this year we were still able to run a competition in the form of a reduced round robin. The 1st debates were Kororoit (Aff.) vs Blackwood (Neg.) and Rothwell (Aff.) vs Cottrell (Neg.)The topic was 'That the English Royal Family should be abolished.' (Very topical!)
Blackwood and Rothwell were the winners of these and then both teams took part in the Grand Final for which Rothwell took the Grand Prize debating the topic "That there is no good deed that is not at least a little bit selfish." (Thanks Nailah for that one!)
Congratulations also to Ananyaa Duggal (R2) who took out Best Speaker.
Thanks again to all who participated in the debates as well as the adjudicators who gave up their lunchtimes and a special thanks to Nailah Zaman and Lakindu Da Silva, the SCHS Debating Captains for 2021 whose invaluable assistance helped the debates run so smoothly. The standard was very high and the speakers spoke with passion and commitment.
We look forward to another great year of inter-school debating in 2021 run by the Debaters Association of Victoria, hopefully run on site!
Mr Paul Byrne, Library Manager/Debating-Public Speaking Coordinator.
Year 12 Valedictory 2020
On Wednesday 9 December, SCHS hosted the Year 12 Valedictory Dinner. Whilst we may not have been at the Palladium, a marquee was set and the agora was transformed with lights, a photo wall and a beautiful table arrangement.
The night was a celebration of our Class of 2020, filled with certificate presentations and musical performances.
We are so proud of our class of 2020 and all they have achieved.
A special congratulations to Edison Pyke (C6) who was awarded Valedictorian 2020.
Further details has been provided via a compass post to Year 12 Students and their families in regards to purchasing the professional photos from the evening.
Footage of the Award Ceremony will be made available soon.
Wellbeing News
Student Support Services
During the recent lockdown, the Student Support Service (SSS) team at Suzanne Cory High School were able to support our students through E-Counselling. We still offer E-Counselling alongside Face-to-Face Counselling service currently, with Ms Paye focusing primarily on academic counselling. Therefore, it is recommended that you see Mr Taig first for matters pertaining to Careers (including Subject selection/Uni Courses/Jobs/Work Experience training etc.), before seeing Ms Paye for stress/time management, attendance, study/organisation skills and strategies for a more holistic and balanced approach to academics. She will also be supporting our main wellbeing counsellors, Ms Cavanagh (Bec), Manager of SSS and Mr Cavanagh (Pat).
Students are also welcome to come and pat or spend time with our therapy dogs, Arlo, Tessa, Yoda and Zaija outside class times or during study periods.
Breakfast Club Program
Recently, we signed up to become part of the 500+ schools in Victoria who have joined the ‘School Breakfast Club Program,’ a Victorian government initiative in partnership with Foodbank Victoria. Foodbank Victoria is a not-for-profit organisation which has been distributing food and helping Victorians in need for over 90+ years.
The School Breakfast Club Program operates on the premise that there is an improvement in learning outcome and school attendance for students and aligns with:
- Department of Education and Training ‘s Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO)
- The Healthy Schools Achievement Program
- Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation
- Healthy Eating Advisory Service
Therefore, we now have a greater variety of Breakfast Club items on offer. In order to make our Breakfast Club more efficient, we are looking for student volunteers to help shape, organise and operate the program. We will also be working closely with music students who will help provide the music in the mornings. As a result, we are looking to have a more collaborative team effort to provide a fun and energetic vibe for Tuesday mornings in 2021. If we have enough volunteers to help out, we could be looking to run an additional day.
Students who are interested in taking an active role and being responsible for the weekly running of Breakfast Club, please send your expression of interest to Ms Paye or see one of the Student Support member
Ms Paye, Student Counsellor.
State Schools’ Relief (SSR)
State Schools’ Relief (SSR) is another initiative of the Victorian government (Department of Education and Training). It's a not-for-profit organisation aimed at improving the lives of tens of thousands of disadvantaged Victorian students and their families, each year.
They work side by side with all Victorian primary, secondary, specialist and language schools to ensure that any students facing hardship have the necessary items they require for school. This is so they can attend in warmth and comfort with a greater sense of belonging and improved self-esteem, which in turn enhances their educational engagement.
Issues such as poverty, neglect, family illness, abuse and homelessness continue to affect many Victorian families. SSR provides government school students with new uniforms, footwear and educational resources, including learning devices. They provide some useful items such as:
SWIMWEAR FOR SCHOOL SWIMMING PROGRAMS
SSR's provides support with swimwear for school swimming events with two styles available to order;
* One piece racer back for girls (navy) and
* Lycra trunks for boys (navy)
These bathers are made from premium materials and are guaranteed to survive the rigours of normal wear. Both styles are chlorine proof, piling resistant, offer 50+ UV protection and are breathable/self drying.
(Sizes are available for both primary and secondary students).
TEXT BOOKS FOR SECONDARY STUDENTS
SSR is offering reimbursements of up to $80 per book for a maximum of 2 books to assist families struggling with the costs of sending their children to school. Applications can be made for up to $160 (2 books at a cost of up to $80 each). In order to be reimbursed, schools will need to supply SSR with an invoice/receipt detailing the books purchased and their associated cost/s.
(Please note: this support is available beginning Term 1, 2021 and does not include reimbursement for e-books).
*N.B. Please see Mr Byrne in the library if you fit the criteria and need to order school text books.
GRAPHING CALCULATORS
SSR will provide graphing calculators for senior students completing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, beginning Term 1, 2021. Without a graphing calculator, many disadvantaged students are unable to participate fully in STEM subjects. To assist these students with successful completion of these subjects, SSR will provide one the following graphing calculators to any student requiring assistance.
• Casio: Algebra or ClassPad series
• Texas Instruments: Tl-89/92/Voyager or
• TI-Nspire CAS series
Support from the SSR is directed towards students experiencing personal difficulties including financial hardship. If you want to check if you qualify or would like to discuss this further, please see Ms Paye (SSS).
ADT Showcase
This is a time to celebrate the successes of 2020. To help that celebration is the launch of the 2020 ADT Showcase! As with almost everything in 2020, this is an online event. Please take the time to look through each page of the website and marvel at the hard work of both staff and students at SCHS.
It would also be fantastic for you to vote for the people’s choice awards for 2020 (access only with a Suzanne Cory email):
Many thanks to the ADT teaching team and Sharon Zaman for all their work constructing the website.
Amanda Green, ADT Faculty Leader.