Principal's Report

Term 2

As we come to the end of Term 2, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our students, families and fantastic staff for their on-going effort, perseverance and commitment to maintaining our focus on supporting all students in our school community, and building success and achievement in teaching and learning. It has been a difficult term- with on-going absences from COVID and the winter Flu and colds impacting on our program of learning. Having said this, I am so proud of the staff of the school for their commitment to 'going the extra mile' to cover classes when required as well as continuing to provide a wide range of co-curricula and extra- curricula opportunities. this includes a wide range of sport, music concerts, debating, Production, excursions and our very successful Cultural Diversity Week and Diversity Dash.  I am also proud of our students who continue to provide their personal best at all times in catching up on learning when absent and to our students in Years 9-11 who committed themselves in a mature and responsible manner to the end of Semester Exams.

Finally a big thank you to all of our families. Your support of both your children and the school is truly appreciated and valued. 

Congratulations Ms Barker 

Congratulations to Shirley Barker on being recognised this term for 45 years of service to the Department of Education. Shirley has made a significant and deep, positive impact on the students in the Reservoir community since 1987 and continues to do so each day in her role as Psychology/Humanities teacher as well as Coordinator for the Program for Students with Disabilities. Congratulations Shirley!

Car Parking 

Since school has returned from COVID lock-downs, we have seen an increase in the number of students being driven to school. This has placed increased pressure on the school car park on Plenty Road, as well as increased traffic on Nicholson Street each afternoon. 

This increased usage of the school car park has seen more cars in the car park as well as students walking through the car park to their parent's cars. Of particular concern are parents attempting to pick up students in the No Student Drop off Zone (indicated on the map below) and parents also stopping in the intersection at the front of the Stadium to pick up children and then immediately turn into the exit road (as indicated in the picture below with the red lines. )

Over the holidays, the Darebin Council will be installing bollards in the car park to stop all traffic from dropping off or picking up students and immediately exiting at the front of the Stadium. All traffic will be required to exit the car park by following the  exit path through the car park as indicated below. 

Parents and Carers are also reminded to not pick up or drop off students in the area indicated. This area is indicated with signage asking for no drop off or pick up. The only exception is for student's with disabilities or students/families who have arranged with the Principal access to the disabled parking via prior arrangement with the Principal. Parents/Carers with a Disabled Sticker may use the Disabled parking if they are visiting the Office/Admin area of the school.

I ask for all Parents/Carers to please support the school with theses arrangements for the safety of all students. 

As always, parents are requested to use alternate pick up arrangements. This includes picking up from the Summer Hill Shops car park near Red Rooster (Darebin Council provided Crossing Supervisors are employed to ensure the safe access of students to this car park) and picking up your child from Winter Crescent. We recommend Winter Crescent over Nicholson Street as it is much safer and does not require a U turn to be completed on a busy road. 

Year 9 Bring Your Own Device 

Reservoir High School operates a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program for students in Years 9-12.  At Year 9, our classes have moved to the use of Microsoft Teams and One Note (Class Notebook) to support the learning of all students. 

Reservoir High School operates a genuine BYOD program- we do not stipulate a device that needs  be purchased. We understand that the purchase of a computer can be expensive, so our policy is to provide a set of recommended specifications, as well as access to a purchasing portal if families choose to use it. A device for your child can be purchased from any provider of your choice.  The recommended specifications also support the use of older computers that your family may already own. 

The school has partnered with Edunet to provide a parent portal with a range of devices available for purchase. All purchases through the portal can also include extended warranties, insurance and accessories. While we support families using the portal to purchase devices, as a family, you can choose to source the device from any provider you wish. You may also use your current device. If you are purchasing a device from another provider, or bringing a current device, our minimum specifications are-

• Windows 10 or Mac OS 10.4 minimum
• It must hold charge for 8 hours
• 10 inch screen (this does include 9.7 inch iPads. IPads must have an attached keyboard)
• 4 Gb Ram (8Gb is recommended)
• 128Gb SSD (256 Gb SSD is recommended)

We strongly recommend the use of a touch screen device for all students. Devices that operate with a touch screen, stylus and can be folded into tablet mode allow for greater flexibility in learning. The school recommends the use of the Lenovo ThinkPad 11e Yoga 6th Gen as it is both a touch screen and has the specifications that will support longevity of use.  The Yoga 6th Gen is available on both our school portal and all stores that sell computers. Please note, a touch screen device is not required, only recommended. 

The portal can be accessed from-

https://reservoirhs.technologyportal.com.au/

The password to access the portal is-

RHS2022

Please note that the Department of Education is unable to offer insurance or cover the cost of damage to personal devices. Please consider insurance when you purchase your device.

In 2022, Reservoir High School will continue to utilise Microsoft Teams and Office 365 as the basis for all classroom digital environments in conjunction with Compass. Office 365 is provided free for all students at Reservoir High. There is no need to purchase or activate copies of Office 365 if you buy a new device. The use of a personal device to support the learning of students is fundamental in a 21st century classroom. For families experiencing financial hardship, please contact Amy Angelovski at the school with supports. 

We understand the addition cost that the provision of a BYOD is for a family. As a school, we have worked hard to off-set this cost by reducing the number of textbooks required for purchase. This includes increasing the number of text books to be retained from Year 8 and providing options around the use of Digital editions of the textbook for installing on a student’s device. 

VCE in 2023

You may be aware that this is the final year of the VCAL program in Victorian schools. As of 2023, VCAL will be replaced with VCE Vocational Major. What this means is that all students in Years 11 and 12 will be undertaking the Victorian Certificate of Education or VCE. 

This means that there are two pathways to the VCE. The first is the traditional 'scored' approach- in which students will complete the VCE with the intention of gaining an ATAR score for direct entry into Tertiary study when they finish Year 12. This includes studying traditional VCE scored subjects and VET studies. 

The second pathway is the Vocational Major- in which students work towards a preferred pathway and may undertake VET studies as well as Structured Workplace Learning , School- Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships (SBAT) or the Head-Start Apprenticeship and Traineeships (HSAT). 

For many students, at the end of Year 10 they are not sure which pathway to follow. The new approach to VCE in Victoria means greater flexibility to explore their pathways and options while still at school. For all students, it means an increased range of approaches while still at school- which can include VET studies, non-scored approaches, school-based apprenticeships or traditional scored.  

For more information, please click on this link-

https://www.vic.gov.au/many-talents-one-vce

As always, we encourage students in Year 10 in 2023 to start their VCE 'early'. For many students, they have a passion, talent or interest in a subject area that means they can start VCE while in Year 10. This includes  VCE subjects and  VET subjects. Please note that early start VCE is predicated on successful results while in the Middle School. 

Pathways Planning 

Middle School “Step Up” VCE Information Evening

Thursday July 14th @ RHS (Performing Arts Centre)

Year 9 Presentation: 6.30 – 7.15

Year 10 Presentation: 7.15 – 8.00

This compulsory onsite event will be an opportunity for you and your child to:

· Gain a better understanding of the senior secondary qualifications available including VCE, VET and school- based apprenticeships and traineeships

· Find out the counsellor assigned to work with your family when selecting subjects to ensure a successful Senior School pathway

· Information on the new VCE structure for 2023- including the new VCE- Vocational Major.

· Opportunity to ask questions pertaining to your child’s needs or interests.

Our timeline of events for this subject selection process is as follows:

Friday July 29: Year 9 & 10 Course Counselling – students will come out of class and meet their counsellor and begin discussions around pathways choices for 2023.

Wednesday August 3: Year 9 & 10 students dismissed at the end of session 3 to allow time to go home and get organised for their Webex meeting with parent / carer and counsellor for 2023 Pathways Counselling and discussions. Appointments can be made via Compass with your designated counsellor. More information will be provided about how to make bookings early next term.

Reports

End of Semester One academic reports are now available  for parents/carers and students to access via Compass > View Academic Reports or by clicking Profile (..) > Reports Tab. 

Students logging in need to click on their name at top of screen first to go to their Profile, then click the Reports tab.Then under the Reports sub-heading by clicking on 2022 – Semester One, you will be able to generate and download the semester report to be saved, viewed, printed or emailed. You may have to allow pop-ups in your internet browser. 

You need to have a pdf file reader software installed, such as Adobe Reader to open the file.

If you have any issues in regards to connecting to Compass or downloading reports, please contact your child's Sub School Office Manager during school hours for assistance via 9466 0900.

Parents, please read the semester report carefully and discuss it with your child. It is important you read all of the comments including Suggestions for Improvement strategies.If you have any enquiries please contact your relevant sub-school or you can contact individual teachers via Compass.

Work Experience

Important Dates

Monday 11 July- Curriculum Day- no student attendance

Tuesday 12 July- Term 3 begins for all students

Thursday 14 July- Pathways Information ‘Step Up’ Information Night for all students and families in Years 9 and 10Monday 

18 July- Year 8 STEM Camp begins (at La Trobe University)

Thursday 28 July- Parent Teacher Conferences- 2pm to 8pm (Face to face conferences- bookings open next term. Please note that Students will attend school only for periods 1-4 and be dismissed at 1.15pm on Thursday 28 July)

Staff Farewells and Thank-you

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the best to Victoria Mason and Lev Szilagyi in their new roles. I would like to thank Mr Szilagyi for the past 5 years of service here at Reservoir High in his role as a VCE English and Humanities teacher. Mr Szilaygyi has been successful in securing a position much closer to his home in the South East of Melbourne. Thank you also to Ms Mason for your work in English and Literacy this year. Ms Mason moves onto a role outside of teaching.

All the best to two staff who begin periods of Long Service Leave in Term 3. Firstly to Ms Volpe who will return in August and to Ms Rossini, who will be representing Drama Victoria and Drama Australia in conferences in Iceland and England over the coming month.