2020 Year 8-10 Subject Payments

At the end of last term, letters were emailed out to Parents/Guardians with Subject Selections for 2020. Reminder payments for Semester 1 are due by Thursday 31st October, 2019.

Lunch Time Groups

at the Primary Campus

Song Dance and Drama Night #2

Thursday 14th November - 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Middle Years Gym

Tickets at the door - Cost is $5 (Cash Only)

Lunch Order Bags

Thank you to all parents who purchased the lunch order bags. You can log onto the website and print off name labels for your bags...

https://www.stickybeaks.com.au/

Create a login and browse the hundreds of design labels - Print and make your lunch bag truly yours.

We still have some lunch order bags available for purchase at the Primary School office. They are $7 each and various colours are available.

School Uniform Reminder

Black shoes are required. Please be mindful that this is the approved school uniform and reflects pride and commitment to our agreed culture.

If there is an issue please discuss with your child’s Homegroup teacher so we can help.

FIRST Lego League Update

Regional Championships Details

Date: Saturday 16th November 2019

Location: Melbourne Girls College, 55 Yarra Boulevard, Richmond, Victoria*

Time: TBC*

Transport: Team to meet at location

Consent Form: Sign and bring attached form on the day

*Awaiting response from organiser for confirmation

On Wednesday 11 September, we were privileged to have the Head Referee of the FIRST Lego League in Victoria Mic Lowne, run a 2-hour workshop, exclusively with our teams. Mic is also a successful coach within the League, having his team x5127 (named after the number of revisions James Dyson made to perfect the cyclonic vacuum cleaner) win a spot in and travel to the International Championships in Uruguay.

The day’s mission: To get a better understanding of the three areas the teams will the scored on;

Robot (Game)
Project
Core Values

The teams were taken through the fourteen missions available to complete within the Robot Game, demonstrating what is required to get some of the 600 points on offer. For beginner teams like us, Mic suggested that the maximum number of missions that should be attempted is three. He encouraged the teams to think about looking at the ‘easy’ missions to complete. Mic did also qualify his statement by saying the designer of the game board was an ‘evil genius’, so some missions aren’t as easy as they seem.

Mic suggested that the teams start thinking about the Project, where the team members (not the coach) need to identify a problem within our community, share with community members and refine their solutions. There were great discussions being had surrounding lighting on Plenty Rd, kangaroo being trapped by the Mernda Railway and adapting the school’s outdoor seating to solar powered table to charge mobile phones.

The teams need to start contacting relevant community groups such as the VicRoads, Whittlesea Council and School Council to discuss the practicalities of their ideas. Then they will need to refine their ideas and present their ideas to a judging panel on the day, which will have a greater bearing on results than the completion of the Robot missions.

The students were also reminded of the significance of the opportunity provided with representatives from the major sponsors such as Lego, 3M, John Deere, Rockwell Automation and Macquarie University scouting for talent, to offer employment and educational opportunities. Mic’s fun fact was that 75% of NASA graduates have participated in the FIRST Lego League.

I can’t thank Mic enough for making the hour and a bit journey to come and assist us in our first attempt at the FIRST Lego League.

Teams have a lot of work to do. They have heeded Mic’s advice and selected three missions to complete in the robot game using a basic robot. For the project, students are going to propose a solution to the issue of the stranded kangaroos in South Morang/Mernda.

Time is of the essence and we need the teams to start taking more personal time to meet our goals for the regional championships. I will be making myself available for extra sessions on Monday and Thursday at lunch and an hour after school to support our teams.

You can support your child by discussing the project and attending the regional championships.

Together we rise!

Please access this link for an example of what another team has done - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agLSE9_MRLg

Andy Demetrius

Soccer at the Lakes

Kelly Sports at the Lakes

Do your kids love to run and play sports? Then why not give Kelly sports a go - after school every Tuesday at the Primary Campus.

Attendance - Every Day Counts

If you are aware that your child will not be attending school due to illness or other circumstances, please ensure that you contact either office to ensure our attendance records are accurate. Ways of communicating absences include:

Calling the office;
Sending an SMS on 0427 226 537;
Placing a future Absence Request through the Parent SENTRAL Portal.

As required by the Department of Education, all schools must notify parents informing that their child is absent. Please inform the office of absences before 10am each morning.

Sentral Parent Portal Access

The Sentral Parent Portal is the primary method for home-school communications at The Lakes.

We are excited to say that most families have access to the Parent Portal. The portal allows students and parents\carers to keep up to date with important information and communication. This includes student academic reports, parent-teacher interview bookings and permission for students to attend camps, sport and excursions.

The Student and Parent Portal can be accessed at school, from home and from mobile devices. To assist families without internet facilities at home, The Lakes has installed mobile technology devices into both the EY and MY offices for families to access.

If you are experiencing any issues with Sentral, please contact either office to assist you.

Community Notices

Dads 'n' Kids

Mill Park Library

End of Year Art Exhibition

Local Artists

Information Night on Becoming a Foster Parent

Become a Foster Carer

Turning into Teens

Super Kids Sunday

Turning into Teens

Whittlesea Show