CONNECT- APRIL 2023

With the end of term fast approaching, we have had another busy couple of weeks with plenty of events and activities happening across the school.

After a big start to the year and as we continue the terms focus on our value of Excellence, it has been impressive to see our students finding their feet – all has settled well into a normal school rhythm.

We are now working hard to consolidate our core routines and habits for our new students who are now becoming more comfortable being in Secondary College.

PRIMARY TRANSITION AND COLLEGE TOURS FOR PROSPECTIVE FAMILIES

This is an important time of year for families in Grade 6 as they look to confirm their child’s placement at Secondary College in 2024. It is an important decision and one our College enjoys supporting families with.

Again in 2023 we have invited many of our local Primary Schools back to again visit our new College and the feedback we have received continues to be very positive. Some of our students also had the opportunity to speak at their previous Primary School to the current grade 5 or 6 students. They were not only able to provide information on our upcoming Information Sessions but also to tell their own stories on what it is like at Greenvale Secondary College. It was great to see our students demonstrating their Leadership Skills!

Our Tours continue to be fully subscribed – bookings for both the Information Sessions and College Tours are available by visiting our website – www.greenvalesc.vic.edu.au

SCHOOL COUNCIL

On 28 March we welcomed our new school Council Members. At the same meeting we also presented our 2022 Annual Report to the School Community.

As parents will know we received more parent nominations than places available on school council and this is a great sign that we have a high number of parents who would like to support and contribute to the development of our College.

On behalf of our College Community, I would like to sincerely thank Rebecca Cooper who has been School Council President since we opened. She has been a great contributor to our school community, always providing us the right amount of support and encouragement, and when required the appropriate amount of challenge. I would also like to thank past Council members Tammy Hocking and Esra Yildiz.

The new school council now consists of the following people:

STAFFING UPDATES

As our College continues to grow with students, so does our staffing profile. As we approach the end of this term, we welcome the following new staff to our team:

• Sonia Saitov – General and Sub School Administration
• Luke Costabile – Classroom Teacher (English and Humanities)

INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY AND HARMONY DAY

This year the College has taken the opportunity to provide students with leadership opportunities including the ability for them to lead focus days such as International Women’s Day and Harmony Day. Many of these opportunities would only be available to students in years 11 and 12, however our students have certainly been willing to demonstrate their willingness to engage in such events.

International Women’s Day was a great opportunity to be able to recognise those in our community who have achieved great things, including both our staff and students. This year’s focus was on equity which is not just something we say and it’s not just something we write about. It’s something we need to think about, know, value and embrace.

Similarly for Harmony Day – it was pleasing to see so many students wearing orange to recognise our diversity and different backgrounds, it is also about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.

COLLEGE REVIEW PROCESS

Our parent community will be aware that the College recently sent a link and asked parents to complete a survey which will help inform the future direction of the College.

Every 4 years, all schools are required to conduct a review process which then informs the next Strategic Plan.

Whilst we know that we have achieved a lot in a short period, we are also aware that there is much still to do. I look forward to keeping the community updated on this important work.

IS YOUR CHILD GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP?

While we know sleep is essential for good health, research shows that many children and young people are not getting enough sleep on school nights. This can affect thinking, concentration, memory, reaction times and mood.

Research shows about 12% of primary school-aged children, a quarter of 12 to 15 year olds and half of 16 to 17 year olds don’t get enough sleep on school nights. The recommended amount of time to sleep for primary school-aged children is 9 to 11 hours. For teenagers, it’s 8 to 10 hours.

Signs that your child is not getting enough sleep can include:

• low mood and irritability during social interactions
• reluctance or arguing about getting off devices and going to bed
• falling asleep during the day
• difficulties waking up for school and sleeping in late on weekends to catch up
• changes to communicating or interacting at home.

You can help your child to improve their sleep by:

• establishing a regular sleep pattern and consistent bedtime routine
• supporting them to avoid using electronic devices such as smartphones before going to bed and in bed
• encouraging your child to exercise and spend time outside in daylight, steering clear of vigorous activity in the hour before sleep
• encouraging them to wind down and relax before going to bed.

If your child is still having trouble sleeping, has persistent problems with low mood, excessive daytime sleepiness, restlessness in bed, severe snoring or wakening unrefreshed, despite getting adequate length sleep, they should see a doctor.

For more information on sleep health, you can refer to:

• Sleep tips for children and Facts about sleep for parents and school staff, from the Sleep Health Foundation
• Why sleep is so important, from the Kids Helpline’s
• Sleep explained, from the Better Health Channel.

STUDENT LEARNING IN TERM 1

It has been wonderful to watch the Year 7 students engage with their learning in their first term of secondary school. It has been extremely busy with students learning many new skills and although we have noticed tired students, we have also seen lots of excitement. Year 7 students have been busy preparing for their Character Paper Collage Portraits in Art, their Persuasive Speech in English and Lab Safety and Chemistry in Science. They have been learning about Bullying in preparation for CAT 1 in Health and Ancient Civilizations History in Humanities. In Mathematics the Year 7 cohort have learnt about Whole Number and the Cartesian Plan and in Music they have developing their understanding of reading music as well as playing the piano. The first term of Year 7 is often challenging for students as they understand the expectations of a new school and develop maturity required for secondary school.  It is pleasing to see, many students starting to settle into the new routines and we ask that families support students struggling with organisation and structure to assist them at home by talking about the day ahead and mentally preparing them about expectations, behaviour and organisation.

We have noticed how most of the Year 8 students have settled quickly into the new school year and have grown in maturity. This maturity is usually reflected in their approach to their work also. The Year 8 students have been debating in English, doing Fitness in HPE and learning how to analyse historical sources in Humanities. In Mathematics they have been learning about Rational and Irrational Number and Financial Maths. In Year 8 our students are introduced to Technology: in Materials Technology they are creating and designing a timber dice and they will do Food Technology in Semester 2. In Media students have been reviewing a blog and in Science, they are studying Cells and Body Systems.

Students have told us this year, how much they have enjoyed having the choice of Languages: Chinese or Italian and the progress in these classes is clear.

HARMONY WEEK –  Everyone Belongs – 20th to 26th March

Harmony Week is the celebration that recognises our diversity and brings together Australians from all different backgrounds. It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.  It is an important day in the Greenvale Secondary College calendar as it is central to our values.

To participate in Harmony Week, on Tuesday 21st March we asked students and staff to wear an orange accessory  to acknowledge Harmony Week.  The SRC collected $1 donations and all proceeds will be donated to Red Cross.

It was great to see a sea of orange in the school as our community celebrated inclusiveness.

THE RESILIENCE PROJECT

Our students do work from The Resilience Project each Monday and Tuesday in Mentor Group designed to teach positive mental health strategies and build capacity to deal with adversity. Each week we engage in activities around the key principles of Gratitude, Emapthy, Mindfulness (GEM) and Emotional Literacy to build resilience.

GRATITUDE

Working on gratitude helps us to be thankful and appreciate what we have in our lives, rather than focusing on what we don’t have or what we want. When we practise being grateful, we start to scan the world to look for positives–this only takes 21 days! Practising gratitude every day increases our levels of energy, helps us to feel happier and more focused, determined and optimistic. It even helps us have a better sleep, lowers levels of anxiety and depression and we are less likely to get sick. So many benefits–let’s all try to be grateful for the things and people in our lives every day!

WHOLE FAMILY ACTIVITY – GRATITUDE

Family Habit Builder: Every night at dinner, ask your children what was the best thing in the day? Encourage everyone to talk about their favourite thing about that day.

GROWTH ENHANCEMENTS AT GREENVALE SECONDARY COLLEGE

At Greenvale Secondary College we acknowledge at that not every child’s journey through learning is the same. Every student has areas of strength and potential growth, and there are different paths to every learning destination. Research suggests that intervention in the areas of English and Maths is particularly important during the transition between primary and secondary schools. As the intellectual demand of the content increases, challenges with literacy and numeracy can inhibit a student’s ability to access the new levels of knowledge. The work done in Years 7 and 8 to fill gaps in these areas can set the “trajectory” (Balfanz, 2002) of a student through Year 9 and beyond into Senior Secondary.

As part of our Enhancement program, we aim to augment classroom learning through Growth English and Maths. These Enhancements run each term with a different group of students. The selection and learning sequence is based on research into effective intervention:

1. identifying students at risk for difficulties through universal screening;
2. determining students’ instructional needs and forming similar-ability, small groups
3. providing explicit targeted instruction, and
4. aligning instruction and content levels to students’ needs.
   (Vaughn, Denton and Fletcher, 2010).

In Term 1, Year 8 students have participated in the Growth Enhancement program. In English, there has been a focus on reading skills, including identifying implicit and explicit meaning, understanding inference, and strategies to deal with unknown words using affixes and root word etymology. The texts read have included stories for pleasure such as fairy tales and fables, and chapters from upcoming lessons in subjects such as Humanities. Growth Maths students have emphasised ‘quick maths’, practicing mathematical operations in situations applicable to real life such as counting change in a shop. This practice of fast mental maths also aids students in the classroom as they are able to apply the operations in finding solutions to problems they encounter as part of wider topics in the Maths lessons.

Families of Year 7 students who qualify for Growth Enhancements will be contact shortly about your child’s participation in this program for Term 2.

Balfanz, R., McPartland, J., and Shaw, A. (April, 2002). Re-Conceptualizing Extra Help for High School Students in a High Standards Era. Baltimore: Center for Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University. Retrieved October 17, 2007, from www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/hs/balfanz.doc

Vaughn, S., Denton, C. A., & Fletcher, J. M. (2010). WHY INTENSIVE INTERVENTIONS ARE NECESSARY FOR STUDENTS WITH SEVERE READING DIFFICULTIES. Psychology in the schools, 47(5), 432–444. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20481

The performing arts department has had a very busy term with lots of new students joining the program and exciting ventures for students to be a part of. With Ms McPhail our Woodwind specialist who has developed and recruited many students to the program, she has begun putting together a small ensemble for students to work together and play music as part of a team. This is an exciting opportunity for brass and woodwind players to use their knowledge outside of lessons and apply it to a performance-based learning opportunity for the students.

Students are working hard towards performances at a lunchtime concert in the early parts of term 2, all staff and students are so excited to hear the hard work and dedication students have been displaying in their lessons and home practice. Students also performed at our parent information evening showing the talent and variety of levels, instrumentation and performances that the school offers, this is an exciting time for our school as we build the program to be the amazing program, we know it will be.

As part of the performing arts dedication to diversify and branch out we have selected a handful of students to participate in the state annual Victorian State School Spectacular (VSSS), this has been an amazing time for some of our students who are excited and enthusiastic about dance and the arts and representing the school on national TV. Students went on an excursion to a dance ensemble with professional dancers learning songs and techniques that helps get them out of the classroom and into practical experiences that may help them in future endeavors within the arts. We are looking forward to more excursions and the final filming in September for channel 7.

How quick did Term 1 go by?  Congratulations year 7 students on your first term of year 7.  Congratulations to the Year 8 students for stepping up to the plate and welcoming the year 7 students.

BREAKFAST CLUB AND LUNCH SUPPORT

Thanks to Food Bank Victoria Greenvale Secondary College can now provide students with breakfast in the mornings.  At the moment every Thursday students can attend Breakfast Club in the library from 8:15am to fill their belly, to help get their day started.

Also on offer are lunches for students if they have forgotten their lunch that day or for whatever reason the student does not have any lunch.  If this is the case students can make their way to Student Services in the first 15 minutes of lunch where they will be given some lunch staples.

MANCAVE AND BIG SISTER EXPERIENCE

On the 7^th March Mancave and Big Sister Experience attended Greenvale Secondary College for their 2^nd instalment with the year 8 students.  This day was aimed at reflecting on one’s self and the impact we have on others in our community.

VICTORIA POLICE

The Victoria Police attended the College on the 27^th March to talk  with the students about their responsibilities in relation to keeping themselves safe and those around them. We would like to thank the members from the Sunbury Proactive Squad for attending the school.

Unfortunately, on this day the Victoria Police team could not be there for the year 7 presentation.  They will be rescheduling this presentation

FUNDRAISER – Guess the Eggs

To raise money for the breakfast club and also the Positive Learning Framework we are ending the term with a “guess the amount of easter eggs in the jar,” competition.

Congrats to Sharlot 7C and Sarah S 7C n winning the Guess the amount of Easter Eggs competition.  Don’t eat all the Easter Eggs at one time. 

LOOKING TO TERM 2

Positive Learning Framework

Next term Greenvale Secondary College will be launching our Positive Learning Framework to the school community. This is not entirely new as we have been acknowledging student’s effort to follow and showcase the school’s values over the past year.

What we are adding is the following:

Peer Value awards- each week 1 student will be nominated by the mentor teacher to observe their fellow peers in relation to the values of the school.  On Friday in Mentor that student will then present to the student an Awards certificate for the effort that they have made that week.

An attendance prize– each fortnight all students that have attended school 100% of the time for that fortnight will be placed in a raffle and 1 lucky winner will be provided with a $10 canteen voucher.

ReWards Shop- Twice per term the ReWards Shop will be open to students to cash in their points that they have accumulated on Compass (similar to the timezone system).

Gold Reward– At the end of each semester the top 10 students in terms of value points (5 from each level) will be gifted an end of the semester excursion. eg Timezone, Bounce, Funfields.

RAISE MENTORING

We invite Raise Mentoring back to GSC for 2023.  Things will look a little different this year, with a termly program so that Year 7 and Year 8 students have an opportunity to participate. Sessions are designed to build skills in resilience, help seeking, hope for the future and school engagement .Activities will either be whole-group, small-group, and individual activities facilitated by PC and Support Mentors.

MPower

A number of female students will be invited to be part of the MPower program for term 2.

MPower  focuses on positive communication, empathy and conflict resolution. The program runs for a duration of 6 weeks and will be a single session per week. Students will learn specific skills to problem-solve peer issues effectively, be assertive in conflict situations, reduce stereotyping and be more mindful of how our actions affect our peers.

Our Administration Team, are always happy to assist and support all students and families at the front reception daily. Our Administration Office is open 8:00am – 4:00pm Monday to Friday. We are committed to doing our best and if you ever have any questions or queries, we are here to help.

KEY DATES

LATE ARRIVAL TO SCHOOL

Students who arrive late to school, after 8:50am, must sign in through the Compass Kiosk either using their student card or Compass Login details.

Parents/Guardians can either use the Compass Kiosk to sign their child late or contact the Office on 8393 0000, advising us why their child will be late.

EARLY DEPARTURE FROM SCHOOL

We realise that at times you need to pick up your child early from school. When your child needs to be picked up early from school, can you please either contact the Office on 8393 0000 or send your child with a note to bring into Office Administration letting us know, the time you will be picking up your child. This will ensure the class teacher will be notified your child needs to leave class. 

When picking up your child early, you are required to come into the Administration Office and sign your child out through the Compass Kiosk.

ATTENDANCE – IT’S NOT OK TO BE AWAY! 

Daily school attendance is important for all children and young people to succeed in education and to ensure they don’t fall behind both socially and developmentally. Children and young people who regularly attend school and complete Year 12 or an equivalent qualification have better health outcomes, better employment outcomes, and higher incomes across their lives. It is important that children develop habits of regular attendance at an early age. 

We realise some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. But we also know that when students miss too much school – regardless of the reason – it can cause them to fall behind academically.  

It is important that you contact the school as soon as possible on 8393 0000 or log onto the Compass Portal to inform us of your child’s absence.  

We also ask parents/guardians/carers to regularly monitor their child’s attendance through the Compass Parent Portal. 

EVERY DAY COUNTS 

A day here or there doesn’t seem like much but… 

UNIFORM – TERM 2

At the beginning of Term 2, all students should start wearing their Summer Full School Uniform. Students who are not in Full School Uniform, we ask that a note is brought the Administration Office, explaining why your child cannot wear their full school uniform, so a uniform pass can be issued for the day.

LOST PROPERTY

Students at times loose their clothing and personal items. We have a lost property cupboard.  If your child has lost clothing or school items, please come and check at the Administration Office.

It is important to put name tags on your child’s clothing/stationary, to ensure any lost items can be returned to the owner.

PURCHASE OF UNIFORMS

Uniform items can be purchased from Noone Imagewear.

New Craigieburn Store Open. Shop A2-E,  420-440 Craigieburn Rd, Craigieburn.  Shopping Precinct – Craigieburn Junction. Cnr Craigieburn Rd and Aitken Boulevard. Store is located next to Carpet Call.

Online orders call also be placed directly at https://www.noone.com.au