FORTNIGHTLY NEWSLETTER

17 February 2016

Carranballac P-9 College 9395 3533

In our unique, innova ve and growing community we develop a passion for life long learning

so that students achieve individual excellence and are confident, capable, respected ci zens

of our local and global communi es.

Statement of Purpose

Dates to Remember:

Student Absence: Please SMS student absences by 9.00 am to

0429 305 552

College Director Brendan O’Brien School Council President Penny Heron  

Every minute counts!

Wednesday 24 February Foundation Students to not attend School

Nominations for School Council Close 4pm

Mon 29 Feb to Weds 9 March Year 3/4 Jamieson Way Swim Program

Weds 2 to Friday 4 March Year 7 Camp—Echuca

Monday 14 March 2016 Labour Day Holiday

Thursday 24 March Last Day Term 1 2pm Finish

Monday 11 April Curriculum Day

Tuesday 12 April Students resume for Term 2

Tues 15 to Thurs 24 March Year 2 Boardwalk & Jamieson Way Swim Program

Sunday 20 March P&F Family Portrait Fundraiser

Tuesday 15 to Friday 18 March Year 9 Boardwalk & Jamieson Way Camp

D irector’s Report

Dear Parents and Family Members of the Carranballac Community Our year has started well with amazing community support, well prepared staff and so many delightful students at Carranballac. I continue to be surprised by the superb manner in which our Foundation stu-dents have blended into the community that is Carranballac. Parents who attended the first of our Student Learning Conferences are to be congratulated for prioritising this information sharing meeting. Staff are now better equipped to grow your child’s so-cial, emotional and academic well being and knowledge – thankyou. If you were unable to make the night then please take the time to contact the College and make arrangements to meet your child’s teacher as soon as possible. Camps, swimming programs and extra curricula activities: We have received feedback from fam-ilies about the timing of notices for these extra curricula activities that form an important part of your child’s education. In response we are developing a College Calendar of ‘extra curricula activities’ which we will post on the web page next week. This will provide parents with some forward planning about upcoming events and their associated costs. We do apologise for the short time frame notifications of late; with swimming and camps, and hope that the new calendar assists families in budgeting to allow their children to attend. We are more than happy to receive constructive parent feedback on aspects of the College as well as affirmations of College life that are seen as positive and beneficial. Parents and Friends: All College families are the recipients of the hard work and endeavours of the P & F team. The College walkathon is taking place on the 11 March and we are seeking your support through participation (parents are welcome on the day) and support (sponsorship) in order to fund the further installation of additional air conditioners in classrooms. The Family portrait photo day is not far away. Please book early to ensure you do not miss out. Finally, the P & F presented the magnificent HOUSE BANNERS to both assemblies on Monday morning. These wonderful banners will now feature at all College House events and will add to the Culture and pride of Carranballac College. Korean exchange: I would like to congratulate host families, staff and students involved in this excit-ing and enriching cultural exchange. We have all learnt so much from each other and lifelong friendships have been forged. We look forward to continuing our relationship with our Korean friends into the future and sharing our educational knowledge. A quote worth understanding: “All people desire to know.” ARISTOTLE. The challenge for us as adults is to facilitate the young in building their desire to learn. Have a wonderful fortnight ahead.

B rendan O’Brien

B oardwalk School Report

Thank you to all parents, guardians and stu-dents for your input into the Student Learning Conference last week. If you were unable to come last Thursday please feel free to contact your child’s teacher to make suitable arrange-ments to meet them. Thank you for your support with our new Mid-dle Years uniform changes. Please remember that correct college uniform must be worn at all times. This helps our students take pride in themselves and our College. It is important that students arrive promptly, 8.40 am, at the beginning of each day. We all know how frustrating it can be when people arrive late to a meeting and how difficult it can be for the latecomers to catch up with the conversations. It is the same situation in our classrooms. So please ensure your child is in class on time to maximise their learning time. Unfortunately we still have a number of class-rooms waiting new carpet. Hopefully they will be back in use very soon. Once again students and teachers have coped with the situation very well, thank you! Swimming trials for the college are on Friday morning. Best of luck to all participants! Enjoy the rest of the week!

K ay Kearney

J amieson Way School Report

As a school community we said goodbye at the start of this week to our visiting Korean students. Their experience of Australian schools and the Australian way of life has pro-vided them with life long memories. Once again a huge THANK YOU to our amazing families who took these students into their families. They all talked so fondly of their Aus-tralian families - the connections will be strong. What a fantastic presentation by our Parents & Friends at assembly on Monday morning when Valetta and Jenny unveiled to the whole school the new banners they have created for our house colours. Our house captains were thrilled and our students were very impressed. The banners are just sensational and we look forward to displaying them as often as possi-ble! Thank you to those parents who were able to join us last week for Student Learning Confer-ences. Ensuring home and school are on the same page with student learning goals for the term ahead makes the connection and moti-vation stronger for the student. Just a reminder that if your contact details have changed (new mobile number for exam-ple, or emergency contacts may have new mobiles) please let the office know. Best of luck to our students who are partici-pating in the swimming trials this Friday. Enjoy your child/children this week.

S andy Naughton

S tudent Awards

Weeks 3 & 4 Winners:

Silve Alo Joshua Dunstan Liam Farrell Sally Hodgkins

Brendan Jong Osman Khawar Peter Koratzopoulos Henry Le– Nguyen

Ivan Matijas Shanae Millyard Maddi Moore Leo Nguyen

Razi Omar Bohdi Pierce Gus Robinson Kari Sarol

Elira Selimi Melinda Shipp Kye Simpson Tiana Spyrou

Bella Stephenson Hayley Tran Leo Valladares Nikola Vidakovic

Darren Wee Kyle Whitehead Audrey Abelard Taleah Butler

Xy Craven Nathan Dobson Rhys Douglass Blair Johnston

Benice Lee Trini Lee Jayden McGregor Shongo Ndjeka

Sally Nguyen Michael Serafingos Richelle Siahaan Benjamin Sierra Perez

Ella Strange Isabella Trudgian Maddison Warwick Max Fountain

Kiana Hehuwat Alexus Keomany Ariel Mullali Abbey Murphy

Emilee Page Nikola Sikaleski Dean Vickery Eliana Beha

Christopher Delimitros Thomas Gercovich Evie Jackson

Congratulations to all our award winners this fortnight!

H ouse Points

Week 3

Jamieson Way School Boardwalk School

Sea Eagles 205 Cheetham 33

Golden Wattle 185 Golden Wattle 32

RAAF 156 Sea Eagles 31

Cheetham 135 RAAF 18

School Council Elections 2016

Schedule 4: Notice of Election and Call for Nominations An election is to be conducted for members of the School Council of Carranballac P-9 College. Nomination forms may be obtained from the school and must be lodged by 4.00 pm on Wednesday 24th February 2016. The ballot will close at 4.00 pm on Wednesday 9th March 2016. Following the closing of nominations a list of the nominations received will be posted at the school. The terms of office, membership categories and number of positions in each membership category open for election are as follows:

If the number of nominations is less than the number of vacancies, a notice to that effect and calling for further nominations will be posted in a prominent position at the school. Brendan O’Brien College Director  

Membership category Term of office Number of positions Parent member From the day after the date of the

declaration of the poll in 2016 to and inclusive of the date of the declaration of the poll in 2018

4

DEECD employee member

From the day after the date of the declaration of the poll in 2016 to and inclusive of the date of the declaration of the poll in 2018

2

Membership category Term of office Number of positions Parent member From the day after the date of the

declaration of the poll in 2016 to and inclusive of the date of the declaration of the poll in 2018

4

DEECD employee member

From the day after the date of the declaration of the poll in 2016 to and inclusive of the date of the declaration of the poll in 2018

2

Event  Date Notice of election and call for nominations Wednesday 17th February 2016

Closing date for nominations Wednesday 24th February 2016 – 4pm

The date by which the list of candidates and

nominators will be displayed

Thursday 25th February 2016

The date by which ballot papers will be prepared and

distributed

On or before Wednesday 2nd

March 2016

Close of ballot Wednesday 9th March 2016 – 4pm

Vote Count Thursday 10th March 2016

Declaration of ballot Thursday 10th March 2016

Special council meeting to co-opt Community

members (the College Director will preside)

Tuesday 15th March 2016

First council meeting to elect office bearers

(the College Director will preside)

Tuesday 22nd March 2016

 

School Council Elec ons 2016 

What is a school council and what does it do? 

All government schools in Victoria have a school council. They are legally cons tuted bodies that are given 

powers to set the key direc ons of a school within statewide guidelines. In doing this, a school council is able to directly influence the quality of educa on that the school provides for its students. 

Who is on the school council? 

For most school councils, there are three possible categories of membership: 

• A mandated elected Parent category – more than one third of the total members must be from this category. Department of Educa on and Early Childhood Development (DET) employees can be Parent members at their child’s school as long as they are not engaged in work at the school. 

• A mandated elected DET employee category – members of this category may make up no more than one‐third of the total membership of school council. The principal of the school is automa cally one of these members. 

• An op onal Community member category – members are co‐opted by a decision of the council because of their special skills, interests or experiences. DET employees are not eligible to be Community members. 

Generally, the term of office for all members is two years. The term of office of half the members expires each year, crea ng vacan‐cies for the annual school council elec ons. 

Why is Parent membership so important? 

Parents on school councils provide important viewpoints and have valuable skills that can help shape the direc on of the school. 

Those parents who become ac ve on a school council find their involvement sa sfying in itself and may also find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging. 

How can you become involved? 

The most obvious way is to vote in the elec ons, which are held in Term 1 each year. However, ballots are only held if more people nominate as candidates than there are posi ons vacant. 

In view of this, you might seriously consider 

• standing for elec on as a member of the school council 

• encouraging another person to stand for elec on. 

Do I need special experience to be on school council? 

No. What you do need is an interest in your child’s school and the desire to work in partnership with others to help shape the school’s future.  

What do you need to do to stand for elec on? 

The principal will issue a No ce of Elec on and Call for Nomina ons following the commencement of Term 1 each year. All school council elec ons must be completed by the end of March unless the usual  me line has been varied by the Minister.  

If you decide to stand for elec on, you can arrange for someone to nominate you as a candidate or you can nominate yourself in the Parent category. 

DET employees whose child is enrolled in a school in which they are not engaged in work are eligible to nominate for parent mem‐bership of the school council at that school. 

Once the nomina on form is completed, return it to the principal within the  me stated on the No ce of Elec on. You will receive a Nomina on Form Receipt in the mail following the receipt of your completed nomina on. 

Generally, if there are more nomina ons received than there are vacancies on council, a ballot will be conducted during the two weeks a er the call for nomina ons has closed. 

Remember 

• Ask at the school for help if you would like to stand for elec on and are not sure what to do 

• Consider standing for elec on to council this year 

• Be sure to vote in the elec ons. 

Contact the principal for further informa on.  

C anteen News

Hopefully all parents now have a copy of this terms menu. If not please find one at the office or in the canteen. Due to the term being short we have decided to run a special over the week of 22 - 26 February rather than one special order lunch day. The special is a sausage roll with any choice of OAK milk and a frozen juicy tube for $6.00. This is a saving of $1.00 and is available for the whole week. Please write your child's order on a brown bag or include 10 cents for a bag. Pre - orders are not necessary. Just order on the day of your choice.

P arent Portal for Purchasing Computers

“Beyond the Box”, the company which supplies our student computers, has set up our Parent Portal. Parents can now go to the Portal and purchase or lease the notebooks from a list of three, which the school has recommended. The MacBook would be the best choice but it is more expensive than the two Windows versions we have also recommended.

Parents can access this Parent Portal on the following website:

https://www.beyondthebox.com.au/parent-portal/?o=carranballac

The Password all parents will use is: carranballac2016

More detailed instructions on the ordering procedure will be found under the Parent tab in the Menu Bar of the College Website.

In future, all the information and the link to this Portal will be found under the Parent tab on the Menu Bar of our College Website. The link can also be found on the P&F Facebook page.  

Henry Szkuta

ICT Support and Development Manager  

E AL Program

What a great start we have had to the year by hosting many wonderful Korean students on an Exchange program here at Carranballac College. Each day, the Korean students were involved in our EAL program across the college, having the opportunity to work individually, in small groups, researching, questioning, challenging them-selves and then presenting to their peers. This overall, was such a positive, rewarding exercise for them and they grew to appreciate this way of learning. But we at Carranballac, encourage this daily of our students in our classrooms, which they appreciated, admired and often com-mented on over their 3 week stay. We also learned and respected a lot about the Korean 'way of life' in and out of the classroom along with their love for entertaining, shopping and of course, basketball. Congratulations again and below are photos of many of the happy Korean exchange students at JW and BW. Thankyou, Jenny Gault EAL Manager

J unior Rock Band Auditions

Students are invited to audition for a place in our Junior Rock Band. Students are asked to collect a CD from the school office to learn for this audition. The songs are ‘Stuck In the Middle With You’ for guitarists, bass players and drummers and ‘Lego House’ or ‘Someone Like You’ for vocalists and keyboard players. Gaye Edmonds Assistant Principal Performing Arts

Students are invited to audition for a place in our Junior Rock Band. Students are asked to collect a CD from the school office to learn for this audition. The songs are ‘Stuck In the Middle With You’ for guitarists, bass players and drummers and ‘Lego House’ or ‘Someone Like You’ for vocalists and keyboard players. Gaye Edmonds Assistant Principal Performing Arts

M athletics & Spellodrome

All students should have received their log in details for Mathle cs and Spellodrome. Students from P‐9 

are encouraged to access both of these programs each night as a part of their regular homework regime. 

If anyone is having difficulty accessing the program please contact Lesley Hall.

P arents & Friends

After our Fun run last year the P&F committee acknowledged it would be great if each of the houses at Carranballac had a banner represented by the logo’s which the students designed.

Monday at assembly I had the pleasure of presenting the house captains, at each school, the results of this project. It is the plan of the P&F these banners will be handed down from house captain to house captain for many years to come. We hope they will be a source of pride and instil a sense of belonging for students. It is our wish is that any time students represent them-selves with their banner, that they do so to the best of their ability, whilst being fair and display-ing good sportsmanship.

Much thanks must go to Wendy Charles who has made these banners for us, the results are fantastic and will be a fabulous legacy for our College.

These banners will be on display at this year’s Fun run which is being held, at each school, on Friday 11 March. Information packs regarding this event will be out this week. Parents are encouraged to attend to cheer on the students.

If any parents are wishing to know more about Carranballac Parents and Friends or would like to become involved, our next meeting is on Thursday 10 March at 7pm in the Boardwalk staff room. ALL WELCOME.

Valetta Johnston Carranballac P&F Coordinator

S chool Banking

School Banking is run by the Commonwealth Bank and is designed to teach children the importance of regular sav-ing through depositing money each week at school on Banking Day.

The children bring their bankbooks to school each Tuesday and hand them to their teacher, who gives them to volunteer parents. These volunteer parents do the banking online at the school each week. When the banking is completed, the bankbooks are returned to the students the following day. Each time a child banks, they receive a token and when they have collected 10 tokens, they can redeem them for a prize. DOES THE SCHOOL GET ANYTHING FOR RUNNING THIS PROGRAM? Our school earns a commission of $5.00 from the Commonwealth Bank for every new account opened and 5% of every deposit that is made. The money the school earns goes to our Parents & Friends Committee. These funds are then used to fund projects around the school, such as the installation of air-conditioners in classrooms. HOW TO OPEN AN ACCOUNT To open an account for your child, simply go to any Commonwealth Bank Branch with your Driver's License and your child's Birth Certificate and request to open a Youth Savers Account. Parents & Friends

T hey’re Back...

Dear Parents/ Guardians/ Carers

It has come to our attention that some students in the school may have head lice and I seek your cooperation in checking your child’s hair this week. Head lice do not transmit infectious diseases – they are transmitted by having head to head contact with someone who has head lice. You may be reassured to know that head lice are

commonly found in places other than in schools. Head lice are common in school-aged children and are the most adaptable of creatures. They have survived living solely on humans for 10,000 years!!!! What can you do? We seek your cooperation in checking your child’s hair and in those instances where head lice or eggs are found, treating your child’s hair. Please see the information at http://www.health.vic.gov.au/headlice/ to help with the detection and treatment of head lice. Please feel free to talk to me about any problems you are experiencing with treatment. If head lice or eggs are found on your child’s hair you need to inform: the College and advise when the treatment has started. parents or carers of your child’s friends so they too have the opportunity to detect and treat their chil-

dren if necessary. When can my child return to school? Health regulations requires that where a child has head lice, that child should not return to school until the day after appropriate treatment has started. Please note, this refers only to those children who have live head lice and does not refer to head lice eggs.

Carranballac P-9 College is aware that head lice can be a sensitive issue and is committed to maintaining your confidentiality.

Kind regards

Rose Pell

Assistant Principal

C CEF Application

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

NFORMATION FOR PARENTS

Every Victorian child should have access to the world of learning opportunities that exist beyond the classroom. The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps ensure that no student will miss out on the opportunity to join their classmates for im-portant, educational and fun activities. It is part of making Victoria the Education State and the Government’s commitment to breaking the link between a student’s background and their outcomes.

CAMPS, SPORTS & EXCURSIONS FUND (CSEF)

School c a mps p rov i d e c h i l d re n with i n s p i r i n g experiences in the g rea t ou tdoors, excursions encour-age a deeper understanding of how the world works and sports teach teamwork, discipline and l e a d e rship. All are part of a healthy curriculum.

CSEF will be provided by the Victor ian Government to assist eligible families to cover t h e c osts of school trips, camps and s po rt in g a ctivities.

If you hold a valid m eans-tested concession card o r are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. A special consideration category also exists for asylum seeker and r e fugee families. The allowance is paid t o the school t o use towards expenses r e lating to camps, excursions or sporting activities for the ben-efit of your c hild.

The annual CSEF amount per student is:

• $125 for primary school s tudents

• $225 for secondary school s tudents.

 

HOW TO APPLY

Contact the school office to obtain a CSEF application form or download from www.education.vic.gov.au/csef

MORE INFORMATION

For the CSEF application closing dates and more in-formation about the fund visit w.education.vic.gov.au/csef

S cience & Sustainability Report

Green Gang 2016

Formerly known as the Student Environment Council, Green Gang is for Years 5-9.

Students who are accepted as Green Gang members will be asked to do a number of activities ranging from gar-dening to litter pick-ups, promoting programs at assembly or representing the College and other practical and plan-ning activities.

Students were asked to submit their application during last week Tuesday 9-Thursday 11 Feb 2016, or may have been elected by their class. Either way they had to explain how they might show initiative and a willingness to have a go at activities which make them a better student. Many activities will be in lunchtime, or during times the class-room program.

Chicken Program Holiday Care

Our Jamieson Way chickens have been holidaying with the Wasley family, with very kind care being given on a dai-ly basis by parents Michael & Kristin Wasley and their daughters Linnea Year 5/6T and Laura Year 9Q. The girls had this to say when asked to describe what some of their experiences were:

“Every time the screen door opened the chooks came running across the yard, and once they were lying on their sides at the back door with their legs sticking out like little dogs. They were so cute!”

“One other time I was reading a book on our outside table and chairs, when I heard a scuffling noise. I went over and saw the one we called Rosie (the smallest one) showering herself with dirt underneath one of our bushes.”

“They looked so cute when they were wet with the rain.”

When asked if they would have them again, the girls replied, “Yes, 100% sure. There’s a chance that we will even raise our own chickens!”

Photos: Laura, Linnea and Kristin with the chickens. Linnea with chicken house & equipment supplied by the Col-lege.

Our thanks go to the Wasley family for taking such great care of the chickens.

Clean Up Australia Day

Clean up Australia Day for schools will be held by Carranballac P-9 College on Friday 4 March 2016 between 9.00am and 10.45am.

Students in Foundation to Year 2 will clean up their internal school site, Years 3 & 4 will work along their school fence-lines or adjacent areas, while students from Years 5-9 will clean up away from the schools, around the local wetlands, parks and reserves.

All students will receive instructions on how to pick things up, and what not to pick up. Plastic gloves will be provid-ed to students for the activity. Students need to wear hats. Green Gang students will carry out promotion prior to the event, and will complete Tangaroa Blue litter surveys while their class is carrying out their job on the day.

Wyndham City will be offering support for schools who are participating in Clean up Australia Day including equipment, rubbish pick up, recycling and disposal.

 S easons for Growth

Learning to live with change and loss Change and loss are issues that affect all of us at some stage in our lives. At Carranballac we recognize that when changes occur in families through death, separation, divorce or related cir-cumstances, young people may benefit from learning how to manage these changes effectively. We are therefore offering a very successful education program called Seasons for Growth, which will commence during Term 1. ‘Seasons for Growth’ is run in small groups and is based on research, which highlights the importance of social support and the need to practice new skills to cope effectively with change and loss. The program focuses on is-sues such as:

Self-esteem Managing feelings Problem solving Decision making Effective communication Support networks

‘Seasons for Growth’ runs for eight weeks and each weekly session is approximately 50 minutes. The program is run during school hours and there is no cost involved.

If your child has experienced loss or grief due to a death, separation, divorce or other life changing circumstance and you are interested in your child being involved in this program please fill in the slip below and return to school by Friday 19 February 2016. It is recommended that you discuss Seasons for Growth with your child as we will require their full participation and cooperation during the program.

You will be contacted prior to the commencement of the program if your child has been selected. If you have any questions please contact Glenda, the College Family Support Worker on 0488 548 653.

………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………..

Seasons for Growth

Student’s Name: Class: Class: Class: I would like my son/daughter to attend the Seasons for Growth program. I have discussed this program with my child/ren Yes / No (please circle) Parent’s Name: Parent’s Contact Details: Parent’s Signature: Date:

Contact Information PO Box 6106, Point Cook 3030  Phone: 9395 3533 e-mail: carranballac.p9@edumail.vic.gov.au Boardwalk School Jamieson Way School Cnr Foxwood Drive & Dunnings Road, Point Cook, 3030 Cnr Jamieson Way & La Rochelle Blvd, Point Cook, 3030

T extiles Request

In Year 9 Textiles this term we will be studying Sustainable Fashion where we can impact the environment of the world in a positive way. The students will be combining practical skills with creative thinking to design and con-struct products from recycled garments so we do not impact on the environment.

For this the students need old jeans, denim jackets and men’s or women’s shirts (preferably patterned) If you have any of these garments ready for the recycle bin we would really appreciate it if you could direct them our way.

All you need to do is place them in a bag and label them “Mrs Humble- Textiles Department”. You can drop them off at the office.

Thank you.

Karyn Humble

Textiles Teacher

S oundhouse

Soundhouse lessons are off to a fantastic start with a huge number of enrolments and everyone motivated and ex-cited to be playing music!

Just a reminder that due to Term 1 being shorter than the other Terms we continue the ‘Soundhouse Term 1’ through to the end of week 2 of Term 2. This ensures students get the appropriate amount of lessons.

If your child didn’t receive a lesson last week and was at school please be assured we will make it up in the follow-ing weeks once the students are in a routine of coming to their lesson.

Thanks for your patience at this busy time of the year, we appreciate your ongoing support of the Soundhouse Pro-gram.

If there are any enquiries regarding Soundhouse please feel free to contact Maddie Owen on 0401 844 522 or meowen9@gmail.com