Coming Up...Mon 31 Oct

Staff PD - Student Free DayTue 1 Nov

Melbourne Cup Public HolidayMon 7 - Wed 9 Nov

Year 8 CampMon 7 - Fri 11 Nov

Year 11 ExamsFri 11 November

Remembrance DayMon 14 - Fri 25 Nov

Year 11 to 12 Headstart Program (2 weeks)

Wed 16 Nov2017 VET Orientation Day

Mon 21 NovYoung Leaders to China

Program ReturnsThu 24 Nov

Year 12 Graduation BallFrid 25 Nov

Last Day Year 10 ClassesMon 28 Nov- Fri 2 DecYear 10 to 11 Headstart

ProgramFri 2 Dec

Last Day for Year 10Mon 5 Dec

Lowanna Transition Day - Grade 6 to Year 7 and

Afternoon Tea with the Principal (Parents)Tue 6 Dec

Statewide Transition DayMon 12 Dec

Junior/Middle School Awards Evening

Thu 15 DecSenior School Awards Evening

Mon 19 DecLast day for studentsTue 20 DecemberLast day for staff

Issue 14 25 October 2016

Last week, we farewelled the Class of 2016.

Whilst the weather wasn’t kind, it did not dampen their spirits and the dress up week tradition continued.

Day one was Character Day and the costumes were certainly impressive. For the first time ever, we even had a live prop - the beautiful Tiger (dalmation), completing Tayla Davis’ Cruella Deville costume. The lunchtime activities included a Jumping Castle, Bungee Ropes and Charades (Chinese Whisper style).

Day 2 was Gender Bender and there were some questionable outfits on display. The weather was cold, so the parade was moved to the auditorium. The lunchtime activity included a gross eating competition where the contestants ate cupcakes filled with things like raw garlic and toothpaste, followed by a soda water and vinegar chaser. Congratuations to Bec Emslie who was the overall winner - although we are not sure if the chocolate coin medal was worth it!

Wednesday was Back in Time and the costumes were fantastic. From dinosaurs to babies, Kath & Kim and retro styles, the variety on display did not disappoint.

On Thursday, we held a whole school assembly where the students were presented with their Certificates of Completion. It was a fitting tribute to the Class of 2016 and showcased the plans and aspirations of each student.

Congratulations to the Class of 2016 on a successful year to top of 6 years of secondary college. We wish them well with their exams.

A Graduation Ball will be held at the Premiere Function Centre on November 24th where we look forward to celebrating your achievements.

Farewell to the Class of 2016

Principal’s Report A HUGE thanksI would like to express my sincere thanks to a number of people. Firstly, to Jan Massaro-Chandler for the amazing job she did on organising the Italy Trip. Jan works tirelessly to ensure that this trip is an experience our students will never forget. It takes an enormous amount of work to organise a trip of this magnitude, and like most things she does it is organised superbly. These are the sort of things that staff do that often goes unrecognised but it will remain in the memories of the students that attended forever. Also a big thanks to Lauren Gray and Joe Licciardello for attending and so capably assisting Jan.

Whilst I have my ‘thanking’ cap on (bad dad joke), Kerrie Logan is currently in China with 7 students for six weeks on the Young Leaders to China Program. This has also taken a huge amount of support and work from Kerrie to enable these students to experience such an amazing opportunity. I am sure they will all come back exhausted but greatly changed young people. Thanks again Kerrie.

Staffing UpdateWe are currently working our way through our staffing profile and working out what positions we may need to fill. We do have a number of people leaving or on leave next year so the staff profile will have a very different look. At this stage we have offered some contract teachers either ongoing employment or an extension of contract but we are still working out what we need in terms of replacements to deliver our curriculum in 2017.

Year 12 Last WeekLast week marked the last week of formal classes for our current Year 12 students.

We had a number of celebrations during the course of the week with lunch time activities and a whole school assembly on their last day.

We hope they had a wonderful time and now wish them well with their exams, We are very proud of the Class of 2016 and thank them for their efforts in making Lowanna such a great school.

During the last 5 days of term 3 and part of the September school holidays 15 students and 3 staff members took part in a study tour of Italy.The group departed Melbourne on September 9th, flying to Rome via Abu Dhabi.We arrived in Rome in the earlier afternoon, transferred by coach to our hotel then hit the ground running!Rome delighted the group with its many wonderful sights including, the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, the Forum, the Pantheon and St Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums. The group walked many kilometres to take in the sights with great enthusiasm. The traditional local cuisine was eagerly sampled by all and, of course, included large amounts of delicious pasta, pizza and gelato! After “doing” Rome we set off by bus to the magnificent coastal town of Sorrento in south western Italy. Sorrento is perched on top of cliffs that lead down to busy marinas. We were fortunate enough to stay in a lovely hotel very close to the marina. From here we caught a ferry over to the Isle of Capri where we spent time enjoying a private boat trip around the island, taking in the magnificent scenery, aquamarine waters and hidden grottos.A day exploring Pompeii was a highlight with Mount Vesuvio looming in the background.From here we spent a day travelling to a 2 night stop at our farm stay in the rolling, vine covered hills of Tuscany. The farm gave us the opportunity to partake in cooking lessons learning to make our own pasta (gnocchi) firstly and wood fired pizzas on the second evening; eaten outside around large tables “Italian style” with plenty of salad and delicious desserts. This stay gave us all the opportunity to enjoy the magnificent countryside and local produce and hospitality. A morning trip to the hilltop town of San Gimignano gave us the opportunity to explore a perfectly intact medieval, walled village..From here, we continued on to Florence where we visited the famous sculpture of David by Michelangelo (it was well worth the queuing!) and the Ponte Vecchio which is a Medieval stone arch bridge over the Arno River, lined with jewellery shops. Il Duomo, the city's most iconic landmark was a highlight and its 463 steps were climbed by nearly all in the group as well as the 416 steps to the top of Giotto’s Tower. They were richly rewarded with magnificent views of the city. A great deal of gift buying and shopping was done in the streets of Florence along with more sampling of the local cuisine and interacting with locals. The stay in Florence also included a day trip by local rail to the town of Pisa and of course, the famous leaning tower. Students took full advantage of

photo opportunities, climbing the 312 steps to the top of the tower and again sampling local cheeses and salamis whilst interacting with shopkeepers and practising their newly acquired Italian language skills.The high speed train trip through the country side made short work of our trip from Florence to the beautiful canal city of Venice. Here, we explored the many maze like streets -some by accident! It is very easy to enjoy becoming lost in Venice! Here we visited Piazza San Marco (both by day and night), St. Mark’s Basilica, and the Doge’s Palace. We enjoyed a wonderful Gondola ride through the back canals and along the Grand Canal and a demonstration by a local expert on the techniques involved in the making of the iconic Carnevale masks of Venice. Whilst in Venice, we took the opportunity to visit by ferry, the island of Burano - famous for its lace making and coloured houses - and Murano which

is famous for original handmade artistic glass manufacturing. Although by the final day we were all exhausted from our whirlwind trip and ready to come home, we all missed the experience as soon as it was over! It was agreed by everyone who participated in this tour that it was an amazing experience in so many ways; culturally, socially, historically and of course the fun factor and fantastic food.The tour would never have taken place without the incredible effort, time, research and hard work by LOTE coordinator, Jan Massaro-Chandler. Her organisation was impeccable and her local knowledge and language skills made the tour run like clock- work. Her dedication is to be congratulated.Grazie

Ciao a tutti!

In the last school holidays, I was privileged to participate in a wonderful, caring and compassionate Grief and Loss Conference and I thought that I would share it’s key learnings with our community

Grief is a multi-faceted response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or something to which a bond was formed.

Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, it also has physical, cognitive (thinking), behavioral, social, and philosophical dimensions. While the terms are often used interchangeably, bereavement refers to the state of loss, and grief is the reaction to loss.

The acute phase of a Grief and Loss journey usually takes around 2 years and will involve one or more of the stages in the diagram (pictured right).

Do not worry if you are experiencing any those stages. It is normal. A person doesn’t go through the stages like a timeline either. You can be at various stages at once, go back and experience an emotion again and again or you might just sit in one particular area, dependent upon the amount of grief that you are in.

Every grief and loss situation will have a different flavor because each individual had a unique relationship with that person. The main thing to remember is that every person will grieve differently and no one should interfere with how another person is grieving.

When someone is in the acute loss/grief stage, it is important to embrace all the questions, all the wonderings with no guilt attached, no judgement and certainly no blame. It is extremely important, also, to remember the person and all they were for you. No one can tell you what that experience was like.

Grief and Loss

Only you know it and only you are the person responsible for it. In the graph above, it is also important not to try to take or make someone go across the top from Loss-Hurt to Loss Adjustment too fast or before they are ready and have travelled through the loss journey.

That action might force them into denial, and it is in the denial that grief is forced up somewhere else in another time when they might not be ready for it or able to cope with its severity (because of pushing it away).

Most important of all, have a confidante who you can speak to.

Someone who will hear you and not judge you, and, love you with compassion for who you are and not what other people might be saying about you or the lost loved one.

My door is open for anyone at any time should you wish to discuss any grief and loss issues.

With kind regards, Grace Sharon Chaplain.

Essential Student Learning Items

Levy - 2017Within the comprehensive curriculum offered at Lowanna College, students consume items, activities and services which support the standard program.

These items, activities and services are essential to support student learning of the standard curriculum and are deemed compulsory. The College charges an Essential Student Learning Items levy for these items, activities and services.

Lowanna College makes every effort to keep the cost of materials and services low whilst maintaining a high level of education for our students. The levy for each mini school is as follows:

Junior School: $175.00Middle School: $200.00Senior School: $250.00

Plus an optional contribution of up to $50.00 for welfare services, equipment and building maintenance.

There is no increase in these fees for 2017. In fact, a discount of $20.00 is being offered per student, if the Essential Student Learning Items Levy is paid by 31st March 2017 (the end of Term 1)

Photo: John Mauger from Revitalise Latrobe and Mrs Stewart: ,Lowanna Agriculture/Horticulture teacher.Thank you to John Mauger and the ‘Revitalise Latrobe’ group for donating a seedling box, seeds and two composting tubs which are to be used in the Yr 9 &10 Ag /Hort program.Revitalise Latrobe have also offered to assist in the manufacture of Lowanna Vegetable Garden frames as well as help organise materials from local firms for a reduced cost. The new garden beds will be installed in the next few weeks.

Help sought from Parents/Carers to build/create a School Vegetable GardenThe Agricultural / Horticultural studies subject area of Lowanna are asking for an expression of interest from people who would like to assist with the building and set up a School Garden.

If interested, contact Mrs Stewart at the Yr 8 office for more details.

Join the Green Tradies TeamWe’re looking for students who are interested in the environment and sustainability.• For anyone interested in Climate

Change, Environment, Recycling, or a School Veg garden and Worm farming.

• You have the chance to improve how this school does things!

• You will work with an experienced Sustainability Mentor from Resource Smart Schools.

The team will meet up fortnightly and you will get to name your own team and work on school sustainability projects.Contact Mrs Stewart at the Yr 8 office for more details if you think you might be interested.

Messages to Suri from the Young Leaders to China...Hi Suri,

The kids are doing you proud.

Jazmin writes - We’ve had fun, school is really easy and fun feeling great, weather was great yesterday had blue skies it was amazing can’t wait to see everything else hope everyone is well back home

Hi Suri this is Jadey-Your Chinese class has help a lot, it makes our classes here much easier. Beijing is great! So many different places we have seen.

Hi Suri, it’s Tess!! I’m really enjoying China it is so different but I still like it. In class we are learning the four tones and it is a little bit hard but I’m slowly getting the hang of it.

The weather is weird and I’m still getting used to all the fog. I really like all the food, we had a hot pot lunch and that was really weird but so cool. I’m missing classes with you though, byeee J

Hey Suri its Ashlee brown we have experienced a lot of new things we have all tried new things such as hot pot and tradition Chinese meals we have had plenty of experience with chopsticks and we are all pretty good at it now we have learnt heaps of new things and we have been able to speak Chinese to them and they could understand use we have learnt the duibuqi, wo de zhongwenbuhao and nearly ready to perform in a week.

Hey Suri its Natalie, having a good time in china, tasted different foods and seen lots of different places. Your Chinese classes have help us a lot. Schools long but easy. Cant wait to see you when we get back.

Hey Suri its Ashlee Blonde, we all have already had a good start to an amazing trip. Ive tried heaps of new things and learnt so much stuff. You have helped so much, without your class I wouldn’t even be able to use chopsticks. Cant wait to show you everything we have learnt and experienced.

Hi Suri, it’s Ji. I am loving my experience here in china, although I am a bit homesick and I miss your classes! Beijing is pretty amazing, although the first few days,, the smog got to me. Our classes are pretty good and the Lao Shi is a good teacher (although no where near your awesomeness). The touring is pretty good and I made to the top of the great wall. That was a pretty hard struggle and it took a lot of effort. The forbidden city was amazing but we did not get the amount of time necessary to explore the whole thing. Our tour guide for the week is named Alex but he gives us a 2 hour long speech every time we stop. Otherwise it is all good, hope you are well and that the class is behaving. Can’t wait to see you guys again. Zai zien.

Kerrie Logan

Musical Cabaret SuccessA very successful Musical Cabaret was held last Saturday night as part of the Chaplaincy fund-raising initiatives. The Auditorium stage was transformed into a Restaurant, and with the Curtain closed, a fantastic Cabaret atmosphere was created.

The Chaplaincy Committee catered with a two course meal, and the audience was then entertained by our wonderfully talented Music students, from Years 9 to 12. The VCE students took the opportunity to perform in public their exam assessment pieces, and a number of smaller musical groups complemented the program.

A big thank you to the Chaplaincy Committee for their overall organisation and catering for the event; to the audience who supported the initiative; and of course to the Music Department – staff and students, whose efforts made the night.

It is now hoped that the Musical Cabaret format will become a regular event on the Lowanna Calendar.