Edition 4: March 17 2017

News from Wellington Secondary College

Wise Words

Wellington Journal

Athletics Carnival

Q: How do you start a jelly race?

A: Get set!

UPCOMING DATES:

End of Term Fri Mar 31

3 Way Conferences Wed Mar 29

Principal’s Report

21st Century Learning In Action

I commend Ms Fiona Szabo and congratulate her Year 7G Art class for moving into the 21st Century with their ART learning on Tuesday of this week. The class was booked into the library for the afternoon and used the Polycom video unit to connect with the Geelong Art Gallery and their local artists Mr Gavin Couzens and Ms Gail Frost. The students interacted with the artists, via video, creating artwork using symbols and designs in the Wathaurong people styles. The students’ work will be displayed in the Geelong Gallery as part of a kaleidoscope mural, which forms part of the “Let's Talk Recognition – a children's art exhibition” at the gallery. I thank Ms Bowles for the technical facilitation of this activity. The potential for expanding activities such as these is enormous and I look forward to sharing the excitement of this 21st century collaborative learning with other classes.

2017 Council Membership and Executive

At the Council meeting on last Tuesday night Alex Kubsch was elected President, Jay Naidoo Vice President and Cindy Pilepich Treasurer for 2017. I am also delighted to announce that Ms Fleur Mills and Dr Darrin Stephens were co-opted to fill the casual vacancies left by the retirement of two members at the end of 2016.Congratulations and thank you to everyone who is able to serve on Council.

Parent Voice

On Monday of next week, the Annual General Meetings of the Performing Arts Parents and Friends AND the Parents Club will be held in the International Centre at 6.00pm. We are holding these meetings simultaneously in order to discuss the possible merging of these two groups.If you are interested in participating in this conversation or serving on these two committees, please do not hesitate to come to the meeting. It is a great opportunity to meet other parents and College staff and to contribute to the ongoing growth of our school.The Policy Sub Committee of Council normally meets on the Tuesday after Council and parents are always welcome to participate in this forum. If you are interested, please contact me or Mrs Brisbane for more information.

2015 – 2018 Strategic Plan and 2016 Annual Implementation Plan

The Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) has been lodged with the Regional office. I have been advised that it will be signed off by the end of term. The AIP is the blue print for work to be undertaken in 2017 – to service the needs of our Strategic Plan and the priorities of the government's Education State initiatives. Once approved by the Region I will put an electronic copy on the school website.

Annual Report To The Community Draft

At the Annual Public Meeting held prior to last Tuesday's Council meeting I tabled the 2016 Annual Report to the Community in its draft form. Again, once approved by Region I will place a copy on the school website. Rest assured, the data contained in the Report strongly demonstrates the high value of an education at Wellington. We are rated very highly when compared to schools of similar profiles.Parents may wish to access the My School website to view a comprehensive set of data on our school’s performance. (http://www.myschool.edu.au/) – It is another digital forum where our school's outstanding performance is documented.

Census

Mrs Commons and her team completed the Census on February 28. The final count was 1831 students, of which 113 were either International full fee payers or special VISA holders. This was significantly above our “predicted” number from August last year. Importantly, this will allow more flexibility in employment options throughout the year. Well done to the Student Management team and Office Staff for managing the process so efficiently.

Three Way Conferences

As previously reported, planning for Three Way Conferences on Wednesday March 29 is well advanced. Bookings are open on Compass and parents are free to request interpreters through the teachers of their children.We are building on the great success of last year's Year 10 parent information session to introduce parents to the concept of VCE and the key planning steps along the way. Interpreters will be present to assist. Year 10 parents are encouraged to attend one of these sessions. There will also be a meeting for families of students participating in the New Caledonian trip later this year. Specific session times will be released closer to the day and they will be designed to minimise clashes with teacher appointments. As is normal practice, we are rescheduling the school day from 1.00pm to 8.00pm. If you have any concerns or questions please contact Assistant Principal Mrs Brisbane.I have also taken the liberty to book our local “barista van” to sell coffee to parents throughout the day. Brad and his coffee will be located in the plaza adjacent to the Fogarty gym.

Hugh BlaikiePrincipal

Year 7 Virtual Learning Workshop

On Tuesday March 14, students from 7G engaged in a Virtual Learning Workshop, using the Polycom video unit, undertaken with Gavin Couzens, an indigenous artist of the Wathaurong tribe, and Geelong Gallery.

The symbols and designs used by the students are based on symbols depicted on the Condah Cloak (possum skin cloak) and are representative of clans or clan areas in Victoria. Students interpreted these symbols using a range of colours and watercolour techniques.

The work that was produced by these students will be included in an exhibition called Kaleidoscope at the Geelong Gallery as part of Reconciliation week in May.

Fiona SzaboVisual Arts Teacher

Performing Arts Parents and Friends and the Parents Club are recruiting new members.

These clubs are the perfect place to meet new friends and get involved in fundraising activities that support your child’s education. If you are interested in sharing your skills and working alongside other creative and dynamic parents please come and join us at our Annual General Meeting on March 20, at 6pm in Wellington Secondary College International Centre. You will have the opportunity to take up a role such as President, Secretary or Treasurer, or you might just like to come along for the ride as a team member. We welcome all parents who are keen to get involved.

What: Parents Club Annual General MeetingWhen: March 20, 6pm

Where: Wellington Secondary College International Centre

Parent Clubs Annual General Meeting

Visual Arts Excursions - Year 10 and Year 11 Studio Arts

Studio Arts Unit 1 and Year 10 Studio Arts students attended the David Hockney: Current exhibition at the NGV on the Monday February 27 and Tuesday February 28. The exhibition featured artworks from the last decade of the artist's career and included paintings, digital drawings, photography and video works.

Students in Year 10 learnt about the life and career of Hockney, with particular focus on his subject matter and artistic practices. They participated in an iPad workshop, using the Brushes App, whilst viewing the exhibition and undertaking a range of creative digital drawing tasks.

Year 11 students also viewed the permanent collection at the NGV Australia at Federation Square. Viewing artworks first hand at the Gallery and engaging with traditional and contemporary art within a range of art forms is an essential and inspiring way for students to inform their own artistic practice.

Fiona SzaboVisual Arts Teacher

Environmental Awareness Slogan Competition

Our Year 9 Special Activities: Environmental Awareness classes are running a competition to raise awareness on the effects of littering. The competition is to create a catchy slogan to prevent people from littering. Examples are "Slam dunk all the junk!" and "Don't be mean, keep the school grounds clean!" If you would like to enter the competition, fill out this Office Form:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=N7Ns2Ycaz0S2mzz s M 0 p M H 1 n n b _ p O u 7 R K h X Y -DUITnGNUN0tPMUtKNzFRWk9QSDJFSVcySlRNMVJQQy4u

The cut-off date is Friday March 31. The winning slogan will be chosen by the Environmental Awareness classes and will receive an iTunes voucher. The slogan will be featured here in the School Journal and will also be used for our awareness campaigns. Get your thinking caps on and get creative!

Athletics Carnival

Sun’s out, starting guns out! The weather for the Athletics Carnival was beautifully sunny, a bright contrast to our Swimming Carnival a few weeks ago. This meant that all staff and students were present and the atmosphere at the Knox Athletics Park was buzzing vibrantly.

The sun was shining almost as brightly as all our eager and fired up competitors. There were many competitors participating in various track and field events such as: 100m, 200m, 300m, 400m, 1500m, 3000m, hurdles, relay race, shot put, discus, long jump, high jump and triple jump.

All our participants were well grounded and showed excellent sportsmanship and were all very supportive of each other. It was refreshing to hear all the encouraging chants from the crowd to cheer on their peers.

Once again, we had many student and staff officials who enabled us to keep the Athletics Carnival running smoothly and only the participants were jumping over hurdles.

Similarly to the Swimming Carnival, the Year 12s had some amazing dress ups. Although some of the dress ups may have been off track, they all ran with it and it made for a fun and eventful day.

In terms of how all our houses went, I wouldn’t want to jump to conclusions and prematurely announce any winners just yet. Who knows? Maybe one team would have come out of left field and come in first place!

Athletics Carnival

International Women’s Day

Each year on March 8 functions are held across the globe to celebrate International Women's Day. Wellington sponsored a Morning Tea on March 9 for all YEAR 12 Girls and all members of Staff. Year 12 Boys were also welcome to attend if they brought along a plate of food to share. Congratulations to the boys who did attend. Your contributions to the event were much appreciated.

College Vice-Captain, Jennifer Nguyen, College Houses Captain, Zoe Castle, SRC President, Vassiliki Vahaviolos, and our Performing Arts Captain, Angela Wang, who stepped in on behalf of College Captain, Natacha Cangy (absent due to injury), spoke to all in attendance to explain the history behind IWD and spoke of the significance of the associated colours of IWD – purple, green and white. The girls also informed everyone of the 2017 IWD Theme, BE BOLD FOR CHANGE.

Below is a copy of their excellent address. Well done girls!

Dulcie CommonsAssistant Principal

Welcome staff and students to the annual celebration of International Women's Day.

For International Women's Day, we're asking you to #BeBoldForChange

To call on the masses or to call on yourself to help forge a better working world – a more gender inclusive world.

But first off, what exactly is International Women's Day?

It is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

International Women's Day means different things to different people, but its global focus is on EQUALITY and CELEBRATION

10 values of International Women's Day are: Justice, Dignity, Hope, Equality, Collaboration, Tenacity, Appreciation, Respect, Empathy & Forgiveness

From the early 1900's the almighty and tenacious Suffragettes forged purposeful action for equality and it was these individuals who started International Women's Day.

In 1908 in New York, a demonstration was organised by the newly formed Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). The marchers wore white, purple and green as their political colours.

Symbolically, white represented purity, purple was for dignity and self-respect, and green stood for hope and new life which is why we are wearing these ribbons today.

From then until this day, women from all over the world have come together, collaborated and lead purposeful action to reform inequality in the hope of a better future for their communities, families, children and themselves.

Throughout history, women have united for equality and achievement. Whether it be through the documented actions of one or through the unnoticed, humble resistance of another, a change is still made.

As modern day Suffragettes - both female and male - let us continue the work and spirit of the almighty Suffragettes, fighting the good fight. Let us recognise, honour and celebrate the important and impressive achievements of women globally.

“So make a difference, think globally and act locally! Make every day International Women's Day.”

Do your bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.

#BeBoldForChange

Thank you

Jennifer Nguyen, Zoe Castle, Vassiliki Vahaviolos, Angela Wang

The Duke of Edinburgh is challenge, commitment, leadership, friendship and fun smashed together to equip young people for life and work. The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is available to all 14–25 year olds, regardless of their background. The Award is comprised of three levels (Bronze, Silver and Gold) each progressively more challenging. Participants are required to complete four sections at each level: Service, Skill, Physical Recreation and Adventurous Journey. The Adventurous journey was a two night and three day hike at the beautiful Brisbane Ranges.

“For my Skill, I cooked for three months even though I’ll probably have my mum cook for me for the rest of my life. As my Physical Recreation, I decided to take on the 1000 steps for three months and it was the most exercise I will ever do. For Service, I volunteered at the school's library and still do to this day. I was required to do each of these once a week for an hour, this all falling into my weekly routine and I enjoyed it! I look forward to starting Silver, a new routine and seeing how far I can challenge myself.” - Shamayla Farook

“The description of blood, sweat and tears is merely an exaggeration. This insight will become clearer if you progress in the Duke of Edinburgh. For the Bronze hike, my emotions included: frustration, exhaustion and defeat that eventually turned into revelation, happiness and accomplishment. I knew for a fact that I could do the hike but my mind set faltered after the reality of 20 kilos on my back while hiking a whopper of a distance became my life. When the hike was over, I was overjoyed but the emotion of sadness also washed over me because it was an amazing experience. I met people with cool vibes, was away from my normal world, cooked my own food and learnt things about nature as well as myself.“ - Sarah Cangy

The Duke of Edinburgh is the opportunity of a lifetime. If you want a challenge or adventure or a test of strength, take the leap and experience it!

Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award Achievers

A Video From Our College CaptainsThis year, we are trying to bring our Wellington Journal to life with the help of our College Captains.

For this issue of the Journal they have filmed and edited a video that highlights what they like to do at school and some of their College Captain duties.

Included here are a few screen shots of the video that they made. To watch the full video, please visit the web version of the Wellington Journal on our school website or by clicking on any of the photos.

Hope you enjoy!

DON’T FORGET TO DOWNLOAD THE TEAM APP AND JOIN WELLINGTON SC TO GET ALL NEWS AND

INFORMATION ON THE UPCOMING SPORTS EVENTS!

7N Excursion to Hoyts Cinemas

'Jasper Jones' Film ReviewMain Cast: Hugo Weaving, Toni Collette, Levi Miller, Angourie Rice,

Aaron L. McGrathDirector: Rachel Perkins

7N set off on an amazing journey to Chadstone where we were going to watch an engaging movie in HOYTS. 7N patiently waited and walked around Chadstone while waiting for their movie session to commence. Just before their movie began they waited outside the cinema and then walked into Cinema 9 to watch the exhilarating movie. An Australian teenager, Charlie Buckton gets caught in major troubles in the small town of Corrigin, Western Australia. Life changing themes start to appear right from the start of the movie. The scenes shown can be challenging for a 14-year-old. As Jasper shows his trust to Charlie, he shows him a frightening sight, as his friend's sister was hanging there, still and silent. The movie was a roller coaster of emotion, with suspense toppled on top of each side story. It pulled us straight into the deep end of the action in the movie. It is an amazing hit for any suspense and mystery lovers and just a fantastic movie to see with friends. In our opinion we loved the plot of the movie, with all the suspense building up to one moment and also the secondary stories and how they transitioned beautifully to the main story and back again. We greatly recommend the movie to people who love mystery and suspense. We give it a final rating of 4/5.

Written by Ryan Chuah and Kevin Lim - 7N

“Jasper Jones” 7N Entwisted in Mystery On March 09, class 7N, Mrs Stergiou and Miss Amore were lost in deep thoughts of the Australian based film “Jasper Jones”. They were in engulfed in mysterious scenes. After spending time and money in the food court at Chadstone Shopping Centre, it was time for the main event of the day. With hands full of popped heaven and icy cold drinks, they sat in the new luxurious, leather and electric reclined seats in the Hoyts cinemas.

The movie commenced with a recent case of a missing person. The mystery deepens as the main suspect is accused. A misunderstood character, Jasper Jones, is the main suspect. Charlie Bucktin sees both sides of the story, and creates lies to hide what he knows. There is a revelation at the end. There are a few mature moments such as racism when Jeffrey, Charlie's mate, hits the winning runs in a cricket match and is then targeted afterwards.

Gaatri's opinion:I thought this film is great, packed with suspense and mystery. I really liked the end because I felt like pressure was off the suspect, who I felt sorry for at the start. A movie like this is great for people who like investigation and murder stories. I give this film a rating of eight out of ten.

Raymond's thoughts:I love how the film pivots around a character who is roped in by his friend to help him. The start had a little bit of an error because Charlie wasn't wearing sandals but somehow got sandals in the next scene. A great film overall, 4 murders out of 5 murders.

By Gaatri Mandalapu and Raymond Wong – 7N

7N watch “Jasper Jones” at HOYTS CinemaOn the March 09, 7N, Ms Amore and Ms Stergiou watched “Jasper Jones” in the HOYTS Cinema at Chadstone Shopping Centre because we are learning it as a film study. We truly enjoyed our first excursion while at Wellington Secondary College and it is sure that it will be memorable to all.

“Jasper Jones” is set in Western Australia in a little town called Corrigan. It starts off when the main character, Charlie Bucktin and his new friend Jasper Jones, who is blamed for nearly everything, find a dead girl in the forest which then becomes the main conflict in the movie. Charlie meets a girl called Eliza and they become somewhat good friends. He gradually finds out many things including Jasper's family, and the murderer of the girl, who we won't tell you since we're not spoilers. This movie explores the themes of racism, betrayal, friendship, coming of age and many more.

By Vini Rajarajan and Manvitha Raju

Wellington Journal - Fortnightly Newsletter of Wellington Secondary College - Designed & Edited by Mr Simon Coles.Wellington Journal - Fortnightly Newsletter of Wellington Secondary College - Designed & Edited by Miss Teresa La

CAMPS, SPORTS & EXCURSIONS FUND (CSEF)

School camps provide children with inspiring experiences in the great outdoors, excursions encourage a deeper understanding of how the world works and sports teach teamwork, discipline and leadership. All are part of a healthy curriculum.

CSEF will be provided by the Victorian Government

to assist eligible families to cover the costs of

school trips, camps and sporting activities.

If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or

are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible

for CSEF. A special consideration category also

exists for asylum seeker and refugee families. The

allowance is paid to the school to use towards

expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting

activities for the benefit of your child.

The annual CSEF amount per student is:

• $125 for primary school students

• $225 for secondary school students.

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 information about the fund visit

www.education.vic.gov.au/csef