Issue No. 17 belmont.hs@edumail.vic.gov.au Friday 16 November, 2018

CANTEEN Please note—the last day of Canteen for 2018 will be Wednesday 12th December.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

2018

Monday 19 November

House Assemblies School Council Dinner, 6.30pm No Yr 11/10P classes

Tuesday 20 November

No Yr 11/10P Classes Canteen Helpers Afternoon Tea, 2.15pm Chamber Music Night, Bandrom, 7pm

Wednesday 21 November

Yr 10B Form Night Yr 11 and 10P—Leadership Day, Periods 1-4 Yr 10 Last day of classes Yr 12 End of exam period Yr 7 2019 BYOD information night, 7 pm

Thursday 22 November

Yr 11&12 2019 Early Commencement Program classes commence

Friday 23 November

Monday 26 November

General Assembly Yr 12 Graduation, 6pm, GMHBA Stadium

Tuesday 27 November

School Council meeting postponed until 4th December

Wednesday 28 November

Yr 9 Strive classes—various excursions including Jirrahlinga, TLC Aged Care, Amazing Race

Thursday 29 November

Friday 30 November

Yr 9 Ebony, Silver, Green, Strive Amazing Race

24 hr STUDENT ABSENCE LINE

5241 0090

_____________________________________________________________________________Rotherham St., Belmont Vic 3216 Ph: (03) 5243 5355 Fax: (03) 5243 2420 www.bhs.vic.edu.au

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Throughout this term, our teachers have been working with students to continually develop their skills and knowledge in all the learning areas. I am pleased to see the strong partnership that exists with our students and how engaged and focused they are in their classes. There are regular planning meetings organised throughout the week to help prepare engaging lessons across the school. I would like to acknowledge the constant efforts made by the various learning teams across the school and thank them for all their work. Recently , our Year 11 students have completed their exams and are now preparing for the Early Commencement Program (ECP). These are organised to give each student a taste of the 2019 learning year and to prepare them well for their VCE and VCAL programs. I strongly urge all VCE students to purchase their novels for their English units and read each one at least once each during the Christmas break. Students will be expected to complete the required homework also during the break and be prepared for a confident start in the New Year. Facilities Update In 2019, there will be more classrooms and study spaces for our VCE students as we open our new Performing Arts Centre and have our library reinstated. The old toilet block will be demolished and new change rooms and amenities have been constructed as part of the new Performing Arts for all students, with access into the Gym. Additionally, we will be demolishing the A wing portable allowing the placement of a new double Portable, which will be our new Year 7 and 8 SEALP classrooms. We are organising the furniture and whiteboards for the classrooms as well as fitting out the new canteen. We look forward in using these amazing spaces. Class of 2018 Our Year 12 Exams are nearly completed. Feedback from the supervisors has been extremely positive. It is wonderful to hear that our students have taken the opportunity to see their teachers for extra support as they prepared for their exams. We look forward to celebrating with the Class of 2018 and their families at our forthcoming Graduation Ceremony. Mental Health First Aide Throughout the last two years, our year 10 students and many of our teaching staff have had the opportunity to be trained on mental health first aide and physical first aide. Belmont High School has been part of a research project led by the University of Melbourne. This partnership has given our school community the skills of addressing mental health in our young people by knowing how to identify and best support individuals that may be struggling with their mental health. Recently, our parents were invited to a workshop run by Melbourne University staff on mental health first aide. Thank you to the parents that attended, and I am confident that the training of our students, teachers and parents will support many individuals in the future. Awards Ceremony I invite all our community to attend our Awards Ceremony on 17 December 2018 at Deakin University Waterfront. This is a time when we celebrate the achievements of all our students and

END OF YEAR DATES TO NOTE: Year 11/10P Not required at school 19 & 20 November Year 10/11 Early Commencement Program begins 21 Nov. (see notice on Compass), concludes 5 Dec. Year 7-9 Final day of classes 12 December Year 7-9 Activity Days 13 & 14 December 17 Dec Awards Day, students dismissed approx. 12.30pm

FUNDRAISING FOR NEW PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE At a recent School Council meeting, approval was given for various fundraising activities to be held to raise funds for the new Belmont High School Performing Arts Centre. Please note: the Auction has been postponed until early next year. Thank you to those who have already made a donation. Please keep the prizes coming in!!

acknowledge the students that have demonstrated our school values throughout the year. Many community organisations join us in this special event. I would like to thank the organisations that sponsor many of our students and offer sponsorship awards. Sandra Eglezos, Principal

Well done to our Year 12 GOLD students who won the house basketball competition by one point! Another great memory students can take with them as their time at BHS comes to a close.

Our debating team impressed many over the past months with their smooth persuasive skills across a number of topics. Most recently, in the grand-final against Green House our GOLDIES were the affirmative team for the topic “We are living in a time of increasing intolerance”. Superbly led by Ms Pia De Bruyn the team (from right to left) Beau Attard, Natasha Walker, Bridget O’Keefe and Jack Linke researched as a team to create a coherent argument for the topic resulting in GOLD being named

Debating champions for 2018! These GOLD stars showed the future is bright for both them and our house.

Congratulations to Year 11 GOLD student Noah Downs who was the successful design applicant for the BHS school hats for 2019 and beyond. All students who wish to wear either a cap or broad brimmed hat at school will be required to purchase this new design in line with uniform policy. Noah was presented with his prize for the winning design (pictured left) at Mondays General Assembly.

As our Year 11 and 12s begin their exams, and with the Year 9/10 CAT period not far away a reminder to GOLD students to ensure you are completing all set formative tasks in class, taking on board feedback from your teachers and giving your absolute best to your studies over the next month. Remember to also take some mindfulness time; read a book or go for a walk to ensure you are ready to perform at your very best. Good luck! Mrs. Linda Jennings & Ms. Jess Watson

GREEN HOUSE REPORT Term 4 has been hectic for the Green Machine with so much happening across all of our year levels! Starting at the top (or the end), our Year 12 group had their final classes and celebration day a couple of weeks ago, celebrating the end of formal study but also calming jitters prior to their exams. All students were exceptionally well behaved during this time and put on some great costumes after their farewell breakfast. With only a small number of exams still to go, our fingers are crossed that they get the results they hope for. Our valedictory dinner was a wonderful evening with them catching up and swapping stories with classmates, Form Teachers and Ms Harbison, their former

House Leader! Each received a 'memory pack' that took them right back to the beginning of their High School journey, and fondly recalled their early years. They, as a group, will be missed for their positivity and approach to all things green :) In STRIVE, the Year 9s are completing a community unit and visited the Jirralingha Animal Sanctuary in Barwon Heads to learn how they are helping orphaned and injured animals across the Geelong region. They were lucky enough to meet birds, koalas, dingos, snakes and blue tongue lizards! Week 7 begins on 19th November, which also signifies the beginning of the CAT window for Years 7-9. Whilst it is close to the end, we're not quite there yet so remember to continue to submit classwork and Formative Assessments and prepare well for the last CATs of the year. Go Green! Mitchell Gaunt, Green House Leader

YEAR 8 READER’S CUP Last Friday avid readers from year 8 came together to represent their House in our annual competition. We congratulate the following students who stepped up to battle it out for the Cup. Blue – Jacob Ives, Elsa Lam, Dan Ingwersen and Hudson Lornie Ebony –, Anthony Friswell, Mya Goncalves, Emma Pearce, Emergencies Shae Eadie-Connelly, Holly Carter Gold – Loki Searle, Kaia Begg Green – Emma Anderson, Seb Hollingsworth and Mikalah McCormack Mango – Tess Egan and Chloe Vickers Purple – James Bridger and Rose Robertson Red – Talietha Wood, Chelsi McDonald, Macie Russell and Seth Latham Silver – Noah Metwally, Indi Hinkley, James Williams , Sagun Pandey Emergency Akanksha Machhral The results were as follows; 1st – Green, 2nd – Silver, 3rd – Red These teams will be invited to the celebratory pizza lunch in due course. Reading and Pizza - two of the great things in life! Thanks to Mrs Tippet, Mrs McGrath, Jack Linke and Caitlyn Matthews for correcting/scoring. On Friday the 2nd of November the library had the pleasure of hosting a creative writing workshop presented by talented local author, Shivaun Plozza. Two representatives from each year 9 English class were selected to participate in the 4 period workshop. Shivaun focussed on; generating ideas, how to tell the story, characterisation and dialogue. Participants really enjoyed the workshop and felt they learned a lot. The plan was that the students involved would then present some of what was covered in the workshop to their English classes with the idea that the knowledge is shared. We know some of these presentations have occurred and were really successful. Here are some of the responses from students when asked about their experience with Shivaun… “It opened new parts of my brain to access ideas”, “really helpful. She gave us pointers into every aspect of writing”, “she was really funny and relatable”, “definitely worth the time”, “hearing tips from a professional writer is always useful” and “found this great and inspiring – definitely learnt some great skills”.

THANK YOU TO STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL The school community would like to take the opportunity to thank the SRC for all their hard work in the purchasing of the new Water Refill Stations. This initiative will help to drive down our use of single use plastics, create high quality drinking water for the school community and promote positive, educational values. Well done.

MUSIC NEWS Our Junior Groups have been busy over the last two weeks, and here are some reports of their activities: On Friday the 2nd November the Beginning Band headed out to Mt Clear Secondary to perform at the Regional Junior Music Showcase. The performance featured several music groups from Ballarat, Mt Clear, Horsham and surrounding areas. This was the Beginning Band’s first performance at an event within the community, and not at school. The Band performed three pieces “Crown Point March”, “Serengeti Sunrise” and “The Magnificent Misadventure”. The “vibe” the students had both when performing and travelling on the bus was wonderful. The organisers spoke highly of the behaviour of all students both when performing and within the audience. A huge thankyou to Rose Humphrey and Rohan Laird for assisting with the band on both the excursion to Mt Clear and the band performance at VSMF. Junior Jazz were out again representing Belmont High to the local community: On Friday November 9, the Junior Jazz band ventured out to the Mandama Primary School Fair. It was our chance to show off our skills and even convince some of the primary students to come check out our school for their future high school years. The songs we played included At the Hop, C-Jam blues, Valerie and Hit the Road Jack featuring our amazing trumpet player Lily on vocals. We also had some brave students Paddy, Lewis and Chris perform a group solo called Chameleon. In all, it was a big success. Allison Hollins, Junior Jazz Pianist Congratulations again to all the students for their hard work and dedication!

On the Tuesday 13th of November, the BHS Beginning Band took a train to Melbourne to participate in the VSFM (Victorian Schools Music Festival). We performed two pieces, and had an adjudicator all the way from Alabama work with us on our performance as a band. We learned heaps and had lots of fun. Aggatha Forssman Yr 7 Congratulations to all the junior music students and their teachers for all their hard work. We have had record numbers of applications for our 2019 VET music program, and auditions for places in the course are being held over the coming weeks. The Tour Band is rehearsing hard for the Primary Schools Tour which is on Monday December 10 th, and for the Roslyn Carols on December 14th. The Year 6 music program is progressing well, with students making great progress on their instruments. On Tuesday December 11th, they will showcase their achievements at the Year 6 music concert, 6pm in the Bandroom. Next Tuesday is the Chamber music evening, when all IM students in Years 7-10 present their Ensemble CAT performance to family and friends. The night starts at 7pm in Bandroom 1. Just a reminder that afterhours access to the bandroom is via Digby Avenue only. Jazz Syndicate have a rehearsal next Thursday 22nd November after school in Bandroom 2, in preparation for their performance at the Year 12 Graduation on November 26th. Senior Band and Jazz Syndicate will rehearse on Thursday 13th December, Senior Band 10.30 – 12, and Jazz Syndicate 12 – 1.30pm, in preparation for Awards Day. Band Support’s next meeting is on December 4

th at 7pm in Bandroom 1. All music parents welcome.

Re enrolment forms for next year will be emailed home to all current music students. For planning purposes, we ask that you return this form by the end of November. Hard copies are available from Ms Humphrey in the bandroom. As you can see, still plenty of performances to keep everyone busy until the end of the school year!

Rose Humphrey Director of Music

SAFETY IN OUR SCHOOL On Saturday the 24th of November one of our older buildings will be demolished to make way for a Mod 5 double teaching space portable classroom. As the existing building was quite a few years old, it could have created a safety issue in the future. We are pre-empting this from happening by removing it completely. Qualified removalists will be on site to safely demolish the building while students are not at School. Jo Treble, OHS Manager

BLUE HOUSE BANTER Well done to the year 12 students who are finishing off their final exams. Enjoy a well-earned rest and we look forward to seeing you at the Graduation Ceremony. Big congratulations to Rosie Ingwersen who has been nominated for the JG Forster Award. This award will be presented and awarded at the Graduation Ceremony. Well done to the year 11 Blue class on acting and putting in a great deal of effort throughout the exam and feedback period. Good luck in beginning year 12 in the ECP program. Thank you to Katryna Ryan, Will Ross, Henry Dempsey and Jade Merry, who have expressed interest in being House Leaders for 2019. Any other students in Year 11 please see Mr O’Callaghan if interested. Congratulations to Matt Rochfort of Year 10 Blue for his nomination into the Kwong Lee Dow award. He has put in a lot of time and effort with his studies and this is great recognition for this hard work, well done. Ms Tanner and I are looking forward to the year 10 Blue Form night next week, to celebrate the final classes of year 10. A Blue House Ninja Warrior trial was held this week for year 7,8,9. Thanks to the students who participated, helped set up and pack and time keep. Hopefully, we can open this challenge to all houses in year 7,8,9 in the coming weeks. Year 9 have been busy organising a fundraiser in the STRIVE class, which will be a sausage sizzle, stay tuned for the date. Also, year 9 Big Buddy program has kicked off, with six year 9 students nominating. If any other year 9 students are interested in getting involved in this program, to support our 2019 year 7’s, please see Mr O. Year 8 have had a Doctor visit this week as part of our Docs and Teens program. Thanks to the students for participated in a really mature way and asking some great/tricky questions! Parents, please be aware that our end of year activities program will be coming up in Week 10. This requires consent forms and payments to be made through Compass. Please email or contact school if any questions. We attend Adventure Park and the Torquay Beach as part of this program. GO BLUE – ‘We are gritty!’ Mr. Rowan O’Callaghan Blue House Leader

Ann Jones’ Farewell Open Invitation to the Grovedale community Past and Present Families and Friends.

Please come along to give Ann your well wishes for her retirement at a morning tea.

Where: Grovedale Kindergarten

When: Sunday 2nd of December

Time: 10am-12pm

Look forward to seeing you all there,

Grovedale Kindergarten

ARE YOU GEELONG’S BEST BUSK-

ER? 2019 Performers have the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of a

live audience. They will not only be competing for the title of

Geelong’s Best Busker, but will also be in the running for a prize pool

to the value of $800, along with opportunities for air time on radio and

on a potential spot at a local music festival.

Two heats will take place in Ltl Malop Street Central, between Moorabool and Yarra Streets

on:

Saturday 16 February, 2019, 12-2pm

Tuesday 19 February, 2019, 12-2pm

The Final will be held on Saturday 23 February, 2019 from 12 noon Enquiries: Shelley McKiernan, City of Greater Geelong, ph. 5272 5272