REPORTING STUDENT ABSENCES Yr. 11 & 12 Alexandra Cooke 9458 6135 Yr. 7 - 10 Jan Wason 9458 6125

THS News 16th October 2015

IMPORTANT DATES

TERM 4 2015

20th October State Athletics

22nd October Early Finish 1:40pm

23rd October Year 9/10 Boys Futsal

Year 12 BBQ Pantomine

Full School Assembly

26th October Year 9 Outdoor Ed

Surfing

28th October Year 12 Exams

Commence

30th October Last Day Year 11 VCAL

2nd November Curriculum Day

3rd November Melbourne Cup Day

5th November OED Year 9 Snorkelling

6th - 13th November Year 11 Exams

12th November 6-7 Evening

16th - 20th November Year 11 - 12 Orientation

Year 10 Exams

18th - 20th November Year 10 Exams

19th November Early Finish

23rd - 26th November Year 10 - 11 Orientation

24th November Year 8 girls futsal

Year 9 Quest Night

26th November Year 8 boys

Staff Survey Results

Every year the Education Department surveys all staff in the areas of school climate and school leadership. Below are the results for school climate categories that are in the top 30% of the state. • Collective Efficacy - School staff believe they have the necessary skills, expertise and

resources to successful educate students. • Collective Responsibility - Staff view the success of all students as their shared

responsibility. • Trust in Students and Parents - Staff trust the students and parents of the school

community. • Staff Trust in Colleagues - Staff in schools trust and understand one another. • Parent and Community Involvement - Parent and the wider community are involved

in school activities and programs. The following categories relate to the school leadership results compared to the State: • Parent and Community Involvement Top 20% - Advocates for the school to parents

and community members to meet the needs of students and support their learning. • Leading Change Top 30% - Is able to facilitate change, including those that

challenge the status quo, and mange their impact on teachers. • Intellectual stimulation Top 35% - Ensures that staff are aware of the most current

theories and practices regarding effective schooling and make discussion of those theories/practices a regular part of the school culture.

• Leaders’ Support for Change Top 35% - Supports staff to grow and improve. • Instrumental Leadership Top 35% - Is directly involved in the design, implementation and monitoring of curriculum, instruction, and assessment; hands-on support for instruction.

The full results are available on the schools website. Peter Egeberg Principal

Teachers Planning and Excited for 2016

A Message from the Assistant Principal

THS News 16th October 2015 Page 2

Collins Street and changed parking conditions

I have received an email from Council that in the next few days they will be installing “Permit Only” parking restrictions in Collins Street between 8:00am and 4:30pm on school days. Be aware that you risk being issued with a fine, if you park in Collins street once these restrictions are in place. Please feel free to use Matisi Street to pick and drop off your child

Re Buses I had a call from a public transport officer who was stopping our students at Northlands and check-ing for Myki cards. Whilst they did not issue any notices on the day he just asked me to give a warning via the newsletter that they will in future. Please ensure your child has a Myki card when travelling on public transport Many thanks

Re Saturday classes

If your child has been issued a Saturday class the work they are required to undertake/present can

be found on Chronicle. Any problems, please do not hesitate to contact the teacher

2nd Hand Uniform Shop

The 2nd Hand Uniform shop is open every Monday after school 3:00pm - 4:00pm If you have any donations or wish to sell any uniform, please bring it to the general office. Thank you

Financial Assistance for Families (Camps & Excursions)

The Camps, Sports and Excursion Fund [CSEF] payments have now been received for success-ful applicants and allocated to your child’s school account. You have received an amount of $225 per eligible secondary child. This special funding has/will be allocated towards Camps, Sports or Ex-cursions, including sports related subjects, for the remainder of 2015. As per department policy, We will automatically allocate funds towards outstanding sports and excursions related costs. Any remaining balances at the end of the year will be rolled over for use in 2016.

In the event that a student exits Thornbury High School and transfers to another Victorian school, any unspent portion of the CSEF will be sent to the student’s new school, so that the student has access to the full value of the payment. The funding is not transferrable inter-state.

If the student leaves the Victorian school system and does not enrol in school eg. Apprentice, Working or TAFE (This include students completing year 12 in 2015), any remaining CSEF funds will stay with the school and may be used towards the expenses for other family siblings. For stu-dent’s completing year 12; if the above options are not feasible, any remaining CSEF funds will

stay with the school and may be used towards school-incurred costs associated with operating camps, sports or excursion activities for students.

Thornbury High School also has the option to allocate the CSEF money towards camps, sport or excursion expenses already paid by the family, thus creating a family credit. On agreement with the family, the credit can then be applied to other expenses for the student. If you have paid for a Camp and would like to use these funds now please inform the School Office, ASAP.

If you require more information please do not hesitate to contact the General Office or view the policy at tp://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/programs/health/CSEF_Policy_2015.pd Please note: Applications for CSEF 2015 are now closed. You will need to apply for CSEF funding again in 2016 though at this stage the timeline for CSEF applications and payments for 2016 is unclear. Further information regarding CSEF 2016 will be published as it be-comes available to the school.

Mental Health Week

THS News 16th October 2015 Page 3

Congratulations to Robert Leota from Thornbury High School scoring for Australia in the Recent Commonwealth Youth Games (pictured below). Robert was selected to play for the Youth Sevens team and was also invited to try out for the senior Team for the Olympic Games in Rio Next year. He led the Australian comeback in the final against South Africa to almost snatch a win. Robert was awarded a Commonwealth Youth Games Silver medal. When he arrived home he represented Australia in fifteen aside Rugby being selected for the Aus-tralian Schools Ruby Team. He Played against New Zealand Schools for the Australian Barbarians team in the first match and impressed so much that he was selected for Australia in the last game, against New Zea-land on Friday the 3rd of Octo-ber. Robert was outstanding in both games and set up the only Australian try after a barn storming run up the middle of the field. Upon returning to Melbourne this week, Robert has been named in Rebel Rising Under 20 15 a side Squad for the up-coming National Under 20 Championship. Australian Boys Rugby Sevens results: Wednesday 9 September, Australia 24-12 Samoa, Pool A Thursday 10 September, Australia 66-0 Cayman Islands, Pool A Thursday 10 September, Australia 29-7 Fiji, Pool A Thursday 10 September, Australia 26-7 England, Semi-Finals Friday 11 September, Australia 21-30 South Africa, Gold Medal Match Robert and Josh Coward, team mate and club mate at Northern Panthers after being presented with their Commonwealth Games Silver medals. Victorian Coward was in inspired form and nearly led a remarkable fight-back as the Aussies scored three tries in two unrelenting minutes of Rugby Sevens. Rob Leota pulled one try back be-fore Jayden Ngamanu reduced the arrears further. Incredibly Coward spotted the smallest of gaps in the South African rearguard to narrow the gap to just four points. However, with time running out the South Africans sealed the win with a breaka-way try to seal the gold medal. Coach Hugh Carpenter said: "It was a great game of footy but we probably didn't play at our best in that first half - one or two things didn't go our way but you have to cop that on the chin.

Commonwealth Youth Games

Three of Thornbury High School’s Aerobics Squad recently competed in the National AERO-Schools Championships held at the Ulumbarra Theatre, in Bendigo, Victoria.

After finishing in 2nd place at the Victorian State AEROSchools Finals in August, Serene, Bridgette , and Lily of Years 10-12 were invited to com-pete at the prestigious Australian Championships held during the last week of Term 3, on Thursday the 17th of September.

The group competed exceptionally well against teams from all across Australia including: Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales and South Australia. The students delivered a high standard of performance to take away the BRONZE medal in the final rankings.

Congratulations are in order to all the aerobics athletes

for their much accomplished efforts!

Aerobics News

THS News 16th October 2015 Page 4

The opening week of term 4 saw the wellbeing staff very busy organizing an action packed sched-ule for mental health week, with an event being run every lunchtime. Mental Health Week is a state-wide initiative run to combat the stigma surrounding mental health, promote awareness of mental health conditions and educate about the benefits of specific behaviours towards promoting positive mental wellbeing.

Here is a brief recap of the highlights of Mental Health Week activities;

• Northland Youth Road Show - After surviv-

ing gale force winds, the NYC Youth Crew put on another fantastic event. Students par-ticipated in soccer, kick boxing, face paint-ing, mini bikes, skipping and wrote positive mental health messages

• Smoothie Bikes - Run for two lunchtimes,

the Bike’n’Blend activity saw students peddling a stationary bike to power a blend attached to the bike’s handles. This activity educated students about how being physical-ly active can improve moods and mental health through the release of endorphins, and the impact that healthy eating ‘Food for Mood’ can have on our wellbeing. A big thanks to Biviano & Sons for their generous donation of bananas and strawberries! And thanks to those staff who donated milk!!!

• Zumba - Zumba is a fun and engaging Colombian fitness program that combines exercise with music. Zumba engages people in physical activity, while at the same time encouraging social interactions, both of which strength mental wellbeing

• Musical performance - A musical perfor-

mance from students Gabby Crump & Hayden Smith. Music provides numerous benefits towards our wellbeing, including helping us to relax, and provided an environ-ment to socialize in.

• Skipping/Juggling/Mindfulness colouring - these simple activities help our bodies and mind relax leading to long lasting benefits. Mindfulness activities like meditation or other simple relaxing activities like colouring help reduce stress levels in our bodies, leav-ing us feeling happier and more positive.

• Staff vs Student Netball - Concluding the

weeks activities was the student vs staff netball game, which saw the staff team triumph over the student side. Engaging in team sporting events is a simple way to reap the positive mental health benefits of social interactions and the mood improving effects of physical activity.

Iain MacDonald

Student Wellbeing

Mental Health Week

THS News 16th October 2015 Page 5

Student Voice Report

Thornbury’s Got Talent Student Voice spent the end of term 3 watching various talented students auditioning for Thorn-bury’s Got Talent. Watching auditions, the SRC agreed that Thornbury Students are an impressive bunch and we only wish we could have everyone perform at the show. The beginning of term four was incredibly busy, organising Thornbury’s Got Talent for Create Week. A massive thankyou to everyone who tried out, it was a pleasure to listen/watch you all. Sadly, due to time constraints, we could only select a few acts to compete. Congratulations to all those who contributed an act for this year’s talent show. We couldn’t have done it without you. We are looking forward to seeing your incredible talents again next year. Congratulations! We are incredibly proud of Jakob and Darcy . These boys did so well at the regional Constitutional Congress last term that they have been accepted for the next round- the Schools’ State Constitu-tional Convention 2015, taking place on 27 October at Parliament House. We look forward to hear-ing all about your experiences in the next newsletter. Another special mention to Jakob who represented Thornbury High School in the Lion’s Club Youth of the Year. He was required to take part in an interview about his inter-ests, achievements and general current affairs. He then had to give two impromptu speeches and one prepared speech at the Lion’s Club meeting. Jakob met this challenge with charisma and passion, doing Thornbury proud. Well done Jakob! Clair Runci Student Voice Coordinator

The Last Quarter for Year 10. Time to ‘Kick Some Goals!’….

Year 10 students are busy completing coursework and preparing for their end of year exams. Courses and subjects have been chosen for year 11 in 2016. Some important dates:

• The exams start on Wednesday 18th of November to Friday 20th November. Students who are

doing a VCE subject in year 10 (Business Management, Music or Biology) will do their exam in the previous week with the year 11 students. They are to attend their year 10 classes when they are not doing the VCE exam.

• We will have year 10 into 11 orientation from the 23rd to the 27th of November. Students are

expected to attend, as this is part of their year 11 coursework.

• Course confirmation for courses and subject for next year is on Wednesday 2nd December.

The second hand book sale is also on The 2nd of December at 6pm in the gym. Bring the texts you no longer need, and try to pick up a bargain. The most important thing now is complete coursework and CATS, and prepare for exams. Students need to start revising early, going over notes, highlighting, making their own notes, developing diagrams to represent ideas. They could spend time reading their textbooks, re -reading their Eng-lish play ‘Romeo and Juliet’, and short stories ‘10 Futures’…. revisiting themes, ideas and issues. These last few weeks can be busy and hectic. It will be important to create the right balance of work, play and rest. Be careful about staying up too late with ‘devices’, make a decision about what is important, and set some goals. Caroline Mclachlan Year 10 Manager

Careers News

Industry Day We ended Term 3 in an explosion of career inspiration with 12 dynamic industry professionals visiting our school to share their career journey with our senior students. From a diverse range of industries and backgrounds the guest speakers were able to broaden the horizons of our students who attended the sessions with a great deal of maturity, respect and enthusiasm. The event enabled the students a taste of a wide variety of professions available to them, as well as some practical knowledge of how to reach their dream career. Here is what some of the students had to say: “Industry Day gave us a real life perspective of what we can expect in our future career and studies.” Jakob Cobby Year 11 “The day was really inspiring and got everyone thinking about what they would like to do in the future and achieve in years to come.” Taylah Dalvean Year 11 “Industry day was a valuable experience which gave stu-dents insight into some really cool career opportunities in the future.” Chelsea Kincade Year 11 La Trobe Aspire Program:

CONGRATULATIONS to Justin Joseph and Sharlene Martinez who were selected into the La Trobe Aspire Program 2016. The Aspire Program is an early offer program that guarantees stu-dents a place in their chosen course at La Trobe University, if they reach the minimum ATAR. The ATAR is considerably lowered for Aspire applicants as they are being notably recognised and re-warded for their outstanding achievements in community work and contributions. The Aspire pro-gram is an excellent program that offers students a great deal of leadership opportunities and sup-port leading up to and throughout their University life. This is a big honour and achievement for Justin and Sharlene and they should be very proud, be sure to congratulate them should you see them around. VTAC Time is slipping away and deadlines are fast approaching us!! Congratulations to all the year 12’s who have registered for VTAC. We have met the SEAS dead-line but there is still more to go! DON’T FORGET TO PAY. You must pay by credit card or paypal online before the end of this month. If you do not have access to a credit card or paypal please see the careers office asap. Late payment incurs a late fee so don’t leave it. Close of preference deadline 1 is fast approaching. If you have not finished applying for courses, you want to change your preferences or rearrange the order of your preferences you must do so by 4pm 10th November. VTAC offer no extensions so make sure you keep on top of these dates. If you are applying for creative arts courses make sure you have filled in all the extra forms, ar-ranged interviews/auditions and paid any extra fees required by the Universities independent dead-lines. Your VTAC application is not enough so don’t forget. Ren Flannery Careers Advisor

THS News 16th October 2015 Page 6

International Student Homestay Families Needed

We have a number of international students at Thornbury and many of them stay in homestay ac-commodation. The rate is $300 per week. If you are interested in hosting an international student or would like more information, please contact Paul Mameghan on 9458 6162 or email paul.mameghan@thornburyhs.vic.edu.au

THS News 16th October 2015 Page 7

Pathways News

Year 12 Students As our Year 12s return for their last 3 weeks of study and revision we wish to remind them they must finalise their VTAC Application by paying the $29.00 fee to ensure they receive an offer for Tertiary Studies. Students will receive their results/ATAR score on Monday 14th December and Tertiary Offers will be released on January 8th for International Students and 18th January for everyone else. We wish all students enrolled in Unit 3 and 4 exams the best of luck. Our Year 12 VCAL students concluded their studies at the end of term III and while some have already started full time work, many others are working Part Time while waiting to start their stud-ies at TAFE in 2016. We celebrated their final day with an outing to a local café. The VCAL class of 2016 have been a well-connected, enthusiastic group, willing to work as a team to achieve all their goals. On behalf of all their teachers I went to wish them well for their future studies and em-ployment. It has truly been a pleasure to work with you all in 2016. We look forward to seeing them all at the Year 12 Assembly and Celebration Day. Year 10 and 11 Students. As Year 10 and 11 students conclude their Semester 2 tasks and prepare for their exams (Year 11 - November 9th-13th. Year 10 – November 16th-20th) we wish to remind parents that students will need to confirm their 2016 course on Course Confirmation Day. (Students will receive confirma-tion of their subjects prior to the Orientation Program.) Students will be required to attend in per-son to complete VCAA Personal Details Forms and pay School and Subject Levies. Cost of subject levies can be found in the Subject Selection Booklet. All VET Courses must be paid in full on Course Confirmation Day. VET courses in 2016 (Year 11) It is important that students who selected a VET course for 2016, attend the compulsory Infor-mation Night at the selected Host School. Students continuing with their VET course do not have to attend. Maria Ionnidis Pathways Manager

Host School Day/Time Venue

Mill Park S.C. Tuesday 13th October- 6.00p.m. The Library

Macleod College Wednesday 14th October-

4.00p.m.-4.30 p.m. The Hairdressing Salon

Santa Maria College Wednesday 14th October 7.00-

8.00p.m. Room KG.01

ONTTC Wednesday 14th October -6.15

p. m. 407 High Street Lalor

Parade College Tuesday 13th October- 7.00p.m. Rivergum Theatre Bundoora

Campus

NCAT Tuesday 13th October -6.00p.m. Murray Rd. Preston.

See attached map of Rooms for

each VET course.

Bundoora S.C. Wednesday 28th October-

6.00p.m. Drama Room

Greensborough College Wednesday 30th November-

6.00p.m. Drama Room (in the school

building)

St.Helena S.C. Wednesday 7th October -

7.00p.m. The Theatre

Eltham College Wednesday 2nd December-

6.30p.m.-7.30p.m. For

VET Hospitality students only

Swiper’s Gully Restaurant

Peter Lalor Vocational College Wednesday 14th October- 6.15-

7.00p.m. The Learning Hub

35 Duncans Rd Lalor

Whittlesea S.C. Wednesday 14th October-

6.00p.m. Trade Training Centre

THS News 16th October 2015 Page 8

BOWL VIOLENCE OVER

Darebin City Bowls Club invites you

support ‘safe steps’ a 24/7 state wide first responder for women and children experi-encing family violence

to a FREE FAMILY DAY Oct 11th 11am-3pm

Barefoot bowls Jumping castles Fairy floss/ pop corn Sausage sizzle Children’s bowls Coffee / food

John Cain Park, 281 Darebin Road, Thornbury

Near Crn Station St / Darebin Rd. Opp Diana Ferrari