newsletter - ashwood high school

PRINCIPAL’S COMMENT

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Newsletter

2020 7

Deputy Premier Visit and Announcement - Great to Exceptional On Wednesday 7 October 2020 I met with the Deputy Premier, Minister of Education the Hon. James Merlino and Will Fowles, the Member for Burwood, This was an official Media Event under COVID-19 conventions in which Mr Russell Diggins, as our School President and Alexander Morgan and Nicole Dreyer, as our School Captains and also attended. We were delighted to learn that the school was successful in gaining funding for the planning of future capital works. An architect has been appointed. Currently we are undertaking master planning for a school of 1050 students. The future of Ashwood High School is bright. Whole School Assembly – Enhancing the Student Culture Good schools pivot and stretch to remain relevant within the pandemic. Our Whole School Virtual Assembly was picture perfect on Tuesday 20 October 2020. This was held as a Webex webinar event – a highly polished and professional tool – and was televised to students who were learning on-site and at home. I had the pleasure of hearing our prospective School Captains make their speeches. I would like to all applicants for their inspiring speeches made to the school community. I would also like to thank the technical team, headed by Meg McLellan, ably assisted by Meg Brydon, Lucy Rimmer and the technical expertise of Daniel Christiansz. Year 12 Valedictory Presentation and Celebration Day Virtual Assembly - Enhancing the Student Culture Due to the restrictions in place the school required an innovative approach to ensure our Year 12 students’ rights of passage were addressed in a positive and safe way. We held a celebratory Whole School Assembly on Friday 30 October which was followed by a ‘Valedictory Luncheon’ held at Ashwood High School and streamed to parents. We hope that this will be a profoundly memorable experience and our staff worked hard to ensure that these memories will last a lifetime. I was particularly proud of the conduct and gratitude of students of the Class of 2020. School Captains 2021 - Enhancing the Student Culture The 2021 School Captains and members of the Senior Executive were announced at the Celebration Day Virtual Assembly on Friday 30 October 2020. Congratulations to Lula Tadesse and Sivan Chen who were appointed as School Captains in 2021. Zac Aitken and Courtney Tulia were appointed Vice Captains and Andy Kuok was appointed as International Student Captain. Congratulations to these students. As this year draws to a close, I would like to thank and acknowledge the contributions of

Alexander Morgan, Nicole Dreyer (School Captains), Wendy Pan (International Student Captain), Amy Peters and Huon Diggins (School Vice Captains) as hard working members of the school community in 2020. Student Leadership Structure 2021 - Enhancing the Student Culture Ashwood High School’s new Student Leadership Structure was presented to the Education Sub-Committee. It was a resounding success. The new student leadership structure will provide leadership opportunities to more students in a broader range of areas. Interviews for these positions were held from Wednesday 4 November (Middle School Captains) onwards. The research demonstrates a high correlation between student leadership, agency and achievement. Middle School Captains 2021 – Enhancing the Student Culture With our great school’s focus on student voice and agency, I am pleased to announce the Middle School Captains, Middle School Vice Captains and the Middle School International Student Captain for 2021. Congratulations to Amber Balmer and Haris Shehzad who were appointed Middle School Captains; Emma Hew and Christos Giakoumatos who were appointed Middle School Vice Captains and Jason Suryanata who was appointed as Middle School International Student Captain for 2021. Remembrance Day Virtual Assembly – Enhancing the Student Culture Ashwood High School commemorated Remembrance Day 2020 by holding a virtual whole school assembly at 11:00am on 11 November 2020.

(Continued on page 2)

UPCOMING EVENTS

10 November - VCE Exams

1 December

11 November Remembrance Day Assembly

16 November 2021 Year 7 Virtual Information

Evening

16-19 November Years 10/11 Exam Week

20 November - Senior School Preparatory Program

4 December

2 December Presentation Awards

8 December 2021 Year 7 Orientation Day

10 December Celebr-ACE-tion

16 December Last Day of School for Years 7 to 9

Ashwood High School Parent Newsletter No 7

Principal’s Comment

Newsletter Section Titles and Colours

Principal Class Address (Leaders of a Learning Community)

School Connectedness (Engagement & Wellbeing)

Student Learning (Curricular and Co-Curricular Activities)

Transitions and Pathways

Parent / Community Partnerships

General Notices

Inside this issue

Assistant Principals’ Report House Corner Science & Maths Instrumental Music

Engagement, Wellbeing & Transition

International Student Program Arts Careers News

Pedagogy, Partnerships &

Professional Learning Debating Interschool Sport Updating School Records

Students Outcomes Report Curriculum Health/PE General Notices

School Captains’ Report English/Humanities/LOTE ACE Program

(Continued from page 1)

School Colours Awards – Growing Pride and Achievement Due to the restrictions in place we were unable to hold a School Colours Ceremony. Instead, our teams worked diligently behind the scenes to ensure our students received their award and certificate via Australia Post. Successful applicants for School Colours will be celebrated within this newsletter. Mid-Autumn Festival – Enhancing the Student Culture During the stage 4 restrictions in Melbourne our International Students worked creatively to develop a video celebrating the Mid-Autum Festival which has been shared both locally and internationally. Congratulations to Yonghong Williams, International Student Program Manager and Alina Li, International Student Program Assistant for showcasing the many talents of our International Students. Parent Opinion Survey - Increasing Positive Parental and Community Engagement Thirty percent of our families at Ashwood High School have been selected to complete the 2020 Parent Opinion Survey. Thank you to all families who have participated. I look forward to reflecting on your feedback as part of the School’s continuous improvement process. School eNews - Increasing Positive Parental and Community Engagement Ashwood High School will migrate its current PDF style newsletter to a contemporary eNews format that is mobile friendly in 2021. The current PDF newsletter was introduced to the school in April 2015. It has been an important part of increasing positive parental engagement and growing pride and achievement. Staffing 2021 – Valuing Staff and Building Capacity A number of staffing positions have been advertised and filled for 2021. Ashwood High School is now a destination school for quality applicants. With regards to workforce planning, the overall goal is to retain, develop and attract quality people to the school. With an increase in student numbers I am recruiting staff to the school from diverse academic fields with specialist area

expertise eg. philosophy, politics, environmental science, geography and STEM. Over 500 applicants have been screened over the past month. Newly appointed staff will be introduced to the community in the first newsletter of 2021 and to students at the first School Assembly of 2021. Positions of Leadership and Responsibility 2021 - Valuing Staff and Building Capacity Panel interviews for contested and new Positions of Responsibility have almost been finalised. I am fortunate to have staff who strive for self and school improvement. Ashwood High School is in a wonderful position for 2021 due to our aspirational and motivated school staff culture. New opportunities in staff leadership and development have emerged as a result of the implementation of two mini schools in 2021 – Middle School (Years 7-9) and Senior School (Years 10-12) connected to the stages of learning. School Strategic Plan 2019 – 2022 / Annual Implementation Plan 2020 – Great to Exceptional Our school’s Strategic Plan for 2019 – 2022 sets out our strategic goals, priorities and targets. We are well on track to achieve and / or exceed the targets outlined in the Annual Implementation Plan for 2020. The three major goals of the Strategic Plan are:

1. To raise achievement of all students through consistent implementation of a powerful approach to teaching and learning.

2. Enhance active engagement in learning and motivation to learn, through implementation of approaches that empower students and develop voice, leadership (advocacy) and agency.

3. To enhance student learning growth by continuing to build the capacity of all staff (teaching and non-teaching) to consistently apply evidence-based strategies related to curriculum planning, pedagogy and assessment.

The goals of the Strategic Plan will continue to inform the next level of our work as a unified school community.

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Principal’s Comment


Annual Implementation Plan 2021 – Great to Exceptional Our school’s 2021 AIP will be presented on our website at the end of this year. The 2021 AIP will reflect ‘The Path Forward at Ashwood High School’. Congratulations to Allison Jenner and Meg McLellan for their contributions. Co-curricular Programs - Enhancing the Student Culture The current restrictions have not allowed many of our usual co-curricular programs to run. Behind the scenes we have been busy with the following:

Year 12 holiday classes over the term break

Booklists and information to our Year 7 cohort for 2021

Final ACE Testing of the year which was held online in students’ homes

Year 12 Assembly and Valedictory Luncheon

Transition Programs throughout the school community maintaining and enhancing our primary school partnerships and outstanding reputation.

School Musical Production 2021 - Enhancing the Student Culture The proposed School Musical Production for 2021 is ‘The Addams Family’. This musical is ideal as it has a large, inclusive cast. It is a fun musical but also looks at issues such as sibling relationships and celebrating differences. This musical was approved by School Council last year, but was unable to go ahead due to COVID-19 restrictions. Thank you to Sachael Miller who is the School Muiscal Production Manager in 2021.

Camps Program 2021 - Enhancing the Student Culture As a result of the COVID-19 travel restrictions, all camps are currently on hold. However, as the State Government has released no further information regarding students travel, camp venues are unable to confirm booking or take payments. The current plan for Camps for 2021 is to mirror those planned for this year. The one exception is the Year 9 Camp that needs to be reconfigured to allow for increased enrolments. As soon as details and permissions are provided from the DET, the 2021 camps program will be booked. Orientation Information Night – Increasing Positive Parental and Community Engagement In an uncertain time, we have made adjustments to our Year 7 2021 Information Evening, which will now be held via a Webinar on Monday 16 November 2020. We look forward to meeting all of our Year 7 students in the near future. Presentation Awards Ceremony 2020 - Growing Pride and Achievement An essential part of tradition, ritual and ceremony at Ashwood High School is the Presentation Awards Ceremony. The Presentation Awards Ceremony will be held on Wednesday 2 December, 2020 during the school day. This event will be livestreamed to our community and I am looking forward to you ‘virtually’ attending this event and celebrating our magnificent students. Mr Brett Moore | Principal Wednesday 11 November 2020

Year 12 Assembly and Valedictory


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ACTING ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS’ REPORTS

High Expectations, Intellectual Engagement and Self-Awareness Year 12 VCE Exams Many of our Year 12s have not missed a day since the end of their official classes on Thursday 29 October. The Valedictory Presentation, French Bistro style with individual tables and personal bento boxes was a COVID safe way to celebrate each student’s endeavours and their resilience throughout this year. We wish our VCAL students all the best as they embark on new beginnings. For our VCE students, there are a few very important weeks to go. Over the course of this week, it has been very encouraging to see the Year 12s arriving early and prepared for additional study lessons, 1:1 tutoring and small group exam revision. We wish them all the best in their upcoming exams and know that the study skills they have honed over the last six years will serve many of them well in the exams. In a few short weeks they will finally be able to relax and put down the books (which they will hopefully recycle through the Second Hand book sale – more details to come). I’d like to congratulate them on their exemplary behaviour and dedication to their studies over the last semester. The GAT supervisors praised their efforts and were most impressed with their positive and respectful conduct. I expect that the exam supervisors will have similarly positive things to say. Year 10 and 11 End of Year Exams (16 November—19 November) Week 7 is Exam Week for all Year 10 and 11 students and begins on Monday 16 November. Year 11 students will sit an exam in each of their 6 subjects, ensuring that we continue to prepare them for the expectations and rigorous assessment conditions of Year 12. Year 10 students will have a formal exam in English and Maths only. For the rest of their subjects they will complete formal assessments in class. The health and well-being of all students is a priority at Ashwood High School, as is ensuring that we effectively prepare students for the demands of future study. We anticipate that these adjustments allow for both. Students will undertake targeted revision in the week prior and should continue to study and prepare for their exams both in class and at home. Many teachers have been explicitly teaching revision techniques, and it is important that all students actively undertake revision activities. It is not sufficient to ‘read over notes’, effective revision requires considerably more active participation in learning and may include such things as: completing set revision tasks, completing set text questions, creating flash cards, developing graphic organisers (mind maps, traffic lights), working through past exams and completing practice exams. It is important that students develop positive revision schedules that allow for adequate sleep, physical activity and time with family. Year 7 – 9 Exams - Cancelled As mentioned in the Principal’s eLetter to families published on Friday 16 October, Year 7 – 9 exams have been cancelled. Students will participate in a range of assessments ‘for’, ‘of’ and ‘as’ learning throughout the coming weeks. These assessments will ensure that teachers are able to make accurate

judgements regarding students’ progress and attainment of key skills and knowledge. VCE/VCAL 2020 Preparatory Program (Friday 20 November—Friday 4 December) All current Year 10 and 11 Students Following the end of year exams, all students undertaking Year 11 and 12 in 2021 (including VCAL students) will commence a two week Preparatory Program beginning Friday 20 November and finishing on Friday 4 December. The program is essential preparation for the important final two years of study – for both VCE and VCAL students. Students must attend the Preparatory Program in full school uniform. Students who are undertaking an early commencement subject will attend their VCE class during those classes and return to their regular Year 9 class during other times. Students are reminded that teachers are available to provide assistance with holiday homework right up to Wednesday 16 December. End of Year Program—Current Years 7—9 Students Students in Years 7—9 will continue with learning programs throughout the rest of this term, making the most of being back on-site together with their peers and teachers. Students will participate in a range of activities throughout the final weeks of term including reflection on their learning and general progress. This targeted reflection is important to the development of their learning goals for 2021. Students will complete a range of work programs aimed at ensuring they are prepared for their next level of schooling. The final week of school is a short week of just three days that we promise to pack full of fun activities and end of year celebrations. The End of Year Program will commence on Monday 14 December and culminate in a House-based send off with an early departure on Wednesday 16 December. Full details of the three day program will be published in the coming weeks. Upcoming dates:

Tuesday 10 November – Year 12 VCE Exams commence

Wednesday 11 November – Remembrance Day Virtual Assembly

Monday 16 November – Year 10 and 11 Exam Week commences

Monday 16 November – Virtual Information Night for Year 7, 2021

Friday 20 November – Senior School Prep Program commences (all current Years 10 and 11 students)

Tuesday 1 December – Year 12 VCE Exams end

Wednesday 2 December – Presentation Awards

Tuesday 8 December – State-wide Orientation Day Year 7, 2021 (TBC)

Thursday 10 December – Celebr-ACE-tion – all ACE students and families (TBC)

Wednesday 16 December – Last day of classes Years 7 – 9, early dismissal 12:00 noon

Ms Allison Jenner | Acting Assistant Principal Curriculum, Operations and Learning

As soon as you are aware of any changes of address,

phone numbers, medical details, living arrangements or

any long term absences, please notify the school on

9807 1333 to ensure all records are accurate.


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ACTING ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS’ REPORTS

It has been wonderful to have students and staff back onsite since the return to Face-to-face Teaching and Learning. The classrooms and school grounds are alive with a buzz that has been sorely missed by the staff who have remained at school for the duration. We have had a lively school calendar since the return of students to support student engagement and wellbeing during their extended absences from onsite teaching and learning. Please see below for an overview of the supports to focus on student engagement and wellbeing this term. Student Wellbeing Supports I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Student Management and Student Wellbeing Teams for their ongoing support of students and their families for the duration of Terms 2, 3 and 4. Whilst their work may go largely unnoticed, the ongoing hours of support - through phone calls, communications, meetings and check ins with students and their families - has been tremendous. The support of students with their return to school has provided the opportunity for face-to-face sessions. I would like to take the time to thank Mrs Lea Marrison – Student Services Manager and Mrs Michelle Stancliffe – School Chaplain for their ongoing support of the health and wellbeing of our students. Parents are also advised that STAR sessions for the remainder of the year are devoted to student wellbeing practices in support of our students in their return to face-to-face teaching and learning. Year 12 Leavers Assembly and Valedictory Address On Friday 30 October the school commemorated the schooling of Ashwood High School’s 2020 Year 12 class. The first two periods were the annual Year 12 Assembly, with both formal and student-led components. The sentiment was deeply heartfelt as the students and staff witnessed the evolution of this close-knit group of students over the course of their secondary schooling. The Valedictory Address followed in the gym, with speeches and lunch for our graduates. Our Principal, Mr Brett Moore, delivered a touching address and personalised comment for each student in the graduating class. I am grateful to the adaptability of the school in their assistance to support the virtual delivery of these key events. In particular, the diligence of Ms Lucy Rimmer –

Acting Senior School Engagement, Wellbeing and Pathways Leader for her organisation of the events and the personal touches that made the day special for our students. A big thank you also to Mr Daniel Christiansz for lending his technology skills and working with core groups of students to ensure all members of our school community could be involved in the day. Student Leadership Positions 2021 Since the return to school we have also completed the application process for Senior School Captains in 2021. The process was a testament to the strength of pride and culture possessed by our wonderful students. It was a pleasure to be a part of the process – and witness the growth of the students involved. Congratulations to Lula Tadesse and Sivan Chen – School Captains; Courtney Tulia and Zac Aitken – School Vice Captains; Andy Kuok – International Student Captain. Congratulations also to Jeffrey Jia for his excellent application, as well as his maturity and poise throughout the application process. The applications for Middle School Captains, as well as the remaining suite of new student leadership applications in 2021 were highly competitive and well prepared I would like to take this time to acknowledge and thank Ms Meg Brydon – Acting Middle School Student Engagement, Wellbeing and Transitions Leader as well as Ms Matilda Wraight – Acting Student Voice, Leadership and Agency Coordinator for their passion, competency and hard work in getting these new positions ‘off the ground’ for 2021. Year 7 2021 – Transitions I am pleased to advise that the annual Year 7 2021 Parent Information Evening will be occurring virtually this year on Monday 16 November 2020. During this live session held via Webex events, incoming Year 7 students and their parents/families will be formally introduced into our Ashwood High School community. This session aims to be highly informative and answer any questions or concerns students and families may have in relation to this next big step in their child’s education. We look forward to formally commencing the

transition process in anticipation of our new students’ arrival.

Ms Meg McLellan | Acting Assistant Principal Student Engagement, Wellbeing and Transitions


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SCHOOL CAPTAINS’ REPORT

Our experience as School Captains this year has been extraordinary to say the least. Many of the events and opportunities we had to lead the school more directly were postponed indefinitely. While it is certainly disappointing that we did not have the same opportunities as previous school leaders, we are proud of the new and innovative pathways that we have opened for the new 2021 Captains. We are certain they will serve the Ashwood High School community with pride, compassion and empathy. It takes an incredible level of dedication and courage to put your hand up for a position of leadership and it takes a certain kind of person to do that during a global pandemic.

We are incredibly proud to have led Ashwood High School through such a difficult period of time. We are proud of every single student who has endured hardships; your sacrifices have highlighted the need for strong community values and organised leadership. We hope that you have found your experiences this year as beneficial as they have been different. In times of crisis, it is the mutual experiences that allow for empathy to prevail and communities to prosper. We are confident that Ashwood High School has maintained its interpersonal relationships during Remote and Flexible Teaching and Learning despite our physical distance.

Ashwood High School has been our home for the last six years. It has provided us with a safe space to grow, learn and develop. We could not have asked for a better community to spend our high school experience with and we could not have asked for a better family. Thank you to every friend who joined us along the journey. Thank you to the school community for your ongoing support to create this environment.

We would especially like to thank our principal Mr Moore, our assistant principals Ms Jenner and Ms McLellan. They have revolutionized Ashwood High School’s image and provided us with endless opportunities for growth, socialisation and education. Their adaptability in these has provided stability during otherwise turbulent and unpredictable circumstances.

Nicole Dreyer and Xander Morgan — School Captains Wendy Pan — International Student Captain

Well, we can’t believe that it was only one short year ago that we were newly elected leadership novices. In this short year, we have not been able to do all we would have hoped to do, although we did accomplish quite a lot given the circumstances. We organised the World’s Greatest Shave, Red Cross Calling, alongside helping the school community in various other facets. We particularly enjoyed The World's Greatest Shave, as we witnessed numerous members of the Ashwood High School community getting together to raise awareness and donations for the cause. It was a great experience that taught us a lot about the way in which we work as a Student Representative Council (SRC) team, and School Vice Captain duo.

We enjoyed this year full of ups and downs (as much as we could) and are grateful to all the teachers and students who helped us along the way. We would especially like to give a huge thank you to the entire Student Representative Council, Kai Anderson, Leah Ried, Christos Giakoumatos, Amber Balmer, Jesse Bryan, Jessica Sterle, Abby Helm, Jake Larking, Kelly Martin and Zachary Aitken for their continued dedication, commitment to the school throughout the year, and their unwavering support. Another thank you to Ms Rimmer, Ms Brydon and Ms Wraight. You all supported us in many different ways that has helped us to flourish into the people that we are today.

Working with everyone has been very rewarding as we have been able to see others develop as leaders. We have also seen ourselves grow and become more capable as leaders through the opportunity we have been given. We hope that the year to come is more manageable for our future leaders.

And so it is time for the last newsletter report of our schooling to end. It may not have been the best experience we

could have hoped for; it was still a fun experience. We hope you all have a good year to come.

Amy Peters and Huon Diggins — School Vice Captains

Xander Morgan School Captain

Nicole Dreyer School Captain

Amy Peters Vice Captain

Huon Diggins Vice Captain

Wendy Pan International

Student Captain


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SCHOOL COLOURS AWARD

First Name Last Name Year Level House Mini School Category Level

Kaitlyn Adrian 8 Paterson Middle Music Bronze

Imogen Aikman 7 Flynn Middle Music Bronze

Imogen Aikman 7 Flynn Middle House Bronze

Finela Alves 7 Flynn Middle Academic Bronze

Kai-Cooper Anderson 7 Melba Middle Service Bronze

Kai-Cooper Anderson 7 Melba Middle House Bronze

Max Arthur 7 Cowan Middle Academic Bronze

Amber Balmer 8 Melba Middle Service Silver

Amber Balmer 8 Melba Middle Academic Silver

Rupesh Bankar 9 Melba Middle Service Silver

Rupesh Bankar 9 Melba Middle Academic Silver

Rupesh Bankar 9 Melba Middle Music Gold

Oscar Barke 7 Paterson Middle Academic Bronze

Oscar Barke 7 Paterson Middle Music Bronze

Tabetha Barrance 7 Flynn Middle Sport Bronze

Tabetha Barrance 7 Flynn Middle Academic Bronze

Tabetha Barrance 7 Flynn Middle House Bronze

Tabetha Barrance 7 Flynn Middle Service Bronze

Rhyannon Bergin 7 Flynn Middle Sport Bronze

Rhyannon Bergin 7 Flynn Middle Academic Bronze

Rhyannon Bergin 7 Flynn Middle Service Bronze

Grace Birnie 9 Cowan Middle Academic Bronze

Quin Bolton-Rogers 8 Melba Middle Academic Silver

Ben Booker 7 Flynn Middle Music Bronze

Ben Booker 7 Flynn Middle House Bronze

Christine Brammer 9 Cowan Middle House Silver

Christine Brammer 9 Cowan Middle Service Gold

Christine Brammer 9 Cowan Middle Academic Gold

Christine Brammer 9 Cowan Middle Music Bronze

Christine Brammer 9 Cowan Middle Arts Silver

Nicholas Brelaz 7 Paterson Middle Music Bronze

Nicholas Brelaz 7 Paterson Middle Arts Bronze

Emma Busuttil 8 Cowan Middle Music Bronze

Ava Cai 8 Paterson Middle Service Bronze

Ava Cai 8 Paterson Middle Academic Bronze

Ina Christensen 9 Cowan Middle Service Silver

Ina Christensen 9 Cowan Middle House Silver

Ina Christensen 9 Cowan Middle Academic Gold

Ina Christensen 9 Cowan Middle Arts Silver

Torbjorn Christensen 8 Cowan Middle Academic Silver

Torbjorn Christensen 8 Cowan Middle Music Bronze

Jack Christie 9 Paterson Middle Academic Silver

Jack Christie 9 Paterson Middle Music Gold

Hayley Clowes 7 Melba Middle Academic Bronze

Hayley Clowes 7 Melba Middle Music Bronze

Hayley Clowes 7 Melba Middle Arts Bronze

Chai Couzens 9 Flynn Middle Arts Gold

Chai Couzens 9 Flynn Middle Academic Gold

Chai Couzens 9 Flynn Middle House Silver

Chai Couzens 9 Flynn Middle Service Gold

Ashwood High School Page 9 Parent Newsletter No 7

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Alexander Cree 8 Melba Middle Music Bronze

Angus Cutfield 8 Flynn Middle Music Bronze

Sumer Daly 8 Cowan Middle Sport Silver

Audrey Deckart 8 Cowan Middle Academic Silver

Audrey Deckart 8 Cowan Middle Service Silver

Audrey Deckart 8 Cowan Middle Music Bronze

Charli Duong 8 Cowan Middle Arts Bronze

Jethro Dvorak 8 Paterson Middle Music Bronze

Ryan Fourna 7 Melba Middle Academic Bronze

Christos Giakoumatos 8 Cowan Middle Service Bronze

Christos Giakoumatos 8 Cowan Middle Academic Bronze

Lily Greaves 8 Paterson Middle Service Silver

Lily Greaves 8 Paterson Middle Academic Silver

Lily Greaves 8 Paterson Middle Music Bronze

Jemma Greich 7 Paterson Middle Academic Bronze

Daisy Harvison 7 Paterson Middle Service Bronze

Daisy Harvison 7 Paterson Middle House Bronze

Daisy Harvison 7 Paterson Middle Academic Bronze

Daisy Harvison 7 Paterson Middle Music Bronze

Emma Hew 8 Flynn Middle Music Bronze

Emma Hew 8 Flynn Middle Academic Silver

Angela Hewerdine 9 Melba Middle Service Bronze

Angela Hewerdine 9 Melba Middle House Gold

Angela Hewerdine 9 Melba Middle Academic Gold

Angela Hewerdine 9 Melba Middle Arts Bronze

Celina Hewerdine 7 Melba Middle Service Bronze

Celina Hewerdine 7 Melba Middle House Bronze

Celina Hewerdine 7 Melba Middle Academic Bronze

Celina Hewerdine 7 Melba Middle Arts Bronze

Cleo Huru 7 Melba Middle Service Bronze

Cleo Huru 7 Melba Middle House Bronze

Cleo Huru 7 Melba Middle Academic Bronze

Cleo Huru 7 Melba Middle Music Bronze

Cleo Huru 7 Melba Middle Sport Bronze

Cleo Huru 7 Melba Middle Arts Bronze

Stevie Ignatiadis 7 Melba Middle Academic Bronze

Talia Isik 7 Paterson Middle Academic Bronze

Anna Karolidou 7 Cowan Middle Academic Bronze

Pranav Karthik 8 Melba Middle Academic Bronze

Pranav Karthik 8 Melba Middle Music Bronze

Ellen Lameijn 8 Paterson Middle Service Bronze

Ellen Lameijn 8 Paterson Middle Academic Bronze

Horim Lee 7 Cowan Middle Music Bronze

William Lee 8 Paterson Middle Arts Bronze

Kirsten Leow 7 Cowan Middle Academic Bronze

Ava Lillywhite 7 Flynn Middle Academic Bronze

Ava Lillywhite 7 Flynn Middle House Bronze

Caitlyn Lim 9 Melba Middle Service Bronze

Marina Loupis 7 Flynn Middle Academic Bronze

Marina Loupis 7 Flynn Middle House Bronze

Yunal Lufti 7 Melba Middle Academic Bronze


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Sebastian Millan 9 Melba Middle Service Silver

Sebastian Millan 9 Melba Middle House Gold

Sebastian Millan 9 Melba Middle Academic Gold

Stephanie Millan 9 Melba Middle Service Gold

Stephanie Millan 9 Melba Middle House Gold

Stephanie Millan 9 Melba Middle Academic Gold

Stephanie Millan 9 Melba Middle Sport Silver

Stephanie Millan 9 Melba Middle Arts Silver

Issy Mitsios 7 Paterson Middle Academic Bronze

Isabella Mittmann 8 Paterson Middle Music Bronze

Isabella Mittmann 8 Paterson Middle Sport Bronze

Isabella Mittmann 8 Paterson Middle Arts Bronze

Ethan Mole 7 Melba Middle Academic Bronze

Ethan Mole 7 Melba Middle Music Bronze

Ethan Mole 7 Melba Middle Sport Bronze

Cormac Morrin 7 Paterson Middle House Bronze

Cormac Morrin 7 Paterson Middle Academic Bronze

Oscar Morton 8 Flynn Middle Music Bronze

Oscar Morton 8 Flynn Middle Sport Silver

Mitchell Morton 7 Flynn Middle Sport Bronze

Jacinta Nash 7 Cowan Middle Academic Bronze

Ben Neubauer 7 Cowan Middle Academic Bronze

Zoe Nitsiopoulos 8 Cowan Middle Sport Silver

Abi Oh 8 Melba Middle Academic Silver

Abi Oh 8 Melba Middle Music Bronze

Abi Oh 8 Melba Middle Sport Bronze

Ginger Perri 9 Flynn Middle Arts Bronze

Alyssa Pettingill 7 Flynn Middle Sport Bronze

Alyssa Pettingill 7 Flynn Middle House Bronze

Matthew Pirozek 8 Cowan Middle Service Bronze

Angad Prathap 7 Flynn Middle Academic Bronze

Maddy Rado 7 Flynn Middle Music Bronze

Maddy Rado 7 Flynn Middle Academic Bronze

Maddy Rado 7 Flynn Middle House Bronze

Anjali Rao 7 Cowan Middle Academic Bronze

Anjali Rao 7 Cowan Middle Sport Bronze

Anjali Rao 7 Cowan Middle Arts Bronze

Leah Ried 7 Melba Middle Service Bronze

Leah Ried 7 Melba Middle House Bronze

Leah Ried 7 Melba Middle Academic Bronze

Leah Ried 7 Melba Middle Music Bronze

Leah Ried 7 Melba Middle Sport Bronze

William Roache 9 Paterson Middle Academic Gold

William Roache 9 Paterson Middle Music Silver

William Roache 9 Paterson Middle Sport Silver

Noah Rostan 8 Flynn Middle Music Bronze

Noah Rostan 8 Flynn Middle Service Silver

Georgia Russell 7 Cowan Middle House Bronze

Connor Russo 7 Cowan Middle Academic Bronze

Connor Russo 7 Cowan Middle Music Bronze

Connor Russo 7 Cowan Middle Sport Bronze


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Grace Ry'dell 7 Flynn Middle Music Bronze

Grace Ry'dell 7 Flynn Middle Academic Bronze

Matthew Ry'dell 8 Flynn Middle Music Bronze

Matthew Ry'dell 8 Flynn Middle Sport Silver

Matthew Ry'dell 8 Flynn Middle Academic Silver

Hava Samad 7 Cowan Middle Academic Bronze

Charlotte Savakis 8 Flynn Middle Arts Bronze

Olivia Schwatschko 7 Melba Middle House Bronze

Olivia Schwatschko 7 Melba Middle Sport Bronze

Ella Selby 8 Paterson Middle Music Bronze

Ella Selby 8 Paterson Middle Sport Bronze

Ella Selby 8 Paterson Middle Arts Bronze

Cooper Senova-Tapp 8 Cowan Middle Service Bronze

Cooper Senova-Tapp 8 Cowan Middle House Bronze

Cooper Senova-Tapp 8 Cowan Middle Academic Bronze

Cooper Senova-Tapp 8 Cowan Middle Music Silver

Christabel Sequeira 7 Paterson Middle Service Bronze

Christabel Sequeira 7 Paterson Middle Academic Bronze

Haris Shehzad 8 Cowan Middle House Bronze

Haris Shehzad 8 Cowan Middle Academic Silver

Haris Shehzad 8 Cowan Middle Arts Bronze

Jessica Sterle 9 Flynn Middle Arts Gold

Jessica Sterle 9 Flynn Middle Academic Gold

Jessica Sterle 9 Flynn Middle House Gold

Jessica Sterle 9 Flynn Middle Service Gold

Jason Suryanata 8 Cowan Middle Academic Bronze

Jason Suryanata 8 Cowan Middle Music Bronze

Layla Swindells 7 Melba Middle Academic Bronze

Layla Swindells 7 Melba Middle Music Bronze

James Talbot 9 Paterson Middle House Bronze

James Talbot 9 Paterson Middle Academic Gold

James Talbot 9 Paterson Middle Music Gold

Nicholas Tan 7 Melba Middle Academic Bronze

Ryan Taranto 7 Flynn Middle Academic Bronze

Georgia Taylor 7 Melba Middle Service Bronze

Georgia Taylor 7 Melba Middle House Bronze

Georgia Taylor 7 Melba Middle Academic Bronze

Georgia Taylor 7 Melba Middle Music Bronze

Georgia Taylor 7 Melba Middle Sport Bronze

Georgia Taylor 7 Melba Middle Arts Bronze

Millie Taylor 9 Melba Middle Music Silver

Hans Toolsie 7 Cowan Middle Academic Bronze

Quyen Tran 8 Paterson Middle Music Bronze

Mikayla Van Dalen 9 Flynn Middle Arts Bronze

Mikayla Van Dalen 9 Flynn Middle Academic Silver

Eirini Vilianioti 8 Cowan Middle Academic Bronze

Eirini Vilianioti 8 Cowan Middle Arts Bronze

Isabel Vulis 8 Cowan Middle Academic Silver

Isabel Vulis 8 Cowan Middle Music Bronze

Isabel Vulis 8 Cowan Middle Arts Bronze

Yanshun Yang 7 Paterson Middle House Bronze

Fiona Yong 7 Paterson Middle Academic Bronze


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Zac Aitken 11 Cowan Senior Service Silver

Rory Bacic 12 Paterson Senior Music Gold

Dannah Casanova 10 Cowan Senior Service Bronze

Dannah Casanova 10 Cowan Senior House Bronze

Dannah Casanova 10 Cowan Senior Academic Bronze

Dannah Casanova 10 Cowan Senior Sport Bronze

Dannah Casanova 10 Cowan Senior Arts Bronze

Aidan Chan 11 Cowan Senior Academic Bronze

Sivan Chen 11 Melba Senior Academic Silver

Elly Dang 11 Paterson Senior Academic Silver

Huon Diggins 12 Cowan Senior Service Gold

Huon Diggins 12 Cowan Senior Arts Bronze

Elena Doulgerakis 12 Paterson Senior Service Gold

Elena Doulgerakis 12 Paterson Senior Academic Bronze

Nicole Dreyer 12 Flynn Senior Service Silver

Marvin Elliot 10 Flynn Senior House Bronze

Abby Helm 10 Flynn Senior Academic Bronze

Abby Helm 10 Flynn Senior Music Bronze

Abby Helm 10 Flynn Senior Arts Bronze

Abby Helm 10 Flynn Senior Service Bronze

Taylor Ignatiadis 10 Melba Senior Arts Bronze

Jeffrey Jia 11 Flynn Senior Service Bronze

Jeffrey Jia 11 Flynn Senior Academic Silver

Daisy Jones 10 Melba Senior Academic Bronze

Lucy Jordan 10 Melba Senior Academic Bronze

Lucy Jordan 10 Melba Senior Music Bronze

Chloe Kuoch 11 Flynn Senior Service Silver

Chloe Kuoch 11 Flynn Senior Academic Silver

Andy Kuok 11 Paterson Senior Service Silver

Andy Kuok 11 Paterson Senior House Silver

Andy Kuok 11 Paterson Senior Academic Silver

Elsa Kurian 10 Cowan Senior Academic Bronze

Sarah Lobbe 12 Melba Senior Service Gold

Sarah Lobbe 12 Melba Senior Academic Silver

Sarah Lobbe 12 Melba Senior Music Gold

Sarah Lobbe 12 Melba Senior Arts Gold

Jennifer Lu 12 Paterson Senior Service Silver

Novia Ma 10 Paterson Senior Academic Bronze

Sean Mann 12 Paterson Senior Service Silver

Alexander Morgan 12 Flynn Senior Service Silver

Louis Nguyen 11 Paterson Senior Academic Bronze

Tyrone Ni 10 Flynn Senior Service Bronze

Olson Ou 10 Cowan Senior Service Bronze

Wendy Pan 12 Melba Senior Service Silver

Kosta Papakonstantinou 10 Flynn Senior Music Bronze

Luka Perovic 10 Flynn Senior Service Bronze

Amy Peters 12 Cowan Senior Service Gold

Amy Peters 12 Cowan Senior House Gold

Amy Peters 12 Cowan Senior Academic Gold

Amy Peters 12 Cowan Senior Music Bronze

Amy Peters 12 Cowan Senior Sport Gold

Amy Peters 12 Cowan Senior Arts Gold


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Fiona Tadesse 12 Melba Senior Academic Silver

Lula Tadesse 11 Melba Senior Academic Silver

Lula Tadesse 11 Melba Senior Arts Silver

Adrian Tan 10 Cowan Senior Academic Bronze

Auson Tseng 10 Melba Senior Arts Bronze

Courtney Tulia 11 Cowan Senior House Silver

Elizabeth Tziafas 10 Paterson Senior Service Bronze

Elizabeth Tziafas 10 Paterson Senior House Bronze

Elizabeth Tziafas 10 Paterson Senior Academic Bronze

George Tziafas 12 Paterson Senior Academic Bronze

Greer Van Rooyen 10 Melba Senior Service Bronze

Greer Van Rooyen 10 Melba Senior House Bronze

Vivian Yan 10 Cowan Senior Service Bronze

Vivian Yan 10 Cowan Senior Arts Bronze

Michelle Zheng 11 Cowan Senior Academic Silver

Anthony Zhu 10 Flynn Senior Service Bronze

Amy Peters - Year 12 Anjali Rao - Year 7 Nicholas Brelaz - Year 7

Imogen Aikman - Year 7 Oscar Barke - Year 7 Ava Lilywhite - Year 7


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SENIOR SCHOOL REPORT

It is hard to believe, but the Year 12 Class of 2020 have now officially completed their 13 years of schooling. The VCE exams are yet to come, but I would like to offer a sincere congratulations to all Year 12 students who have recently completed all classes at Ashwood High School. Over the next few weeks, the Building E will be transformed into the examination area for all students undertaking Units 3/4 VCE subjects. Already, some of our students who are undertaking the study of languages have completed their oral exams – well done to these students! To celebrate the Class of 2020, a wonderful Whole School Assembly took place on Friday 30 October, in which the new School Captains were announced for 2021. At this point I would like to acknowledge the outstanding leadership of Xander Morgan and Nicole Dreyer as the School Captains of 2020. You have done this school very proud, and we wish you all the best in your future leadership endeavours. Congratulations to the Class of 2020 for an exciting, well planned assembly that is a testament to the collaboration and connectedness of this year level. In further celebration of this cohort, the Year 12 Valedictory Presentation Ceremony also took place on Friday 30 October in the school gym. The event was highly professional and streamed live via Webex to proud parents at home so that they could witness the presentation. I would like to congratulate all Year 12 students for participating in the Valedictory presentations in such a respectful, gracious manner. To the VCAL students who have now completed classes and are working to complete all outcomes, congratulations! To the VCE students who are yet to complete their exams, the very best of luck to you. Your school is behind you, and we have every confidence that you will be well prepared. Further to this, I would like to acknowledge the exceptional work of all Year 12 teachers who have devoted endless hours to working with this cohort, particularly within the unique challenges presented by Remote and Flexible Teaching and Learning this year. As always, the dedication shown by teachers of Year 12 subjects is deeply appreciated by the school community. To the current Year 11 students who are almost ready to step up to the challenges of the final school year, I would encourage you to learn from the resilience, adaptability, and cohesion of the Class of 2020. This group of young adults are a credit to our school community and to their families and have demonstrated the kind of dedication and commitment to schooling that is required to be successful in Year 12 and beyond. Thank you to the Class of 2020 for your inspirational leadership and endearing optimism. You will be missed in

our school.

Ms Lucy Rimmer | Acting Student Engagement, Wellbeing and Pathways Leader


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SENIOR SCHOOL REPORT

As I write this report our Year 12 students have just celebrated the conclusion of formal classes. It has been a very different year for the Year 12s and I have been very impressed with the strength, determination, resilience and mateship shown by this group of young men and women. I truly believe that whatever their next step is they will be able to approach it with a confidence built on the skills developed this year. During the recent term break our Units 3/4 VCE classes and Year 12 VCAL students undertook many revision, catch up and practice exam sessions, all conducted online. I thank all staff involved in these sessions for their ongoing time and commitment to ensuring our students are fully prepared for their final assessments. I hope that all staff and students were able to have at least a few days of rest and relaxation prior to our return for Term 4.

The first week of Term 4 saw 38 of our Year 12 and 11 students undertake the General Achievement Test (GAT). For many of these students it was the first time in many weeks that they had been to school and seen their friends, and they are to be commended on the manner in which they conducted themselves in order to ensure the COVID safety of all. The conduct of the students when completing this important, externally set, task was exemplary and allowed all to work to their highest ability. The return to school in Week 2 was eagerly greeted by our Year 11 and 12 VCE and VCAL students. Everyone was pleased to see friends and teachers in a face to face setting and have the ability to

complete practical tasks and receive the extra assistance that all of our staff pride themselves on. The students studying Units 3/4 VCE subjects in particular were completing final SACs, SATs and exam preparation and the Senior VCAL students were completing final Outcomes and preparing for their major project presentations for Work Related Skills (WRS) and Personal Development Studies (PDS). I was privileged to attend the final Senior VCAL presentation on their Community projects and commend the students for their adaptive thinking towards this project in the current climate, and with online teaching and learning. The final website that was developed by the students around the theme of Community Equality was very well done and the presentation by all of the students was done to an extremely high level. Congratulations on your excellent work! As we begin the second half of Term 4 all students within the Senior School will be extremely busy with assessments and preparations for 2021. The Year 12 VCE students will begin their exams on Tuesday 10 November and conclude on Tuesday 1 December. During this time period I would ask that all students be respectful of the exam space (Building E) and maintain a low level of noise around this area at all times. Year 12 students attending school to study are reminded to ensure that they sign in upon arrival at school and out upon departure. This includes any VCAL students who may be attending to finalise Outcomes. At the same time our students undertaking VET studies will be continuing to complete their Units of Competency and are expected to maintain their attendance at these classes. Year 11 VCE and VCAL students will be finalising SACs and Outcomes in the coming weeks, with VCE exams to take place in Week 7. The Preparation Program for 2021 VCE and VCAL classes will take place in Weeks 8 and 9 and will involve all of our current Year 10 and 11 students. More information regarding this program will be shared in the coming weeks and all students are reminded to regularly check Compass for notifications. A final reminder to students undertaking VCAA external exams to ensure that you check your individual timetable, as supplied following the GAT, and that you arrive at all exams with enough time to have your equipment checked and the roll marked. Please ensure that you prepare your equipment, including dictionaries and calculators, where allowed, and your uniform, on the evening prior to the exam to reduce stress on the day. Your preparation and ongoing practice will allow you to achieve your best in these exams so I will not wish you luck, but rather “all the best” as you enter this final phase of your schooling. Congratulations to the Class

of 2020!

Mrs Julie Huggins | Senior School Coordinator


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ENGAGEMENT, WELLBEING & TRANSITIONS

After excitedly welcoming our Year 7s back onsite on Monday 12 October, we were thrilled to welcome back the remainder of our Middle School students on Monday 26 October. It has been wonderful to see socially distanced reunions between friends, of students with teachers and watch as our students settle back into our beautiful grounds! Mr Moore has been standing at his post before school, at recess and at lunch, enjoying greeting our students and congratulating many of them for their new School Colours badges which adorn their blazers. Even when conducted remotely, the application process was rigorous, and it is a testament to our students’ optimism and innovation that we received a record number of applications. With all Middle School students back on site, the Pastoral Group Program has ceased and the STAR Group Program has been reinstated to support all Ashwood High School students in terms of their wellbeing, engagement and achievement as they adjust to learning on-site once again. There are a number of exciting and engaging activities planned for this program for the remainder of the year. Finally, it is also time for students to begin preparing for final assessments in the lead up to the writing of their Semester Reports. The official Exam Week for students in Years 7 – 9 has been cancelled and Year 10 Exam week is operating in a modified format in support of student wellbeing and recognition of the challenges students have faced in 2020. With that said, assessment of student learning by teachers in the classroom will still be rigorous, and students are encouraged to seek assistance from their classroom teacher, STAR Group Teacher or House Coordinator if any assistance is required in preparation for the upcoming summative assessments. The entire Middle School team is thrilled to have all of our students back onsite to celebrate our achievements in what has been a challenging yet rewarding year. For all of their efforts in supporting students during the period of Remote and Flexible Teaching and Learning, I would like to thank House Coordinators Mr Sheehan, Mrs Dernikos, Mr Hayward (Acting) and Ms Miller, Student Services Manager/PSD Coordinator Mrs Marrison, Chaplain Ms Michelle Stancliffe and Acting Student Voice, Leadership and Agency Coordinator Ms Wraight. Without this dedicated team, Ashwood High School would not be able to deliver the personalised and targeted support that each of our students receives. Congratulations to all of our students and their families on maintaining their sense of community and showing resilience in the face of COVID-19.

Ms Meg Brydon | Acting Student Engagement, Wellbeing & Transitions Leader


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ENRICHMENT, PEDAGOGY, PARTNERSHIPS & PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

Ashwood High School is proud to be one of the founding members of the Ashwood Alliance; a cluster of Victorian government schools dedicated to improving educational outcomes through their work with the School of Education, Deakin University. During the period of Remote and Flexible Teaching and Learning, the Ashwood Alliance gathered data on teacher and student responses to online learning. Our thanks to the pre-service teachers and their mentors who facilitated this process at Ashwood High School. The results of this survey, which were shared with the Alliance at their most recent meeting, highlighted the resilience of our students and staff and their commitment to innovation in their teaching and learning. At Ashwood High School, we are proud of the high calibre of in-house professional learning experiences led by our expert staff. The Communities of Practice showcase held on Wednesday 7 October brought together the action research of our professional learning communities from Terms 2 and 3 this year, and was a celebration of the expertise, energy and creativity of our amazing staff members. Following on from this highly successful event, our provisionally registered teachers rounded off their year of professional learning with an interactive and informative workshop that focused on formulating inquiry questions, led by the Enrichment, Pedagogy, Partnerships and Professional Learning Leader, Caroline Servadei. The workshop provided a valuable opportunity for Ashwood High School ’s graduate teachers to hone their educational research skills. Finally, Ashwood High School has continued to play a key role in supporting the development of the next generation of teachers this year through our support of pre-service teaching candidates from Deakin, Melbourne and Monash Universities. As the academic year draws to a close, I would like to acknowledge the enthusiastic contributions of our pre-service teachers and the tireless support of their mentors. Our pre-service teachers are a dynamic and vital part of the Ashwood High School community and we greatly appreciate their contributions to the academic and social life of our school. Ms Caroline Servadei | Enrichment, Pedagogy, Partnerships & Professional Learning Leader

Amsleigh Park Student Transitions

Year 6 at Amsleigh Park Primary School Year 7 at Ashwood High School

Last term I was honoured to be invited to represent Ashwood High School at my primary school, Amsleigh Park Primary School. On 18 September I joined a Webex call with the students that are starting Year 7 at Ashwood High School next year. I first gave a little introduction of how I felt when transitioning into high school, as well as the things that I struggled with and those I found easier than I had expected. Next they began to ask questions such as “How much homework do you get?” “What kind of extra-curricular activities can you do?” “What kind of summer and winter sports do you have?” There were lots of different topics and most were questions that I had wanted the answers to when I was in Grade 6! I remember how nerve-wracking it was to start high school as I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to manage all of my homework or get to class on time. Last year we were visited at my primary school by students that were in Year 7 which helped me feel much better about the transition to high school. This year we were unable to visit in person due to COVID-19. The online transition session was the next best thing and I hope that the opportunity to ask questions from a familiar person really helped them feel less nervous about starting high school!

Georgie Taylor (Year 7)


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STUDENT OUTCOMES REPORT

Ashwood High School VCE Exam Schedule 2020

Tuesday 10 November

9.00am–12.15pm

English

English as an Additional Language (EAL)

Wednesday 11 November

9.00am–10.45am

Art

11.45am–1.30pm

Agricultural and Horticultural Studies

Dance

VET Equine Studies

VET Integrated Technologies

VET Music Industry: Sound Production

3.00pm–5.15pm

History: Revolutions

Thursday 12 November

9.00am–11.45am

Psychology

2.00pm–4.15pm

English Language

Friday 13 November

9.00am–11.45am

Biology

2.00pm–3.45pm

Further Mathematics Examination 1

Monday 16 November

9.00am–10.45am

Further Mathematics Examination 2

11.45am–2.00pm

Indigenous Languages of Victoria

Latin

3.00pm–5.15pm

Business Management

Tuesday 17 November

9.00am–10.15am

Mathematical Methods Examination 1

11.45am–2.00pm

Outdoor and Environmental Studies

3.00pm–5.15pm

Australian Politics

Industry and Enterprise

Sociology


9.00am–10.45am

VET Business

VET Community Services

VET Furnishing

11.45am–2.00pm

Japanese First Language

Literature

3.00pm–5.15pm

Mathematical Methods Examination 2


9.00am–10.15am

Specialist Mathematics Examination 1

11.45am–1.30pm

VET Hospitality

VET Information, Digital Media and Technology

Visual Communication Design

3.00pm–5.15pm

Health and Human Development

Friday 20 November

9.00am–10.45am

Product Design and Technology

11.45am–2.00pm

Music Style and Composition

Specialist Mathematics Examination 2

3.00pm–5.15pm

Accounting

VET Creative and Digital Media (computer-based)


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STUDENT OUTCOMES REPORT

Ashwood High School VCE Exam Schedule 2020

Monday 23 November

9.00am–11.45am

Chemistry

2.00pm–4.15pm

Legal Studies

Tuesday 24 November

9.00am–11.45am

Physics

2.00pm–4.15pm

Economics

History: Australian History


9.00am–10.45am

Theatre Studies

11.45am–2.00pm

Applied Computing: Data Analytics

Geography

3.00pm–5.15pm

Algorithmics

Philosophy

Physical Education


9.00am–10.45am

Food Studies

VET Engineering Studies

11.45am–2.00pm

Environmental Science

History: Ancient History

Japanese Second Language

Texts and Traditions

3.00pm–5.15pm

Chinese Language, Culture and Society

Media

Friday 27 November

9.00am–10.45am

Studio Arts

11.45am–1.30pm

Music Performance

VET Hospitality: Kitchen Operations

VET Sport and Recreation

3.00pm–5.15pm

Applied Computing: Software Development

Global Politics

Monday 30 November

9.00am–10.45am

Drama

Systems Engineering

VET Health

11.45am–2.00pm

Classical Studies

German

Religion and Society

3.00pm–5.15pm

Chinese First Language

French

Indonesian First Language

Tuesday 1 December

9.00am–10.45am

VET Laboratory Skills

11.45am–2.00pm

Chinese Second Language Advanced

Greek

Indonesian Second Language

Spanish

Vietnamese First Language

Vietnamese Second Language

3.00pm–5.15pm

Chinese Second Language

Italian


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HOUSE CORNER

We would like to congratulate you on another year of great achievement and especially considering the circumstances of online learning you should all be very proud of yourselves. Before COVID-19 had the chance to take action we all had the opportunity to participate in the House Swimming Carnival. We would like to acknowledge the efforts we observed on the day as well as the marvellous participation in the races. Congratulations to Flynn for taking the victory, although watch out for Cowan next year, we are rising up to the occasion. Although there was no opportunity for Cowan to participate in the Ashwood High School Musical, it was lovely to see such engagement during the online activities provided by our teachers such as Ashwood at Home and also National Health and PE Day. The return from online learning was overwhelming and it was fantastic to see so many of you interacting with your peers and engaging in classroom work. Despite having a total of only two school terms together, we believe that this learning experience has helped us develop as learners but also as individuals. Once again, we are very proud of each and everyone one of you. To wrap everything up, we hope you have COVID safe summer holidays, make sure to do all your homework and come back in 2021 expecting great things. I wish you all the best and it has been a pleasure leading Cowan House for the past 2 years and all the best. I would also like to thank Dannah Casanova for her contributions this year and also House Coordinator, Mr Sheehan for his guidance this year.

Courtney Tulia and Dannah Casanova ̶ Cowan House Captains

What a year. Words such as unprecedented, trying, and disappointing come to mind when one hears 2020. Honestly we can’t say any of those words come to mind when we think about how Flynn has taken on this year. We began on a high with our victory in the House Swimming Carnival. Most other main activities were unfortunately cancelled but we can safely say our spirit was not. Week in week out we were so excited to join our groups’ pastoral Webex. Listening to all of your positive attitudes to Remote and Flexible Teaching and Learning really did lift our spirits. We know that the other Pastoral Groups experienced this as well. Flynn you have been more than cooperative during the online learning period. You’ve been a joy to captain. We can safely say that we are so proud of the way our House has represented itself. In our time with Flynn House we’ve won a vast majority of all the Sporting Carnivals but it wasn’t our sporting ability that got us over the line in those events. It was our sheer enthusiasm to participate in them. That’s what our House is and will continue to be known as. Not just as a Sporty House, but the House that gives our all no matter what the circumstances may be. You’ve certainly displayed that this year and previous years. Thank you Flynn for making this year and all the previous years a pleasure to be a part of. Lashaye Walker and Marvin Elliott ̶ Flynn House Captains

House Coordinators:

Mr John Sheehan (Cowan House), Ms Vicky Dernikos (Flynn House),

Mr Ned Hayward (Melba House), Ms Sachael Miller (Paterson House)

We would like to congratulate you all on another great year. I am sure it comes as no shock to anyone when we say it, but this year has been unlike any other. Considering the circumstances, our roles as House Captains

were a bit different than what was to be expected, however we still had a blast representing Melba this year. We are so proud to see how far Melba has progressed and how well everyone has done. Things such as the Swim-ming Carnival were a success, and especially with alternative activities that were done while in lockdown, such

as Walkathon and Science Week. Everyone has done so well, so we would like to applaud you all on what a fantastic effort everyone has done. As it is coming to the end of the year, our time as House Captains is coming to a close, however this has not stopped us from having a fun experience and ensuring we make the most out of

an amazing learning opportunity. It was an interesting experience attending meetings online, planning whilst not being face to face, having emails being the main form of communication, but despite this all, it definitely demonstrated to us different ways of going about things and opening our eyes to a range of new possibilities.

With everything we have done this year, we have guaranteed that we are upholding the CHOIR values, and we know that the rest of Melba have been ensuring these values are upheld too. It has been great to see the optimism and spirit which was kept up within the House, this has been very fulfilling as your House Captains to

see the House spirit grow from previous years. We are so proud of everyone for maintaining their commitment to Ashwood High School’s expectations and really pushing themselves throughout the year. We believe that this strange and difficult time has really made us stronger as a House and we are sure that next year Melba will

come back stronger and better than ever!

Harry Jones and Greer Van Rooyen ̶ Melba House Captains

Although this year hasn’t turned out like we all expected, we are both incredibly proud of the optimism ourselves, Paterson House and all our peers have shown. This year, we have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be Paterson House Captains. The two of us have enjoyed every single part of being Captain, as although we weren’t at school as much as we planned to, we both made the best of our time during Remote and Flexible Teaching and Learning. The leadership team had meetings in which we discussed, planned and conducted many events online, which exemplified our commitment and tremendous efforts in staying connected to the Ashwood High School community. We have both enjoyed getting to know our peers and working with so many of them. We love the sense of House pride within Paterson House and we can’t wait to see our House thrive in future years. We love connecting with students across all year levels and creating a sense of belonging amongst the House. Being a Captain has helped the two of us develop key leadership skills, which has helped us learn to be the best leaders we can be. Our favourite parts about being House leaders is the sense of community and involvement; we love seeing both

our House mates and other students participate, encourage others and work hard with various school based activities and events. We both believe that being a leader will help develop key skills to overcome difficulties and inspire you with new perspective in terms of connecting with your House mates, peers, the school as well as the

wider community. We encourage everyone to apply for leadership positions as being Paterson House leaders, has truly been a blast and we can’t wait to see our House further strive for success.

Andy Kuok and Elizabeth Tziafas ̶ Paterson House Captains


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HOUSE CORNER

House Coordinators:

Mr John Sheehan (Cowan House), Ms Vicky Dernikos (Flynn House),

Mr Ned Hayward (Melba House), Ms Sachael Miller (Paterson House)

Education Resource Centre Britannica School, the flagship of the Education Resource Centre’s research tools, has been redesigned giving it an exciting new look and making it even more accessible. The site still has its three separate databases tailored for different reading levels. Each level continues to offer thousands of curated, curriculum-relevant, articles, images, videos, audio clips, primary sources, maps, research tools and recommended websites. All the popular features including, language translation, text to voice, citation tool, and vocabulary support have also been maintained. The main changes to the site have been towards a simplified format providing improved navigation within the site, and a uniform experience and better performance across all mobile devices. Other improvements allow students and staff to create their own personal Britannica portals for storing and sharing selected resources with other members of our learning community. Britannica School is now easier than ever to use and is recommended as the initial go-to site for all research. Full access details are linked to the Britannica logo on the library website. Go to, Compass > School Favourites (Star icon) > Library System.

Mr Matthew Feeney | Library Coordinator


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STUDENT VOICE LEADERSHIP AGENCY REPORT

It has been my pleasure to support Ashwood High School’s Student Leadership Team during 2020. This wonderful group of students have shown immense personal strength, patience and persistence in the face of the uncertainty and frustration that this year has brought. The Student Leadership Team has taken every opportunity to represent the school with pride within the lo-cal community, as well as at the regional and statewide level. They have set an example for current and future Ashwood High School students that encourages them to strive for excellence and to serve their com-munity wherever they can. During a year like no other, the Student Leadership Team has called upon their collective reserves of optimism and innovation to create opportunities for students to connect with their community and share in their achievements. The Team proposed and oversaw a collaborative video project called “What Makes You Happy?” which saw students submitting clips of themselves completing an activity that brought them joy during lockdown. To support the transition to an online School Colour Award application process, the Team created a series of resources, including a tutorial video with audio narration and Chinese translations, as well as conducting help sessions via Webex to assist other students with their applications. The leadership, guidance and support that they have shown to the Ashwood High School student body and to each other has been inspiring. The high standard of leadership that they have maintained has contributed to the strength of the Student Leadership Program at Ashwood High School and the benefits of their dedication will be felt by their fellow students for years to come. The strong mentorship that they have provided to aspirant future leaders will ensure that the future of student leadership at Ashwood High School is in safe hands. I would like to thank Ms Lucy Rimmer for all her help and advice in her roles as Acting Student Voice, Leadership and Agency Coordinator during Semester 1 and Acting Senior School Student Engagement, Wellbeing and Pathways Leader in Semester 2. I would also like to thank Ms Meg Brydon for all of her guidance and support of student leadership in her role as Acting Middle School Student Engagement, Wellbeing and Transitions Leader. Most importantly, we would like to congratulate our student leaders and thank them for their efforts this year:

School Captains: Nicole Dreyer and Xander Morgan

International Student Captain: Wendy Pan

School Vice-Captain: Amy Peters and Huon Diggins

Cowan House Captain: Courtney Tulia

Cowan House Vice Captain: Dannah Casanova

Flynn House Captain: Lashaye Walker

Flynn House Vice Captain: Marvin Elliot

Melba House Captain: Harry Jones

Melba House Vice-Captain: Greer Van Rooyen

Paterson House Captain: Andy Kuok

Paterson House Vice Captain: Elizabeth Tziafas

Interact Club President: Sarah Lobbe

Year 11 SRC Representatives: Kelly Martin and Zachary Aiken

Year 10 SRC Representatives: Abby Helm and Jake Larking

Year 9 SRC Representatives: Jessica Sterle and Jesse Bryan

Year 8 SRC Representatives: Amber Balmer and Christos Giakoumatos

Year 7 SRC Representatives: Leah Ried and Kai-Cooper Anderson I am incredibly proud of all the hard work and perseverance that the Student Leadership Team has put in during 2020 and I look forward to seeing the Student Leaders of 2021 follow in their footsteps.

Ms Matilda Wraight | Acting Student Voice, Leadership and Agency Coordinator


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INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PROGRAM

Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrations As a part of Ashwood High School CHOIR values, our International Students are very keen to contribute to building a harmonious community by sharing their cultures and promoting global citizenship. The Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important traditional festival in many Asian countries. This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival fell on 1 October. Because we were unable to celebrate this Festival onsite, our International Students made a video for the Festival celebrations and the video was shared with the whole school community. Mr Moore’s support and his arrangement to deliver mooncakes to all homestay families was highly regarded and appreciated by our students, their parents and homestay families. Below are some photos of our performing students and the link to the video: https://youtu.be/yPUYflCNBVc

Quite a few International Students used the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations as their holiday activity for Ashwood At Home submissions. Below are two of the submissions. “The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in many Asian countries. This year the Mid-autumn Festival fell in Term 3 school break. To celebrate this important Festival while away from our home countries, most International Students and their parents worked together with Ms Williams and Ms Li online and put together a video for the festive celebrations. For the preparation of my performance, I kept trying to figure out the dance movements and choreographed my traditional Chinese dance “Upwards the moon”. I practised dancing every day and made sure every movement perfectly matched the music. In the process of filming my Chinese calligraphy, I tried to switch shots from different angles, so the beauty of the Chinese calligraphy was highlighted. I recorded my writing four times and finally made a perfect video. To enhance the viewers’ watching experience, I taught myself how to clip videos together to create an exquisite display of my calligraphy work. This performance not only enriched my holiday experience and made it more meaningful, but also demonstrated my skills. I am so proud I could share my Chinese culture with the Ashwood High School community”.

Vivian Yan, Year 10

https://youtu.be/yPUYflCNBVc


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INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PROGRAM

“My Term 3 break was not the same as it used to be because during this special time I couldn't go out to play with my friends and watch movies with them. However, I am glad I did a few thing that made my life more exciting. The first thing I did was to practise my song for the video for the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations. The second thing I did was to learn to do some cooking at home. I started with some dishes that are easy to cook. I also did some drawings on paper just to show my thoughts and feelings.

I can't wait to go back to school and play with my friend”!

Carol Yuan，Year 9

Student Achievements Term 4 2020 Year 2020 is a successful year for International Students. Congratulations to thirteen International Students who have successfully received School Colours Awards for 2020. These students are: Finela Alves, Yanshun Yang, Jason Suryanata, Ava Cai, Vivian Yan, Tyrone Ni, Olson Ou, Anthony Zhu, Andy Kuok, Sivan Chen, Jeffrey Jia, Jennifer Lu and Wendy Pan. Thank you to all those students who put in their applications for School Colours Awards. We are proud of your achievements and we would like to see more successful International Students.

Ashwood High School offers ample opportunities for International Students to develop comprehensive skills including leadership skills. This year three Year 11 International Students, Andy Kuok, Sivan Chen and Jeffrey Jia competed for Senior School Leader executive positions. Their speeches at the whole

school assembly were very impressive.

Congratulations to our Year 12 student, John Qian for winning one of the three first prizes in the writing competition organized by the Chinese Consulate General in Melbourne during Term 3.

Ms Yonghong Williams | International Student Program Manager

Andy Kuok Sivan Chen Jeffrey Jia

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Exams 16-20 November In the last few weeks, we have been delighted to welcome all students back on-site. Our number one priority continues to be the safety, health and wellbeing of all students and families. Our focus in the classroom is firmly on re-establishing the routines and habits that underpin effective teaching and learning, while ensuring that students maintain community and approach their learning with positivity and confidence. This being our focus, we have decided not to conduct exams for students in Years 7-9. Year 10 students will sit exams in English and Mathematics only, so we can assess their literacy and numeracy levels prior to commencement of their final years of schooling in VCAL or VCE. Year 11 students will have a full exam period, comprising of a revision week in Week 6 and an exam week in Week 7. Final summative assessments will be conducted in all subjects, but for subjects without exams these will be run in class as part of the teaching and learning cycle. Teachers will use these assessments to report on each student’s level of achievement as in any other year. Teachers will help students prepare for their examinations and summative assessments. It is important that students use the help and resources provided and continue to develop good study and self-regulation skills. Students are reminded to ask questions of their teachers, to organize themselves and their notes and materials, and to study regularly and productively for all assessments. They are also reminded that, while these assessments provide important evidence of learning, they are just one indicator of progress. Year 11 VCE Examination Timetable All exams will be conducted in Building D. Students will be admitted a few minutes before the scheduled starting time. They are asked to be waiting outside Building D by 8:50am on Monday and at 8:40am on all other exam days. For the English exam, students will have 15 minutes reading time and 3 hours writing time. For all other exams, students will have 10 minutes reading time and 90 minutes writing time.

Year 10 Examination Timetable Year 10 students will sit exams for English and Mathematics only. Exams will be conducted in Building D.

Year 10 and 11 Preparatory Program Friday 20 November – Friday 4 December For students in Years 10 and 11, the last exam signals the end of their current year’s studies. On Friday 20 November students commence a two-week Preparatory Program, in which they will start studying their 2021 courses and get an insight into the expectations of each subject. The Preparatory Program will be rigorous and will conclude with assessments which give students feedback on the required standards of the course. Preparatory Program begins on the afternoon of Thursday 19 November with a briefing for all students studying VCAL and VCE courses in 2021. The first subject-based classes are held on the morning of Friday 20 November. A full Preparatory Program timetable will be published through Compass in the coming weeks. Mr Colin Shnier | Director of Studies

Monday 16 November

Tuesday 17 November



Periods 1-2 8:50am-10:30am English/EAL

9:00-12:15

VCD Accounting Health & Human Development Physics

Studio Art General Maths Maths Methods

Biology Legal General Maths Specialist Maths

Periods 3-4 11:00am-12:40pm

Private Study Private Study English / EAL: Rear Window screening in the PAC Periods 5-6

1:30pm-3:10pm Private Study

Psychology Food Studies Chinese

Media Bus Man Chemistry

Monday 16 November

Tuesday 17 November



Periods 1-2 8:50am-10:30am

Regular classes, revision

Regular classes, revision Regular classes, revision

Periods 3-4 11:00am-12:40pm



Mathematics 11:00 Enter exam room 11:10 Begin reading 11:20 Begin writing 12:40 Finish

English/EAL/Literature 10:50 Enter exam room 11:00 Begin reading 11:15 Begin writing 1:25 Finish

Periods 5-6 1:30pm-3:10pm


Regular classes, revision Regular classes, revision Welcome to VCE Prep Program

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HUMANITIES

It has been a joy and a privilege to have the students back in the classroom this term. The energy and excitement levels were palpable. Although much of the focus in events has been on the Year 12s who are nearing the end of their school journey, we have squeezed relevant activities into the lower year levels albeit remotely. For example, we were privileged to have the Vietnam War Education Team visit us remotely to share their valuable insights and perspectives as veterans, with the Year 10 students. The students were thoroughly engaged and keen to ask as many questions as possible to clarify learnings from the lessons. Some of the interesting questions asked included:

I understand that many soldiers where hated for going off to war even if they didn't have a choice. Do you think this effected the amount of support you got after the war such as therapy as less people were willing to help you? Do you think this affected your mental state at the time?

How did your family feel about you being randomly chosen to fight for Australia? Were they supportive?

In what way did your involvement in the war change the way you view upon later wars today? Were they really necessary?

How did your experience in the war change the dynamics/relationships in your family? (ptsd, outlook on authority, trust, etc.)

How did you feel about the government who forced you to go to the war? Did you want to protest? The students reflected on what they learned from the experience with many not originally understanding how negative the reception was to the returning soldiers from the war and how angry people were about the conscription process.

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HUMANITIES The Year 10 students were also asked to construct a dialogue between two mothers. One has a son in the regular Army, serving in Vietnam. The other has a son who is in the age group to be conscripted. Each mother has a different viewpoint on the issues of the war and conscription. The following was drafted by Elizabeth Tziafas. 1- "Sandra!! How are you, how's your family?" 2- "Barbra, to be completely honest, I'm not doing so well" "It's my son Jimmy, last week we heard the devastating news about the conscription for the Vietnam War" "Young Jimmy is 20 years old and the perfect age group to get conscripted" "Barbra I'm worried for him"!! 1- "Sandra, don't worry, he's gonna be okay" "My son James is in the Army and going to serve in Vietnam" 2- "Barbra???!!!" "Why would you allow your son to do that?" "Are you crazy?" 1- "Certainly not, James wants to serve in Vietnam and help Australia" " James is a brave one, but I support him all the way" " It's Australia's duty to serve and my James is going to do so" . 2- "I'm shocked" "Shocked, that you would allow your son to go" "Our family has been distraught ever since we found out the news that young Jimmy may be conscripted" 1- "Sandra, don't worry yourself, the conscription is a fair process, chosen by birthdays" "What's the worst that could happen", 2- "THE WORSE THAT COULD HAPPEN IS, MY JIMMY GETS CONSCRIPTED AND GOES TO VIETNAM!!" "I DON'T WANT MY JIMMY TO LEAVE ME, OR THE FAMILY" "Barbra, he has potential, he has a good future ahead of him" . 1- "Sandra, calm down" "Jimmy is a bright boy, and can continue with his future after he returns". "James is apart of the Army and has never been harmed". "He will be safe". "He will serve in Vietnam and make our country proud" 2- "NO you don't understand". "The conscription is an unfair process and my son will not return the same" "For Gods sakes Barbra, he might not even return" "Jimmy, my poor Jimmy will not go" "The American's started this war, then why don't they fight"!! "Why do they need my son to go and fight for them"? "They started this and they can end it" "Jimmy will not serve, nor fight" "The conscription is UNFAIR AND MUST BE ABOLISHED……. END OF CONVERSATION!!"

The Year 7s are learning about how the characteristics of places with water are valued and treated differently and were asked to examine different areas.

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HUMANITIES The Year 7 ACE students created Annotated Visual Displays creating and answering an inquiry question about water:

Leah Ried

Ben Booker

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HUMANITIES

The Year 11 Business Management students have finished their year talking about how companies treat their staff in a way that is socially responsible. They designed some quick on-the-spot protest posters for the two companies used as examples, namely Qantas and Koala Mattresses.

Ms Heidi Cornelissen | Humanities Learning Area Coordinator

Grace Ry’dell

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Following on from our last science newsletter item, the winners of the Science Week 2020 competitions have enjoyed tinkering and experimenting with their prizes at home. Ava Lillywhite was the major prize winner for the DIY Science Competition that ran throughout Science Week. Here you can see her with her prize, a salt water fuel cell car, which she enjoyed building during the lockdown at home. Well done Ava! Leah Ried earned an honourable mention prize during Science Week. Here are some photos and quotes from Leah about her experiments with her prize, a DIY slime skit. Great work, Leah!

“Making slime was a great activity to do in the holidays! I really enjoyed making it and I decided to conduct a little experiment to see what would happen to slime; a non-Newtonian fluid when placed in the freezer. When I checked on the slime in the freezer about 3 hours later, it had completely solidified and there was ice frozen on top, most likely from the condensation inside the freezer. When the frozen slime was in room temperature, it quickly melted, and the slime returned to its original consistency, just slightly more liquid.” While our students certainly made the most of the

opportunities available to them while learning from home, we are all happy to now be back in the science labs conducting science investigations and experiments! Here are some photos of our Year 7 students in Mr Cifra and Ms Robinson’s classes who have been learning all about states of matter and mixtures through their practi-cal work.

Ms Niesha Moorad | Science Learning Area Coordinator

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Term 3 leant itself to a wide range of challenges for students in our Learning Area, from internet dropping out, no coloured pencils and running out of space in the Visual Diaries. Slowly but surely, more and more positive news came through the media outlets, and low and behold, we now have all our students back at school with us on site. Our faculty is so proud of the efforts and achievements of our students over their studies during remote learning despite its range of challenges. Most importantly I want to wish our Year 12 VCE students all the very best in their upcoming exams. Our phenomenal students worked tirelessly on pracs in the kitchen, filming, animating, designing, photographing, illustrating and painting to create works that they should be so proud of, particularly during one of the hardest years in any young person’s life. Year 7 to 11 students, we look forward to working with all of you during the remainder of the semester and look forward to seeing you thrive creatively as individuals. Ms Annalisa Buyks | Arts and Technology Learning Area Coordinator

Year 10 Media During the semester the class have been looking at the various technical elements of film such as camera, acting, mise en scene, editing, lighting and sound (CAMELS). The sound unit students were asked to use sound to create a sound location. They then had to add a scenario in that location built entirely out of sound effects. This soundscape needed to consist of many sounds from the ambient sound that naturally would exist automatically in the space to the multitude of added sounds layered on top of this basic sequence of sound to create the scenario such as dialogue, music and sound effects or Foley. To reflect on this task students were asked to respond to the following question in MS Teams What did you learn in Media during the planning and creating of your soundscape? Here are some of the class’ responses

The media is amazing. It uses images and sounds to express everything we can understand. It can express the environment and emotions. Sometimes no image is needed. The sound can let us know what happened. Selina Yang I learned how to create soundscape by using Audacity but I need to learn more about how to fix each Sound’s level. William Leeuwenburg That it is enjoyable to work with soundscapes to create your own environment which can try and make the audience feel immersed. Sebastien Trucchi I learned how to use Audacity effectively to make a soundscape. Luka Perovic I learned how to effectively plan and collate sounds to make a relatively good sounding soundscape. Hunter Howard I learned how much detail can be conveyed without using visuals, and how to effectively work with Garage band. Dylan Fernando I learned that how to edit sound and how sound have a major impact on film. Silang Song I learned how to record, edit various kinds of sound effects and ambient noises into a soundscape. Tina Hung I learned how to use audacity to edit sound. Holly Bampton I learned how to lay tracks on top of each other (sound layering) to create a soundscape. Lucy Jordan I learned how to make and arrange sounds better. Mary Jin I learned to listen more carefully to the voices and sounds around me. Anthony Zhu I learned that the balance of the sound level of each soundtrack that makes up the soundscape really makes a difference when building sound in a space. Tony Xu

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Art and Optimism – Reflecting on creativity in Years 7 to 10 Over the past month, students have returned to the art room, with some experiencing their first classes in this expansive space. Since returning, I have been amazed to see innovation as students pursue individual interests in experimental ways and make the most of the array of art materials available. Year 7 students have explored watercolours, oil pastels and markers through trial and error of experimental techniques and Year 8 students have continued to explore what it means to be a ‘Master Artist’. Year 9 students have explored ways to add depth

and dimension to artworks through an intensive focus on the Element of Form and Year 10s have moved systematically through the Studio Arts Process to explore, develop, refine and resolve complex artworks inspired by Phenomena of their choosing. Of our CHOIR values, Optimism has been particularly evident in the Art Room. I have been thrilled to hear students expressing gratitude and enthusiasm towards the subject and creativity in general. In what has been a challenging and surprising year, we have all needed to be creative in one way or another when solving problems or in order to overcome iso-boredom. Being creative, in any way, can change the way we see the world. It can make us celebrate ordinary things by turning them into an observation drawing. Creativity encourages looking – really looking – at the world for inspiration from all angles which fosters appreciation and awareness of the things that we value and are thankful for. The following comments are from students whom have reflected positively on their experience of art throughout Semester 2:

“Art is one of my favorite subjects because we have lots of freedom and we can be creative. Art helps me feel positive and calm. I love being creative and art is really nice because we have a nice space to do that. Art helps break up my day from all the more structured and stressful classes. Art is definitely something that cheers me up when I feel down and that is why I enjoy it. Maddy Rado - 7Z “Art makes me happy because it lets me be creative and just make whatever I want, and even if I don't like the drawing, I am still in a nice place, doing stuff with others.” Torbjorn Christensen - 8Z “Art is a way for me to release my emotions on to a page which helps me clear my mind and be creative.” Dan Rainsford - 8Z “I really enjoy Art because it’s like freedom for my mind and I can create anything that I can think of.” Cooper Stephens - 7A For myself, being creative is closely linked with increased Optimism. Creating art, especially in the evening, helps me to feel calm and encourages me to reflect positively on my day. Sometimes, I create artworks that don't work out how I planned. By being optimistic, I see all artworks as part of the creative learning curve and can reflect on my progress over time. I am incredibly grateful to be part of the Arts and Technology community and thankful to be able to teach my passion and learn from the creative ideas and experimentation of our students. As we move into the second half of Term 4, keep up that innovation and optimism and whether or not you are currently enrolled in Art, feel free to say hello in the Art Room! Other friendly faces you will likely see in here are: Ms Buyks, Mr Yin and Mr Ripper. Stay inspired.

Ms Jessica Lindholm | Visual Communication/Arts/Design Teacher

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Year 10 Design and Technology At the end of last Term, the Year 10 Design and Technology students submitted folios and CAD (Computer Aided Design) models after a Term exploring CAD modelling and 3D Printing. Students learnt about how they could translate a 2D sketch, such as a 3

rd Angle Orthogonal Drawing, into a 3D virtual model on TinkerCAD. It

challenged students’ ability to think in 3D and apply their spatial reasoning. There were many incredible models submitted and below are just a sample of the outstanding work. Well done class! Mr Rosario Ripper | Maths/Visual Arts/Computing Teacher

Mug by William Leeuwenburg Backpack by Amber Dong Robot by Daniel Butler

The King Eternal Monarch inspired sword by Adrian Tan

Get ready, the Dobsons annual Buy Early & Save Sale is about to begin! Save on selected uniform items when you shop with Dobsons from 1 September till 21 November 2020. Beat the back to school rush and save on a range of selected items, including:

Blazers

Pullovers

Summer Dresses

Summer Shirts

Bags

Sportswear With a pain free returns policy, now is the time to plan ahead. Whether your child finds a few extra centimetres over the holiday break or not as many as you’d thought, Dobsons has you covered with a quick and simple returns policy*. Once Dobsons stores re-open they would love to welcome you in store but until then they look forward to servicing your uniform needs online. To shop the sale online go to dobsons.com.au *Terms & Conditions apply. Sale available online and in store once store services resume.


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INTERSCHOOL SPORT

Year 9 student Hugh Barter has shared some wonderful sporting news with his teachers at Ashwood High School recently. Hugh was selected to participate in the Richard Mille Young Talent Academy as only 1 of 10 kids in the world. This is the first step in Hugh achieving his dream of becoming a Formula 1 racer. The Richard Mille shootout was held in France in mid-October, with Hugh and his parents (Chris and Natsuki) travelling with him. There was a lot on the line, with Hugh having a chance to receive a scholarship to attend the French F4 championship in 2021. Hugh battled brilliantly against other talented drivers and I am very pleased to say that Hugh was fortunate enough to be selected as the winner of this talent detection program and has got a ticket to the French F4 championship 2021. Hugh is pictured above with his winning ticket. Congratulations Hugh from all of us here at Ashwood High School. We look forward to welcoming you and your family back to Melbourne (after your 14 days of quarantine of course) in mid November or early December.

Mr Tom Grbac | Sports Coordinator

STUDENT ABSENCE

Compass is now open to parents/guardians to oversee absences, late arrivals or early dismissals for families. If your child is going to be absent you may log in and record an absence or approve an absence or lateness that has already occurred.


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HEALTH / PE

During the final weeks of Term 3, Ashwood High School students had the opportunity to participate in our STEPtember challenge. Students were encouraged to log their steps each day. We had some incredible achievements throughout this challenge and a huge congratulations to Leah Ried who took out the Individual Ashwood High School Champion honour with a total of 200,188 steps, earning 17 House points for Melba. The House winner was MELBA! Congratulations on achieving 891,311 steps and 62 House points. As we are welcoming back Years 8, 9, and 10 back to school, it is important to remind students of the following protocols that need to be followed in HPE classes for the remainder of this term:

Students are able to wear their full PE uniform on their PE Practical and Sport days

Please ensure you are entering and exiting the Gym through the correct doors

Please use the hand sanitizer provided as you enter and exit the Gym

All equipment will be sanitised after use. To facilitate social distancing a variety of sports have been chosen this term. Our Year 7 and 9 students will be undertaking a SEPEP unit on Downball and Spikeball respectively. Such a unit allows for a student centered approach to PE, with a focus on participation and engagement. There are opportunities for students to develop leadership skills through taking on different roles. Our Year 8 students are currently designing their own game to teach in class, whilst the Year 10 students are focusing on invasion games. It is still important for students to bring a note to their HPE teacher should they not be able to participate in class, outlining the reasons for this. Look out for the next Newsletter for all the photos from this term Ms Allison Phillips | Health/PE Learning Area Coordinator


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INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

We said our farewells to much loved members of the Instrumental Music Department’s Year 12 cohort today. Sarah Lobbe (Voice), Rory Bacic (Voice), Sean Mann (Electric Bass/Sound & Lights Tech) and Amy Peters (Flute). Thank you, on behalf of staff and students past and present, for your extraordinary contribution to the Ashwood High School music family over the past 6 years. We look forward to you joining us as music student mentors and alumni for future events!

...and we’re back! At the time of writing, strings, percussion/drum kit, electric bass and guitar students have resumed on-site lessons in all their glory. However, due to Department of Education and Training (DET) restrictions our brass, woodwind players and vocalists have been unable to play or sing on-site at school. This has made our current situation slightly more challenging and I thank the respective Instrumental Music staff most gratefully for their flexibility, extra effort and extensive planning to ensure their students don’t miss out on their lessons, albeit in a format that complies with the rules; essentially, no singing or playing at school until further notice.

Instrumental Music Soiree’s are running through Weeks 6-8 this Term. These are being run by Instrumental Music staff and their individual students via Webex. Students are pre-recording their item factoring in creating a performance space and backdrop, or ‘setting a stage’, in their homes. Please keep an eye on Compass for your dates and times to be confirmed. Thank you, Instrumental Music students and staff, for your incredible effort, achievement, resilience and

support of our Music Department and one another during the remote learning period.

Ms Wendy Anderson | Director of Music

From’ The Sound of Music’, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, music by Richard Rodgers


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ACCELERATED CURRICULUM AND ENRICHMENT PROGRAM (ACE)

We are very proud of the fourteen Ashwood High School students who were selected by the Department of Education and Training to participate in the Victorian High-Ability Program offered by Virtual School Victoria. Congratulations to Year 7: Benjamin Booker, Hayley Brinkworth, Jack Davenport, Amelia Davies, Daisy Harvison, Cleo Huru, Ethan Mole, Leah Ried, Olivia Schwatschko, Mitchell Shaw, Peter Shi and Year 8: Torbjorn Christensen, Jian Qi Foong, Isabel Vulis on their selection.

Following the return to Face-to-Face Teaching and Learning for all year levels, the decision has been made to cancel the Integrated Inquiry Projects for 2020 in order to allow our ACE students more time to consoli-date their learning now that all students have returned to school. Likewise, the decision has been made not to proceed with ICAS testing in Term 4 in order to support student wellbeing. Meanwhile, planning has commenced in preparation for CelebrACEtion 2020. It is anticipated that, in keeping with the protocols already in place to support student and staff safety, this event will now be held online. More details to come in the next Newsletter. This issue will continue the segment ‘Spotlight On’ which takes a closer look inside the classrooms of our ACE Program. This month, we welcome ACE French teacher, Mr Alistair Rayner.

Ms Caroline Servadei | ACE Leader Spotlight on Year 7ACE French This year in French we have worked through the units in our textbook and discovered so many new and exciting things like grammar, pronunciation and how to construct French writing. At the beginning of this Term we started learning our family words and possessive adjectives. Monsieur Rayner gave us a project to create a family tree and we had fun discovering new things about our own family and our friends families as well as learning and practicing our new French words. Our project was made up of three parts. The first part was planning, designing and creating a family tree where we had to display the family members name, age and relation to us in French. In the second part of our assignment we used the verbs and possessive adjectives we have learnt to describe a few of our family members and the third part was interviewing our friends to learn about their family members. We really enjoyed spending time on this project and we learned many new things like how to describe family members, and how to ask people about their family. Overall this unit taught us a lot of new and interesting things and was enjoyed by all of us.

Maddy Rado and Olivia Schwatschko 7Z

Top row left to right: Benjamin Booker, Hayley Brinkworth, Jack Davenport, Amelia Davies, Daisy Harvison, Cleo Huru, Ethan Mole

Bottom row left to right: Leah Ried, Olivia Schwatschko, Mitchell Shaw, Torbjorn Christensen, Jian Qi Foong, Isabel Vulis


CAREERS NEWS

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My Career Portfolio As part of the Department’s Program Transforming Career Education, students across all year levels are completing the My Career Portfolio Program. The Program is: an online platform for government school students in Years 7 to 12 to develop and store their Career Action Plan (CAP), and other files related to their course and career planning throughout their secondary schooling. My Career Portfolio can also be used by students to store folios or compilations of school work from other learning areas, including while flexible and remote learning is in place. With the main component of the Program being the annual completion of a CAP, I would like to thank all students from Years 9 to 12 who embraced the process and completed their CAP. For those in Years 9 to 12 who have not completed their CAP you are still welcome to do so. You will find the student user guide here – remember to click ‘Share with your Teacher’ it will come through to me for feedback. Or I am happy for you to make contact with me via email at [email protected] to set up a time to go through the CAP process. Year 7 & 8 students are scheduled to complete their first My Career Portfolio and CAP session on Tuesday 24 November 2020 during STAR. Not only will the students be introduced to this wonderful Program they will also be provided with a Year 9 mentor. From what I have seen of the older year levels CAPs I know they are going to be great! Senior Career Sessions To finish up Exam Week, on Friday 20 November 2020 the Year 10 and 11 students will participate in separate career sessions.

Year 10 will be introduced to the Job Outlook website and further exploration of the My Career Portfolio resources.

Year 11 will also be introduced to Job Outlook and the VTAC Year 11 Guide webpage, with a focus on how the two webpages support each other. We will also look at CourseSearch, Prerequisite and Course Explorer, VTAC Guide to Researching Tertiary Education and the ATAR.

Jodie Hechenberger | Careers and Pathways Coordinator

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/transforming-career.aspx

https://fuse.education.vic.gov.au/ResourcePackage/LandingPage?ObjectId=3a11e880-4edb-4130-978a-20fc876576a3&SearchScope=All

mailto:[email protected]?subject=Year%209%20to%2012%20Career%20Action%20Plan

https://joboutlook.gov.au

https://www.vtac.edu.au/y11guide.html#introduction

https://delta.vtac.edu.au/CourseSearch/searchguide.htm

https://delta.vtac.edu.au/CourseSearch/prerequisiteplanner.htm




https://www.vtac.edu.au/files/pdf/publications/VTAC-Guide-Researching-Tertiary-Education-2020.pdf




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[email protected] 0423 952 668 (Merran)

JOINING THE PFN MAILING LIST

If you would like to be kept up to date with the PFN, please send an email to

[email protected] We send out the minutes from each meeting

via our mailing list, so it’s a good way to learn what we are working on, even if

you can’t attend the meetings!

WHATS APP

PARENT GROUPS Sometimes you have a question that

only another parent can answer!

There are currently three WhatsApp

parent groups for Years 7-9 and you

can join them via these links:

UPCOMING

MEETING

via Zoom

6:30pm - 8pm

Wednesday

11 November

With Caroline Servedei,

Enrichment , Pedagogy, Partnerships and Professional

Learning Leader

This will be the final PFN meet-ing for the year and as always,

everyone is welcome!

Year 7

https://chat.whatsapp.com/

C0SoyYXbpLgFs95uPuIDFi

Year 8


BXO4iXu7A0R3sezmDelJcG

Year 9


LJGdqvlZ6CsHZmJX5eBkvV

If you have a skill, service or business that you think could help

the PFN, we would love to hear from you! Please email us at:

[email protected]

SECOND HAND BOOKS AND UNIFORMS

Last year we held the very first second hand sale at Ashwood in collaboration with the SRC. It was a runaway success and we were planning to hold it as an annual event. Unfortunately 2020 had other plans! To be as COVID safe as possible and comply with department guidelines, the place to buy and sell preloved books and uniforms this year will be on our second hand Facebook group.

www.facebook.com/groups/AshwoodHighSchoolUniformBooksBuySwapSell/ Once we receive the 2021 booklists we will upload an Excel spreadsheet to the Facebook group to help you easily check which books to buy and sell. We have already seen a lot of posts of uniform items for sale over the last few weeks which is fantastic. No doubt more items will be added in the coming months, especially once the booklists for next year are finalised. If you are new to Facebook groups, we have created a step by step guide to joining, buying and selling in the group. If you would like a copy or if you have any questions at all, please email us at [email protected]

TELL US YOUR THOUGHTS

We have created a survey to get your input into how we

can improve as well as gain an understanding of the types

of events you would like to see at Ashwood High School

when we get back to COVID normal. It’s also your chance

to share with us what you would like to see improved at

Ashwood High School.

Please help us make the PFN as relevant as possible to

you and your family by completing the 5 minute survey.

All responses are anonymous!

https://us20.list-manage.com/survey?

u=a4279657e0678fa6d90761ddd&id=0eb3b6ccb5

https://chat.whatsapp.com/C0SoyYXbpLgFs95uPuIDFi

https://chat.whatsapp.com/C0SoyYXbpLgFs95uPuIDFi

https://chat.whatsapp.com/BXO4iXu7A0R3sezmDelJcG

https://chat.whatsapp.com/LJGdqvlZ6CsHZmJX5eBkvV

http://www.facebook.com/groups/AshwoodHighSchoolUniformBooksBuySwapSell/

https://us20.list-manage.com/survey?u=a4279657e0678fa6d90761ddd&id=0eb3b6ccb5

https://us20.list-manage.com/survey?u=a4279657e0678fa6d90761ddd&id=0eb3b6ccb5


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DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS’S REPORT Finance Parent payments are an essential part of the school’s funding. Ashwood High School values the high level of support it receives from parents and families. Your financial support allows us to offer our students extra resources and high quality programs, beyond our basic curriculum funding provided by the Department of Education. During remote learning the purchase of resources for classes was of high priority. The School Council upgraded the CCTV to enhance security of the grounds and school buildings. The Physical Education department have received funding to purchase $15,000 of new equipment and received a further $5,000 from the Parents and Friends Network. Camps and excursions - Where families made payments to events that did not go ahead, these payments will be held as a credit on your account or you may request a refund through Reception, please telephone 9807 1333. There will be credits for some classes such as food, as not all cooking classes were possible. Compass Absences – Just a reminder that Compass is open to parents/guardians to oversee absences, late arrivals or early dismissals for families. If your child is going to be absent you may log in and record an absence or approve an absence or lateness that has already occurred. Resources News

A further purchase of lockers has been completed

New furniture for Building C has been ordered

Drainage issues around the school have been attended to

Regular maintenance around the school has continued throughout the year.

The IT Department is currently looking at upgrading some of the hardware to support the school’s growing population.

Traffic and Safety With the return to on-site teaching, I would like to remind you that the Monash City Council will return to patrol the very busy Vannam Drive during drop off and pick up areas. In the past there have been fines issued by the local authorities as families are stopping and letting their children out of the car in restricted areas. The safest area for student drop off and pick up is at the Farmer Street entrance. The speed hump at the High Street Road end of Vannam Drive is not a school crossing. All students are to use the supervised School Crossing. The Administration Car Park is for visitors only and not for student drop off or pick up. Ms Debbie Whitehouse | Director of Business

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