ssue 11— 26th april 2013 - blackburn high school ... · tim dalton & jane richards. assistant...

Issue 11— 26th April 2013 From the

Assistant Principals

Issue 11 26 April 2013

Inside this issue Page

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From the Assistant Principals

School News

Dunlop House News

Melba House News

Teaching & Learning

Sports Update

English News

Art News

Music News

Open Night Info

School Calendar

Lachlan

Hugo Madeline

Coleman-Bock

School Captains

Please remember to advise the relevant House Assistant by

9:30am if your child will be absent from school

Melba—8804 6407 Freeman—8804 6408

Hollows—8804 6409 Dunlop—8804 6410

Music Dept: (Direct) 8804 6411

Term Dates in 2013: 1. 31/01—28/03 2. 15/04—28/06 3. 15/07—20/09 4. 07/10—20/12

Next School Council

Meeting - Wednesday 22nd May 2013

Blackburn High School 60 Springfield Road, Blackburn Vic 3130 Website: www.blackburnhs.vic.edu.au

Telephone: +613 8804 6464 Facsimile: +613 8804 6499 Email: [email protected]

Tim Dalton & Jane Richards


Once again it has been a busy week at Blackburn High School.

ANZAC Services

It was a privilege for us to attend

the local ANZAC Services this

week. Our senior leadership stu-

dents were fine representatives of

the school at the Blackburn RSL

ANZAC Service last Sunday. Hepi

Tuiono did a wonderful job of per-

forming the Australian National

Anthem and the New Zealand Na-

tional Anthem which she sang in

both English and Maori. Lachlan

Hugo, one of our School Captains

also took part in the service by

reading the “Ode” at the ceremo-

ny at the Blackburn RSL

Clubrooms. Madeline Coleman-

Bock, our other School Captain,

laid a wreath on behalf of the school, Hayley Short (Melba House Captain) and

Jessica Truong (Freeman House Captain) also took part in the ceremony by

marching as part of the school group and carrying the official wreaths.

We also had a group of students attend the Whitehorse Schools’ ANZAC Service at

Box Hill on Tuesday.

One of our school val-

ues is stewardship and

it is important that we

acknowledge those who

have gone before us.

ANZAC Day marks the

anniversary of the first

major military action

fought by Australian

and New Zealand forces

during the First World

War.


School News Tim Dalton & Jane Richards


Whole School Assembly We also held a whole school assembly to

commemorate ANZAC Day today. Hepi

again did a fine job of performing the na-

tional anthems and Matt De Maria, one of

our Music Captains, played the Last Post

and the Reveille. All of our leadership stu-

dents once again did a great job of running

the assembly.

Global Learning – Bushfire Recovery Our Year 9 Global Learning students contin-

ued the tradition of working to assist those

who were affected by the Black Saturday

bushfires in 2009. On Tuesday students

worked at Kinglake to assist with the

maintenance of a memorial garden dedicat-

ed to those affected by the fires.

Open Night

As indicated in previous editions of the newsletter, we have our Open Night on Wednesday 1st May from

6.00-8.00pm. Parents are more than welcome to visit and see the displays. Students assisting on the

evening should be in immaculate school uniform.

Mount Gambier

Our Stage Bands have had a successful rehearsal weekend and Jazz Night on Monday. We

wish them all the best for their performances at Mount Gambier. They leave school early on

Friday 3rd May and return late on Sunday 5th May. This is a national competition and it is a

great event for our students and is supported by a number of high profile musicians includ-

ing James Morrison and former Blackburn High School student Ross Irwin.

Year 12 Formal

As the bans have been lifted, we are delighted to announce that the Year 12 Formal will go

ahead on Wednesday, 19th June 2013. It is a highlight of the social calendar. Students

were given notices in an assembly on Tuesday. We ask that payment and the permission

notices are returned by the due date to ensure that your child is able to attend.

We welcome Sandra back from her trip to support the International Student Program and look forward

to her report in next week’s newsletter.

Jane Richards & Tim Dalton



School News Tim Dalton

Assistant Principal

Notice to all Parents and Students

I would like to remind the School Community about the usage of digital devices supplied by the school.

In supplying students with these devices parents have been asked to sign an agreement about their us-

age and pay a $100 deposit.

We have two main issues we would like to address:-

1. Internet Access on a School owned device

The interest earned from the deposit paid has been used to develop/employ an Internet Monitoring Sys-

tem to restrict what students’ access on a School machine away from the school. The School’s Internet

access meets strict DEECD protocols including denying access to social media when students are at

school. However, away from the school without this system where access to the internet is available

through free Wifi sites and at home unless restricted, means open access to the Internet.

As promised we have put in place a system to restrict access to the internet by routing all school devices

through the School’s servers. This has been recently turned off because of two main issues, these are:-

When accessing the internet when away from school the request has to travel into school and be

routed through our filters before access is allowed and our band width is not coping. The system

has become extremely slow and at times fails during the out of school period.

Also for many students who wish to access appropriate blocked sites (social media) during their

own time the device has become redundant at home and they have to have their own machine.

The advent and huge uptake of iPhones and iPads means that a vast number of students can ac-

cess the internet and social media through their personal devices.

We believe that blocking access away from school will not work as students can overcome these

issues with their personal devices. Supervision, constant reminding and educating with regards to

appropriate use is far more effective

The ICT Team is proposing to allow all school devices to access WiFi and home services without going

through the School’s servers. If parents would like the filters to be switched back on they can apply indi-

vidually to have this done. This would mean that families who wish to have access to all areas of the in-

ternet including social media can do so.

2. Damage and breakdown of school owned devices

As stated in the Agreement you have been asked to sign when accessing a school owned device it must

be returned to the school in working order when your child leaves the school. Your $100 deposit will be

returned to you. Where it has been shown that a school device has been subjected to damage we will be

asking parents to pay the “make good” cost for that device. If the repair bill is over $100 we will be ask-

ing parents to pay the difference which could be replacement cost (an additional $350 approximately.)

If the damage is due to blatant neglect it may result in the student being denied access to another de-

vice.

When damage/loss is deemed to be accidental or even careless the following will apply:-

If the device is stolen or un-repairable the full $100 deposit is forfeited. In this case if a student

would like a replacement machine then a new $100 deposit will be required and a new agreement

signed.

If the device is repairable and deemed appropriate based on the age and condition of the device

the maximum parents would be liable for is up to $100 (their deposit). This amount would be de-

ducted from their deposit.

For example, we have a number of machines (40) that have so far required a replacement screen. We

are very fortunate that one of our Technicians is able to do this work, normally they would be sent back

to the manufacturer doubling the cost. This work can be done by us for $90 meaning that a parent

would receive a $10 refund upon returning the device.

A letter will be sent to all families where non-warranty repairs have been carried out on the device their

student’s are responsible for indicating cost and description of the repair.


School News

Early Dismissal on Wednesday, 1st May 2013

Students will be dismissed at 1:05pm on Wednesday, 1st May so

that staff and selected students can prepare for the Open Night.

Year 9 Camp

With the AEU bans now lifted the Year 9 Camp to the Gold Coast will proceed as planned. A reminder that a $250 deposit and a note from a parent/guardian giving an expression

of interest for the camp is due by Friday April 26th to confirm a place on the camp.

The Year 9 Gold Coast Tour will be a 5-day tour departing at approximately 9am Monday the 9th of December and returning at approximately midnight on Friday the 13th of December.

The cost of total cost of the tour will be $720.

Students who attend the School for Student Leadership in term 4 will have finished their course before the camp begins.

Ron Hansen

Camp Coordinator

YEAR 12 FORMAL The Year 12 Formal will now be held on Wednesday, 19 June 2013 at ‘The Pavilion

Function Centre’, corner of Whitehorse Road and Middleborough Road, Box Hill 3128.

This event involves Year 12 students and partners, and of course teachers.

The cost is $80.00 per person and can be paid in two instalments of $40 if required.

First payment by the 12th May

Second payment by 8th June

Permission slips have been distributed to the students. Please fill in the permission form(s) and return with money to the main office by the due date.

If your child is bringing a partner, the partner form needs to be filled out as well.

Bronwyn Roach

Senior Years Social Coordinator


School News


DUNLOP HOUSE NEWS Claire Greve

Dunlop House Leader

House Assistant:

Liga Darzins

8804 6410

Welcome Back! We hope you all had a fun and productive holi-

days and are enjoying the new term! First, allow us to introduce ourselves. We are the Dunlop House Newsletter Team, Gemma

McKay (D7) and Rhiannon Jackson (D8). We will be writing for and about Dunlop House once a fortnight, and will be featuring guest writers throughout the year.

As you all know, Dunlop House took part in the School Athletics last term.

Although we finished in fourth place, the atmosphere and House spirit was fabulous! There were some wonderful costumes, and even those people who didn’t compete in events turned up to support their house!

This year for ANZAC Day Dunlop House are remembering

the suffering inflicted upon almost 10,000 Australian

Prisoners of War during the construction of the Burma-

Thailand Railway.

The Japanese started the construction of the railway in

October 1942. Their workforce consisted of 60,000 Allied

prisoners of war and 200,000 Asian civilian workers.

The conditions faced by all of the workers were terrible;

they had only meagre food rations, and had to tolerate

disease, as well as cruel treatment by the Japanese and

Korean guards. Prisoners were forced to work even when

sick or injured. Many died from sheer exhaustion.

The death-toll on the railway was high. 2,800 Australians

died, part of the total 11,000 Allied soldiers along with

the estimated 75,000 Asian civilian workers who all lost

their lives.

As part of this year’s ANZAC Day commemorations, the

Dunlop House Leadership Team have been selling ANZAC

day badges to raise money for this worthy cause in the

lead-up to Thursday, 25th April.

Gemma McKay Rhiannon Jackson


MELBA HOUSE NEWS Martin Baxter

Melba House

House Assistant:

Wendy Atkinson

8804 6407

Student Leadership I would like to congratulate all the Year 7 Students that applied for the

two Year 7 positions on our House Student Leadership Group. We were

faced with a very difficult choice due to the number of quality applicants who had

clearly put a great deal of thought into why they wanted to be part of the leader-

ship group and what they were hoping to achieve. After a detailed selection pro-

cess we are pleased to announce that Noah Barr and Tara Webb have been ap-

pointed to the Melba Student Leadership Group. Well done everyone.

House Athletics

We all had a wonderful day at the Athletics Carnival on the last Thursday of Term

I. It was a great way to end the Term with the students and teachers (as seen be-

low) ‘decked out’ in an amazing array of House colours and costumes. Our plan-

ning and preparation paid off with the highest level of participation in the various

events so far. The Student Leadership Group worked tirelessly to ensure we had

maximum representation in each event. In the final analysis, we fell just short of

the juggernaut that is Hollows but everyone should be extremely pleased and

proud of their efforts.

Well Done Melba!

Student Success At the recent Night of the Notables, Neve Anderson-Vague was voted

best display. From the attached photo we can see why.

Not only did Neve complete a thorough investigation into the life of

Audrey Hepburn but also managed to capture her look and spirit

with this very stylish ensemble.

Ronan Nicholson has been selected to play in the 2013

Victorian State Schools Spectacular Orchestra. There

will be 2 performances at Hisense Arena on Saturday

July 27 followed by a 90-minute broadcast of the show on Channel

7. In addition, Ronan has also been selected to take part in the Vic-

torian State Schools Spectacular Jazz Ensemble. They will be per-

forming at the MCG on April 23.


Arlene Roberts Curriculum Innovations Leader Teaching & Learning

NAPLAN TESTING: INFORMATION FOR PARENTS OF YEAR 7 AND 9 STUDENTS

Our Year 7 and 9 students will undertake the NAPLAN tests on the following days:

Tuesday 14th May – Language Conventions/ Writing task (Periods 1 and 2) Wednesday 15h May – Reading (Period 1)

Thursday 16h May – Numeracy calculator/Numeracy non calculator (Periods 1 and 2)

Mobile phones and rulers must not be brought to class during NAPLAN tests.

All Year 7 students will sit the test in Hollows house. All Year 9 students will sit the test in Melba house.

All students must bring the following to all tests: 2B or HB pencil, blue or black pens, pencil

sharpener, eraser. On Thursday, students need to bring a calculator for the Period 1 test only. Students may write in pen or pencil this year.

Students are also asked to bring a book to class for silent reading after the test.

After the NAPLAN tests, the normal school program will resume for all Year 7 and 9 students on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Later in the year, parents will receive their child’s personal NAPLAN report. The report will de-scribe your child’s particular skills in reading, writing, language conventions and numeracy. The

report will also show how your child performed in relation to national minimum standards. The-se describe the minimum acceptable standards for students across Australia.

If you have any queries, about the withdrawals and exemptions please contact Tim Dalton, Assistant Principal, at the school.

Arlene Roberts

Teaching and Learning/Curriculum Innovations Leader


Sports Update Nadine Roche

Sports Coordinator


English News Youla Pantazopoulos

English Coordinator

Literature Circles Program The time has come around again for the students in Years 7 – 9 to participate in the

Literature Circles program at Blackburn High School. The program run in English clas-ses aims to get students to read a book of their own choosing and work in groups to

report on and recommend books to other readers. Last year was deemed the National Year of Reading, and many of our students read from the lists and enjoyed the novels.

In their English classes they made book trailers which were fantastic and showed how thoroughly they were engaged with the novels! This year we have collaborated with the

bookseller to get a new selection of reading material along with a few old favorites for your child’s reading pleasure. The novels are chosen to suit most abilities and interests.

The program has been running at the school for a number of years and for the last

couple of years, The Little Bookroom has been supplying the students with their book

choices. Last year’s students were very happy with the variety of genres and titles and this year the HAP students in Years 8 and 9 have been invited to join their friends in

the program.

2013 Book Fair

This year the Book Fair has been organized for Tuesday 30th April, 2013. The stu-dents will be given the opportunity to view the choices in their English classes and then

have some thinking time before they buy.

The following booklists are supplied for your perusal. Also, if you log onto the Little Bookroom website below, you will be able to see interviews with the writers, reviews of

the novels, blurbs and other interesting FAQ’S. For the students to access online check out www.littlebookroom.com.au/BlackburnHigh

Students received their order forms in their English classes this week. Extra copies of

these order forms will also be available from the General Office and through the school

newsletter up until the day.

Students last year who came to buy walked away with a couple of books!

Happy reading to all!

https://www.edumail.vic.gov.au/owa/redir.aspx?C=luB4ZNp0QkO0znU2pPzq3nOPXlCq_c8IJeQZM38zrYA_TWv3dKMmkmHrQINaXA_1zI-XtEDDsUE.&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.littlebookroom.com.au%2fBlackburnHigh


English Coordinator



Art News Ms Marina Crescia

Art Teacher


News

Music News Stephen Hardie

Director of Music

Jazz in 601

Senior & Intermediate Stage Bands Perform

Contact

Details

Music Department

8804 6411* *Direct line

Stephen Hardie

8804 6464 (extn 6526)

Fax: 9894 2751

School Calendar— April / May / June 2013

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

29 30 Literature Circles Book Fair 9am-1pm

01 Early dismissal

at 1:05pm

Open

Night 6 - 8pm

02 03

04 05

06 Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Education Program

07 08

Student

Free DAY

09 Interschool Sport—Cross Country

10 Top Designs Excursion

11 12

13 14 15 16 17

Free Dress Day

18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31 01 02


Generations in Jazz

NAPLAN Testing

ssue 11— 26th april 2013 - blackburn high school ... · tim dalton & jane richards. assistant...

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