Kyre AveKINGSWOOD SAP 8272 8233F 8373 3013www.mitchamgirlshs.sa.edu.audl.0903.info@schools.sa.edu.au

No. 8, Friday 5 December, Term 4

Presentation Night

Formal

What, When and Why No , Term 2014

Award Winners 2014Subject Excelllence Awards

Biology Sanduni Jayawardena Business & Enterprise Sarah HylandChemistry Sai Lekshmi ChandramohanClassical Studies Elise KemperDance AliceFittockDrama Edie PolkinghorneEnglish as a Second Language Kelliena KamaraEnglish as a Second Language Studies Tooba AhmadEnglishCommunications EliseKemperEnglish Studies Sai Lekshmi ChandramohanFood and Hospitality Chelsea SmerdonFrench Edia PolkinghorneHealth Natalia SciezkaInformationProcessingandPublishing MaddiLeanMathematicalApplications EliseKemperMathematicsStudies SaiLekshmiChandramohanMathematicalMethods NinaAsh-ClarkeMusic HannaWoodlockPhotography PaigeMahlburgPhysicalEducation TJWalkdenPhysics Sai Lekshmi ChandramohanPsychology Nikki GalleyResearch Project 1 Lauren FreerResearch Project 2 Ramsha AkhtarResearch Project 3 Alina AhmadVisualArtStudiesART PaigeMahlburgVisual Art Studies DESIGN Chelsea SmerdonVocationalEducationandTraining-SubjectAward CobyBakerVocationalEducationandTraining-NetworksAward ChantelleJenkinsWomen’s Studies Alexandra Steiner

Major Award RecipientsLongTan-Year10 TarmiaKlassLongTan-Year12 AbbeyHollandZontaScholarship-Stage1(2015) JessicaPowersZontaScholarship-Stage2(2015) AliraMcKenzie-WilliamsSoroptimistInternationalEasternDistrictsCommunityServiceAward ZoeCharmanDantalis Award Chelsea HayesHughes and Loveday Sports Award TJ WalkdenOld Scholars’ History and Classical Studies Award Chelsea SmerdonRotary Performing Arts Award Ainsley EwartRotary Community Studies Award Kiera BishopMitchamInter-ChurchCouncilCommitmenttoStudyAward AlannaBradley-DaviessLeadingAmbassadorAward NinaAsh-ClarkeElliottCitizenshipAward CaitlinParkerCaltexMedal BiancaDaveyMillhouseAward(DUX) SaiLekshmiChandramohan

Contribution to the SRC NinaAsh-Clarke Abbey Holland Tooba Ahmad DanielleCheffirs Caitlin Parker

Year Level PrizesYear8BankSAPrize JessicaRokkasYear9CampionEducationPrize HibraShujaatYear10CityofMitcham/MargaretWardPrize DaisyBarlow

Year11KWStationeryWholesalersPrize NicolaSulley-Beales

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What, When and Why No , Term 2014

Celebrating Achievement

OurannualCelebratingAchievementAssemblyonMonday17Novembersawover300studentsrecognisedforoutstandingachievementsacrossawiderangeofschoolactivities.

TheChoirandConcertBandperformedandreceivedcertificatesfortheirservicetoPerformingArts.History,DebatingandScienceprizeswereannouncedwithMGHSstudentsachievingexcellentresults.

GlobalCitizenSarahSammutwasrecognisedforhersupportofexchangestudentsandthenewHouseCaptainsfor2015wereintroducedtotheschoolcommunity.OursuccessfuleChallengeteamwashighlightedfortheirrecentstatelevelfirstprize.

OurcontinuedandenthusiasticinvolvementintheWorldVision40HourFaminewasrecognisedandaThankYouplaquepresentedtotheschool.

Arecord62AmbassadorBadges-Bronze,SilverandGoldweregiventostudentswhohavecontributedtotheirschool.AnewlevelofGoldPluswasaddedthisyearandrecipientswereEmmaCrook,NicolaSulley-BealesandNinaAsh-Clarke.Atotalof113studentswhoparticipatedinthePremier’sReadingChallengewere also acknowledged.

ThelastawardsweretheYearLevelInvolvementandAcademicExcellenceAwards.FromthesestudentstheoverallYearLevelwinnerwasselectedandannouncedatPresentationNight(seepage2).

Award RecipientsYear8AcademicExcellence AylaRodriguez,JennaKilgallon,JessicaBell,ClaraSchwerak, Arisha SilverlakeYear8Involvement AlinaJansons,JessicaRokkas,AyeishaWallace,CeciliaRonson

Year9AcademicExcellence MarisaSerem,HibraShujaat,LucyHeyndyk,MeganWittwerYear9Involvement IsabelLean,IndianaPiggin,MeganWittwer,HibraShujaat

Year10AcademicExcellence LilyAtkinson,AshleyNixon-Dores,NaomiSteiner,JudyAuYear10Involvement DaisyBarlow,TarmiaKlass,AmySkingsley,StephanieLesmo

SACEStage1AcademicExcellence HayleyWray,NicolaSulley-Beales,EmmaCrook,AlinaAhmadSACEStage1Involvement ZoeCharman,EmmaCrook,NicolaSulley-Beales,HannaWoodlock

Congratulationstoallthewinnersandstudentswhohavesuccessfullyinvolvedthemselvesinthewiderschoolcommunityandthankyoutothemanyparentswhoattended.

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What, When and Why No , Term 2014

ICT for Learning in 2015

ItispleasingtoseethatsalesofourSchoolRecommendedDevices(SRDs)havebeensteadyandarecontinuing.Thedatefororderstobeplacedtoallowdeliveryatthebeginningoftheschoolyearwasoriginallyadvertisedas15December.LearningwithTechnologieswillendeavourtohavedevicesdeliveredbeforeschoolbegins,evenifordersareplacedafter15December.

TheSRDsareAcerdevices,designedandbuiltespeciallyfortheeducationalsector.Thismeansthatall of the devices will be robust enough to cope with the journey between school and home and will haveabatterylifeofapproximately8hours,whichwillcovertheneedsofstudentsduringaschoolday.AlldeviceswillcomewithWindows8.1,andarangeofothersoftwareforschooluseincludingvirusprotection.ThismeansthatthesedeviceswillbereadytoconnecttotheMGHSnetwork.To access the order portal, go to www.mitchamgirlshs.sa.edu.au and click on the order here link.Thewebsitewillremainopenthroughout2015toenableorderstobeplacedduringtheyear.

Allspecificationsforeachofthedeviceswillbeontheportalaswellasillustrationsandcontactdetailsforanyadditionalquestionsofthecompany.AllstudentswhopurchasearecommendeddevicefromLearning with Technologies will be granted full access to the Internet, to printers throughout the school and their own drive on the network for storage and back up of all school related data. Students may bring their own device even if it is not one of the recommended ones, however, access to the school’s network and services will be limited.

All SRDs will be covered by a 3 year warranty and will be able to be repaired at the school if the need arises. This is an excellent service and will see a far more rapid turnaround of repairs and warranty claims. Optionsforinsurancewillalsobeavailableonthewebsite,althoughwealsorecommendthatparentscheckanyexistingcontentscovertheymayhaveasthismayincludecoverageforastudent’slaptop.Thenextupgradetotheschool’sinfrastructurebeganthisweekandwillcontinueoverthenextcoupleofweeks.Thiswillincludetheprovisionofafibreconnectionintotheschooltoincreasethespeedofourinternetconnection.

We appreciate that some families may wish to purchase one of the recommended devices as a Christmas gift.However,pleasebeawarethatdevicespurchasedfromthewebsitewillbeconfiguredfortheMGHSnetworkandthiscanonlybeactivatedwhenstudentslogontothenetworkforthefirsttimeatschool.Ifstudentsusetheirdeviceathomewithoutfirstloggingonatschooltheconfigurationwillbewipedoff.

Itwillbetempting,butpleaseDO NOT TURN ON THE DEVICE AT HOME when you receive it.

ATrainingandDevelopmentprogramforstaffin2015willbeinplace.ThisprogramwillbedeliveredinconjunctionwiththeMicrosoftEducatorTeamandwillallowourteacherstobecomefamiliarwiththepotentialofworkingwithWindows8.1andassociatedMicrosoftsoftware.ThepotentialforourstudentstoengageininteractiveprogramssuchasOneNoteandworkwithAppstoaidtheirlearningwillalsobesupportedbyfurtherimplementationsoftheDaymaplearnermanagementsystemforstudentuse.Thiswillallowstudentstoeventuallyaccesscurriculumfromanywhereatanytime.

For2015,thecurrentschoollaptopswillbeavailableforusebystudents.However,duetotheiragetheywill no longer be maintained and will not be replaced when they fail. The four computer rooms and the podsofcomputersaroundtheschoolwillalsobeoperational.However,notallofthemwillbereplacedasthey become obsolete.

IfyouhaveanyquestionsregardinganyICTmatter,pleasefeelfreetocontactme.

Anne Carpenter | Assistant Principal Timetabling and IT Systems

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What, When and Why No , Term 2014

Middle School News

Year 7/8 Transition DayMitchamGirlsHighSchoolhappilywelcomedfuturestudentstotheschoolonWednesday5November.TheYear7studentsenjoyedatasteofwhatwastocome;anassemblyfeaturingveryconfidentmodelsshowingoffthevariousuniformcombinationsavailabletothem;smallgroupget-to-knowyousessions,ablysupportedbyvolunteersfromourcurrentYear8s;practicalsessionsinDrama,Tech,Dance,HomeEconomicsandIT;photosforIDcardsandaguidedtouroftheschool.

ItwaspleasingtoseenearlyhalfofourcurrentYear8studentsfulfillingarangeofrolesandbeingactiveambassadorsfortheschool.Wethankthegirlssincerelyandalsostaffwhowentoutoftheirwaytosupportevents,orindeedwereflexibleincopingwithstudentswhowereawayonotherduties.We look forward to next year, when these future students become an important part of the school community.

Children’s UniversityAdelaideUniversityissupportingstudentsatMitchamGirls,tohavetheirextra-curricularlearningdocumentedandacknowledged.Thiscanbedoneintwoways:atYear8level,studentsobtainaPassporttoLearningandrecordtheirparticipationineventssuchasDebating,LegoLeague,BookClub,SRCandsimilar. Anything, which has learning associated with it and is undertaken voluntarily, or in the student’s owntime.NearingtheendofYear9studentsuseaPassporttoVolunteering,whichdocumentsvolunteeractivitiessuchasCanteenDuty,MathLeaders,SRC,performancegroupsandmayalsoincludeactivitiesundertaken outside of school, e.g. St Johns, Lifesaving.

TheUniversityalsoprovidesaccesstoavarietyofholidayactivitiesandhaspartnershipswithalargenumberofeducationalinstitutions:museums,galleriesandotherpublicorganisations.Informationaboutthese can all be accessed through www.childrensuniversity.com.au.

ThecompletionofaspecificnumberofhoursleadstotheattainmentofvariousawardswhicharepresentedataGraduationCeremonyhostedbytheUniversityatBonythonHall.

Theschoolinvitesallstudentstotakeadvantageofthisuniqueofferandopportunity.

Zinta Ozolins|AssistantPrincipalMiddleSchool|CUCoordinator

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Senior School News

Year 10 Mock InterviewsOnFriday21November65Year10PLPstudentswereinvolvedinaMockInterviewprogram.AnassessmenttaskinPLPrequiredthemtowriteacoverletterforeitheraretailorhospitalitypositionapplicationandsubmitittogetherwiththeirResumé.Eachstudentthenattendedaninterviewconductedby an adult not known by the students.

Interviewersfromthecommunitywereparents,HRworkersfromtheMitchamCouncil,membersofSiB(SchoolsinBusiness),aDECDApprenticeshipbrokerandVetNetwork.Thesebusinesspeoplegaveuptheirvaluableprofessionaltimetoassistourstudents.

ManythankstoDavidO’Mahoney,SteveTrickey,TeriWard,TerriMcKay,SamRicci(ApprenticeshipBroker),PhilipRansome(SiB),KellyKeates(SiB),DeirdreAlbrighton(SiB),NatalieEvans(VetNetwork),LindaHalse(MitchamCouncil),MelissaJensen(MitchamCouncil)andKarishmaDutta(MitchamCouncil).

Jill Olifent|StudentCounsellorandVETCo-ordinator

What, When and Why No , Term 2014

Sport News

CONGRATULATIONS TO SPENCE!2014 COLLYER CUP WINNER

The Collyer Cup is awarded to the House that accumulates the most points in House events over the year.TheoveralltallyincorporatesresultsfromSportDay,SwimmingCarnival,lunchtimeHouseSportcompetitions,pointsfromthePremier’sReadingChallengeandAmbassadorBadgerecipients.

This year SPENCE won both the Swimming Carnival and Sports Day in very close contests. SPENCE also wonHousesportinTerm2,beforeMITCHELLdominatedinTerm3.

Thefinalresultsare: SPENCE 1,745points MITCHELL 1,648points FRASER 1,431 points

CongratulationstoTJWalkden,SpenceHouseCaptain,theSpenceYear8,9,10and11ViceCaptainsand,ofcourse,alloftheSpencestudentswhoparticipatedintheHouseactivitiesthisyear.

Zone Sport Term 3/4TheZoneSportTerm3/4seasonwascompletedinweek6withfinalstakingplace.Mitchamteamsfinishedinthefollowingplaces:

8/9Volleyball MitchamBlue6th OpenVolleyball Mitcham2nd MitchamRed12th

8/9Basketball MitchamBlue9th 8/9Badminton MitchamRed11th MitchamRed12th MitchamNavy13th

Congratulationstoallgirlswhoparticipatedthroughouttheseason.Also,thankyoutothestaffcoacheswhocoachedthegirlsbothduringmatchesandatlunchtimetrainingsessions;MsParsons,MrFinos,MrDeAngelis,MrsAlston,MrElliott,MsLanghansandMrWise.

Sports Wrap-UpItwasonceagainabusyyearforsportatMitchamGirlsHighSchool.TheyearstartedwithabangwithSwimmingCarnivalkickingofftheHouseevents.ThehotlycontesteddaysawSpencetakeanarrowwinoverMitchell,breakingalongtrophydroughtintheprocess.SportsDaytookplaceattheendofTerm1and Spence sustained its winning streak to claim the championship trophy.

HouseeventscontinuedintoTerm2,withtheinauguralrunningof‘TheFastestGirlatMitcham’.AmberMysiszczewbeatafieldofover35Year8and9stobeknownasMitcham’sfastestgirlover70metres.Theeventissomethingwearelookingtoexpandin2015byrunningitacrossallyearlevels.

HousesportwasthefocusinTerm3,withasevenweekInterhousecompetitionplayedfromweek4toweek10.ThissaweachHouseentertwobasketballteamsandthenplay-offinaroundrobinformatuntilthegrandfinalinweek10.MitchellwentthroughthecompetitionundefeatedtoclinchtheHouseSporttrophyinaclose-foughtfinalagainstSpence.

TheCollyerCupwasawardedatPresentationNighttotheHousewhowontheyearlyHousechampionship(accumulatedthemostpointsthroughouttheyear).CongratulationstoSpencewhowonby100pointsoverMitchell,withFraserin3rdplace.

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What, When and Why No , Term 2014

Sports News (cont.)

Houseeventswouldn’thavebeenpossiblewithoutthetirelesseffortsofthe2014HouseCaptains.SpecialthankstotheYear12captainsfortheirleadershipandenergythroughouttheyear-TJWalkden(Spence),SiennaShaw(Mitchell)andNataliaSciezka(Fraser).Aftertherecentelectionsfor2015captains,wearelooking forward to seeing what our new captains can achieve.

Once again interschool Zone Sport took place throughout the school year. In Term 1, the school was representedwithteamsinvolleyball,basketballandindoorsoccer.InTerm2/3sport,Mitchamhadteamsinbadminton,soccerandnetball.IntheTerm3/4seasontheschoolwasrepresentedinvolleyball,basketballandbadminton.Althoughnoteamsweresuccessfulinwinningthecompetitionoverall,manyteamsplayedinthegrandfinalorfinishedin3rdposition.

InpreparationfortheZoneSportnetballseason,18studentsparticipatedinanumpiredevelopmentcourse ran by Netball SA. Some of these girls had previous experience in umpiring, while some were completelynew.AllparticipantslearntnewskillsandumpiredfortheschoolduringZoneSport.TeamswerealsoenteredintoStateKnockoutcompetitionsduringtheyear.TheOpenIndoorSoccerteamplayedthefirstround,butdidn’tquitemakeittothestatefinals.However,theOpenNetballteamweresuccessfulinwinningthroughthefirsttworoundstomakethestatefinals,wheretheyfinished3rdoverall.

Finally, the end of this year sees us saying goodbye to Sandy Alston. She has been a PE teacher at Mitchamfor23years,15ofwhichshehasbeentheHealthandPEcoordinator.SandyislargelytothankforanythingsportorPErelatedactivityintheschoolandherimmenseknowledgeandenthusiasmwillbegreatly missed next year.

Under 15 SA Development Softball TeamThreestudentshavebeenselectedtorepresentSouthAustraliaintheU15SADevelopmentSoftballTeam.AfterundergoingafourweektrialprocessLaurenJury,AmberDodd-MobiusandCodyThompsonweresuccessfullyselectedintothefinalteamthatwillcompeteintheregionalchampionshipsduringJanuaryagainstteamsfrominterstate.ThechampionshipsarebeingheldatWestBeachinconjunctionwiththeU19NationalChampionships,withbothtournamentsrunningfrom11–17January.Year11student,RebeckaJury,hasbeenselectedasanemergencyfortheU19StateTeam.

Georgina Sulley-Beales | Sports Assistant

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Whole School NewsAs the year draws close to an end, I would like to thank all families for enriching our school community through their support and involvement. I congratulate all the students on their achievements and thank themforcreatingavibrantandhappylearningenvironment.Itgoeswithoutsayingthatthededication,expertiseandpassionofourstaffarethemagicingredientsofourverysuccessfulschoolandIthankthemfornotonlyprovidingarigorousteachingandlearningprogrambutalsoforalltheextradutiestheyundertake to support the interests and needs of our students.

Eachyearwefarewellafewmembersofstaff.Thisyearwesalutethefollowingteachersandwishthemwell for the future:

• SandyAlstonwhohasworkedasateacher,H&PECoordinatorandYearLevelManager.WethankSandy immensely for her leadership and commitment and passion.

• TomDeAngeliswhohasworkedwithusasateacherofMathematicsandSciencefor3years

• Lee Anne Dunstall, teacher of English, Research Project and Drama in 2014

• Terri van Wezel, teacher of Science in 2014

• Jill Wolter, teacher of HASS in 2014

Antoinette Jones | Principal

What, When and Why No , Term 2014

Whole School News

Australian eChallenge in Schools2014markedtheinauguralUniversityofAdelaideeChallengeforSchoolscompetition.Asoneoffourinvitedschoolstoparticipateinthecompetition,twoteamsofthreeYear10studentsundertookthecompetition.

TheaimofthecompetitionwastodevelopaBusinessPlanforanew,previouslyunfundedbusinessconcept.Inordertocompletethisprocess,studentparticipantsneededtodevelopanunderstandingofkeyareasofbusinessincludingfinancialmanagement,marketingincludingcompetitiveforces,research,product design and development and the sales pitch.

TosupportstudentstheUniversityprovidedaccesstoaweeklytutorialsessionforthefourcompetingschools(MitchamGirlsHighSchool,UrrbraeAgriculturalHighSchool,HamiltonSeniorSecondarySchoolandBrightonSecondarySchool).ThiswasfollowedbyaneveningfocuslecturewhichstudentsattendedalongsidethecompetingundergraduatestudentsfromtheUniversityofAdelaide.Here,industryleaders, as well as senior lecturers guided the students though the learning process and planning for their competitionentries.

Twokeyeventswereheldaspartoftheprocess:thisincludedtheConceptPlanPresentation(thepitch)whereteamspitchedtheiridea.ThesecondeventandmostchallengingwasthefinaljudgingoftheBusinessPlanpresentationinfrontofaUniversityandIndustrypaneloffivemembers.

TheMitchamteam,IndigoandCo,consistingofWendyShirra,ErinO’CarrollandAmeliaSmith,developedtheirplantoaddressthecomplexissueofstudentworkplacement/experience,accesstopostschoolpathwaysinformation,tutorialsupportandskillsidentificationastheirfocus.TheteampresentedaBusinessConceptProposalataneveningheldatBonythonHallontheUniversityofAdelaidecampus.Theaudienceconsistedofbothjudgesindustryandacademicleaderswhoofferedadviceonhowtoproceedfurtherwiththeirconcept.Severalhundredpeopleattendedtheevening.TheyfollowedthisupwithasuccessfulPowerPointdiscussionwiththefinalistjudges.

ThesecondMitchamteam,InsertCreativity,consistingofteammembersAliciaMurphy,AbbeyKingandMeaganO’MahoneydevelopedtheirConceptandBusinessPlanaroundaddressingtheneedsoflocal/startupbandsfocusingonmakinglinkstolocalcommunities,businessandindustrynetworks.TheFreshAireFestivalconceptoffersaccesstoliveaudiencesinaprofessionalcontextforthosegroupsjuststartingout.BoththeirConceptProposalandBusinessPlanhighlightedthekeyissuesfacingnewbandsattemptingtobreakintotheindustryareaandhighlightedthechallengesforareceptivejudgingaudience.

ThefinaleventoftheprocesswastheformalBlack-tieDinnerAwardsCeremonywhereover400guestsattended,atthenewAdelaideOvalfunctioncomplex.AllteamswerepraisedfortheirexcellentlevelofcommitmentandeffortsinpreparingtheirBusinessPlan.

CongratulationsgotoIndigoandCo,astheywerethecompetition1stprizewinners.Theteamprizeincludedawonderfullylargegiftbasketoftechnologyitemsandachequefor$2,000.00.

Colleen Tomlian|ActingHASSCoordinator

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What, When and Why No , Term 2014

Whole School News

New Caledonia 2014 (La Nouvelle Calédonie)On a fine day, Tuesday 30 September, the Mitcham Girls High School New Caledonia group woke a little earlier than usual. It was the day we flew out to experience a little French culture in a tropical setting to broaden our horizons and improve our French skills in a safe and fun environment.

The flight over was good and there were no troubles at all. Travel to the hotel was interesting because we, at that moment, realised that everyone drove on the other side of the road… Eventually we arrived and saw our facilities and we all felt excited about what lay ahead.

After a fitful sleep in the Le Pacifique Hotel, we had a marvellous breakfast in preparation for a busy day, beginning with a one hour French lesson, which really helped our speaking skills and practise hearing French. This was followed by a trip on the ‘Tchou Tchou’ train which took us around to the beautiful parts of Noumea, which otherwise we might not have seen. We had plenty of free time to explore the surrounding area, consisting of a very beautiful lagoon beach front as well as souvenir shops, restaurants, and bakeries!

The following day we visited the Tjibaou Cultural Centre, built to echo traditional style. Later we explored, swam, snorkelled and ate. Dinner was at a crêperie, with a lovely atmosphere and even better food.

On Friday we spent the whole day visiting Phare Amedée, a lighthouse on an island close to the mainland. We were able to see the reef, swim, look at the sea life from a glass bottomed boat, eat a great buffet lunch, watch traditional dancing, work out how to tie sarongs and grate coconuts, which made it fun for everyone.

A sleep in on the following day before going to the markets on a mission to buy enough food to feed everyone successfully was next on the agenda. There were a few hiccups, such as buying cabbage instead of lettuce and small finger injuries with knives but we had a picnic in Place des Cocotiers in the heart of the city. Some window shopping and a successful visit to the French bookshop followed before we returned to the hotel on the local bus.

On Sunday we had a short walk to the Aquarium, a great place to see brightly coloured tropical fish, a genuine nautilus and translucent jellyfish. We watched the turtles being fed and were pleased about ordering lunch at a local fast food place called Quick.

On Monday we had our final language lesson and were all sad to say good bye to Huguette our teacher who had been so helpful in encouraging us to talk, ask questions and learn new things. The lessons were incredibly helpful. We now confidently caught the bus into town to explore the Cathedral and the city museum. Now came the sudden realisation that we needed to pack our gear before our final meal at the hotel and a 4.00am start to our trip back to Australia.

All in all, this trip has been very beneficial for everyone involved. The students and teachers worked together to make this trip work and there were so many new experiences that we will never forget. We learnt so much and would happily do it again.

We also really appreciate the planning and consideration of the teachers, Ms Alexander, Ms Howlett and Ms Tomlian because without them this trip would not have happened at all and for this we thank them.

This is an opportunity we recommend for anyone in the future because we learnt so much and experienced so many new things that made us grow as people. Thank you for giving us this opportunity.

Hanna Woodlock (11.30) |on behalf of the French students

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What, When and Why No , Term 2014

Whole School News (cont.)

Learning to Lead Conference: Flinders UniversitySomeofthefutureleadersofMitchamGirlsHighSchoolembarkedon an inaugural one day Learning to Lead conference at Flinders University,earlyinNovember.Thisconferencesoughttomotivatetheyoungleadersinourcommunities,andhelpthemrealisethat:Youdon’thavetowaitforopportunitiestofindyou—createthem!

This inspiring conference, which involved almost 300 students from 10differenthighschoolsacrosstheregion,consistedofinterschoolteamworkactivitiesaswellaslisteningtokeynotespeakersandentrepreneurs, who suggested that the most important part of your journeyisthefirststep.Sogetstarted!

OurstudentsleftFlindersUniversitywithanewandenlightenedperspectiveofwhattheycanachieve.They have now been given the tools to make purposeful and deliberate choices that can allow them to reach their goals.

-AnythingisPossible!

Jill Olifent | Student Counsellor

National History ChallengeAwardsforthe2014NationalHistoryChallengewereheldattheStateLibraryonFriday28November.TheNationalHistoryChallengeisaresearchbasedcompetitionforAustralianschoolstudents.Itemphasizesandrewardsqualityresearch,theuseofcommunityresourcesandpresentation.Thethemefor2014was“ChangingPerspectives”withallentriesneedingtoincorporateaspecificresponsetothisinanessayofupto2,000words.Wesubmittedsixessaysfromourschoolandstudentswerethenassessedagainstalargenumber of entries from across the State.

Two students from our school were recognized. Lily Atkinson won the State prize in the Special Category Sectionof“Australia’sHeritage”forheressayonTheBirthoftheTeenager.Lilyexaminedhowchangingattitudesandforcesinsocietyleadtonewperspectivesinthe1950s.TaylorAtkinswasarunnerupintheWomen’sHistorysectionforheressaywhichlookedatnewperspectivesaboutAnneFrank.BothgirlswerealsorunnersupintheYear10sectionofthecompetition.

Congratulationstobothgirls!

Sharyn Clarke | HASS Teacher

Student ExchangeAliceRobertson(Year11)hasbeenselectedbySouthernCrossCulturalExchangetoparticipateintheirStudentExchangeprogramtoGermany.AlicewilldepartinJanuaryandreturninDecember2015.Whatawonderful opportunity.

Road Safety: Link to SAPOL Final Newsletter for the YearAtimelyremindertostudentdriversandthosewhowillbeontheroadforthefirsttimeduringtheholidays. Read SAPOL’s Talkin’ Road Safety for some helpful advice at https://www.police.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/53056/Issue-9-Bus-Comm-Edition_Rd-Safety-Newsletter.pdf

Meredith Arnold |Year11Manager

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What, When and Why No , Term 2014 PAGE 11

Science News

Year 8 GifT ScienceTwoteamsofYear8sciencestudentsrecentlyattendedthe First Lego League tournament at Prince Alfred College.Thetournamentwastheculminationofeightweeks’ work, with teams having to build and program a robot out of lego and complete a major research project. Both teams performed well and enjoyed the day, especially watching the robots compete.

Congratulationsto‘TeamPluto’whowontheawardfor teamwork and whose robot impressed the referees withitssoccerskills.Theireffortsearnedthematop4position(outof28teams)andaninvitationtocompeteintheNationalLegoLeagueTournamentinSydneyon6December.Welldone!

Emma Langhans | Science Teacher

Satellite LaunchDuringthissemestertheYear10GifTclasshasinvestigatedsatellites,parachutes,helium,GPSandprogramingcameras.Afterfourcancellationsduetopoorweathertheminisatellitewaslaunched.SomeofthegirlsappearonBTNexplainingtheiractivities.Pleasecheckthewebsitehttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/ and click on School Satellites.

Helen Maussinszky | Science Coordinator

Geoscience Summer SchoolCongratulationstothefollowingYear9students,AiyanaRivera,SarahLeeandSubinKim,whohavebeensuccessfulintheirapplicationtoattendaGeoscienceSummerSchool.Thiseventislimitedto20participantsfromYears9to11.

Theywillspend8daysparticipatinginlectures,practicalsandfieldworklearningaboutvariousgeologicaltopicsincludingplanetEarth’sformationandevolution,mineralandenergyresourcesexplorationmethods,palaeontology,earthquakeseismology,gemmologyandcrystallographyandvisitanoperatinggold mine in South Australia.

Thegirlswillalsoworkwithprofessionalgeoscientistsandgainaninsightintogeoscientificandminingrelated career paths.

Liz Rogers | Science Teacher

VET News

Vet Network Graduation December 2014AnothergraduationforMitchamVETstudentssaw8studentsreceivetheirVETCertificatesatPrinceAlfredCollegeonMonday1December.AlexMarieHowardwasoneofthestudentspeakerswhoexplainedtotheaudiencethebenefitsofstudyingaVETcourse.

TwoMitchamstudentswereawardedtheMostOutstandingStudentintheircourse.CongratulationstoAlexMarieHoward(11.33)andClaudineRivers(11.38).

Jill Olifent|StudentCounsellorandVETCo-ordinator

What, When and Why No , Term 2014

Community News

Catch up Immunisation ClinicTheCityofMitchamisconductingaFREEcatchupimmunisationserviceforstudentswhohavemissedtheirimmunisationsatschool.

Vaccines that will be available include:

HPV-Gardasil–allYear8students Boostrix-DiphtheriaTetanusPertussis(dTp)allYear8andYear9students Varicella(ChickenPox)–allYear8students

Date: Wednesday 10 December 2014Where: Room2,MitchamCommunityCentre,242BelairRoad,LowerMitchamTime: 3.30pm–6.00pm

Parentalconsentisrequiredforanyoneunder16yearsofage.

NOTE: PLEASE BRING TO THE CLINIC YOUR STUDENT’SMEDICARE CARD AND A RECORDOF PREVIOUSSCHOOL VACCINES GIVEN

ForfurtherinformationcontactMaryAnneMcIntoshattheCityofMitchamontel:83728816.

Counsellor News

StressGiven many girls in the school have just gone through a stressful period with their studies, I thought an excerptfromanarticlebyJustinCoulsonatNextGenerationblogwouldbeofinteresttoparents.

Howcanwestress-proofourgirls?

Here are 3 useful strategies:1. Buildstrongrelationshipsbetweenparentsandchildren

Theremaybenothingmorecriticaltostarvingoffthedepressionplagueandbuildingresiliencethanstrongrelationshipsbetweenparentandchild.Childrenwhoseparentsshowtheycare,wholisten,and who validate them typically enjoy fewer depressive symptoms when compared with children whodonotenjoystrong,positiverelationshipswithparents.Thismaybeparticularlytrueforgirlswhohavestrongrelationshipswiththeirfathers.

2. Help them to grow up grateful Havingapowerfulsenseofgratitudeisapowerfulprotectivefactorforreducingdepressionriskamong teens. Several Studies have demonstrated that not only are happy people grateful but grateful peoplearehappy-whichmeanslessdepression.

3. OptimismResearchclearlylinksoptimismwiththecapacitytoovercomedepressionfacedbyteensandparticularlygirls.Itappearsthathavingabeliefthatthingscanandwillgetbetter,andthattherearegreat things coming in the future, can reduce the risk of depression and boost adolescents capacity to bounce back from stress and setback.

Jill Olifent | Student Counsellor

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What, When and Why No , Term 2014

Parental Safety Controls “quick cheat sheet”

BelowisasuperquickcheatsheetonsettingParentalControlsoncomputersanddevices.Whileitdoesn’tstop children from seeing all inappropriate content, it is one measure to keeping them safe.

Mobile phones and tabletsSetParentalControlstolimitwhatcontentyourchildcanaccessanddisablelocationservices!

iPhone / iPad Restrictions -GotoSettings > General > Restrictions.

Selectenablerestrictionswhereyousetup a 4 digit PIN.

Youcanpreventaccesstothecamera,safari,iTunes,in-Apppurchases.Youcanalsoselectwhatcontentisallowedonthephonebywayofratings,aswellaspreventingaccesstomovies,Appsandspecificweb-sites.Note:Therestrictioncanbedisabledbydoingafactoryresetsoolderkidsmaytrythisifyoudon’tsetgroundrules!

Disable location services (Locationservicesallowsappstotrackorpinpointthephoneslocation)

Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services.IfyouwanttobeabletousetheFindMyiPhonefunction,thenenablelocationservicesandswitchalltheappstoOFFexceptFind My iPhone

AndroidKid Mode-SomeAndroidphonessuchasHTChaveaKids Mode which allows you to limit content and is good for younger children. Go to Settings > Security > Kid Mode andfollowtheinstructions.

Limit Apps and in App Purchases

Go to the Google Play store > tap on the 3 little lines in the top left corner of the screen > settings > Content Filtering > select app ratingsthatyourkidsareallowedtodownloadanduse(Everyone and Low Maturityaretheonlyratingssuitableforunder12)

Underthesamesettingsmenuascontentfiltering,selectrequire password for purchases and select for all purchases(makesureyouchilddoesn’tknowyourpassword!)

Disable location services

Go to Settings > Location > Off

Computer / LaptopApple Macs From the Apple menu choose System Preferences > Parental Controls

Open Parental Controls preferences, click the lock icon to unlock it, then enter an administrator name and password. Select the child’s user name, then click Enable Parental Controls.

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What, When and Why No , Term 2014

Parental Safety Controls “quick cheat sheet” (cont.)

Iftheusernameisn’tinthelist,clickAdd(+),thenfillinthename,account,andpasswordinformationtocreate a new user. From here you can go through the headings which include Apps, Web, People, Time Limits and Other to determine what limits you’d like to set regarding content and access to the internet. Gothroughallofthemandsettherequiredrestrictions.

Windows UsethesearchbuttonandtypeinParental Controls,clickonitandfollowtheinstructionstosetitup.Ifyoudon’thaveaseparateuseraccountforyourchildthenyouwillneedtosetoneupfirstbyclickingonCreate a new user account.

Youcangetreportsontheironlineactivity,settimelimitsandgamerestrictionsandkeepyourchildrenfromrunningspecificprograms.

WindowshasanadditionalservicecalledFamilySafetywhichmonitorsyourchild’scomputeractivityandfiltersthecontenttheycanseeontheweb.Itneedstobeinstalledandsetuponeachcomputerorlaptopthe child uses. On Windows search for Family Safety and install it.

Parental Monitoring Apps and SoftwareThere are hundreds of free and paid Apps and programs that help monitor and control your child’s internet use. In the app store search Parental Control.

Anti-Virus / Spyware Ensure you have an Anti-Virus program or app installed on every device that you own. This helps prevent datatheftandmalwarelikeviruses,spywareandkeyloggersthatcanputyourfamilyindanger.PhonesandTabletsshouldalsohaveanAntivirusinstalled.UsetheAppStoretosearchforAnti-Virus - many of these are free.SomegoodPCAntiviralSoftwareprogramsareMcAfee, Kaspersky and Bitdefender.

Browser safety settingsGoogle and YouTube have a Safety Mode option, and needs to be set up for each browser separately (GoogleChrome,Firefox.InternetExploreretc)

Sign into your YouTube account > scroll to bottom of page > Click Safety > Select on > click Lock safety mode on this browser (makesureyoulogbackoutofyourYouTubeaccountsothesafetylockcannotbeswitchedoff)

Note: Enabling Safety Mode on YouTube will also enable Google SafeSearch,whichisasimilarfilterforGoogle Search.

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What, When and Why No , Term 2014 PAGE15

AN INITIATIVE OF

Governmentof South AustraliaContact us:

08 8200 2528

Enrol with Vacswim

onsite or online

Stay updated:

www.facebook.com/vacswimsa

Visit: www.vacswimsa.com.au

VACSWIMFor Fun, For Health, For Life!

FUNDED BY

FUNDED BY

At a

locationNEAR YOU!

UNIFORM MANAGEMENT SERVICESwould like to take this opportunity to thank all teachers,

parents & students for your continued support in the Year 2014 & would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas & A Prosperous New Year.

SCHOOL UNIFORM

TuesdayThursday

20th January 201522nd January 2015

8:30am - 3:00pm8:30am - 3:00pm

Trading Hours During School Terms Only

Terms 1,2,3 & 4

IS AVAILABLE FROM THE FOLLOWING 2 LOCATIONS:

PH: 0409 178 994

1/6 Montrose Avenue, Norwood

PH: 08 8363 5255

MITCHAM GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL

Thursdays 8:00am - 1:30pm

EXTENDED HOURS FOR BACK TO SCHOOL PERIOD

Trading Hours

Closed 22nd December 2014 & Re-Open 5th January 2015

Monday - Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm

UNIFORM MANAGEMENT SERVICES

JANUARY 2015 - OPEN EVERY SATURDAY 9:00AM - 12 NOON

What, When and Why No , Term 2014PAGE 16

Diary Dates

December Monday8 Year8/9CommunityServiceDay Tuesday9-Wednesday10 Year8/9ActivityDays Wednesday 10 END OF TERM 4 Reports distributed 2:20pm Thursday11 Year12(2015)OrientationDay

2015January Tuesday 27 Term 1 commences

February Monday2 Year8/9ParentEvening 5:30-6:30pm Monday9 GoverningCouncil 7:00pm Monday9-Friday13 Year8Camps Wednesday 18 Swimming Carnival Wednesday25 Year8ParentBBQEvening

March Monday9 PublicHoliday Monday16 GoverningCouncilAGM 7:00pm

April Friday 3 Good Friday Monday6 EasterMonday 10 End of Term 1

Term Dates 2015

Term1 27January-10AprilTerm2 27April-3JulyTerm3 20July-25SeptemberTerm4 12October-11December