- Do you have homework?
- VCE Key Dates 2022 – Practice Exam Week and the GAT
- SEQTA Check-in for Parents
- Risky Business
- Girl Power in Engineering and IT
- Almost, Maine is almost here!
- The way of the beard: what I'd do for a role in the school play
- Congratulations, Bella Gosling
- SIS Cross Country 2022
- New Bandicoots in Town!
- Digital Wellbeing: how to stay focused in an age of distraction
- CONVEYANCE ALLOWANCE TERM 3 2022
Do you have homework?
Welcome back to Term 3. I can’t believe we are in Semester 2, thinking about the upcoming Activities Camp Week and knee-deep in the planning for 2023. I hope our students have had some time to reflect and think about their progress throughout Semester 1.
I encourage our students to evaluate their individual learning journey, think about what they can do to improve in Semester 2 and work with their tutors and subject teachers to set realistic goals. Engaging students in regular reflection and equipping them with a variety of reflective skills and strategies, at school and at home, has many benefits. Reflection is woven through the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP). Being reflective is one of the ten Learner Profile attributes that we want to cultivate in our students. Similarly, developing specific reflection skills is one of the Approaches to Learning skills that is developed across the IB curriculum and all programs at Woodleigh. The ability to reflect in discipline-specific ways is also embedded in many of the MYP learning areas.
How to help students juggle their commitments
Senior Campus students are often juggling a range of commitments. The commitments increase as they get older, and as a result the demands become greater. We also know that their personal development is in overdrive. Hormones and the journey to find their own identity in the world adds to the challenge of finding a balance. How do families support students to meet this demand? There is an abundance of evidence that suggests a healthy diet, exercise and good quality sleep are essential to supporting this phase of growth; physically, mentally, socially and emotionally.
Parents frequently lament that it can be a battle to motivate teenagers to complete homework or to do any study at home. It can be a cause of conflict between parents and their teenagers. As parents, we dread asking the question: ‘Do you have homework?’ The bottom line is that, yes, all students have homework most of the time. There is a difference between allocated tasks and revision. A sound study routine and timetable at home is a vital ingredient for success.
How do we strike a balance?
Develop a study timetable
When organising the timetable, students should always schedule the activities they love doing FIRST. It's suggested students divide this into categories such as hobbies, television and sport. Hobbies can include watching Netflix or computer games. It's recommended that we accommodate their use of social media and plan for it in their schedule. Once they physically block out the times that are for entertainment, they can schedule study commitments into the timetable. It allows students the opportunity to review their schedule and often they realise that they have too much time allocated towards ‘fun’. This promotes independence which provides students with the responsibility to make choices with parents’ ongoing support.
Longer term planning
The use of a small whiteboard and whiteboard markers to create the timetable and visually plan ahead. Always look at a timetable or calendar and mark when an assignment is due and plan backward from there.
Time versus Goals
At Woodleigh, there are different homework time expectations for different year levels. As a guide:
During Term:
• Year 7 – up to 4 hours per week
• Year 8 – up to 5 hours per week
• Year 9 – up to 5 hours per week
• Year 10 – up to 10 hours per week
• Year 11 – up to 15 hours per week
• Year 12 – up to 15 hours per week
It is just as important that your child completes a list of goals at the start of the study session. This will allow them to keep on task and re-assess their progress.
Rest Breaks
The maximum amount of time that a teenager can sit at a desk and concentrate for is 50 minutes. A rest break should be for 5-10 minutes, and they should then reconvene their study. It's suggested that a rest break could include 5 minutes of television or similar 'down time' where the brain can totally switch off.
Distractions
The study environment should be clear of any possible distractions. Students should check their desk set-up and lighting. This includes no phones or social media. A device and its connection with the internet has a time and place within study. This should be monitored and reviewed at the start of the session when your son or daughter is planning their study. If they are working from a textbook or note-taking, then it is not required within the space.
Music or no music?
A student does not require music when studying and it can be a distraction depending on when it is used. In my opinion, if a student is drawing or working creatively, this could be a possible scenario when music is used. Students should keep in mind that they cannot use music in an exam situation and students should not train their brain to rely on music to concentrate. This is a personal choice but should be discussed with parents.
Revision
The most successful students develop a daily habit of writing notes from each subject that they have attended during the day. This could be as simple as trigger words, a concept and an example of its application or key ideas. Flash cards or visuals are good ways of reinforcing content.
Exam preparation
Practice exam questions under exam conditions (ie/ time limits) at home.
I hope these suggestions help you to be a positive support for your child at home. This term, I recommend our students establish effective routines to support their learning growth and progress into 2023. Don't forget, Homestead staff and subject teachers are a wonderful source of support and will be more than happy to work with students on routines that will assist their learning.
I wish you a safe, healthy and productive term ahead.
Take care,
NAT McLENNAN
Deputy Principal – Head of Senior Campus
VCE Key Dates 2022 – Practice Exam Week and the GAT
It is a challenging and busy time ahead with many subjects scheduling assessments throughout the coming weeks as Unit 4 studies progress towards completion and an examination period for Units 3 & 4 during Activities Week.
It is vital that students continue to progress through the requirements for their S in each of their subjects and discuss any concerns with their relevant teacher(s). Thank you for your continued support as we make our way through the 2022 academic year.
Some specific details regarding the exam period are listed below, including the first external assessment from the VCAA – the GAT. Formal correspondence about the items listed below will be coming through as an Operoo.
Practice Examinations Year 12 Subjects – Week 5 (Activities Week)
All Year 12 students will engage in a week of practice examinations for each of their subjects. The aim of this week is to provide an environment that as best as possible replicates the end of year exam experience for each subject – mathematical subjects will have two exams for this purpose. This process provides critical feedback to students as they begin to finalise their courses and head into exam preparation near the end of the term.
- No Year 12 classes will be running this week and the rest of the school will be on Activities Week camps.
- Unscored students are not required to sit exams and should use this for either work placements where available or finalising their coursework. Their aim should be to receive all relevant S’s for their subjects by the end of Term 3 wherever possible.
- Students have the option of studying at home or at school but are only required at school for their respective exams.
- Students involved in the Production will have alternate arrangements and will be managed separately.
- Exams will be held in V6/7 in Senior Homestead
- A mask should be worn by all students unless an existing exemption applies
- Buses will be running throughout the week
- A timetable for this week will be produced shortly and will be appended to the Operoo. It will also be communicated directly to students.
- Any Year 11 student completing a Year 12 subject will have the exams provided to them upon their return from their Activities Week camp
- Haydn Flanagan and Bryn Bowen will oversee the administration of this process.
The GAT – Wednesday September 7
The General Achievement Test (GAT) is the first external assessment administered by the VCAA for all students enrolled in one or more VCE, or scored VCE VET Unit 3 and 4 sequences – this includes students on an unscored program.
The GAT is scheduled for Wednesday September 7 here at school. It has undergone some minor changes as the VCAA has moved towards integrating its two senior years certificates, VCE and VCAL. It is now divided to run over two separate sessions:
Section A: Literacy (Reading and Writing) and Numeracy: 9:30am-11:45am
Section B: General Knowledge and Skills: 1:15pm-3:00pm
This is a compulsory VCAA assessment for all Year 12 students (including unscored) AND any Year 11 students studying a Year 12 subject OR completing a scored VCE VET program. Many of our current Year 12 students will have completed the GAT in 2021 so will have ‘fond’ memories.
General Achievement Test (GAT) scheduled for Wednesday 7 September – Week 8.
- All students enrolled in a Year 12 subject or a scored VET program
- Duration – 9:30am-11:45am & 1:15pm-3:00pm
- Location – Senior Homestead (V4, V5, V6, V7) and the Hall – students will be notified
- No classes will run for any VCE students at all on that day
- Buses will be running as per normal
- Some key information about the GAT and its uses can be found here
- A reminder of the GAT Exam Rules and Authorised Materials can be found here – a dictionary (without thesaurus) is allowed, but no calculators
It is important that the GAT is taken seriously as it becomes a point of reference for the VCAA to consider against both your coursework and exam marks. However, GAT results:
- do not count directly towards a student’s VCE results
- help check that school-based and external assessments have been accurately assessed
- contribute to statistical moderation of school-based assessment results
- help calculate Derived Examination Scores
- determine scores in school-based assessment, external assessment and if a derived examination score is required due to illness, accident and trauma.
Those last two points are an insurance policy in case of anything going less than favourably across the exam period. While it is not something anybody can strictly study and prepare for like regular subjects, it is definitely worth looking at and completing some past/practice GAT questions over the course of the term.
Please acknowledge the above details in the Operoo, particularly the options in place for the practice exams
BRYN BOWEN
Acting VCE CoordinatoR
SEQTA Check-in for Parents
Start of semester is the perfect time to establish healthy routines in the home. The best way to support students' independent learning at home is for parents to regularly check-in to SEQTA to touch base with their child's learning.
The following video provides a useful 2 minute overview for those new to the platform:
We recommend parents check-in to SEQTA once a week. Just as you build in other commitments into your schedule, we suggest nominating a particular day every week where you log on and make note of upcoming assessments, taking time to digest teacher feedback on formative and summative assessment tasks. This will enable you to offer more targeted support and have more meaningful conversations with your child about their learning.
DAVID BAKER
Principal
Risky Business
What do we value and assume about 'risk-taking' in our young people?
It is normal for young people to want new experiences, to push boundaries and take risks. In fact, it is intrinsic to their social, emotional, and cognitive development and an important stage in their journey to finding their identities and becoming independent young adults.
Parents commonly think of 'risk-taking' behaviours in adolescence as underage drinking, vaping and drug taking, dangerous driving (texting), risky sexual behaviour and the like. In fact, the word 'risk' is often defined as the possibility that something unpleasant or unwelcome will happen because of a particular action.
However, we also need to remember that risk-taking can be both negative and positive and that young people can learn and grow from taking risks, making it more complex to understand.
Why do teenagers take risks?
During adolescence there are changes in the brain that make teenagers more focused on the reward they feel when they are admired by their friends, and the positive reinforcement they get by being included. Therefore, friends and peers become incredibly important during the teenage years, and why they feel real distress if they don’t have friends or are socially rejected.
The areas of the brain that handle impulse control and planning also don’t completely mature until about age 25 (later in males). This contributes to teenagers being more likely than adults to make quick and risky decisions.
However, not all risk-taking has negative consequences. Encouraging your teenager to practice positive risk-taking can be a safe outlet to help them develop their decision-making skills.
Positive risk-taking
Positive risk-taking is about learning new things and exploring unfamiliar territory. The risk is positive because, while it still evokes a feeling of uncertainty or fear, you develop a new skill or there’s a possibility of a positive outcome.
If young people are looking for new challenges or thrills, support them to take on hobbies or engage in activities, like:
- Sports: rock climbing, mountain biking, martial arts, competitive team sport like basketball or football, or performance sports like dance or gymnastics.
- Arts: joining the school play or band
- Volunteering: getting involved in a social or political cause, participating in a school committee
- Education: getting involved in a maths or spelling competition.
When this kind of risk-taking occurs in a healthy, supervised, and supportive atmosphere, it can help young people build confidence. It can also help them learn to trust their own judgment and how to deal with disappointment and frustration. Exploration can also help teens learn how to:
- Interact respectfully with peers
- Make decisions that fit their values and knowledge of what is right
- Learn more about themselves
- Develop life skills in a safe and rewarding way
- Seek help and/or further support when experiencing personal difficulties
Peer pressure and risk-taking
Being around friends and peers can sometimes lead your child to take negative risks, which can have harmful consequences on a teenager’s health, safety, and wellbeing. Supporting your child to recognise peer pressure - when it helps and when it hinders them - is an important role for parents to play. One way you can support them is to help them come up with some creative ways to be assertive, and to say no to peer pressure. Whether your child is actively making risky choices, or you are worried about it happening, it’s important to have a conversation with them about it.
Every teen is an individual
As our young people grow, develop, find their own voice, and make their own choices, it's important to remember that many factors contribute to how they make decisions including; age, maturity, hormones, personality characteristics, interpersonal skills, family, position in the family, friends, connectedness to community, the quality and frequency of information about a particular choice, and past experiences all make a difference.
What parents can do
Parents are key in supporting teens as they explore new ideas, try something they are interested in, or connect with a different group of friends. Learn to grow with them whilst being cognisant that this is their journey, their story.
The impact of COVID on teen risk-taking
One of the impacts of living and working in lockdown in 2020 and 2021 whereby we spent an unprecedented amount of time with our children, was that they were restricted in their capacity to have formative experiences that would have previously been considered as part of 'normal' adolescent development.
Now it is time to step back, to trust, and allow them the opportunity to grow and learn by taking risks.
As parents, we can:
- Continue to show up and be interested in their everyday life; make time to listen and talk, do something together, and keep investing in your relationship with them as they move towards young adulthood
- Maintain respectful communication regarding negotiating privileges, managing expectations, fostering responsibility, and considering meaningful consequences
- Talk about core family values. Share your own values and ask them about theirs
- Encourage them to find opportunities to explore individual interests
- Model good decision-making skills
- Promote thinking about how their decisions could affect not only themselves but others, in the short-term and long-term
- Encourage them to seek support from professionals and/or other trusted adults if they want to speak with someone other than their parents
Young people can teach us a lot about ourselves, and we need to learn to grow with them. We cannot protect them from failing, feeling disappointed, hurt, or sad. They must find this out on their own. Life is about taking risks, both negative and positive ones, and that’s how we all learn to make the right decisions for ourselves. Preventing our children from taking risks won’t empower them to become the adult we want them to be. Celebrate their successes and learn how to support them to respond well to failure. And finally, let them know they can always rely on your support. You won’t always like or agree with the choices they make but being there for them means letting them know that you may not always agree with them, but that you will always support them.
In kindness,
DONNA NAIRN
Director of Counselling
Girl Power in Engineering and IT
Over the winter holidays, I was lucky enough to attend a 4-day Girl Power in Engineering and IT camp at Melbourne University where I got to learn about careers in Engineering and IT; participate in a variety of awesome workshops; hear from industry and academic staff involved in engineering and IT; and interact with Melbourne University engineering and IT students. I shared this experience with a group of like-minded girls that I made lots of connections with.
Five Great Things I Never Knew about Engineering and IT
1. You get to solve the world’s problems
When you think about it, Engineering and IT are such rewarding disciplines because you get to solve the world’s problems. When you work to make your own and other people’s lives easier, you’re basically a superhero! For example, the Wright brothers invented the plane so that we can now travel overseas and efficiently.
2. Your ideas – coming to life
After all your hard work it can be gratifying to see your product or design come to life, whether that be as a civil engineer designing a skyscraper or as a biomedical engineer developing an artificial limb. It makes the hard work it worthwhile.
3. You are shaping the future
As an engineer, you are amplifying human capability, pushing limits and testing boundaries, allowing humans to travel into space, and giving amputees the chance to walk again. The opportunities to improve society, the environment and the planet are endless. As a bonus, the levels of job security for engineering are high!
4. Variety and choice
I don’t think people are aware of the variety that becomes available to you when choosing a career in engineering/IT. There are so many different types of engineering that there is most likely something for everyone; from being a Formula One racing engineer perfecting the aerodynamics of the car and running lap simulations, to working for NASA and controlling the curiosity driver, a robot that is exploring Mars!
5. Creativity
Finally, with creativity, you get to use your imagination to design, build, code, and create: from designing aeroplanes to building bridges, there are no limits to the imagination.
Further information about the Girl Power program can be found here.
POPPY MOLLETT
Year 9
Almost, Maine is almost here!
There's less than a month before opening night for our 2022 production of Almost, Maine, the first Woodleigh senior school production to make it to the stage in three years. This is a fantastic milestone and great example of what creative Woodleigh students can do. Students have written and arranged the music; created animations and projections; crafted the set and costumes, and will be running the show. Come along and show your support!
Almost, Maine is rated PG and suitable for the whole family. Seating is limited, so don’t miss out!
Experience the life-altering power of the human heart and have your heart touched and warmed in the process.
BOOK NOW
The way of the beard: what I'd do for a role in the school play
Late last year, when I heard about the upcoming school production Almost, Maine, I quickly printed off all the parts that intrigued me. That just so happened to be half of the parts; nine roles, or forty-nine pages of the script, to be exact.
I was completely baffled. I had to pick one but they were all so enticing. So rather than restrict my options, I decided to prepare for all of them. Where to start?
Should I audition for one of the romantic roles? Or perhaps a comic character? Maybe I should stretch myself and try out for a dramatic lead? The play has roles in each of these styles. Then I started thinking about the lines. Should I go for the largest role, or the one that’s the smallest? I know that some people count the number of lines that a character speaks and use that to decide. I didn’t want to have to say too much, but then again, I didn’t want to spend the majority of the play either off-stage or standing silent in a crowd scene.
As I read through the different parts, I realised that there were other factors that might come into play. Some roles required stage falls, some involved crying and some roles might require me to kiss someone. (After all, it is a play all about love, and there are kisses dotted all the way through play.) I read and re-read the script to look for inspiration, and I practiced and practiced every role that intrigued me (which, to be fair, was almost all of them).
Auditions came and went. I won’t do a plot spoiler by telling you which role I was finally given. You’ll have to come to the play to make that discovery! Suffice it to say, I liked the role I was given, and started to learn my lines. But then the cast were thrown a curve ball. We were asked (and I quote) “Can anyone grow a decent amount of facial hair?”
My eyes widened. THIS WAS MY MOMENT! I instantly said “YES!”
You may think growing a beard would require no effort on my part, but over the past few months I’ve been massaging my face regularly, playing my facial hair classical music (it’s a fan of Beethoven’s ‘Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 “Moonlight Sonata”: I. Adagio) and I have repeated hairy affirmations daily while studying the way of the beard.
I also knew the only way I could test its power would be if I were to take it on a treacherous journey, so I brought it to Hattah with me. There my beard fought the sun and heat and hiked with me for 7 long days. After all, the hair had to be tough, brave and know its true self, so it looked less like it belonged to a 15-year, 9-month and 12-day-old private school boy, and helped me embody the jaded adult bloke that is the essence of the role.
Other cast members also took up the facial hair challenge. Al Jones has faced the same journey as me and has sprouted a rough beard perfect for his role. Patrick Cummin has set out to grow a very distinguished ‘mo’. He has worked tirelessly to ‘tame the beast’, trimming the edges when it became too fierce. He too has come out of this challenge with some beautiful and impressive facial hair perfect for our roles.
Only after all this preparation have we realised the true power of facial hair. We are ready. We will not stop these practices, for we now understand that its journey has only just begun. And it grows stronger every day, literally and figuratively.
Thanks to Maya for filming and capturing my facial hair trajectory.
BEN IRELAND Y10 & HIS FACIAL HAIR – 7 months old
FILM BY MAYA STUBBS Y10
Congratulations, Bella Gosling
It's a celebration!
A celebration of effort, application, skill and talent.
A celebration of Bella Gosling for being recognised with a Premier's Award for her outstanding work in Units 3-4 Literature, where she achieved a perfect study score of 50.
Nice to see Sonia Murr and your Mum joining you and David Baker to recognise your efforts too!
SIS Cross Country 2022
After being cancelled due to extreme weather conditions at the first attempt, the Sis Cross Country Carnival took place on Tuesday 26th July at Baxter Park. The conditions, whilst not extreme, were challenging – a wet course increasingly turned muddy as the day progressed.
14 SIS schools were competing in the combined Division A & B Carnival. Our team of around 70 students were in Division A and represented the school in impressive fashion. We changed our strategy this year, and rather than push students up age groups to fill gaps in the team; we wanted to support all students to run in their correct age group. Our runners gave their best, pushing themselves to their limits and made a positive contribution to our overall 6th place finish.
There were some outstanding individual performances on the day, including two race wins across the 12-race carnival:
Amelia Evenden, Year 11 – 1st place U/17
Imogen Tabacco, Year 10 – 1st place U/16
Benny McConnell, Year 12 – 3rd place U/21
Ted Meysztowicz, Year 10 – 4th place U/16
Alby Moorehouse, Year 7 – 5th place U/13
Orlando Clark, Year 8 – 5th place U/14
Harry Lawson, Year 11 – 8th place U/16
Rhett Clark, Year 12 – 10th place U/21
Special mention to Millie Evenden, who remains undefeated at SIS level, having won in 2018, 2019, (no race in 2020), 2021 and again this year. What an incredible effort!
Thanks also to Benny McConnell (team captain) for his performance and the work he put in with all the Boys’ teams helping them prepare on the day. To our Year 12 students who have been involved at this level with Cross Country across their six-year journey, thank you for your wonderful contribution and willingness to be involved during your final year.
BEN DAVENPORT
Director of Sport
New Bandicoots in Town!
The Brian Henderson Reserve at Senior Campus had some new folks move in on Tuesday night – a community of Southern Brown Bandicoots!
These bouncy little guys are relatives of the Bilby and, importantly, are native to the Peninsula. Though they were once common, they're now considered endangered across Australia, with the last major population found not too far away in the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens.
At Woodleigh, they'll have the chance to survive and thrive in the predator-proof confines of the reserve, safe from the foxes and cats who have decimated their wild populations.
Students will help monitor the animals via trapping and night vision cameras while also helping care for the animals who make up our small captive breeding program.
The Brian Henderson Reserve is now home to the Bandicoots, as well as populations of Brush-tailed Rock Wallabies, Red-necked Wallabies, Tammar Wallabies, Tasmanian Pademelons, Rufous Bettongs, Eastern Grey Kangaroos, Eastern Quolls and a pair of Emus!
Thank you to Pails for Scales Conservation for donating these animals.
Digital Wellbeing: how to stay focused in an age of distraction
Digital Wellbeing is something we all grapple with, no matter whether you're a student or a parent. When it comes to screens, few of us are sitting in the driver's seat. Our term 3 Parent Education Program (PEP) talk is the pep talk we all need: how to stay focused in an age of distraction.
Our PEP talk presenter, Dr Joanne Orlando (PhD, MEd, BEd), is a leading international expert on how to create a healthy relationship with technology. Based on her ground-breaking research, Joanne speaks to communities about how to balance the 24/7 nature of technology without losing the many opportunities it provides. She believes we can live well and stay focused with technology even with the ever-present possibility of distraction. In this term 3 PEP Talk, she'll share with us some simple tips on how to reign in our digital habits and create a relationship with technology that doesn't tax our wellbeing.
Joanne is the creator of the digital literacy and wellbeing education program TechClever, which helps schools and parents to frame conversations around technology away from one that focuses on fear to one that focuses on creating healthy relationships with our devices. Her most recent book Life Mode On, was released worldwide in 2021.
BOOK TICKETSCONVEYANCE ALLOWANCE TERM 3 2022
The Student Conveyance Allowance only applies to students attending the Woodleigh Campus located at Langwarrin South and students attending the Penbank Campus located at Moorooduc.
The allowance allows families in regional areas to receive help with the cost of transporting their children to their nearest school or campus. The conveyance allowance is a contribution towards transport costs and is not intended to cover the full cost and is available to students travelling by public transport, private car and private bus.
Completed applications are due by Friday 12 August, 2022. For full details, see below.
The Victorian Minister for Education has amended the definition of the closest appropriate school/campus (Instrument of Specification). This may impact some of our families who have been unable to make a claim in the past or deemed ineligible.
Both Woodleigh School and Bayside Christian College are registered the same and classified as same type schools. Therefore, previously if you lived closer to Bayside Christian College you would have been deemed ineligible to receive the conveyance allowance. However, parents can now apply for consideration by providing a “signed letter” to the school why the closest school of the same denomination is not appropriate for their child. You must include your child’s name and demonstrate the below points:
- The student does not belong to, or associate with, the school’s particular religion, or engage in religious activity associated with the school’s religious doctrines; and
- The relevant school’s compulsorily requires its students to engage in religious activity associated with that religion or religious doctrines.
The Department of Education and Training will review individual applications on their merits. Please note that you must still meet the main criteria listed below.
Completed conveyance application forms must be signed by the parent or guardian (page 4) must and submitted to the School.
If you have previously submitted a form and there is no change to mode of transport or address details you are not required to complete a new form for 2022.
New forms must be completed for students attending the School for the first time or existing conveyance allowance claimants who have a change of circumstances affecting eligibility. For example:
- Moving residence or changing their mode of transport;
- Changing schools/campuses. Ie Penbank Campus to Senior Campus
The Department of Education and Training’s main criteria for student eligibility is:
- The School attended is the nearest appropriate school. (or attach a supporting letter as per above)
- The student resides more than 4.8kms from the school by the shortest practicable route.
- Students are of school age 5 – 18 years and enrolled at school for 3 or more days per week.
To apply for a conveyance allowance, parents are required to complete the appropriate forms.
- Travel by contract bus: “Conveyance Allowance Application – Private Bus Travel”
- Travel by myki bus: “Conveyance Allowance Application – Public Transport Travel". Must provide prove of purchase ie copy of receipt or ticket.
- Travel by car: “Conveyance Allowance Application – Private Car Travel” will need to be completed for each student, listing all students travelling in the nominated vehicle.
- Combined travel: Each appropriate form will need to be completed as above, e.g. drive further than 4.8km to catch public transport (Private Car/Public Transport).
Please note for Woodleigh Campus families: If you live within 4.8km of public transport (ie one of our myki buses) and choose to travel by private bus or car you will not be eligible to claim the conveyance allowance.
The School will lodge 4 claims a year (1 per Term) with the Department of Education and Training. The Department will reimburse the school and the allowance will be credited to your fee account in instalments. Completed applications need to be received by Friday 12 August, 2022 to be included in the claim.
- Contract Bus Reimbursement is determined on the basis of the shortest practicable route from the student’s residence to the school and not the actual distance travelled in the bus.
- Public Transport The cost of fares are fully refundable.
- Private Car Reimbursement is made on the basis of the one-way distance travelled per vehicle and the number of students in that vehicle. Payment is made to the family operating the vehicle.
If you have any queries please contact Robyn Kent on 5971 6100 or email rkent@woodleigh.vic.edu.au.
It is a challenging and busy time ahead with many subjects scheduling assessments throughout the coming weeks as Unit 4 studies progress towards completion and an examination period for Units 3 & 4 during Activities Week.
It is vital that students continue to progress through the requirements for their S in each of their subjects and discuss any concerns with their relevant teacher(s). Thank you for your continued support as we make our way through the 2022 academic year.
Some specific details regarding the exam period are listed below, including the first external assessment from the VCAA – the GAT. Formal correspondence about the items listed below will be coming through as an Operoo.
Practice Examinations Year 12 Subjects – Week 5 (Activities Week)
All Year 12 students will engage in a week of practice examinations for each of their subjects. The aim of this week is to provide an environment that as best as possible replicates the end of year exam experience for each subject – mathematical subjects will have two exams for this purpose. This process provides critical feedback to students as they begin to finalise their courses and head into exam preparation near the end of the term.
- No Year 12 classes will be running this week and the rest of the school will be on Activities Week camps.
- Unscored students are not required to sit exams and should use this for either work placements where available or finalising their coursework. Their aim should be to receive all relevant S’s for their subjects by the end of Term 3 wherever possible.
- Students have the option of studying at home or at school but are only required at school for their respective exams.
- Students involved in the Production will have alternate arrangements and will be managed separately.
- Exams will be held in V6/7 in Senior Homestead
- A mask should be worn by all students unless an existing exemption applies
- Buses will be running throughout the week
- A timetable for this week will be produced shortly and will be appended to the Operoo. It will also be communicated directly to students.
- Any Year 11 student completing a Year 12 subject will have the exams provided to them upon their return from their Activities Week camp
- Haydn Flanagan and Bryn Bowen will oversee the administration of this process.
The GAT – Wednesday September 7
The General Achievement Test (GAT) is the first external assessment administered by the VCAA for all students enrolled in one or more VCE, or scored VCE VET Unit 3 and 4 sequences – this includes students on an unscored program.
The GAT is scheduled for Wednesday September 7 here at school. It has undergone some minor changes as the VCAA has moved towards integrating its two senior years certificates, VCE and VCAL. It is now divided to run over two separate sessions:
Section A: Literacy (Reading and Writing) and Numeracy: 9:30am-11:45am
Section B: General Knowledge and Skills: 1:15pm-3:00pm
This is a compulsory VCAA assessment for all Year 12 students (including unscored) AND any Year 11 students studying a Year 12 subject OR completing a scored VCE VET program. Many of our current Year 12 students will have completed the GAT in 2021 so will have ‘fond’ memories.
General Achievement Test (GAT) scheduled for Wednesday 7 September – Week 8.
- All students enrolled in a Year 12 subject or a scored VET program
- Duration – 9:30am-11:45am & 1:15pm-3:00pm
- Location – Senior Homestead (V4, V5, V6, V7) and the Hall – students will be notified
- No classes will run for any VCE students at all on that day
- Buses will be running as per normal
- Some key information about the GAT and its uses can be found here
- A reminder of the GAT Exam Rules and Authorised Materials can be found here – a dictionary (without thesaurus) is allowed, but no calculators
It is important that the GAT is taken seriously as it becomes a point of reference for the VCAA to consider against both your coursework and exam marks. However, GAT results:
- do not count directly towards a student’s VCE results
- help check that school-based and external assessments have been accurately assessed
- contribute to statistical moderation of school-based assessment results
- help calculate Derived Examination Scores
- determine scores in school-based assessment, external assessment and if a derived examination score is required due to illness, accident and trauma.
Those last two points are an insurance policy in case of anything going less than favourably across the exam period. While it is not something anybody can strictly study and prepare for like regular subjects, it is definitely worth looking at and completing some past/practice GAT questions over the course of the term.
Please acknowledge the above details in the Operoo, particularly the options in place for the practice exams
BRYN BOWEN
Acting VCE CoordinatoR
Start of semester is the perfect time to establish healthy routines in the home. The best way to support students' independent learning at home is for parents to regularly check-in to SEQTA to touch base with their child's learning.
The following video provides a useful 2 minute overview for those new to the platform:
We recommend parents check-in to SEQTA once a week. Just as you build in other commitments into your schedule, we suggest nominating a particular day every week where you log on and make note of upcoming assessments, taking time to digest teacher feedback on formative and summative assessment tasks. This will enable you to offer more targeted support and have more meaningful conversations with your child about their learning.
DAVID BAKER
Principal
What do we value and assume about 'risk-taking' in our young people?
It is normal for young people to want new experiences, to push boundaries and take risks. In fact, it is intrinsic to their social, emotional, and cognitive development and an important stage in their journey to finding their identities and becoming independent young adults.
Parents commonly think of 'risk-taking' behaviours in adolescence as underage drinking, vaping and drug taking, dangerous driving (texting), risky sexual behaviour and the like. In fact, the word 'risk' is often defined as the possibility that something unpleasant or unwelcome will happen because of a particular action.
However, we also need to remember that risk-taking can be both negative and positive and that young people can learn and grow from taking risks, making it more complex to understand.
Why do teenagers take risks?
During adolescence there are changes in the brain that make teenagers more focused on the reward they feel when they are admired by their friends, and the positive reinforcement they get by being included. Therefore, friends and peers become incredibly important during the teenage years, and why they feel real distress if they don’t have friends or are socially rejected.
The areas of the brain that handle impulse control and planning also don’t completely mature until about age 25 (later in males). This contributes to teenagers being more likely than adults to make quick and risky decisions.
However, not all risk-taking has negative consequences. Encouraging your teenager to practice positive risk-taking can be a safe outlet to help them develop their decision-making skills.
Positive risk-taking
Positive risk-taking is about learning new things and exploring unfamiliar territory. The risk is positive because, while it still evokes a feeling of uncertainty or fear, you develop a new skill or there’s a possibility of a positive outcome.
If young people are looking for new challenges or thrills, support them to take on hobbies or engage in activities, like:
- Sports: rock climbing, mountain biking, martial arts, competitive team sport like basketball or football, or performance sports like dance or gymnastics.
- Arts: joining the school play or band
- Volunteering: getting involved in a social or political cause, participating in a school committee
- Education: getting involved in a maths or spelling competition.
When this kind of risk-taking occurs in a healthy, supervised, and supportive atmosphere, it can help young people build confidence. It can also help them learn to trust their own judgment and how to deal with disappointment and frustration. Exploration can also help teens learn how to:
- Interact respectfully with peers
- Make decisions that fit their values and knowledge of what is right
- Learn more about themselves
- Develop life skills in a safe and rewarding way
- Seek help and/or further support when experiencing personal difficulties
Peer pressure and risk-taking
Being around friends and peers can sometimes lead your child to take negative risks, which can have harmful consequences on a teenager’s health, safety, and wellbeing. Supporting your child to recognise peer pressure - when it helps and when it hinders them - is an important role for parents to play. One way you can support them is to help them come up with some creative ways to be assertive, and to say no to peer pressure. Whether your child is actively making risky choices, or you are worried about it happening, it’s important to have a conversation with them about it.
Every teen is an individual
As our young people grow, develop, find their own voice, and make their own choices, it's important to remember that many factors contribute to how they make decisions including; age, maturity, hormones, personality characteristics, interpersonal skills, family, position in the family, friends, connectedness to community, the quality and frequency of information about a particular choice, and past experiences all make a difference.
What parents can do
Parents are key in supporting teens as they explore new ideas, try something they are interested in, or connect with a different group of friends. Learn to grow with them whilst being cognisant that this is their journey, their story.
The impact of COVID on teen risk-taking
One of the impacts of living and working in lockdown in 2020 and 2021 whereby we spent an unprecedented amount of time with our children, was that they were restricted in their capacity to have formative experiences that would have previously been considered as part of 'normal' adolescent development.
Now it is time to step back, to trust, and allow them the opportunity to grow and learn by taking risks.
As parents, we can:
- Continue to show up and be interested in their everyday life; make time to listen and talk, do something together, and keep investing in your relationship with them as they move towards young adulthood
- Maintain respectful communication regarding negotiating privileges, managing expectations, fostering responsibility, and considering meaningful consequences
- Talk about core family values. Share your own values and ask them about theirs
- Encourage them to find opportunities to explore individual interests
- Model good decision-making skills
- Promote thinking about how their decisions could affect not only themselves but others, in the short-term and long-term
- Encourage them to seek support from professionals and/or other trusted adults if they want to speak with someone other than their parents
Young people can teach us a lot about ourselves, and we need to learn to grow with them. We cannot protect them from failing, feeling disappointed, hurt, or sad. They must find this out on their own. Life is about taking risks, both negative and positive ones, and that’s how we all learn to make the right decisions for ourselves. Preventing our children from taking risks won’t empower them to become the adult we want them to be. Celebrate their successes and learn how to support them to respond well to failure. And finally, let them know they can always rely on your support. You won’t always like or agree with the choices they make but being there for them means letting them know that you may not always agree with them, but that you will always support them.
In kindness,
DONNA NAIRN
Director of Counselling
Over the winter holidays, I was lucky enough to attend a 4-day Girl Power in Engineering and IT camp at Melbourne University where I got to learn about careers in Engineering and IT; participate in a variety of awesome workshops; hear from industry and academic staff involved in engineering and IT; and interact with Melbourne University engineering and IT students. I shared this experience with a group of like-minded girls that I made lots of connections with.
Five Great Things I Never Knew about Engineering and IT
1. You get to solve the world’s problems
When you think about it, Engineering and IT are such rewarding disciplines because you get to solve the world’s problems. When you work to make your own and other people’s lives easier, you’re basically a superhero! For example, the Wright brothers invented the plane so that we can now travel overseas and efficiently.
2. Your ideas – coming to life
After all your hard work it can be gratifying to see your product or design come to life, whether that be as a civil engineer designing a skyscraper or as a biomedical engineer developing an artificial limb. It makes the hard work it worthwhile.
3. You are shaping the future
As an engineer, you are amplifying human capability, pushing limits and testing boundaries, allowing humans to travel into space, and giving amputees the chance to walk again. The opportunities to improve society, the environment and the planet are endless. As a bonus, the levels of job security for engineering are high!
4. Variety and choice
I don’t think people are aware of the variety that becomes available to you when choosing a career in engineering/IT. There are so many different types of engineering that there is most likely something for everyone; from being a Formula One racing engineer perfecting the aerodynamics of the car and running lap simulations, to working for NASA and controlling the curiosity driver, a robot that is exploring Mars!
5. Creativity
Finally, with creativity, you get to use your imagination to design, build, code, and create: from designing aeroplanes to building bridges, there are no limits to the imagination.
Further information about the Girl Power program can be found here.
POPPY MOLLETT
Year 9
There's less than a month before opening night for our 2022 production of Almost, Maine, the first Woodleigh senior school production to make it to the stage in three years. This is a fantastic milestone and great example of what creative Woodleigh students can do. Students have written and arranged the music; created animations and projections; crafted the set and costumes, and will be running the show. Come along and show your support!
Almost, Maine is rated PG and suitable for the whole family. Seating is limited, so don’t miss out!
Experience the life-altering power of the human heart and have your heart touched and warmed in the process.
BOOK NOW
Late last year, when I heard about the upcoming school production Almost, Maine, I quickly printed off all the parts that intrigued me. That just so happened to be half of the parts; nine roles, or forty-nine pages of the script, to be exact.
I was completely baffled. I had to pick one but they were all so enticing. So rather than restrict my options, I decided to prepare for all of them. Where to start?
Should I audition for one of the romantic roles? Or perhaps a comic character? Maybe I should stretch myself and try out for a dramatic lead? The play has roles in each of these styles. Then I started thinking about the lines. Should I go for the largest role, or the one that’s the smallest? I know that some people count the number of lines that a character speaks and use that to decide. I didn’t want to have to say too much, but then again, I didn’t want to spend the majority of the play either off-stage or standing silent in a crowd scene.
As I read through the different parts, I realised that there were other factors that might come into play. Some roles required stage falls, some involved crying and some roles might require me to kiss someone. (After all, it is a play all about love, and there are kisses dotted all the way through play.) I read and re-read the script to look for inspiration, and I practiced and practiced every role that intrigued me (which, to be fair, was almost all of them).
Auditions came and went. I won’t do a plot spoiler by telling you which role I was finally given. You’ll have to come to the play to make that discovery! Suffice it to say, I liked the role I was given, and started to learn my lines. But then the cast were thrown a curve ball. We were asked (and I quote) “Can anyone grow a decent amount of facial hair?”
My eyes widened. THIS WAS MY MOMENT! I instantly said “YES!”
You may think growing a beard would require no effort on my part, but over the past few months I’ve been massaging my face regularly, playing my facial hair classical music (it’s a fan of Beethoven’s ‘Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 “Moonlight Sonata”: I. Adagio) and I have repeated hairy affirmations daily while studying the way of the beard.
I also knew the only way I could test its power would be if I were to take it on a treacherous journey, so I brought it to Hattah with me. There my beard fought the sun and heat and hiked with me for 7 long days. After all, the hair had to be tough, brave and know its true self, so it looked less like it belonged to a 15-year, 9-month and 12-day-old private school boy, and helped me embody the jaded adult bloke that is the essence of the role.
Other cast members also took up the facial hair challenge. Al Jones has faced the same journey as me and has sprouted a rough beard perfect for his role. Patrick Cummin has set out to grow a very distinguished ‘mo’. He has worked tirelessly to ‘tame the beast’, trimming the edges when it became too fierce. He too has come out of this challenge with some beautiful and impressive facial hair perfect for our roles.
Only after all this preparation have we realised the true power of facial hair. We are ready. We will not stop these practices, for we now understand that its journey has only just begun. And it grows stronger every day, literally and figuratively.
Thanks to Maya for filming and capturing my facial hair trajectory.
BEN IRELAND Y10 & HIS FACIAL HAIR – 7 months old
FILM BY MAYA STUBBS Y10
It's a celebration!
A celebration of effort, application, skill and talent.
A celebration of Bella Gosling for being recognised with a Premier's Award for her outstanding work in Units 3-4 Literature, where she achieved a perfect study score of 50.
Nice to see Sonia Murr and your Mum joining you and David Baker to recognise your efforts too!
After being cancelled due to extreme weather conditions at the first attempt, the Sis Cross Country Carnival took place on Tuesday 26th July at Baxter Park. The conditions, whilst not extreme, were challenging – a wet course increasingly turned muddy as the day progressed.
14 SIS schools were competing in the combined Division A & B Carnival. Our team of around 70 students were in Division A and represented the school in impressive fashion. We changed our strategy this year, and rather than push students up age groups to fill gaps in the team; we wanted to support all students to run in their correct age group. Our runners gave their best, pushing themselves to their limits and made a positive contribution to our overall 6th place finish.
There were some outstanding individual performances on the day, including two race wins across the 12-race carnival:
Amelia Evenden, Year 11 – 1st place U/17
Imogen Tabacco, Year 10 – 1st place U/16
Benny McConnell, Year 12 – 3rd place U/21
Ted Meysztowicz, Year 10 – 4th place U/16
Alby Moorehouse, Year 7 – 5th place U/13
Orlando Clark, Year 8 – 5th place U/14
Harry Lawson, Year 11 – 8th place U/16
Rhett Clark, Year 12 – 10th place U/21
Special mention to Millie Evenden, who remains undefeated at SIS level, having won in 2018, 2019, (no race in 2020), 2021 and again this year. What an incredible effort!
Thanks also to Benny McConnell (team captain) for his performance and the work he put in with all the Boys’ teams helping them prepare on the day. To our Year 12 students who have been involved at this level with Cross Country across their six-year journey, thank you for your wonderful contribution and willingness to be involved during your final year.
BEN DAVENPORT
Director of Sport
The Brian Henderson Reserve at Senior Campus had some new folks move in on Tuesday night – a community of Southern Brown Bandicoots!
These bouncy little guys are relatives of the Bilby and, importantly, are native to the Peninsula. Though they were once common, they're now considered endangered across Australia, with the last major population found not too far away in the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens.
At Woodleigh, they'll have the chance to survive and thrive in the predator-proof confines of the reserve, safe from the foxes and cats who have decimated their wild populations.
Students will help monitor the animals via trapping and night vision cameras while also helping care for the animals who make up our small captive breeding program.
The Brian Henderson Reserve is now home to the Bandicoots, as well as populations of Brush-tailed Rock Wallabies, Red-necked Wallabies, Tammar Wallabies, Tasmanian Pademelons, Rufous Bettongs, Eastern Grey Kangaroos, Eastern Quolls and a pair of Emus!
Thank you to Pails for Scales Conservation for donating these animals.
Digital Wellbeing is something we all grapple with, no matter whether you're a student or a parent. When it comes to screens, few of us are sitting in the driver's seat. Our term 3 Parent Education Program (PEP) talk is the pep talk we all need: how to stay focused in an age of distraction.
Our PEP talk presenter, Dr Joanne Orlando (PhD, MEd, BEd), is a leading international expert on how to create a healthy relationship with technology. Based on her ground-breaking research, Joanne speaks to communities about how to balance the 24/7 nature of technology without losing the many opportunities it provides. She believes we can live well and stay focused with technology even with the ever-present possibility of distraction. In this term 3 PEP Talk, she'll share with us some simple tips on how to reign in our digital habits and create a relationship with technology that doesn't tax our wellbeing.
Joanne is the creator of the digital literacy and wellbeing education program TechClever, which helps schools and parents to frame conversations around technology away from one that focuses on fear to one that focuses on creating healthy relationships with our devices. Her most recent book Life Mode On, was released worldwide in 2021.
BOOK TICKETSThe Student Conveyance Allowance only applies to students attending the Woodleigh Campus located at Langwarrin South and students attending the Penbank Campus located at Moorooduc.
The allowance allows families in regional areas to receive help with the cost of transporting their children to their nearest school or campus. The conveyance allowance is a contribution towards transport costs and is not intended to cover the full cost and is available to students travelling by public transport, private car and private bus.
Completed applications are due by Friday 12 August, 2022. For full details, see below.
The Victorian Minister for Education has amended the definition of the closest appropriate school/campus (Instrument of Specification). This may impact some of our families who have been unable to make a claim in the past or deemed ineligible.
Both Woodleigh School and Bayside Christian College are registered the same and classified as same type schools. Therefore, previously if you lived closer to Bayside Christian College you would have been deemed ineligible to receive the conveyance allowance. However, parents can now apply for consideration by providing a “signed letter” to the school why the closest school of the same denomination is not appropriate for their child. You must include your child’s name and demonstrate the below points:
- The student does not belong to, or associate with, the school’s particular religion, or engage in religious activity associated with the school’s religious doctrines; and
- The relevant school’s compulsorily requires its students to engage in religious activity associated with that religion or religious doctrines.
The Department of Education and Training will review individual applications on their merits. Please note that you must still meet the main criteria listed below.
Completed conveyance application forms must be signed by the parent or guardian (page 4) must and submitted to the School.
If you have previously submitted a form and there is no change to mode of transport or address details you are not required to complete a new form for 2022.
New forms must be completed for students attending the School for the first time or existing conveyance allowance claimants who have a change of circumstances affecting eligibility. For example:
- Moving residence or changing their mode of transport;
- Changing schools/campuses. Ie Penbank Campus to Senior Campus
The Department of Education and Training’s main criteria for student eligibility is:
- The School attended is the nearest appropriate school. (or attach a supporting letter as per above)
- The student resides more than 4.8kms from the school by the shortest practicable route.
- Students are of school age 5 – 18 years and enrolled at school for 3 or more days per week.
To apply for a conveyance allowance, parents are required to complete the appropriate forms.
- Travel by contract bus: “Conveyance Allowance Application – Private Bus Travel”
- Travel by myki bus: “Conveyance Allowance Application – Public Transport Travel". Must provide prove of purchase ie copy of receipt or ticket.
- Travel by car: “Conveyance Allowance Application – Private Car Travel” will need to be completed for each student, listing all students travelling in the nominated vehicle.
- Combined travel: Each appropriate form will need to be completed as above, e.g. drive further than 4.8km to catch public transport (Private Car/Public Transport).
Please note for Woodleigh Campus families: If you live within 4.8km of public transport (ie one of our myki buses) and choose to travel by private bus or car you will not be eligible to claim the conveyance allowance.
The School will lodge 4 claims a year (1 per Term) with the Department of Education and Training. The Department will reimburse the school and the allowance will be credited to your fee account in instalments. Completed applications need to be received by Friday 12 August, 2022 to be included in the claim.
- Contract Bus Reimbursement is determined on the basis of the shortest practicable route from the student’s residence to the school and not the actual distance travelled in the bus.
- Public Transport The cost of fares are fully refundable.
- Private Car Reimbursement is made on the basis of the one-way distance travelled per vehicle and the number of students in that vehicle. Payment is made to the family operating the vehicle.
If you have any queries please contact Robyn Kent on 5971 6100 or email rkent@woodleigh.vic.edu.au.