The Lakes South Morang College - Issue 11

ISSUE 11 2026

Term 3, Week 7

Wakikirri Winners!

School Council Fundraising Updates

Dress Code Policy

What’s on @ The Lakes

Student’s celebrate Science Week

SCHOOL COUNCIL REPORT AMANDA FARRELLY SCHOOL COUNCIL PRESIDENT

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

School Council Report

The Lakes South Morang College respectfully acknowledges that beneath the significant River Red Gums that feature across our school's landscape lay the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri-Willam people of the Kulin Nation. In this edition, we celebrate the installation of new drinking stations across both Campuses, recognise our school leaders following Principals’ Day, and look ahead to some exciting community events. Families will find important reminders about our upcoming Father’s Day Stall and Father’s and Special Persons Day Breakfast, as well as a first look at the Cadbury Chocolate Fundraiser launching in Week 9 to support continued improvements across our school. There has been plenty happening across our school community, with School Council and the Fundraising Committee continuing to work alongside students, families and staff to support projects and events across both Campuses. From improvements shaped directly by student feedback, to celebrating our school leaders and preparing for some much- loved community events, we are pleased to share a few updates and reminders with families.

Student Perspective

College Connection

Policy Spotlight

Term 3 Calendar

What’s on @ The Lakes

Community Noticeboard

The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter SCHOOL COUNCIL REPORT

NEW DRINK STATIONS ACROSS BOTH CAMPUSES

FATHER'S AND SPECIAL PERSONS DAY – STALL & BREAKFAST

Our Father's and Special Persons Day celebrations are coming up soon, with two opportunities for families to get involved.

Over the past year, students across both Campuses have raised with School Council concerns about the condition of our drinking taps. Students asked for new, more reliable and height-appropriate units that could better keep up with busy school days and warmer weather. Last week, this request became a reality, with brand-new, modern drinking stations installed at both Campuses! The new units are cleaner, faster and designed to make filling drink bottles quick and easy. Thank you to our students for raising this issue so clearly with School Council and to our Leadership Team for supporting the funding of this project. School Council initiatives such as this are shaped by feedback from our community and provide an opportunity to make practical improvements to our school facilities. It is a great example of student voice leading to real change across our school.

The Father's Day Stall will be held for Primary students on Wednesday 2 September, with gifts available for $6 each. Families wishing their child to purchase a gift are reminded to pre-purchase a voucher through CompassTix. Our annual Father's Day and Special Person's Breakfast will then be held at the Primary Campus on Friday 4 September from 8.00– 8.45am and is open to families from both Campuses. Families can enjoy coffee and donuts available for purchase on the morning, with bacon and egg rolls available for $5 each. Bacon and egg rolls must be pre-purchased through CompassTix to assist us with catering. Please ensure vouchers and breakfast roll orders are completed by 4.00pm Tuesday 1 September. We look forward to welcoming families for what is always a lovely morning together as a school community.

COMING IN WEEK 9 – CADBURY CHOCOLATE FUNDRAISER

Our next major fundraising activity will begin in Week 9, with the launch of our Cadbury Chocolate Fundraiser. Funds raised through the Chocolate Drive will contribute towards the cost of the new drinking stations across our Primary and Secondary campuses, helping School Council continue to fund improvements identified by our community. Families who choose to participate will purchase a box of Cadbury chocolates for $60 upfront. Once collected, the box belongs to the family and chocolates can be sold at their own pace, with money from sales reimbursing the initial $60 cost. As boxes cannot be returned to Cadbury, we ask families to participate only if they are confident they will be able to sell their box. Full information and the opportunity to participate will be sent to families as a Compass Event in Week 9, with orders due by Friday 9 October and boxes anticipated to be available for collection from Friday 16 October. Thank you, as always, to our students, families and staff for continuing to support School Council and fundraising initiatives. Whether through sharing feedback, attending community events or supporting a fundraiser, your involvement helps us continue to make meaningful improvements across our school.

RECOGNISING OUR PRINCIPALS

Friday 7 August was Principals’ Day, providing an opportunity for our school community to recognise the important contribution our school leaders make to the everyday life of The Lakes. School Council would like to thank Mr Panas, Ms Lee, Mrs Short and Mrs Conversano for all they do for our school. Their contribution extends well beyond strategic decisions and planning. We see leaders who know our students, take the time to connect with families and staff, and make space for conversations – whether that is a quick chat at the gate or a longer discussion about how things are going. We also recognise our Leadership Team's ongoing commitment to improving our school. Their willingness to listen, reflect and try new approaches helps create a school environment where students, families and staff feel heard, supported and connected. Thank you to our Principals for the relationships you build, the care you show and the work you continue to do to make our school a better place.

READ OUR COLLEGE HANDBOOKS FOR

The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter

Science Week @ The Lakes!

Primary Learning in Action Open Morning!

On Tuesday, our Primary students enjoyed a special open morning to celebrate Science week!

Each year level took part in fun, hands on science activities. It was a wonderful morning of curiosity, discovery and scientific thinking.

Thank you to our families who came along and joined in on our open morning, we loved sharing our science learning with you.

Real World Applications in VCE

The Year 12 VCE Chemistry class headed off to VSSEC for a hands- on excursion focused on Quality Control, tying directly into Outcome 2 of our course. The day was broken up into three rotating sessions, each giving us a chance to work with some sophisticated lab equipment. First up was FTIR, where we identified the functional groups of various chemicals and using that knowledge to work out the identity of an unknown substance. Next, we moved onto GCMS, where we tested premade samples to figure out how much biodiesel contamination was present in aviation fuel, using the GC to separate the components and the MS to identify them. Finally, we wrapped up with HPLC, analysing aspirin tablets to determine how much of the active ingredient they actually contained. It was a great opportunity to apply what we will be learning in class to real analytical techniques used in quality control settings because it helped bring the theory to life.

COMMUNICATION THROUGH CONVERSATION The Communication Action Team is excited to launch The Lakes News, a new podcast for The Lakes South Morang College. With the theme “Communication through conversation,” the podcast will share student voice, school updates, interviews, events, achievements, and stories from across our college community.

Episode 2: we kick off our Best Friends segment - tune in to find out more!

Primary Communication Team

Our Primary Communications Team have been working together to share ideas about how to make our school an even better place. During the combined Primary and Secondary Leadership days, we worked together on teamwork challenges, including building the tallest tower we could using spaghetti and marshmallows. This activity helped everyone work together, solve problems, and share ideas.

The Communications Team brainstormed ways to improve communication across the Primary Campus. Some of our ideas are:

Creating a buddy system to help students find information and support. Sharing more information about upcoming events at assemblies. Designing posters with both words and pictures so everyone knows what is happening around the school. Having student leaders make school and class announcements over the PA system. Supporting communication at Performing Arts Showcases and other school events.

We are excited to visit classrooms and help students know where to go and who they can talk to when they need information or support.

"The best thing is helping other people communicate about events." – Ava (Year 3)

"The best thing is being a role model and leader within the school." – Mackenzie (Year 4)

The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter CURRICULUM

THE LAKES STUDENTS EARN NATIONAL NOMINATION IN WAKAKIRRI!

The Lakes has received a National Nomination Award and is being considered for a National Award for their Wakakirri performance 'Roots Between Us'. Wakakirri is Australia’s largest performing arts event for schools with 191 taking part in 2026. Inspired by the Wakakirri ethos “Great stories inspire change”, participating schools create and perform Story-Dances that reflect students’ thoughts, ideas, and aspirations. Wakakirri Festival Director Adam Loxley said “The standard of performance and the stories being told by schools this year was exceptional and The Lakes South Morang College should be very proud of their award”. The Lakes’ story is about two sisters whose connection is fractured as their world is divided by industrialisation and the changing relationship between people and the natural environment. Their separation reflects a community that has also become disconnected from the Earth and from one another. When a small seed is discovered, it becomes a symbol of hope and renewal, bringing the community together with a shared purpose. As the community works collectively to heal the Earth, the sisters are ultimately reunited, rediscovering their connection to each other and to the world around them. Their performance 'Roots Between Us' was described by Wakakirri Ambassador Joti Van Carlos as “ An exhilarating discovery among sisters in the world of tech and industrialisation. A sagacious showing of how a single seed of hope can foster and cultivate a collective movement to inspire a better world. Dynamic and inspiring!”

The Lakes' performance coordinator Aimee Freind said “I could not be more proud of our students and what they achieved through Roots Between Us. Their student leadership, outstanding choreography and commitment to the performance were exceptional. Throughout the entire process, they demonstrated an incredible level of teamwork, creativity and care for one another. They took ownership of their roles, supported each other and worked collaboratively to bring a challenging and meaningful story to life. Seeing them perform with such confidence, purpose and pride was an incredibly special moment for our school community.” As a result of their outstanding achievement, The Lakes has been invited to perform at the Wakakirri Awards night and considered for a National Story-Dance Award alongside other outstanding Secondary and Dance schools from across Australia. The Wakakirri Story-Dance Festival is a national program that helps schools develop student engagement and wellbeing through participation in the performing arts. Schools participate by creating Story-Dances which they perform in live theatres in capital cities and selected regional areas around Australia. Schools in remote and regional areas can participate via Wakakirri Video.

Wakakirri’s partners include Amplify, Kids Helpline, Open Parachute, and The Sebastian Foundation.

The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter POLICY SPOTLIGHT

STUDENT DRESS CODE POLICY

www.thelakes.edu.au/uploads/8/3/9/0/83901006/student_dre ss_code_policy_2024.pdf

The Student Dress Code aims to:

foster a sense of community and belonging and encourages students to develop pride in their appearance support The Lakes commitment to ensuring that our students feel equal and are dressed safely and appropriately for College activities reduce student competition on the basis of clothing enhance the profile and identity of the College and its students within the wider community. The College Council has developed a dress code that provides a range of choices for students and is cost effective for families. Students are expected to comply with this Student Dress Code while traveling to and from school, during school hours and when attending College activities. A motion was passed at the College Council meeting, meaning that students on the Secondary Campus can now select from any Secondary Campus uniform item, meaning that the PE uniform can now be worn by students outside of scheduled PE classes. Please note however that Primary uniform items cannot be worn on the Secondary Campus. Uniform items can be purchased from Lowes Plenty Valley Westfield, Shop 42/415 McDonalds Road, Mill Park. Hours of operation are Monday, Wednesday and Saturday 9.00am 5.00pm, Tuesday and Sunday 10.00am-5.00pm, and Thursday and Friday 9.00am-9.00pm. https://www.lowes.com.au/schools- online-landing Please contact the College Wellbeing team to discuss support that we may be able to provide to families experiencing difficulty meeting uniform costs, including information about eligibility for uniform support through State Schools Relief.

TERM 3 CALENDAR

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

Jul 13

Jul 14

Jul 15

Jul 16

Jul 17

Week 1

Year 11 & 12 Basketball All Day Year 8-10 Incursion All Day

VCE Chemistry Excursion All Day

7:30am Athlete, Artist & Dance Development Program

Year 1-3 Swimming 11.30am - 1.00pm

3:15Pm Wakakirri Rehearsals 3:15Pm SAC & CAT Redemption

3:15Pm SAC & CAT Redemption

Jul 24

Jul 20

Jul 21

Jul 22

Jul 23

Week 2

Primary Assembly 9.15am

Primary Breaky Club 8.15am - 8.45am

Year 5/6 Interschool Sport 9am - 11am

7:30am Athlete, Artist & Dance Development Program

Year 1-3 Swimming 11.30am - 1.00pm

School Council Meeting 5pm

3:15Pm SAC & CAT Redemption

Jul 27

Jul 28

Jul 29

Jul 30

Jul 31

Week 3

Primary Breaky Club 8.15am - 8.45am

7:30am Athlete, Artist & Dance Development Program

Year 5/6 Interschool Sport 9am - 11am

3:15Pm Wakakirri Rehearsals 3:15Pm SAC & CAT Redemption

Year 1-3 Swimming 11.30am - 1.00pm

100 Days of Prep 100 Days of Yr 7

3:15Pm SAC & CAT Redemption

Aug 3

Aug 4

Aug 5

Aug 6

Aug 7

Week 4

Primary Assembly 9.15am

7:30am Athlete, Artist & Dance Development Program

Primary Breaky Club 8.15am - 8.45am Wakakirri Performance All Day

Year 5/6 Interschool Sport 9am - 11am

Year 3/4 Incursion All Day

Year 1-3 Swimming 11.30am - 1.00pm

3:15Pm SAC & CAT Redemption

Aug 10

Aug 11

Aug 12

Aug 13

Aug 14

Week 5

Primary Breaky Club 8.15am - 8.45am

Year 5/6 Interschool Sport 9am - 11am

7:30am Athlete, Artist & Dance Development Program

Year 4 Excursion All Day

Year 7 & 10 Immunisations All Day

Year 1-3 Swimming 11.30am - 1.00pm

3:15Pm SAC & CAT Redemption

Aug 17

Aug 18

Aug 19

Aug 20

Aug 21

Week 6

7:30am Athlete, Artist & Dance Development Program

Primary Assembly 9.15am

Primary Breaky Club 8.15am - 8.45am Year 5 & 6 Camp Wednesday - Friday Secondary Learner Reviews 10.30am - 6.30pm

Science Week

Primary Open Morning 9:15am - 10:00am

Year 10 Design Excursion All Day

Year 9 My Career Insights Monday-Tuesday

Year 9 My Career Insights Thursday-Friday

Year 1-3 Swimming 11.30am - 1.00pm

Year 5/6 Interschool Sport 9am - 11am

School Council Meeting 5pm

3:15Pm SAC & CAT Redemption

Aug 28

Aug 24

Aug 25

Aug 26

Aug 27

Week 7

7:30am Athlete, Artist & Dance Development Program

Primary Breaky Club 8.15am - 8.45am

Pupil Free Day All Day

Year 10 Media Excursion All Day

Year 2 Incursion All Day

Year 1-3 Swimming 11.30am - 1.00pm

3:15Pm SAC & CAT Redemption

Aug 31

Sep 1

Sep 2

Sep 3

Sep 4

Week 8

Primary Breaky Club 8.15am - 8.45am

7:30am Athlete, Artist & Dance Development Program

Year 5 Excursion All Day

8:00am - 8:45am Father’s Day Breakfast

Primary Book Week Assembly 9.15am Bookfair Opens on Primary

Book Week

Year 1-3 Swimming 11.30am - 1.00pm

Year 5/6 Interschool Sport 9am - 11am

Father’s Day Stall

4pm Deadline for Father’s Day Stall & Father’s Day Bacon & Egg Roll Orders via CompassTix

Year 7 Basketball All Day

3:15Pm SAC & CAT Redemption

Sep 7

Sep 8

Sep 9

Sep 10

Sep 11

Week 9

Year 5/6 Interschool Sport 9am - 11am

Year 1 Incursion All Day

7:30am Athlete, Artist & Dance Development Program

Primary Breaky Club 8.15am - 8.45am

3:15Pm SAC & CAT Redemption

Sep 14

Sep 15

Sep 16

Sep 17

Sep 18

Week 10

Year 9 City Experience Monday-Thursday

Year 5/6 Interschool Sport 9am - 11am

Primary Assembly 9.15am

Year 3 Incursion All Day

Year 10 Incursion All Day

1:15pm End of Term - Students Dismissed

Year 7 DigiTec. Excursion All Day

3:15Pm SAC & CAT Redemption

Whole School

Primary

Secondary

College Events

Assessment

Pupil Free Days

The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter WHAT’S ON @ THE LAKES

WELCOME TO THE 2026 VICTORIAN PREMIERS’ READING CHALLENGE

The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge is now open, and The Lakes South Morang College is excited to be participating. The PRC application offers a range of exciting features including: Access to a library catalogue (including book images and blurbs) A modern user-friendly interface Rewarding students with badges as challenge milestones are achieved The option for students to mark books as a favourite, give them a star rating or complete a book review.

TO LOG IN:

1. Go to https://vprc.eduweb.vic.gov.a u/searchbooklist. 2.Select the School/Student button. 3.Select the VPRC login option. 4.Enter your username and password (sent home with Primary students) 5.Select Login.

The 2026 Challenge theme is ‘Stories to discover. Stories to tell’.

It is not a competition; it is a personal challenge for children to read a set number of books. Prep to Year 2: Read a total of 30 books, with 20 or more of those books from the Challenge book list Year 3 to Year 9: Read a total of 15 books, with 10 or more of those books from the Challenge book list Year 10: Read a total of 15 books, with 5 or more of those books from the Challenge book list.

You can also contact our school’s Challenge coordinator Laura Adams with any questions you may have!

The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

OFFICE HOURS AT THE LAKES Parents/carers are welcome in our office areas when they are making payments, bringing a child in late or picking up a sick child from sick bay. Students are not to use these areas before school or after school. The Lakes South Morang College’s grounds are supervised by College staff from 8:50am until 3:15 (Secondary Campus), or 3:30pm (Primary Campus). Outside of these hours, College staff will not be available to supervise students. If a student is not collected before supervision finishes at the end of the day, the Principal or nominee staff member will consider whether it is appropriate to: attempt to contact the parents/carers attempt to contact the emergency contacts place the student in an out of school hours care program (Primary Campus only) contact Victoria Police and/or Child Protection to arrange for the supervision, care and protection of the student.

BELONGINGS, AMBULANCE & INSURANCE Private property brought to school by students, staff or visitors is not insured and the Department of Education does not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage. Parents and carers are reminded that the Department of Education does not provide personal accident insurance or ambulance cover for students. Parents and carers of students who do not have student accident insurance/ambulance cover are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including the cost of ambulance attendance/transport and any other transport costs.

ACCESSING LEARNING TASKS AND ACADEMIC REPORTS

Please also be aware that both the Primary and Secondary Campus offices will close at 4:00 pm each day.

Please support us in making sure all students are safe.

ATTENDANCE - EVERY DAY COUNTS If you are aware that your child will not be attending school due to illness or other circumstances, please contact either office to ensure our attendance records are accurate.

Ways of communicating absences include: Placing a future Absence Request through the Compass

Education Portal; Calling the office;

As required by the Department of Education, all schools must notify parents/carers informing that their child is absent. Please inform the office of absences before 10am each morning.

Please call 9404 9000 if you have a service or upcoming event you would like to promote through our Newsletter.

PHOTOGRAPHING, RECORDING AND FILMING CONSENT thelakes.edu.au/uploads/8/3/9/0/83901006/photographing_filming___recording_of_students_policy_2024.pdf The Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Consent Form is provided by The Lakes South Morang College at enrolment. Recent Departmental changes to this policy mean that this now only has to be completed once during your child’s educational journey at The Lakes. As a component of our transition to Compass, all families across the College will be sent a message on Compass or contacted by a member of staff in regards to Permission to Publish for your child provided at enrolment. If at any time parents/carers wish to give or withdraw their consent, they can by contacting the College or completing the form below.

NO HAT - NO PLAY We will be enforcing our ‘No Hat, No Play’ policy in Term 1 and 4 on the Primary Campus. Wide-brimmed hats (with the school logo), are available at the uniform shop. ROAD SAFETY AROUND THE LAKES SOUTH MORANG COLLEGE The Lakes South Morang College is situated near busy roads with heavy traffic throughout the day, with particular attention to the front of our school, where we have several busy intersections and shared pathways with Coles, Collingwood Language School, Merriang SDS and the Kinder. We strongly remind all families that students must always use the designated school crossings. We are increasingly noticing students exiting or entering vehicles while crossing or weaving through traffic, which poses a serious risk. Please use the designated drop-off zones and encourage your child to cross only at supervised crossings. Holding your child’s hand near roads and vehicles is a simple but effective way to support their safety. Please also take the time to talk with your child about how to stay safe near parked cars, footpaths, and driveways.

YEAR 5/6 NOTEBOOK PROGRAM - 2026 We’re writing to inform you of an important change to our technology program for Year 5 and 6 students starting in 2026. After careful consideration and in consultation with the School Council and broader school community, The Lakes South Morang College has made the decision to transition from iPads to Windows touchscreen notebook computers for students in Years 5 and 6. This move aligns our Primary and Secondary learning experiences and brings our technology use in line with most primary schools across Victoria, who have already adopted Windows-based programs. It also ensures our students are better prepared for the digital expectations of Year 7 and beyond. Why Are We Transitioning to Notebooks? While iPads have served many learning purposes, they are limited in supporting the broader skills needed in upper primary and secondary education. Windows-based touchscreen notebooks: Offer a full desktop computing experience Support keyboard proficiency and multitasking Provide compatibility with the software and systems used from Year 7 onwards Offer improved file management, software flexibility, and better integration with our college systems Devices purchased through our approved portals will be

supported at The Lakes in Years 7 and beyond. Support stylus use for handwriting and drawing

The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

LUNCH ORDERS: Download the app to setup an account and select The Lakes South Morang College. Orders need to be in by 9am on the day.

The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

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