The Lakes South Morang College - Issue 20

Welcome to issue 20 of the College Newsletter! IN THIS ISSUE: - Week 8 Primary Awards - School Council Report - The Lakes Complaints Policy - How Gardening Can Teach Kids Life Skills - Student Perspective - Gardening Club - Understanding ATAR scoring - What’s on at The Lakes

THE LAKES SOUTH MORANG COLLEGE NEWSLETTER 2022 - ISSUE 10 Date 00, 2022

Term 4, Week 9 Issue 20 - 2023

The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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.

Principal Report

School Council Report

Primary Campus Awards

Policy Spotlight

Wellbeing

PRINCIPAL REPORT BONNIE LEE SECONDARY CAMPUS PRINCIPAL

Student Perspective

Curriculum Connections

Social Scene

What ’ s on @ The Lakes

Dear students and families,

Community Noticeboard

As we approach the end of another remarkable academic year, I am filled with immense pride reflecting on the accomplishments of our students, staff, and the entire College community in 2023. The dedication and hard work exhibited by our students have been truly inspiring, and it is with great joy that I extend heartfelt congratulations to our Year 12 students for successfully completing their exams and participating in a memorable graduation ceremony. Their achievements are a testament to their resilience and commitment, and we are excited to see the positive impact they will undoubtedly make on the world. The period between the conclusion of exams and the commencement of employment or further study is an exciting one filled with unknown possibilities and potential – enjoy every minute of it! Congratulations are also in order for our Year 10 & 11 students, who have completed their exams and are embarking on the next chapter of their academic journey. We look forward to supporting you as you begin your Year 11 and Year 12 classes, and we are confident that your dedication to learning will continue to shine. The opportunity to get a head - start on your VCE studies is an important one, and while we wish you all a fantastic holiday break, we also ask that you make time to complete the holiday learning tasks assigned to you. This time can also be used to plan ahead for a balance of study, work, friends, family and leisure. Committing to VCE involves juggling many aspects of your life, and that of your families, so developing a plan now will place you in good stead for 2024.

SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST IN THIS ISSUE:

• Week 8 Primary Awards

• School Council Report

• The Lakes Complaints Policy

• How Gardening Can Teach Kids Life Skills • Student Perspective - Gardening Club

• Understanding ATAR scoring

• What ’ s on at The Lakes

Secondary Campus 80 Jardier Terrace, South Morang 3752 (03) 9401 3919 Primary Campus 275 Gordons Road, South Morang 3752 (03) 9400 9000

The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter PRINCIPAL REPORT

Our recent Colour Run Fundraising activity was a resounding success, thanks to the enthusiastic participation of students, staff, and parents/ carers. This whole - school event not only brought our community together but also raised funds that will be dedicated to upgrading interschool sport uniforms for our students. We believe that fostering a sense of pride and unity through such events is integral to the holistic development of our students. A massive shout out to Jaz who has been instrumental in the planning for such an important and successful event for our College community – we can ’ t wait to see this develop into an annual event. As we prepare for the end - of - year celebrations, including Year 6 graduation and the upcoming awards ceremony, we are also preparing students for 2024, including Prep and Year 7 transition and orientation programs, and the Primary Meet the Teacher afternoon. We are excited to celebrate the achievements and growth of each student, and also plan for continued successful learning journeys throughout 2024. These end of year events not only mark important milestones in our students' lives but also reinforce the sense of community and support that defines our College. Looking ahead to 2024, we are implementing several changes to enhance the overall experience at The Lakes. These changes include a shift to using surnames for staff, a minimum dress code for staff, the installation of glass partition walls in all learning areas across both campuses, the inclusion of vertical class groupings on the Secondary Campus, and a change in bell times for both campuses. These adjustments are aimed at creating an even more conducive learning environment and ensuring the continued growth and success of our school community.

As we conclude this academic year, and with this being my last newsletter item of 2023, let us celebrate our achievements, express gratitude for the support of our community, and eagerly anticipate the promising future that lies ahead.

SCHOOL COUNCIL REPORT

Hi Parents/Carers,

As 2023 draws to a close, I would like to acknowledge the hours and hours our parent/carer reps have put in voluntarily to make positive changes to our school and thank them for their dedication and commitment. Without Anna - Lisa Tewma, Briohny Voss, Grant Voss, Helen Skendaris, Jenny Archibald and Josie Benfari, we wouldn ’ t have been able to have our Mothers Day & Fathers Day stalls, Easter Raffle, our fundraising raffle at Production and Fathers Day breakfast. I would also like to shout - out to Katrina Hartley and Karen Gilchrist who also have assisted with 2024 fundraising activities more recently, together with Silvana Bizimovski who helped with the Mothers Day and Fathers Day stalls. The sense of teamwork has been truly remarkable. I would also like to thank our Executive Leadership team of Bill, Bonnie and Marcus and our Business Manager, Dale, for their wonderful support of suggestions/ideas/initiatives that Council reps have brought to the table, together with the admin support Karen and Dana have provided when we have needed it, and Kitty ’ s assistance with promoting our activities. Thank you to our student reps Nash and Adele for the invaluable student insights they provide at our meetings and to George and Michelle, our staff reps. Looking ahead to 2024, parent/carer engagement and strengthening our community will continue to be a focus. Parents/carers are an important part of our community, and the school needs your support in initiatives and events. Whilst we have one more meeting in our Council term in February, it is timely to remind parents/carers now that the call for nominations for representatives for the new School Council term will go out early in the new school year. Being on Council is a great way to have your input on our buildings/grounds/maintenance program; our fundraising and social activities; and general governance of the school from a strategic viewpoint. If you would like to self - nominate or have any questions about what it involves, please reach out to me at amanda.farrelly@education.vic.gov.au Congratulations in advance to our graduating Year 6 cohort next week and to our Year 12 Valedictorian and all of the award winners at our School Awards Night on December 14. Lastly, I would like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday break – hope you get a chance to relax and rejuvenate and School Council looks forward to seeing everyone again in 2024!

As indicated in my Inspire reflection recently, School Council have achieved a lot in 2023! Specifically, the momentum gained in 2022 to re - focus School Council continued on into 2023 with improving our school ’ s facilities and creating a greater sense of school pride remaining at the top of the agenda. Landscaping and new carpeting on both campuses; installation of CCTV cameras on Secondary; wall partitions on Secondary; and, a refurb of the Prep/1 toilets on Primary are just some of the improvement works completed this year. Not only has landscaping at the front Secondary created a new usable space for students at lunchtime, together with the landscaping at the front of Primary, both campuses now present a fresh new look to our local community. We are extremely excited that partitions to enclose our classrooms (when needed) will be installed on both campuses in the coming months, together with the refurb of the second toilet block on Primary. The process to install the eagerly awaited synthetic basketball courts on Primary has inched further ahead and fingers crossed these too will be done in the first half of 2024! School Council met for the final time for 2023 on 21 November. At this meeting we:

Endorsed the Indicative School Budget for 2024. Any final amendments to the budget will happen in late February once our final enrolment numbers are confirmed; Endorsed amendments to the Digital Learning Policy, which focuses on our 1:1 personal device program, expected student behaviour when using digital technologies and the school ’ s commitment to promoting safe and responsible use of digital technologies; Heard from Jaz Hayton who provided an update on the inaugural Colour Run and what the funds raised will be going towards; and Prioritised suggestions on new building and landscaping projects for 2024 from our brainstorming session at the October meeting. Tons of suggestions were received from School Council members, students, staff and the June parent/carer survey and together we worked through what suggestions were priority to be funded in 2024.

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Unfortunately, we received the news that our request to the City of Whittlesea to have pedestrian lights installed at the crossing on Gordons Road was not successful. However, conversations around student safety and traffic concerns on Gordons Road and The Lakes Boulevard are continuing.

Cheers,

Amanda Farrelly School Council President

The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter WEEK 8 PRIMARY CAMPUS AWARDS

LEARNER OF THE WEEK

Prep A

Prep B

Prep C

Vihaan V

Ava T

Dominic S

Aariv S

Evelyn K

Tida K

Ozzie B

Manvir S

Raastin L

Ayoal D

Ashwin PR

Archer P

Ollie P

Asha D

Jana N

Manav S

LIFESTYLE AWARDS

Sport

Art

STEM

Prep

Tara E

Carter M

Noah L

Year 1

Channy N

Mason B

Eleftheria G

Year 2

Sofia T

Matais R

Zoe HG

Year 3

Macie W

Wren F

Pranadh R

Year 4

Arsin J

Eloise C

Isaac H

Year 5

Saanvi C

Vishal S

Zak T

Year 6

Yvonne Y

Bertrand N

Zak J

POLICY SPOTLIGHT

COMPLAINTS

http://www.thelakes.edu.au/uploads/8/3/9/0/83901006/complaints_policy_2022.pdf

The Lakes welcomes feedback, both positive and negative, and is committed to continuous improvement. We value open communication with our families and are committed to understanding complaints and addressing them appropriately. We value and encourage open and positive relationships with our College community. We understand that it is in the best interests of students for there to be a trusting relationship between families and our College. When addressing a complaint, it is expected that all parties will:

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be considerate of each other ’ s views and respect each other ’ s role

• be focused on resolution of the complaint, with the interests of the student involved at the centre

•

act in good faith and cooperation

•

behave with respect and courtesy

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respect the privacy and confidentiality of those involved, as appropriate

• operate within and seek reasonable resolutions that comply with any applicable legislation and Department policy

• recognise that schools and the Department may be subject to legal constraints on their ability to act or disclose information in some circumstances. Students with a concern can raise them with a trusted adult at College, or can also ask a parent, carer or another trusted adult to talk about the issue instead. Parent/Carer concerns in the first instance should be directed to your child ’ s Home Group teacher or Year Level Leader. Where concerns cannot be resolved in this way, parents/carers may wish to make a formal complaint to the Principal team on either campus.

Policies are available to all families via the the Sentral Portal (under Resources) or via our website http://www.thelakes.edu.au/policies -- reports.html

The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter WELLBEING

HOW GARDENING CAN TEACH KIDS LIFE SKILLS - PLUS, IDEAS TO GET THEM DIGGING THE GARDEN

A few years ago, I stunned a young student in one of my gardening classes after telling him that he couldn ’ t actually grow pickles—only cucumbers. From that moment he craved to learn more. Whether your garden is on a city windowsill or in a big backyard, getting kids involved in tending plants can be a powerful teaching tool for subjects like science, math, and reading. But the art of growing stuff can also promote important life skills in children. Here ’ s how your garden can grow responsibility, kindness, and other values in your kids. PATIENCE Why your kid needs it: Being patient is something many children struggle with, but it can be an important factor in future school success. It also helps a kid stay calm in stressful situations, which promotes good mental health. “ To most children, everything is in the moment, ” says psychiatrist David Scott May of Mill Valley, California. “ Life is a blend of immediate and delayed gratification, so children benefit from learning about both. ” How a garden helps : Good stuff comes at the end of a growing season—like yummy fruit or pretty flowers—but kids have to wait for it. For instance, a carrot seed can take between 70 and 80 days to mature. How to grow it: Ease them into their new patient attitude with quick - to - sprout options like sunflowers and nasturtiums that germinate in about seven to 10 days; Rocket can be ready to eat in five to seven days. For longer - growth plants, kids can create a garden journal to document the progress of their seedling with words, drawings, or photos.

When kids are aware of what they ’ re thinking and noticing, “ they realise they have the power to control their big feelings and thoughts, ” Couture says. How to grow it: Encourage kids to zone out while they ’ re doing a rote task such as watering or digging. (Bonus if you can get them to do it without headphones!) Engaging with multiple sensory experiences—the feel and smell of dirt, the sound and sight of water—helps them to focus on the moment, bringing them a sense of calm. KINDNESS Why your kid needs it: Studies suggest that children who are considered helpful go on to make better grades and achieve career success. And of course, kindness can help kids develop empathy—both toward others and themselves. “ Being kind helps children develop positive relationships, ” says psychologist Christine Curtin of Mill Valley, California. “ It can also help them manage feelings of anxiety and depression. ” How a garden helps: When kids realise that a garden is full of living things that need their help to survive, they can develop a sense of caring and thoughtfulness. How to grow it: Think about kind options to maintain a healthy garden, such as having kids plant garden helpers like thyme and tansy, which both have strong oils that deter pesky bugs like aphids and whiteflies. You can also help them release beneficial ladybugs to devour aphids on plants like roses. RESPONSIBILITY Why your kid needs it: Children who see themselves as more responsible often feel empowered and confident. And learning to take responsibility for their choices teaches kids how to choose between right and wrong. “ Teaching responsibility helps kids develop critical - thinking skills, ” says child and adolescent psychiatrist Tracy Asamoah of Austin, Texas. “ Plus, they learn how to contribute to the greater good. ” How a garden helps: Maintaining any kind of garden—even a small window box—needs constant, long - term commitment and follow - through to make sure the plants thrive. How to grow it: Put kids in charge of a single container or a small part of a bigger garden for which they ’ re totally responsible. Try theming the child ’ s area of the garden: for instance, one with herbs and vegetables you ’ ll use to make pizza.

MINDFULNESS

Why your kid needs it: Research shows that practicing mindfulness is a great stress reliever, even for children. “ When kids realise that what ’ s happening ‘ in the moment ’ is personally affecting them, they become more self - aware, ” says child therapist Jennifer Couture of Kentfield, California. “ That helps strengthen qualities like empathy, kindness, appreciation, and generosity. ” How a garden helps: Working in a garden engages children with multiple sounds, smells, and sights. Activities that encourage kids to focus on all these at once can bring calm to their young minds.

STUDENT PERSPECTIVE

GARDENING CLUB PRIMARY STUDENTS Green Thumb Thursday is growing amazingly with student participation and plant growth! Its great to see the students are displaying The Lakes values of Leadership, Teamwork, Respect and Learning. Here are some pics of the Year 3 Sunflower Garden Bed. The Year 3s donated their sunflower and bean seeds from their excursion to Edendale Farm. Little legends. A big shout out to everyone who is helping and Dylan Ross for organising more seeds for the children can experiment with!

SELF - ESTEEM Why your kid needs it: Kids with positive self - esteem are more likely to try new things and overcome mistakes. “ They ’ re more likely to reach for their goals despite setbacks, ” says psychotherapist Laurie Javier of San Rafael, California. “ They ’ re also more respectful of themselves and others. ” How a garden helps: Gardening brings children a sense of accomplishment after they ’ ve watched their plants go from seedling to food or flowers. And observing how one plant flourishes while another one doesn ’ t helps children learn from harmless mistakes. How to grow it: To provide a boost of confidence, choose activities that provide a quick result of their hard work, such as weeding or pruning flowers. Another idea is to have them plant and care for a small tree, like a dwarf lemon, that will remind them of their achievement for a long time.

The garden club is calming and energetic. It's fun to see the plants grow. It's nice to meet new kids.

Lily Year 5

I love Garden Club because I get to plant different flowers and vegetables and fruit and play with my friends and show teamwork with my friends and Lauren

Scarlett Year 3

This article is written by Kier Holmes and originally appeared National Geographic.com, Published: May 29, 2020

I love garden club because we get to plant seeds and water plants and pull - out weeds. At the end of garden club, we take a photo of us all around the gardn. Gardening Club is amazingly awesome, it is the best thing in the world! Avery year 3

You can read the original here:

How gardening can teach kids life skills (nationalgeographic.com)

The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

WHAT IS ATAR

& HOW IS IT CALCULATED?

AGGREGATE SCORE BEFORE ATAR

One of VCE ’ s big mysteries is how the magical ATAR is calculated. Here ’ s a brief overview of what is done.

The word “ aggregate ” means something that is formed by several parts. For example, a cake is an aggregate because it is made from flour, milk, sugar etc. The Aggregate Score is calculated by adding the Scaled Study Scores of English, the next three highest Scaled Study Scores and 10% of a fifth and sixth Study Score where applicable.

WHAT IS THE ATAR?

Mathematical Methods

Business Management

English

Psychology

Physics

Philosophy

The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is a number that ranks students according to their academic performance in VCE. It is used by universities in their selection process.

Scaled Study Score

It is a number up to 99.95 with increments of 0.05 that represents a student ’ s rank within Victoria.

Aggregate Score

= English + Top 3 Subjects + 10% of 5 th and 6 th subjects

For example, if you score 99.95, this is akin to being in the top 0.05% of Victoria. Likewise, an ATAR score of 80.00 is indicative of being in the top 20%.

32 + 43 + 41 + 39 + 3.7 + 2.5

= 161.2

FINALLY, ATAR IS CALCULATED FROM THE AGGREGATE SCORE

THEN WHAT ’ S A STUDY SCORE?

The Study Score is value out of 50 which ranks a student's performance for a particular VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education) subject. Completed Year 12 subjects are each given a Study Score which are then used to calculate the ATAR.

The ATAR score comes directly from the aggregate score. All students aggregate scores are placed on a scale from lowest to highest and this is used to determine the percentiles. With each year ’ s results VTAC (Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre) provides a table which shows the relationship between the two numbers. An example of such a table from a few years ago can be seen below.

SCALED STUDY SCORE

The word “ scale ” means to adjust a number by a certain amount or proportion. For example, if you scale up someone ’ s wage, you are increasing the amount that the person receives. You may have heard of certain subjects being “ scaled. ” This is when a number is either added to or deducted from a Study Score. It is used to make all VCE subjects comparable in terms of the study score, regardless of some subjects being more difficult than others. Scaling was introduced so that there is a level playing field and students can pick subjects they are interested in without worrying about how it will affect their ATAR.

ATAR

Aggregate Score

99.90

208.98

95.00

173.89

91.00

162.57

90.00

160.27

80.00

142.29

In that particular year an Aggregate Score of 161.2 would be the equivalent to an ATAR of approximately 90.50.

SOCIAL SCENE

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

Breakfast Club on Both Campuses Every Wednesday - 8.15am - 8.45am

(Except for the first week and last week of the term)

DECEMBER:

Friday 1st

Curriculum Day

2024 Prep Transition - Session 4

Wednesday 6th

Song, Dance and Drama Showcase

Year 9 City Experience

Thursday 7th

Year 6 Graduation

Year 7 & 8 Funfields Excursion

Friday 8th

2.30pm Primary Assembly

Monday 11th, Wednesday 13th - Friday 14th

Year 6 students on Secondary Campus

Tuesday 12th

Year 7 Transition Day

Thursday 14th

Whole School Awards Night

Primary 2024 Meet the Teacher

Friday 15th

Primary End of Year Class Parties

2.30pm Primary Christmas Assembly

Monday 18th

Year 6 Funfields Excursion

Last day of Term 4 Dismissal at 1.15pm

Tuesday 19th

Wednesday 20th

Curriculum Day

Book Now for Primary Tours on 9404 9000 for individual 2023 School Tours

Book Now for Secondary Tours on 9401 3919 for individual 2023 School Tours

A reminder to our current families who are planning to enroll siblings for Prep 2024. Please see the office for information about enrolling your child for 2024. All new enrolments receive a free T shirt!

THE LAKES COMMUNITY FEEDBACK PRIMARY & SECONDARY CAMPUSES

Your feedback is valued. Please use the following link to provide our College Council and Leadership Team with feedback to help make The Lakes a

positive learning community for all.

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

COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

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:

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. CURRICULUM CHARGES We can see that many parents/carers have began to make financial contributions towards the 2023 Curriculum Contributions through QKR Payments. The College is most appreciative of the continued support and commitment shown by families through their contributions. Your financial contributions are what enables our College to operate and deliver the best possible education and support for our students. With exciting upgrades happening throughout both campuses this year including new carpets, sporting facilities, fencing, lockers and upgrades of toilet facilities, it is important that we work together to provide the best facilities for our wonderful students.

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Placing a future Absence Request through the Parent SENTRAL Portal;

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Calling the office;

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Sending an SMS on 0427 226 537.

As required by the Department of Education, all schools must notify parents/carer informing that their child is absent. Please inform the office of absences before 10:00 am each morning.

STUDENTS LEAVING AT THE END OF 2023

If your child / children are not returning to the Lakes in 2024, please ensure that you have notified either the Primary Campus office or the Secondary Campus office.

NO HAT - NO PLAY We will be enforcing our ‘ No Hat, No Play ’ policy in Term 4 on the Primary Campus. Wide - brimmed hats (with the school logo), are available at the uniform shop.

STAY CONNECTED The Sentral Parent Portal is the primary method for home - school communications at The Lakes. We are excited to say that most families have access to the Parent Portal. The portal allows students and parents\carers to keep up to date with important information and communication.

Thank you for your support and partnering with us in 2023.

Sentral Portal

Please call Karen on 9404 900 to discuss further, if you have a service or upcoming event you would like to promote through our Newsletter.

The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

Scan the code 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 Primary and Secondary libraries are now closed for 2023.

Please find and return any outstanding books

We are always looking to build new or foster current connections within our community!

Please call Karen on 9404 900 to discuss further, if you have a service or upcoming event you would like to promote through our Newsletter.

To thrive, children need a safe and supportive environment at school, at home and in the broader community; no exceptions. At The Lakes South Morang College, we believe meeting the physical and emotional needs of our students is paramount in laying the foundations for a fulfilling future. We pledge to provide an environment that has zero tolerance to child abuse and will strive to work in partnership with our parents and community members to keep our students safe every day, in every way.

The Lakes South Morang College Child Safety Statement

PRIMARY CAMPUS: Telephone: 9404 9000  275 Gordons Road South Morang 3752 SECONDARY CAMPUS: Telephone: 9401 3919  80 Jardier Terrace South Morang 3752 ABN 52 938 171 499  PO Box 207 South Morang 3752  lakes.south.morang.co@education.vic.gov.au

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