Dear LSC Community Members,

Welcome back to Term 3!  This term is an exciting one, with lots of action and activities already occurring in our college community.  This term sees a number of new students join our college community; to you, I say welcome and look forward to seeing you give your best in your learning.

I would also like to welcome some new staff to our college community this term:

• Liza Arciaga: Numeracy tutor
• Lyn Cemeljic: Boost, EAL, English
• Brandon Choong: Numeracy tutor
• Tiffany de Filippis: Literacy tutor
• Jo-Anne Weinman: English, Humanities, VM Literacy

Facilities Upgrade Update

Members of the college’s Executive Team have been meeting regularly with our appointed architects, Brand Architects, as well as representatives from the Department of Education and the Victorian Schools Building Authority (VSBA) as we continue to make progress on our planned facilities upgrades.

We are currently in the schematic design phase where we look at the construction of the building facilities and layout, and I am excited to see some incredible spaces being designed for our college community.

The next phase will be design and development, and I look forward to having students, staff and parents/carers having the opportunity to be part of the consultation process as we ensure that our proposed new learning spaces are designed to reflect 21^st Century learning, as well as our community’s needs.

NAPLAN 2024 results

Our Year 7 and 9 students completed their NAPLAN assessments of literacy and numeracy in Term 1, and on Monday 15^th July, we as a college received a summary of these results.  I am very proud of the achievements a number of our students have made, including a number of students achieving in the ‘Exceeding’ category in one or more of their NAPLAN assessments.

Some NAPLAN data highlights for 2024 include:

• 61% of Year 7 students achieved either ‘Strong’ or ‘Exceeding’ in Reading (57% in similar schools)
• 56% of Year 9 students achieved either ‘Strong’ or ‘Exceeding’ in Writing (50% in similar schools)
• 52% of Year 9 students achieved either ‘Strong’ or ‘Exceeding’ in Numeracy (45% in similar schools)

As a college, we are currently analysing this data to unpack key areas of strength and improvement that will then be used by teachers to design curriculum to tackle and build on these areas.  We will also be sharing more NAPLAN highlights through our college social media channels, so keep an eye out for these!

Annual Student Attitudes to School Survey

I am very pleased to be able to share that we had 86% of our students respond to the 2024 Student Attitudes to School Survey where they provide valuable feedback about their experiences at high school.  This was an increase from the 79% participation rate we had in 2023.

We have received our preliminary results, and I can share that we have once again seen incredibly positive responses overall from our student cohort about life at LSC.

As a snapshot of just some of our improved results, the following key areas saw increases in percentage positive endorsement from our students Years 7-12:

• Effective teaching time increased from 70% in 2023 to 71%
• Differentiated learning challenge increased from 65% in 2023 to 70%
• Effective classroom behaviour increased from 62% in 2023 to 66%
• High expectations for success increased from 77% in 2023 to 79%
• Student voice and agency increased from 54% in 2023 to 56%
• Sense of inclusion increased from 87% in 2023 to 91%
• Respect for diversity increased from 49% in 2023 to 54%

Students will be involved in a number of forums across Term 3 to unpack this data further to help us understand what are our areas of strength, as well as what areas our students want us to work on with them to improve their experiences at school.

Staff will also be undertaking some collaborative professional learning to unpack and reflect on these results so we can all work towards continuous improvement for our young people.

Key Events and Dates

On Monday 22^nd July, the college held our annual Athletics Carnival at Casey Fields.  It was a wonderful day for both students and staff, with a number of our students excelling across both track and field events.  It was great to have the bands playing and providing entertainment, and to see students getting into House spirit by wearing their House colours.  We launched our new House flags, and will continue to add new layers to our House structure, with mascots currently being designed for each House.

Our Student Voice team also arranged coloured wrist bands for students to purchase and wear to ensure as many people as possible had on at least one item in their House colours.

I thank the team of staff who worked hard on the arrangements of this day to make it a success, and am incredibly proud of all students who not only won a ribbon in an event on the day, but contributed to House pride and participated, helping to earn all important House points.

Some other important events and dates for Term 3 include:

• Tuesday 23^rd July: Year 9 to 10 Course Counselling (no Year 9 classes)
• Thursday 25^th July: Term 3 Whole School Assembly (period 4)
• Tuesday 30^th July: Year 8 to 9 Course Counselling (no Year 8 classes)
• Wednesday 14^th August: Curriculum Day for Staff Berry Street Training Day #3 (no scheduled classes)

Ms Eloise Haynes
Principal

Senior School News

Wrap up for Term 2

• Best Dressed Student: Sam C
• King and Queen: Tamai and Ava
• Most likely to be a Millionaire: Tamai
• Dynamic Duo: Mia T and Tip
• Best Energy: Dakota
• Best Teacher Dress: Leanna Baily.

Grace Terdich

Library Renovation – Phase I

If you have visited the school library since the start of Term 2 you would have noticed a few changes to the space as the first phase of the library renovation has been completed. In the first week of the holidays, the ceiling was painted. Then on Monday 8^th July new shelving for the student’s fiction and non-fiction was installed and the library staff and maintenance staff worked tirelessly to ensure the books transferred onto the new shelves and the furniture set up ready for classes to resume at the start of Term 3. It is a massive transformation as these photos show.

Phase 2 which will be completed in the months ahead will see the Teacher Reference resources relocated as well as new shelving being installed for the class sets, literature circle books and graphic novels. The library walls and windows will also be painted. Phase 3 next year will see new furniture and reading / social spaces introduced. It promises to be an exciting new chapter for our school library!

Lyndhurst Secondary College student wins top honours

Congratulations to Azada Qasimi who has been recognised with a Premier’s VCE Award for their outstanding academic results in 2023.

Azada received a Study Award for excellence in Legal Studies

The annual Premier’s VCE Awards recognises the top-performing students in the state. This year, 310 students were recognised at the prestigious award ceremony, including three international students and six students who completed the VCE Vocational Major program with distinction, and 23 Top All-Round VCE High Achievers who achieved study scores of 46 or higher out of 50 in at least five VCE subjects.

The entire Lyndhurst Secondary College community is proud of Azada and would like to congratulate them on being the recipient of such a prestigious award.

To view the full Honour Roll and to read more about the Premier’s VCE Awards, visit: https://www.vic.gov.au/premiers-vce-awards.

Beleza Sale!

Dates to Diarise in Term 3

• University / TAFE Open Days 2024 – throughout August
• Year 12 VTAC timely applications – throughout August and September
• VTAC SEAS and Scholarship applications – throughout August and September

Melbourne Careers Expo

The Melbourne Career Expo is a comprehensive and exciting careers event, and this free expo encompasses all career opportunities from employment to education and training in the trades, corporate and professional sectors.

Dates:
Friday 26 July, from 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Saturday 27 July and Sunday 28 July, from 10:00am – 4:00pm

Find out more and register for the free ticket at Home | Melbourne Career Expo.

  ACU Guarantee

Guarantee your place at ACU, even before your Year 12 exams.  The ACU Guarantee program offers eligible Year 12 students a place at ACU based on your Year 11 results.

While successful applicants must still complete their Year 12 exams, they can do so secure in the knowledge that their marks from Year 11 meet the entry requirements.  ACU assesses the Year 11 results submitted and give applicants a predicted selection rank and make an offer before the final VCE exams.

Applicants may also enhance their entry score by including short personal statements that give ACU an insight into their personal circumstances and motivation for university study.

Applications open on Monday 22 July and close on Monday 16 September 2024.  Rolling offers will be made from 6 September to 4 October 2024, and these will be conditional to the applicant meeting the VCE prerequisites subjects for the course they have applied for.

Students are encouraged to browse ACU Guarantee and watch a useful video, read through the FAQs, determine which courses are not participating and, importantly, have a good read over the suggestions on how to write the personal statements.

   RMIT’s Early Offer Program

Are you a leader in the community, good at problem-solving, a creative thinker or perhaps good at communicating?  With an RMIT Early Offer your skills can count towards your dream course, allowing you to be accepted on a lower ATAR and receive a conditional offer before your final exams.

Australian and Permanent Resident students can apply for one course and must apply at the following RMIT link – Early Offer Program.  The eligible courses and expected ATAR are also found at this link.

The application process requires students to –

1.  Choose one of the following categories:

• Analytical and Critical Thinking
• Leadership
• Communication
• Creative Thinking and Innovation

2.  Write a 200-word statement of their experience for their chosen category

3.  Supply supporting documentation verifying their involvement in the category they have written about.

Applications have opened and close on 15 September 2024.  The outcome of the application will be released 26 September 2024.  The conditional offer will become unconditional should students complete Year 12, meet the course prerequisites, and attain the Early Offer ATAR required.

Visit Early Offer Program to find out more.

    News from Bond University

Bond University Scholarships – 2025

Bond University provides a range of awards including full-fee scholarships awarding from $102,240 – $204,480 in value, and part-fee scholarships awarding from $25,560 – $102,240 in value.  Most scholarships close towards the end of August, but the four scholarships listed below close on 1 August 2024.  These four will pay up to 100% tuition remission.

• Vice Chancellor’s Elite Scholarship
• ADCO Sports Excellence Scholarship
• John Eales Rugby Excellence Scholarship
• Riewoldt Family AFL Excellence Scholarship

Details of all scholarships on offer can be found at Scholarships at Bond University.

Applying for 2025 Entry

At Bond, we do things a bit differently to other universities — and that philosophy extends to our application and entry processes.  If you are completing Year 12 in Australia this year, apply with your Year 11 and Year 12 Semester 1 results.  Offers for current Year 12 students will be made from early September.

Applying is done in three easy steps, and applications are made directly to Bond!  Details of how to apply can be found here and browsing the application tips will assist students make informed decisions.

Careers in Journalism

The Good Careers Guide* states that journalists write and edit news reports, commentaries, feature articles and blogs for newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and websites, including online publications. Good Careers Guide – Journalist*

Successful journalists –

• Are able to write clear, concise, objective and accurate material quickly
• Have good general knowledge
• Are interested in current events
• Are able to speak clearly when working on radio and television

Journalists fulfill a range of duties including –

• Gathering news and information by interviewing people and attending events
• Undertaking research to provide background information for articles
• Assessing the suitability of reports and articles for publication or broadcasting, ensuring they are within an established style and format, and edit as necessary
• Writing articles that comment on or interpret news events, some of which may put forward a point of view on behalf of a publication
• Presenting news on air (television and radio)

Importantly, journalists are required to understand the laws of defamation, contempt, and copyright.  They may have to work long and irregular hours and are often under pressure to meet deadlines.  Journalists may work indoors and carry out interviews by telephone or may have to work outdoors in all kinds of weather, and travel is often required.

Although the Britannica website is an overseas one, it provides useful links regarding the various types of journalism.  It states that journalism is the collection, preparation, and distribution of news and related commentary and feature materials through such print and electronic media as newspapers, magazines, books, blogs, webcasts, podcasts, social networking and social media sites, and e-mail as well as through radio, motion pictures, and television.  Where journalism would once have been only related to newspapers, and news on television and radio, today we see news disseminated through many mediums.

Science Degrees in Victoria in 2024

The Bachelor of Science is offered at the following Victorian universities and students are encouraged to visit VTAC for more information on these and other science-related courses.

   Snapshot of Monash University in 2024

• Named after engineer, military leader and public administrator Sir John Monash, Monash University was established in 1958.
• Monash University became a founding member of the Group of Eight universities in 1999.
• Monash ranks in the top 1% of world university rankings and ranks #42 in the 2024 QS World Rankings – Rankings. Notably, Pharmacy at Monash is ranked #2 in the QS World Subject Rankings in 2024, with Harvard at #1.
• Monash has over 77,000 students, with an international presence in Malaysia, Indonesia, China, India (a research partnership), and Italy, besides its campuses in Australia – locations.
• Monash University is the only Victorian university to offer a Direct Entry medical program for students completing Year 12 as well as a Graduate Entry program leading to the same degree – Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine (MD).
• There are ten Monash Faculties offering hundreds of courses, be they single or double undergraduate degrees, or graduate qualifications up to a PhD.
• Monash has a number of student-run clubs and associations – a great way to get involved and meet people – Monash Clubs and Associations.
• Career Connect is the Career Centre available to all Monash students. Students can access the many services offered – be it for volunteering, part-time jobs, assistance with applying for work on graduation, etc.
• The Monash Study Abroad program assists students in studying overseas as part of their course. Monash has exchange agreements with more than 160 universities across 35 countries.
• Monash offers more than 200 different scholarships for new and current students, from course fee subsidies to travel allowances, and payments for accommodation costs – Scholarships.
• The Monash Guarantee is an alternative entry scheme for students to get into a Monash course even they do not reach the course’s clearly-in ATAR. Students may be eligible for the Monash Guarantee if they:
• have experienced financial disadvantage
• live in a low socio-economic area
• are an Indigenous Australian
• attend a Monash under-represented school
• Monash Residential Services assists students in finding accommodation on campus, and off campus.

Snapshot of Monash University – Peninsula in 2024

• Monash University’s Peninsula Campus specialises in nursing, physiotherapy, paramedicine, occupational therapy, education, and business administration
• There are approximately 4,500 students studying at the Peninsula Campus.
• The Peninsula campus has a very vibrant campus life and is connected to the Clayton Campus through shuttle buses that run between the campuses every day.
• There are three faculties offering courses at the Peninsula Campus: the Business Faculty, Education Faculty, and the Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Faculty.
• Courses offered at the Peninsula Campus include –

Business and Economics
Bachelor of Business Administration

Education
Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Early Childhood and Primary Education
Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Primary Education
Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Primary and Secondary Health and Physical Education
Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Secondary Health and Physical Education

Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Bachelor of Nursing *
Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery (Honours)
Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours)
Bachelor of Paramedicine
Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Honours)
* Also offered at the Clayton Campus

Monash University offers an excellent Diploma of Tertiary Studies (DoTS) pathway program into a few of its undergraduate degrees.  The pathway programs offered at the Peninsula Campus are:

Diploma of Tertiary Studies – Business: Upon successful completion of the DoTS – Business stream students can apply to enter into the second year of the Bachelor of Business Administration (Peninsula) OR the Bachelor of Business (Caulfield) depending upon their mathematics preparation, and their average marks in the DoTS program.

Diploma of Tertiary Studies – Education: Upon successful completion of the DoTS – Education stream students can apply to enter into the second year of the Bachelor of Education (Honours) in several specialisations.

Diploma of Tertiary Studies – Nursing: Upon successful completion of the DoTS – Nursing stream students can apply to enter into the second year of the Bachelor of Nursing at the Peninsula Campus.

Browse and learn more about studying at the  Monash University Peninsula Campus.

Club Schedule

Monday: Boardgames (C2), Weights (Weights Rm)

Tuesday: Art (B1), Textiles (B4), Soccer (Gym), Weights (Weights Rm)

Wednesday: Anime, Yoga (E1), Yoga (E-Block)

Thursday: Weights (Weights Rm)

Friday: Sport (gym), Music (music room)

Weights Room

The weights room will be open for students to use who have filled in the policy sheet. All students will also need to complete a safety induction with a member of LSC staff before using the weights room (this will be conducted onsite during school hours).

The weights room will be available in the mornings on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 8:00am-8:30am as well as during lunchtime (1.20-2pm) on these specific days.

Students and parents/carers must sign the policy form if their student wishes to use the weights room.

Weights Room Policy Form

Helpful Sleep Habits

• Try some mindfulness, breathing, or relaxation exercises to calm an anxious or active mind before sleep.
• Have a satisfying evening meal at a reasonable time. Feeling hungry or too full before bed can make it harder to get to sleep.
• In the hours before sleeping, make sure your room is as dark as you can get it. Use dim lamps instead of bright lights.
• Avoid caffeine and large amounts of sugar before bed.
• Talk about worries with a trusted person during the day, especially if worries keep them awake at night.
• Try to see sunlight or artificial light within 90 minutes of waking up, and get exposed to plenty of light during the day. This can help set and reset your body clock

What causes poor sleep?

• Our lifestyles tend to be quite productive and active. Sometimes, those activities go into the hours that we’re meant to be sleeping so we’re not giving our brains the chance to wind down before going to sleep.
• When we experience sleep issues, it can impact our mental health. When we have issues with our mental health and stresses throughout the day, that then impacts our sleep the following night. This can turn into an unhealthy cycle.

What if it seems like nothing is working to improve my sleep?

If you’ve tried strategies to improve your sleep a few times and can’t see a noticeable difference, it’s easy to assume that they don’t work. Remember that the stresses that are causing you to have sleep issues didn’t happen overnight and took time to build up – in the same way, fixing it also doesn’t happen overnight. It’s important to have patience and consistently try to improve your sleep hygiene and habits. Most teenagers need 8-10 hours of sleep each night. Some need as little as 7 hours or as much as 11 hours.

After a couple of weeks, if you’re noticing that your sleep still isn’t improving, you could reach out to the friends and family for support, your GP, or come and see us in the Wellbeing team at school.

Department of Education Mobile Phone Policy

A reminder that the Department of Education has in place a mobile phone ban that requires students who bring mobiles phones to school to have them switched off and securely put away in their lockers during school hours.

The department is requiring all schools to ensure this ban is in place and enforced from the start of the 2024 school year.

The ban applies equally to all government schools right across the state. This helps ensure that school is a learning environment free from unnecessary distractions and disruptions.

By ensuring mobile phones are kept away at recess and lunch times, students can interact with each other face-to-face, without the distractions and social pressures that mobile phones can cause.

I ask for the support of all our families, staff and students in continuing to support the implementation of this policy in our school.

Further information

Emergencies: In the event of an emergency or if you need to immediately contact your child, I ask that families contact the school office who will pass on a message as required.

School mobile phone policy: A copy of our school’s local mobile phone policy, which implements the government’s mobile policy in line with our local context, is available on our website.

To view all our policies, visit our website.

First Aid

Personal Property Policy

Administration

Office hours 8:00am – 4:00pm
Telephone (03) 5996 – 0144
lyndhurst.sc@education.vic.gov.au

Parents should always make contact with the General Office first when visiting the school or trying to make contact with their children. Appointments with teachers must be made via telephone or compass.

Absences

Student absences should be reported to the school before 8:50am. Please telephone 5996 0144 on the day of the absence. A note/medical certificate on the day of return to the General Office explaining the absence is required where no parent contact has been possible. Text messages are sent to parents and carers notifying of a student absence twice daily (subject to the correct contact information being provided). If students have appointments during the school day, a note on the day of the appointment is required from a parent or carer confirming the intended date and time of absence from school.

Late arrival to school

In order to minimise disruption to class and maximise learning opportunities for our students, we would like to remind you that students are expected to be at school by 8:50am, ready and prepared for Home Group. We appreciate your support in this. If you have any questions please call the General Office on 5996 0144. If students do arrive late, they need to come past the general office window and sign in with the attendance officer.

Uniform

Beleza School Uniforms in High Street,Cranbourne and Hallam are our uniform suppliers.

All students must be in full school uniform every day. Please refer to our website for Uniform Policy and Dress Code regarding our expectations.

Lyndhurst Secondary College school day

School day – 8:50am – 3:00pm daily (excluding weekends and all public and school holidays)
The College runs a 5 period day. Please see Term Dates & Bell Times on our website for details of times.

Lost property

Please ensure all school clothes, books and personal property are clearly labelled with the student’s name. Many items are not returned to their rightful owners because they are not labelled correctly or clearly.

USBs should include a folder with the student’s name and form to assist in returning it to the correct person. If you have lost anything see the general office during recess, lunch or at the end of day.

College Cafe Menu

The College canteen menu is available here.

Orders can be placed online via quickcliq.com.au