Dear LSC Community Members,

Welcome to Term 4!  This term is an exciting one for us at LSC, with lots of important and significant events occurring for all of our students.  I would like to welcome some new staff to our college community this term:

• Guy Cassarchis: Health/PE Teacher
• Adriana McCormack: Careers Practitioner
• Viquar Mohammed: IT Technician

Farewell to the Class of 2024

For our Year 12 students, Term 4 is a whirlwind of school work, exam preparation and important celebrations and milestones to recognise.  I want to commend our students for their excellent attendance at the Year 12 Practice Exams which were held on the first week of the school holidays.  In addition, it has been great to see lots of students logging redemption hours to ensure they meet the 90% attendance requirement needed alongside successful completion of all outcomes and related outcome tasks.

On Wednesday 16^th October, our Class of 2024 had the opportunity to enjoy a celebration day together as they let off some steam at Luna Park.  The weather was perfect for the day, and students loved having the whole park to themselves (alongside Lyndale Secondary College Year 12 students who we partner with to run the event).  For many students, it was their first visit to Luna Park, and they made the most of the time with lots of time on the rides, lots of photos with friends and lots of memories being made.

On Thursday 24^th October, we formally farewelled our Class of 2024 with a whole school assembly.  To recognise this occasion, our Year 7 students each presented a graduation gift to each Year 12 student, then formed a guard of honour to officially farewell our Class of 2024, returning the favour after they received a guard of honour from the Year 12s as they walked into their first ever whole school assembly at the beginning of this year.

For now, it is busy times for Year 12 students to get signed off on their outcomes and continue with important exam revision.  Our celebrations will continue after exams with our Valedictory Dinner to be held in late November.

Getting Ready for 2025 – Laptops, Booklists and Uniform

As we get into the final couple of months of the school year, this is an important time to ensure you are ready with all the required equipment, uniform, books and devices for learning for the following school year.  As a college, we work to keep our parent payments as low as possible each year to support families to be able to make the critical purchases in these areas.

You will have noticed on our school social media account lately that we have been promoting some exciting news coming related to eLearning and student laptops/devices.  As a college, we have partnered with a new organisation, Learning With Technologies (LWT) as our recommended provider of laptop devices.  It is critical that all students have their own laptop device which is brought fully charged to school each, and every day.  To support every student to have a device for learning, the college is subsidising the cost of every device purchased from LWT by $150!  Our IT team has reviewed all the devices and selected a range of suitable devices at different price points to provide families with a range of choices starting at just $356 for a base level Chromebook after discount is applied!  All devices also include a 3 year warranty as standard, with the opportunity to upgrade this for further protections.  For more information, head to https://www.lyndhurst.vic.edu.au/learning/laptops-ict-program/ and order now!

Furthermore, we will shortly be releasing our 2025 Booklists for all year levels.  All texts on these booklists are essential for a young person’s learning and must be purchased.

Finally, our most up to date information regarding our college uniform, including the price list for items is also available on our website (click here).

All of these key links are easy to access on our website for parents and carers – simply head to the website and click on the Parents button at the top of the homepage to get quick link access.

$400 School Saving Bonus for 2025

A reminder that all students parents and carers of every child enrolled in a Victorian government school in 2025 will receive the one-off School Saving Bonus $400 support.  This will be able to be used for the following items:

• Booklist items from Campion
• Uniform items from Beleza
• Camps, excursions and activities offered by the school

In the coming months, the Department of Education will send you 2 email communications for each of your children enrolled in Victorian government schools.

By Friday 18 October 2024, please ensure that your child’s 2025 enrolment is completed and that your contact information is up to date.  If you have recently changed your address, phone number or email address, please contact the college on 5996 0144 to update these, or visit the Main Office.

Key Events and Dates

To finish off my report, I wish to flag some important dates in the Term 4 college calendar for families to be aware of.  These include:

• Monday 28^th October: Year 12 VCAA exams commence
• Monday 4^th November: All staff Berry Street training (no regularly scheduled classes)
• Tuesday 5^th November: Melbourne Cup Day public holiday
• Thursday 14^th November: Last day of Year 11 classes
• Friday 15^th November: All staff Professional Practice Day (student free day)
• Monday 18^th November to Friday 22^nd November: Year 11 exams
• Friday 22^nd November: Last day of Year 10 classes
• Monday 25^th November to Friday 6^th December: 2025 Year 11 and 12 Orientation Program
• Friday 6^th December: Last day of Year 7 classes
• Monday 9^th December: Last day of Year 8 and 9 classes, Year 7 Celebration Day
• Tuesday 10^th December: 2025 Year 7 Orientation Day 1 (student free day)
• Wednesday 11^th December: 2025 Year 7 Orientation Day 2
• Wednesday 11^th December to Thursday 12^th December: Year 7 to 9 activity days

Ms Eloise Haynes
Principal

Senior School News

Hindi Class Reflection

This term, our Hindi class has been a vibrant journey through the rich tapestry of Indian culture. Students have been enthusiastically learning about food, fruits, shapes, colours, and festivals, immersing themselves in both language and tradition.

One of the highlights has been the preparation for Diwali. Students have been busy creating beautiful Diwali posters and learning about the art of Rangoli. They have explored making Rangoli with flowers, discovering the intricate patterns and vibrant colours that bring this traditional art form to life. The classroom has been filled with creativity and joy as students design their own Rangoli, using flowers to add a natural and fragrant touch.

In addition to art and craft, students have expanded their vocabulary related to festivals and food. They have learned the names of various sweets and dishes associated with Diwali, enhancing their understanding of cultural traditions through language.

This hands-on approach has not only made learning fun but also deepened students’ appreciation for the cultural significance of the festivals. We are proud of their hard work and creativity, and we look forward to sharing their beautiful creations with you.

Stay tuned for more updates and enjoy the festive spirit through the eyes of our talented students!

Early Order English / EAL Booklists for 2025
Years 11 & 12 are now open

A special visitor

A brush tailed possum ran across the yard and up a tree at school. It caused a small crowd of students to gather together and watch it.

Dates to Diarise for Year 12 students and parents

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)

Le Mana Connect

Southern Diamonds Netball Club

October is Mental Health Month

Mental health month is a time to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and promote the importance of mental wellbeing for everyone. This year’s theme, “It’s Time to Talk About Mental Health“, highlights the importance of open communication and breaking down the barriers to seeking help.  By encouraging open communication, we can reduce these barriers and create a more supportive environment where people feel comfortable sharing their experiences, seeking help, and accessing the resources they need.

We wanted to share some tips for supporting the mental health of teenagers, taken from the newly released book, ‘Ten things I wish you knew about your child’s mental health’ by Dr Billy Garvey. All of these strategies can be used for children of all ages, from toddlers right up to the late teen years.

• Young people need to know all emotions are ok, and it’s normal to feel different emotions at different times. Let your children know it’s ok to talk about these, and you will listen without jumping straight to solutions.
• Model skills of empathy, respect, kindness and gratitude so young people see the importance of these. Think about how you show these in your lives and home.
• Aggression and outbursts are a way of young people showing that they are struggling and need help with something. Let them know you are there to support them.
• Young people need to know they will be loved unconditionally, consider ways in which you make them feel valued and loved in your family.
• Every teenager needs predictability and success – Find small opportunities that they can succeed at, so they see themselves as worthy of praise.
• We should all be consistently learning about what calming strategies work best in moments when we need them – is it talking, fidgets, deep breathing, physical activities, time alone?
• All adults supporting young people need to think about their own wellbeing, and what strategies are going to help you ‘switch off’.

If you’re ever concerned about your young persons mental health, please get in contact with our Wellbeing Team at school.

To celebrate at school and get everyone thinking about their mental health, our Wellbeing team has organised a screening of Inside Out 2, sports activities and mindful activities at lunch times.

Photos from R U OK Day – 12^th September 2024

Lyndhurst SC Presents our Annual 2024 Performing Arts Showcase

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

The School Saving Bonus

The School Saving Bonus for Government school students can be accessed via the School Saving Bonus online system in November 2024. Make sure your email details are up to date so you don’t miss out!
Please use this link to find out more… https://www.vic.gov.au/school-saving-bonus

Important Information: Monday 4th November (Cup Eve)

Please note that on Monday 4th November (day before Cup Day), staff will be participating in Day 4 of their Berry Street training and professional learning program.

There will be no regularly scheduled classes running on this day. Students in attendance will follow an alternative program.

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