INSIDE THIS ISSUE

FROM THE OFFICE 2

AROUND THE SCHOOL

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HOUSE SWIMMING PFC NEWS

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Welcome back to a new school year at Casey Grammar School to all our staff, students and their families; a specially warm welcome to new students throughout the school, and in particular to a new group of Preps starting their schooling, and a new cohort of Year 7s. By now they will be getting accustomed to new routines and many new experiences. It was a joy to see the many happy faces at our opening assemblies last week. The secondary assembly was an opportunity for us to see the new blazer worn by most of our Year 7 students – it certainly enhances the appearance of the uniform, it is a smart and stylish blazer which I trust our students will wear proudly as it is phased in over the next few years. I would like to welcome new staff to the school: Mrs Kathy Black who returns to a primary position for 2015, Mrs Shelley Corkell (Individual Differences Teacher – Primary), Mr Jesse Delaney (English, Humanities), Mr Brendan McGreal (Accounting, Business Management, IT), Mr Simon Chiodo (Music), Mr Nathan Nabben (Science, Mathematics), Ms Janine Hooper (Individual Differences Teacher – Secondary). We also welcome back Mrs Belinda Bolger from maternity leave and Miss Tatum Hill who returns to us as a Learning Assistant. I remind you again of the people and processes we have in place to assist parents if they have a concern about their child‟s learning or pastoral matters. For primary students, the classroom teacher is of course your main contact. If the concern is more serious, the teacher may involve the Coordinator. The Primary Coordinators are: Mrs Leanne Evans Prep-Year 2 Mr Shane Bell Years 3-4 Mrs Sandra Torcasio Year 5-6 For curriculum or learning-related concerns you may wish to discuss further, Mrs Melissa Roberton is the Head of Teaching & Learning, and you are very welcome to make an appointment to see her at any time. Mr Travis Hopgood is the Head of Pastoral Care and will become involved if there are more serious social or behavioural issues. In the Secondary School your student‟s Pastoral Care mentor is the person to contact in the first instance. They may then involve subject teachers or Year Level Coordinators depending on the issue. The Year Level Coordinators for 2015 are Mrs Kate Morgan (Year 7), Mrs Rachael Gilbert (Year 8), Mr Peter Young (Year 9), Mrs Anita Rinkel (Year 10), Mrs Emma Conolly (Year11) and Mr Ian Van Schie (Year12). Finally, a word about the car park. Although there is still landscaping and shelters to do, the actual car park is now operational for the whole school. Students should be dropped off, and picked up in the car park. The car park in front of the Administration building is a staff car park only. The safety of your children is a priority and we would appreciate your safe driving in the school car park. Parents of primary children are encouraged to pick them up in the car park, rather than waiting outside their classroom, as this is distracting both for the children and also for teachers. I wish our students a successful year, one that is filled with new learning experiences, new friends and goals which are achieved over the course of the year.

Margaret Buttigieg

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Newsletter Monday 9 February 2015 Volume 385

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24 HR ABSENTEE LINE 5991 0801– PLEASE USE INSTEAD OF MAIN SCHOOL NUMBER

DATES TO REMEMBER

Year 8 & 9 Reach Workshops

9 Feb

Leaders Commissioning Services

10 Feb

Primary Information Evening

11 Feb

Senior Cricket 16 Feb

VCE Information Evening

18 Feb

School photos 2 Mar

Uniform Shop hours are: Mondays 3.00 pm to 5.30pm Thursdays 8.30 am to 10.30am The 2nd hand uniform shop will re-open last Friday of each month

Term 1 fees – now due Annual fees – now due Monthly fees – due 28th of each month from January to November Payments can now be made via the Casey Grammar School Website.

Parents are reminded that the school should have an up to date Asthma Plan for all students with asthma.

Please ensure you have completed enrolment forms for ALL your children, no matter how young they are. The sibling enrolment policy can only operate if your children are registered.

The Uniform Shop unfortunately did not receive delivery of the girls‟ white school sock with logo in time for the start of the school year. They are now in stock. All girls who had to wear plain white anklets for the beginning of term should now purchase the correct uniform sock.

There are a large number of uniform items in lost property. We are happy to return named items to their owners but there is nothing we can do if items are unnamed. If your student has lost an item, please make sure they check the lost property cupboard on the back veranda of the Administration Building.

FROM THE OFFICE

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HOW DO I HELP MY CHILD THROUGH DIFFICULT TIMES? While it may sound a cliché, difficult times are opportunities for growth. Facing challenges are great opportunities for children to grow and mature. Yes, it‟s painful to observe our child going through difficult times. As parents, we want to make this stop. Our tendency is to want to jump in and fix things. But, this is when it‟s most important that we step back and not step in. This applies to many aspects of school life - friendships, learning, relationships with teachers, discipline and homework to name a few. Having positive communication with your child‟s teacher is also essential. In life‟s challenges, take on the role of teacher and coach, supporting your child through the difficulty, while letting them discover their own capabilities. Remember, learning to manage obstacles in life makes us all stronger people. If we step in, we stop the learning process and run the risk of stunting our child‟s growth. We prevent our child from developing the courage and skills needed to try new things, even when it is hard or they might not succeed. I see this as a “right” of growing up – to learn from our problems and become stronger, more capable people. If you take over and don‟t allow your children to come up with their own solutions and discover their strengths, you may be preventing them from finding their path to resiliency. It‟s the difficult twists and turns in life that often teach us the most about how strong we really are. These experiences and the learning that comes with them are essential to becoming responsible and capable adults. Obviously, we can‟t just let go completely as parents. We need to make sure that our children are safe and protected, and have the skills to manage the problems that come their way. This often takes planning on our part, along with awareness of how our child learns and what support they need. It also takes some trust in our child‟s abilities to do more for his or herself – not always easy, I know. Alan Clarke

This year two of our VET Dance students auditioned for and have been accepted into Top Class Dance. This showcase is part of the VCE Season of Excellence and recognises the efforts of the top Dance students from 2014. Both Tiarna S (Class of 2014) and Brielle S (current Year 12) have been invited to perform in two concerts on Thursday 19 February at the Melbourne Recital Centre. This is an outstanding achievement as only 20 students from across Victoria were selected.

Brielle is playing the lead as Tracy Turnblad in our production of Hairspray this year and is also the 2015 Drama Captain. Congratulations Tiarna and Brielle! Natalie Burns

UNIFORM SHOP HOURS

SCHOOL FEES

FROM THE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST

ASTHMA PLANS

SIBLING ENROLMENTS

GIRLS‟ SOCKS

LOST PROPERTY

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

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AROUND THE SCHOOL

PRIORITISING

The concepts discussed in Pastoral Care and the weekly focus can be found on the CGS Website and App. Please use this resource to engage with your student and their learning on a weekly basis. Wellbeing Element – Engagement and Achievement Character Strength – Perspective Prioritising is a life skill that enables students to use their time more effectively. Reflecting on and then arranging their daily/weekly activities and commitments in order of importance builds growth mindsets and their element of wellbeing Engagement and Achievement. The reality is that most students find it very difficult to apply themselves to Home Learning/Study unless it is planned ahead of time. The „spontaneous‟ approach of just letting it happen doesn‟t work, even though our students may disagree. The best way for students to build their resiliency is to prioritise their activities and then design a structured timetable that includes all the activities that occupy their time, including: • Sport training • Part-time jobs • Study, reading and home learning • Socialising and networking with friends • Favourite television shows and games • Family commitments • Leisure activities Because our students‟ brains are not fully developed, they need our support and explicit guidance in learning how to arrange activities in the right order. It‟s not that they won‟t do it; they haven‟t the anatomical brain capabilities to do it consistently as yet. Their positive efforts towards achieving life balance will benefit them considerably, particularly when they are willing and able to become more discerning in identifying „musts‟ and „options‟ in their lives and the time they allocate to each of them. Travis Hopgood Senior Head of Pastoral Care

YEAR 7 & 8 RECREATIONAL AREA

It is very exciting to see the Casey Common construction site so busy and full of exciting work being done. The area being developed has for years been wet and unusable in winter, and hot and dry in summer. The finished area will encompass lockers, shade, seating and passive recreational space for Year 7 & 8 students. The project is currently on course for completion and we estimate that this area will be available for use early in Term 2.

The House Swimming Sports were held at the Noble Park Aquatic Centre on Thursday. It is always a fun day with plenty of competitive spirit, lightened by the fabulous costumes and colours worn by the students and staff. Leaver House won by only 6 points!

The PFC would like to welcome everyone back to school, including the new families. We had a successful year in 2014. We ran the Canteen at the PAC during events, made the second hand uniform shop available once a month on a Friday, organised the second hand book stall, ran sausage sizzles during the Twilight Sports and in the last week of school for the primary students, had a Chocolate Drive and provided the Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day stalls. We hope to continue our success in the new year. Our aim is to do at least one activity per term. With your help we can achieve this goal. If you would like to join the PFC or just help out, please ring Bharti Green on 0419 184 245. Our next meeting will be held at school on Tuesday 10 February 2015 at 6:30 pm. If you would be interested in attending, please contact Bharti on the number above. Pam Foley.

3 New Holland Drive Cranbourne East Vic 3977

PO Box 302 Cranbourne Vic 3977

Telephone (03) 5991 0800 Facsimile (03) 5995 2888

Email info@caseygrammar.vic.edu.au

www.caseygrammar.vic.edu.au

PFC NEWS

HOUSE SWIMMING SPORTS

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