SCHS Newsletter volume 4 issue 07

Volume 4 Issue 7 | Week 3 Term 3, 2014

NEWSLETTER

2Suzanne Cory High School Newsletter Volume 4 Issue 7 | Week 3 Term 3, 2014

R e s p e ct A s p i r at io n C o nt r i b ut io n

From the Principal

Welcome back to all families for Term 3. The start to this term has been enriched by the celebration of cultural diversity within our school community during LOTE week. Students and staff were able to participate in a range of cultural activities which are featured in this newsletter. Our

French exchange students were introduced at assemblies during LOTE week and gave us all an insight into the languages they learn at school. I also had the pleasure of hosting a morning tea for the exchange students who all commented how much they were enjoying their time in Australia and at Suzanne Cory High School. Thank you to those families who are hosting the exchange students this year.

A guest speaker at the assemblies, Anne-Aelis Perfrement provided a personal story about her own learning of languages and where this has taken her in her life journey. This was particularly relevant to our students as Anne-Aelis attended a select entry school, studied French and Chinese and pursued a tertiary education pathway into university where the study of languages complemented a Science degree at The University of Melbourne. Anne-Aelis also participated in a session with our VCE French students to assist them in their language development. French and Chinese language was also recognised at the assemblies through song, poetry and presentations from students. Book week and Science week will also be recognised this term with Professor Cory attending the school during Science Week.

Another important event for your diaries is the Art Design Showcase held in the last week of term with 3 the opening on Tuesday 16th September at 6.00pm.

Year 12 FormalThe Year 12 Formal held on the last day of Term 2 was a wonderful occasion with 240 attending the function at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Students looked spectacular in their gowns and suits and it was a

pleasure for the staff who attended to spend time with students in a social gathering. Thank you to parents for your support of this event.

Parent Teacher InterviewsThis term Parent teacher interviews will be held on Thursday 14th August for parents of Year 11 and 12 students and on Wednesday 17th September for parents of Year 9 and 10 students. Information regarding the parent teacher interviews and making bookings can be found in this newsletter. You can access the PTO system via the school website.

Subject Selections for 2015Students in Years 9 – 11 have commenced their course selection program for 2015 with the Subject Expo held on Wednesday 30th July. Course Counselling will take place following the expo with all subject selections due by Friday August 15th. Course Handbooks are available via the school website. Students are required to submit subject selections both on-line and in hard copy to the General office. Information regarding the submission of subjects will be provided at assembly next week. Please contact the school if you have any questions regarding the process or courses of study available at the school for 2015.

2015 TimetableThere have been changes made to the timetable for 2015 following consultation within the school community. Feedback indicated a desire to have a more balanced timetable. With this in mind the 2015 timetable will be constructed with the following features:• The same start and finish time each day with 6 periods per day. • The assembly and tutorial program will continue for all year levels• Study periods for VCE students on a Wednesday afternoon allowing for the scheduling of assessment tasks in periods 5 and 6.

Further information regarding the 2015 timetable will be provided as details are finalised. We are hoping to implement the 2015 timetable for the transition program that takes place in Term 4

3Suzanne Cory High School NewsletterVolume 4 Issue 7 | Week 3 Term 3, 2014


This issue’s cover art was

created by Minh (Hoang) Do of 11A in

Miss Tait’s VCD Unit 1 & 2

class.

where student commence their subjects for the following year.

Work ExperienceMany or our Year 10 students were involved in a work experience program over the term break which has provided them with an insight into possible pathways and the world of work. Very positive feedback was received from employers. I received a letter from one employer to say that the student who was on placement with them was a credit to the school and would be an asset to any workplace. A delightful letter regarding the commitment made by a student to the program and which highlights the importance of providing a range of learning experiences to our students.

Kay PeddleActing Principal

High school students are again being invited to put their views to the House of Rep-resentatives as part of this year’s My First Speech Competition.

aph.gov.au/myfirstspeech

Several of our students are current recipients of this fantastic scholarship and new applications are now being welcomed by Western Chances.

Scholarships are intended to provide financial support and acknowledgement for talented and motivated young people who are held back by hardship and a lack of resources. Western Chances supports young people throughout their educational journey. A Western Chances scholarship applicant must have an identifiable talent or pathway and be eager to succeed. One size doesn’t fit all at Western Chances and scholarships are shaped to fit the needs of the young person. The scholarships average $1,000 which may be used to purchase text books, leadership and study

camps, laptops, internet access, tutoring, lecture notes, music or dance lessons, public transport expenses and specialist equipment. http://westernchances.org.au/

Applicants must be supported and nominated by a staff member who knows of your talent or hardship. If you feel you may be eligible, please come and see me in the Careers Office ASAP! Applications close on August 22nd.

Parents, if you would like to discuss your child being a potential applicant and the supporting documentation required, please call me on 8734 2800 or email me on [email protected]

Western Chances Scholarship - Applications now open



Assistant Principal

Final payment for students participating in the snow camp to Falls Creek Ski Resort and Bogong Outdoor Education Centre are due by Friday 8 August. The ski camp will run from 8 September to 12 September.

Year 10 Handbook for students in year 9The Year 10 curriculum handbook for 2015 is now available for Year 9 students on eWorkspace and on the school website. The handbook outlines the aims of the Year 10 curriculum, the compulsory core subjects, the Year 10 electives, the VCE electives, the subject selection process and the criteria for early entry to VCE. Please note that the criteria for early entry to VCE were also published in the second newsletter this year, Week 6 in term 1, on page 7. Students have recently received information about the subject areas in which they are approved to select a VCE elective in Year 10 based on the achievement criteria.

Key Calendar Dates

• 4 August—VCE course counselling for Year 10 students begins• 8 August—2015 Subject selection portal opens to students (online)• 15 August—all 2015 Subject selections due (online portal and co-signed hard copy)• 14 August—Years 11 & 12 Parent-Teacher interviews (pupil-free day) 1pm—8pm • 18 August—Science week• 25 August—Book week• 4 September—House choral singing competition• 8 September—Snow camp (Falls Creek Resort, Bogong)• 9 September—17 September: Shanghai Foreign Language School visit and home-stay• 16 September—Art, design & technology showcase evening• 17 September—Years 9 & 10 parent-teacher interviews (pupil-free day) 1pm—8pm• 9 & 10 October—Unit 2 VCE Biology Camp• 21 October—Final day of Year 12 classes (followed by SWOTVAC)• 24 October—Year 12 Valedictory• 29—31 October: Year 9 Duke of Edinburgh Award Camp• 3 November—Revision week• 7 November—Home study day for Year 11• 10 November—Home study day for Years 9 & 10 and Unit 2 exams start• 11 November—Exams start for Years 9 and 10• 17 November—Re-enrolment day Year 9 into 10• 18 November—Re-enrolment day Year 11 into 12• 19 November—Re-enrolment day Year 10 into 11• 20 November—Transition program starts• 2 December—Awards night (6pm)—final day for Year 10 & 11 students• 8 December—10 December: Year 9 camp• 10 December—Final day for Year 9 students

VCE students have received the dates and times of their specific VCE Unit 3/4 exams. Those exam dates and times are also published in this edition of the newsletter

Falls Creek Snow Camp



DATE VCE STUDY TIME

1 Tuesday 21st October CCAFL (Russian, Hindi, Korean, Sinhala) 2.00pm—4.40pm 2 Wednesday 29th October English 9.00am—12.15pm

Wednesday 29th October English (EAL) 9.00am—12.15pm 3 Thursday 30th October Psychology 9.00am—11.45am

Thursday 30th October Economics 3.00pm—5.15pm 4 Friday 31st October Biology 9.00am—11.45am

Friday 31st October Further Mathematics 1 3.00pm—4.45pm 5 Monday 3rd November Further Mathematics 2 9.00am—10.45am

Monday 3rd November Business Management 11.45am—2.00pm 6 Wednesday 5th November Mathematical Methods CAS 1 9.00am—10.15am

Wednesday 5th November Health & Human Development 3.00pm—5.15pm 7 Thursday 6th November Physical Education 11.45am—2.00pm

Thursday 6th November Mathematical Methods CAS 2 3.00pm—5.15pm 8 Friday 7th November Specialist Mathematics 1 9.00am—10.15am

Friday 7th November Literature 3.00pm—5.15pm 9 Monday 10th November Accounting 11.45am—2.00pm

Monday 10th November History (Revolutions) 3.00pm—5.15pm Monday 10th November Specialist Mathematics 2 3.00pm—5.15pm

10 Tuesday 11th November Chemistry 9.00am—11.45am Tuesday 11th November Legal Studies 3.00pm—5.15pm

11 Wednesday 12th November Physics 9.00am—11.45am Wednesday 12th November Visual Communication & Design 3.00pm—4.45pm

12 Thursday 13th November English Language 11.45am—2.00pm 13 Friday 14th November Food and Technology 9.00am—10.45am 14 Monday 17th November Systems Engineering 9.00am—10.45am

Monday 17th November Greek 11.45am—2.00pm Monday 17th November Japanese Second Language 11.45am—2.00pm

15 Tuesday 18th November Vietnamese 11.45am—2.00pm Tuesday 18th November Global Politics 11.45am—2.00pm Tuesday 18th November French 3.00pm—5.15pm

16 Wednesday 19th November Indonesian Second Language 11.45am—2.00pm Wednesday 19th November Chinese Second Language 3.00pm—5.15pm Wednesday 19th November Chinese Second Language Adv. 3.00pm—5.15pm

VCE Unit 3/4 Written Examinations Schedule 2014



Parent -Teacher interviews for Year 11 & 12 students will be held on Thursday 14th August. Parent -Teacher interviews for Year 9 & 10 students will be held on Wednesday 17th September.

Interview session times: Afternoon Session: 1pm – 4:30pmEvening Session: 5:15pm – 8.00pm

The booking of appointments for parents to meet with teachers will occur via Parent Teacher on- Line (PTO), which is an Internet based system. This is the same program used for the Semester 1 parent teacher interviews. Using this system you will be able to book the interview times that suit you best from any internet-connected computer and print a report of your

bookings with locations for interviews. If you do not have internet access at home or elsewhere you can contact the school to assist you with the on-line bookings.

For this semester parents will be able to receive their PIN/Password electronically via the school website.To make your bookings please go to the school website: www.suzannecoryhs.vic.edu.au, click on the PTO button then click on Obtain PIN/Password. You will be required to enter your email address and your PIN/Password will be emailed to you. You then proceed to make your bookings.

Bookings will open for all parent teacher interviews on Wednesday 6th August at 8.00am.Bookings for Thursday 14th August will close on Tuesday 12th August at 4.00pm

Bookings for Wednesday 17th September will close on Monday 11th August at 4.00pm

Interpreters are available for parents. If you would like to book an interpreter, please visit our website www.suzannecoryhs.vic.edu.au and complete the Interpreter Booking Request Form.

Please contact the school if your require assistance to make bookings for parent teacher interviews.

An important reminder to please contact the school immediately if your contact details have changed.

Parent-Teacher Interviews Semester 2 2014

School UniformA reminder to parents that our uniform price list can be downloaded on our website: suzannecoryhs.vic.edu.au/uniform

Parents can pay for uniform over the phone and Rushfords will deliver the item to the school when the item is available, usually in a few days.

There are also some new items available for purchase, including:• winter scarves• a parka and • track suit pants. All of these items can be seen in the glass display cabinet near the general office.

Student Representative CouncilThe SRC will soon be invited to contribute their thoughts to possible additions to the school uniform, including: • dress shorts option for the girl’s summer uniform

Second hand uniform sales take place on Monday & Fridays between 8:30am and 4pm.



Badminton Round UpBadminton social sessions on Tuesdays continue to be well attended, and we’ve got some talented players making up our teams.Senior badminton teamsOur senior boys team included• Ben Jin 11D• Kritik Dube 11D• Kevin Li 11C• Gary Tran, 11G

• Sang Pham, 11BThe team played hard and beat two teams decisively. They were eventually knocked out by the boys at Werribee High in a hard-fought match that could have gone either way. Excellent play and team-work all round.

Our senior girls team for the first round was • Angelyne Loh 12 H• Linda Deng 12D• Teresa Ta 11H• Kristine Nguyen 11A• Dilshara Samaranayake 12CThe girls beat Werribee (5-1) and the Grange (6-0), to go through to the next round.For the regional round we had to make some changes – thanks to Heidi Li and Alicia Lim who stood in at short notice for our year 12 girls. The girls played hard, defeating two out of three teams comfortably in the heats and making it through to the semi-finals. They played a tough semi-final match, but were knocked out by Copperpoint School. A fantastic effort by all our girls.

Intermediate badminton teamsThe intermediate teams have been training hard. The Intermediate boys team was made up of Year 9 boys:• Dan Nguyen 9F• Heejae Shin 9F • Sean Lim 9G• Jason Tran 9G• Nicholas Evangelou 9GThey had some convincing wins in the first round

at local level and made it through to the regionals, played at Altona Badminton Centre on July 28th.In their regional heats, SCHS beat teams from Melton (4-2), Williamstown High (6-0) and Oberon School (4-2) to make it to the semi-finals. The semi-final match was against Copperfield and we won convincingly (6-0), dropping only 51 points in 6 games. That put us in the regional final against a formidable team from Maribyrnong Sports Academy which consisted of three top-seeded state players. The boys enjoyed the challenge but had finally met their match, bringing home a runners-up flag. Well played, boys.

In the Intermediate girls team we had the following students:Sumedha Sethupathy 10 CLyn Tran 9GMalshi Gamalath 9CSiantelle Johns 9D

They too made it through the local rounds to the regionals at MSAC on July 29th. Thanks to Ms Guastello for stepping in to take them for the day.At the regionals they won all their first-round matches, defeating Williamstown High (4-2), Melton (5-1), and Matthew Flinders (5-1). They won their semi-final match to face Williamstown High again in the final. They were well-matched and had to fight hard to win each game, but brought home the winning flag, so go through to the next level. A great victory, girls.Ms Helen Bradwell



LOTE WeekFrom 21st to the 25th of July, Suzanne Cory High School held its annual LOTE Week Celebrations. As part of the LOTE committee, I did my share of planning and helping out to make the week as memorable as it was.It was during one of the earlier meetings when I had the bright idea that a quiz, based around general multicultural knowledge, would be a good addition to the week’s festivities. The rest of the committee also thought this was a bright idea, and so it came to be that I would organise the quiz along with the help of Tanvi Kumar and Zoe Cook. Things were going well (in my mind at least) until about a week prior to the quiz, when I thought to myself that I may have bitten off more than I could chew. But anyone who attended will know these thoughts were not realised, as the quiz went off

without a hitch, with Tanvi and I sharing the role of MC.Whilst everyone enjoyed themselves, there could only be one winner: that honour went to Rothwell, with Blackwood coming second, Cottrell third, leaving Kororoit to fourth place. Although it was not easy organising the LOTE quiz, it was an enjoyable experience that I hope to look back on fondly for years to come. This was due in no small part to the helpfulness and expertise of the LOTE committee (read: very nice people). If you at all feel like becoming more involved in school events such as LOTE Week, I say go for it! There is no better feeling of pride and satisfaction. -Thomas Vasquez-Lee 10D

The week opened with a special LOTE themed assembly which included performances by students and insightful presentations by speakers. We had some French Exchange Students talk about their lives in Bordeaux, France, a martial arts performance by Emily Lew and French and Chinese recitals by students. Tarra Co – 9E



Congratulations, our LOTE committee 2014! The spirit of our school motto ‘contribution’ was evident in preparation to and during the LOTE week. The LOTE committee started to kick off towards the success of the LOTE week at the end of last term. The students from each level worked together to toss up their ideas for the programs, found the way to compromise, and rethink and reorganise the program. After the program has been finalised, students needed to advertise, liaise with the students and teachers and need to decide the venues, and think about the settings. It was a great pleasure for me to see that students from different year level are cooperating together to work toward one goal – another great memory from this celebration of multiculturalism at SCHS. Some of them demonstrated their organisational skills which they already have and others have developed their leadership skills throughout the experience of organising of a number of events. I would like particularly to acknowledge the following committee members for each

event. Without their organisation skills, the events wouldn’t have been run so smoothly and we couldn’t have this much fun this week!

Members who were in charge of the following events Assembly (LOTE week component): Matt Lagamba 12B, Isabelle Cahoy 12B Sponge Cake competition: Nancy Yoo 11E, Thao Tran 11E, and Tarra CoLOTE Quiz: Tanvi Kumar 10G, Thomas Vezquez 10C, and Zoe VCook 10A World Cup: Elizabeth Vu 10CMulticultural concert: Devika Nair 10E Becky Su 10G

And of course, congratulations to the following committee members; Year 12 Matt Lagamba 12B Isabelle Cahoy 12BRyan Ketchley 12A NElla Byrne 12A Tiffini Tran 12E Henry Quach 12AJulia tran 12b

Year 11 Thao Tran 11H Nancy Yoo 11GYear 10 Tanvi Kumar 10GDaniel Vo 10GZoe Cook 10ADevika Nair 10EKristine Carlos 10B Angela Setjadiningrat 10D Tom Vasquez-Lee 10D Becky Su 10G Raiyana Ahmed 10GElizabeth Vu 10DHarriet Ju 10CHiruni Seneviratne 10 G

Year 9 Kaz Rawal Modi 9D NTarra Co 9E Ian Wang 9H N Finally, I would like to thank the hard work of our LOTE teachers; Mr Gazelle, Ms Zhang, Ms Zhang, Ms Collombet-Sankey and our student teacher, Ms Musalayah. I look forward to another exciting LOTE week 2015. Miss Chizuko Inoue-Andersson PLT Leader LOTE

Tuesday lunchtime was the LOTE Week Quiz where each house also battled it out to see the house with the best multicultural knowledge.



The biggest event was held on Friday. To finish off the week and the LOTE festivities, a Cultural Talent Show was held in the auditorium. There were many performances from Chinese instrument playing to Indian and K-pop singing to Ballroom and Bollywood dancing! It was an event that everyone enjoyed to watch. After the show, a fashion parade was held and we saw the various, colourful costumes from Vietnam, China, India, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Chile, and Sri Lanka. Tarra Co 9E









On Monday, the LOTE week activities commenced with a sponge cake decorating house competition. Each house nominated three teams to represent them – two teams consisting of students and a third consisting of teachers. The teams were asked to decorate sponge cakes in accordance to the theme of a given country – the choices being out of Germany, Japan, England or Egypt. The end result was an amazing display of the teams’ creativity and enthusiasm and a tough decision for the judges to deliberate a winner. Thao Tran 11H

I was really surprised at the quick creativity shown in each cake despite the limited time and ingredients. Every house showed great teamwork and were able to successfully complete decorating every cake according to the theme. Thank you to the all the students and teachers who gave up their lunchtime to participate and clean up afterwards. Congratulations to Kororoit on their winNancy Yoo 11E



The Year 9 Humanities classes have begun studying history for Semester 2, and the students are already thinking like historians, questioning sources they consult and thinking critically. For their holiday homework, students were given a photograph of two soldiers, and had to make a hypothesis about their identity and when the photograph was taken based on clues they could spot in the image. Here are some of the clever deductions made by the students:

“Upon deciding that the men were an ANZAC and a British officer respectively, I researched when those two groups were together, and realised that the two fought together most predominantly at Gallipoli.” - Lachlan Kempson, 9H

“I hypothesised these two soldiers were associated with World War I because of the high boots. I think that the boots are raised up to the knee because soldiers had to fight in many trenches, and they required shoes that could protect them from the muddy and deep terrain.” - Selene Abayawardana, 9A

“Looking at the soldier on the left, it can be seen that there is a badge on his collar…By simply searching Google Images, the shape and outline of the badge greatly resembles the ‘Rising Sun’ badge that was worn by Australian soldiers in both World Wars. With the help and knowledge of a cadet friend, I was told that the rectangle with a diagonal across it indicates which region In Australian the soldier was from or which unit he belonged to at the time.” - Trine Chia, 9H

“A cigarette can be seen in the hand of the older looking man, which is another sign they are re-laxed and not really on the edge of action.” - Kris Kewish, 9H

“I believe the soldier on the right is British because he seems to be wearing a Middlesex Regiment badge. The slouch hat which is turned up on the right side in Victoria and Tasmania, and on the left in the other states became a standard Australian forces hat in 1903.” - Sasini Dematampitiya, 9A

“I ruled out Air Force, because in the Air Force they wore very bulky uniforms to help combat the stresses of flying” - Sanjuna Rajapaksha, 9A

“On his shoulder there is a downward stripe or ‘hook’. This indicates his ranking as a lance corpo-ral. Above the hook there is a square patch with two differently colored triangles. This symbolises that he may be a member of the Australian Army Cadets.” - Anna-Maria Antonijevic, 9A

Humanities



The School Wide Positive Behaviour Team has been working on our SWPB board situated in the Agora. This colourful and informative board displays the Behaviour Expectations Matrix, Rewards Menu, Photos of the Wellbeing Leaders and other key pieces of information for students. This forms a great reference point for both students and staff on a daily basis.

Tutorial this term sees the Year 9 students exploring cyber safety, bullying and discrimination. Students are reminded to look after each out for each other, and encouraged to speak up if they see or hear of anything going. It is important for students to understand the risks of posting things online, as well as respecting themselves and others in the virtual environment.

Year 10 students are working though Career Voyage and exploring future pathways and discovering what they are passionate about. It gives them an opportunity to investigate occupations, courses and to start thinking about subject selections.

In Year 11 and 12, there is a big focus on private study, and using these sessions effectively. This also allows for students to have time with Homegroup teachers to discuss concerns and get subject and study tips/hints. This term we will also be running a sign up program where students can select from a variety of different activities they would like to participate in such as Yoga, Chess, Song Writing and many more. We feel it is important for our senior students to have a good work-life balance and this is also provides students with the opportunity to learn and participate in something new. Finally, we

have organised both Apollo Education and Educate Elevate to come into the school and work with students.

Apollo Education was founded by a group of high achieving students from Werribee Secondary College in 2013. Suzanne Cory worked with Apollo Education earlier in the year and we were very impressed with the way they related to the students and the depth of knowledge they presented around preparing for VCE. The focus of this session will be helping students enhance their own personal study techniques so they feel empowered, not disenfranchised. They will explain the source of exam stress and explore practical coping measures. If you would like to know more about Apollo Education please visit their website: https://www.apolloeducation.com.au

Educate Elevate are coming in to work with our Year 11 Students and running a seminar titled ‘Ace Your Exams’. This seminar examines what students need to do in the lead up to exams in order to be properly prepared. The seminar also covers a range of exam room skills used by the top students in order to stay calm and stand-out.

It is a big term ahead and we are looking forward everything going on in the weeks ahead.

Miss Laura RuddickSWPB Leading Teacher

School Wide Positive Behaviour



The Michael Clyne Prize 2014 is an essay competition specifically for those studying VCE English Language units 3 and 4. It involves writing an essay of 850-1200 words on the following topic:‘Polite and civil communication is a thing of the past. Do you agree?’

Closing date 29 August 2014Details on the VATE website at vate.org.au/index.php/student-events.htmlCash prize

Write4Fun writing competitionPoems and stories on any theme. Cash prizeClosing date 31 August 2014

Miss Helen Bradwell

VCE English Language 3 & 4

Terms three has hardly begun and already debating and public speaking events have been taking place with alarming frequency. This is all on the back of a rather hectic end to last term. Matthew Lagamba represented the school at VCAA Plain English Speaking Awards semi final where he faced impressive competition. It was instructive to attend the competition and see the highly developed skills of students at this level. I felt that on any given day all of the students could have won. Unfortunately this wasn’t Matthew’s day but hopefully winning best speaker at round five of the

debating competition was a form of compensation. Congratulations to Matthew for proceeding to the semi finals. As I write this I am preparing to attend the semi final of the junior speaking competition and watch Neha Devarakonda and Hana Umer of year 9 compete. Congratulations to both of them for advancing to this level. Last week saw round four of the interschool debating competition at Williamstown High. Out of the ten teams representing SCHS, nine won their rounds with numerous awards for best speaker also being won. Ella Byrne of 12A has now won an impressive four out of four best speaker awards this year. Next Wednesday the 6th of August will see the last round of the interschool competition prior to the finals. Our teams are will placed at this stage to progress through to the final, so once again good luck to them all. Mr Nick Cummins

Debating & Public Speaking

English language

An essay competition for school students currently enrolled in VCE English Language Units 3 and 4

Emeritus professor Michael Clyne was one of Australia’s most distinguished linguists, recognised worldwide for his passion and energy for language and linguistics. He spent more than 40 years at Monash University, retiring as professor of linguistics. He then became an honorary professorial fellow at the University of Melbourne. Michael was also one of the founding supporters of the VCE English Language course. The Michael Clyne Prize will hopefully inspire many young people to follow his lead and develop their enthusiasm and interest in language.

‘I am passionate aboutlanguages and giving everyone the opportunity to become multilingual and to fully understand the way in which language is used for good and evil purposes.’

Michael Clyne

HOW TO ENTERStudents are invited to respond in writing to the following topic:

‘Polite and civil communication is a thing of the past. Do you agree?’

A distinguished panel of judges will review the essays according to the following criteria:

• Understanding of and personal engagement with the topic being discussed.

• Evidence of linguistic knowledge.

• Analysis and synthesis of ideas.

• Expressive, engaging, fluent and coherent writing.

Guidelines

• Essay should be 850–1200 words in length.

• Word count should be specified on essay.

• Essay may be expository or persuasive.

• Source material MUST be referenced.

• Submissions limited to only ONE per student.

• Entrants must be 19 years old or younger and currently enrolled in VCE EL Units 3 and 4.

• The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Closing date4pm on Friday 29 August 2014.Email essays and essay cover sheet(overleaf)) to [email protected] essays accepted after this time/date.

PrizesThe winning essay will receive a prize of $500. The runner up will receive a $100 Readings Bookshop voucher. Prizes will be presented at an award ceremony and the winning essays will be published in VATE’s online journal Idiom.

for VCE English Language 2014


R e s p e ct A s p i r at io n C o nt r i b ut io nFact Sheet - Education Maintenance Allowance 1

Education Maintenance Allowance Information about changes to Education Maintenance Allowance as a result of the School Reform Agreement made between the Victorian Government and Commonwealth Government.

What is EMA? The Education Maintenance Allowance currently provides financial assistance to low-income families to help meet costs associated with the education of their children.

How it is paid? Parents can currently elect to have their EMA paid in one of the following ways:

paid by direct deposit (Electronic Funds Transfer) into the parent’s bank account; or

paid directly to the school to be held as credit which the parent can use towards education expenses; or

paid by cheque which will be posted to the school for collection.

In 2013 over 70 per cent of parents receiving the EMA chose to have their EMA paid directly to their school. Each school would then use the funds for a range of expenses for that child.

Who is eligible? The EMA currently provides financial assistance to Victorian families on a low income to help with the cost of educational items such as textbooks, stationery, uniforms and excursions.

It is a means-tested payment - parents must hold a Centrelink or Veterans Affairs concession card to be eligible.

What is changing? In the recent School Reform agreement signed with the Commonwealth, the Victorian Government has changed the way it helps low income families with education expenses.

From 2015, the Government will distribute the funds previously used for the EMA directly to schools. DEECD will develop the arrangements to be used to distribute these funds to schools – consultation will occur with stakeholders about this.

Why? Under the recent School Funding Reform an additional $12.2 billion will be allocated to Victorian schools.

Will my child be worse off? No. Education funding for children will increase but will be delivered to your child in a new way through their school. The new agreement provides that schools with the most vulnerable students will receive the funding they need.

The students who will benefit the most



On the 19th of June, a group of nine student representatives from the Student Representative Council attended the annual VicSRC Western Region Conference held at Copperfield College, Kings Park. With the Student Representative Council being in its first year of operation at Suzanne Cory High School, the VicSRC Conference gave all the students the chance to build important skills to be able to work in a team quickly and to efficiently pass decisions and debate ideas. The major outcome of the day was surrounding the commencement of an action plan that will be used to begin discussions with regards to assessment feedback within the school. With many established

schools attending the conference, we were also able to learn many lessons from the ways in which those Student Representative Councils work and also the mistakes and triumphs they themselves have made. As the two chairs of the Student Representative Council, we were pleased to see the great enthusiasm exhibited by the Year 9 and 10 representatives. We look forward to working with them, as well as the rest of the highly motivated SRC, to build the strong student culture and influence at Suzanne Cory High School.Kristian Lang & Eilyssa Mae Carlos

Student Representative Council

iCentreOnline Resources at the iCentre.The iCentre has some extremely useful online resources available for the students to use when undertaking research.Login and password details are available on the eWorkSpace homepage.

The iCentre has a subscription to a large database of journals called Ebsco Host -The Austral-ian & New Zealand Reference Centre. This database is designed for libraries in Australia and New

Zealand and provides a thriving collection of full text from leading regional and international pe-riodicals, full-text reference books, tens of thou-sands of full-text biographies, and a collection of images containing more than half a million photos, maps, and flags.

Echo indexes The Age, The Australian and the Herald Sun and provides outlines of con-temporary media issues. It also provides the Fairfax free news-

paper archives from 1990to present plus weblinks to the major Australian newspapers. This is a great

resource for essays and research on contemporary issues.

The school is currently evaluating two online sub-scriptions for research purposes. Logins and pass-words are available on the eWorkSpace homepage.

This online version of the popular Encyclopaedia Britannica is a treasure trove of information on all subjects. An ideal place to start researching your topic.

This suite of databases provides articles, references works, images and weblinks for all subjects. A great place to explore for more in-depth information.

Miss Pauline Wigan, Acting iCentre Manager



Documents

SCHS Newsletter volume 4 issue 07