From the Principal

The return to on-site learning has seen our students take up the many physical activities offered around the College grounds with enthusiasm.

The refurbished beach volleyball court is in hot demand, and the various down ball courts around the school are frequently in use. The soccer and football fields are well used with groups of students playing various sports.

Others choose to sit quietly and catch up after so many weeks apart.

Whatever the activities, the students have settled in well and are fully embracing their new freedoms and ability to connect with their peers.

The school was incredibly quiet and gloomy without students, so it is lovely to hear the laughter and chatter and watch students as they enjoy themselves at school.

To support this reconnection face to face with friends, I take this opportunity to reiterate the College mobile phone policy, which forms part of our overall Digital Devices Policy. While students may bring a mobile phone to school, it must be safely locked in their lockers between homeroom and the end of the school day.

No student should carry a phone in class and should not be filming at recess or lunch. Filming others is a severe breach of privacy.

The College mobile phone policy is based on research and highlights the need for students to learn the skills of face to face communication and interaction as well as taking time away from screens.

I ask parents to support the work of teachers by discussing the importance of adherence to this policy with their children.

From the Deputy Principal Learning and Teaching

Our Year 10 and 11 students finished their 2020 exams today and begin their 2021 Jumpstart programs tomorrow.

I congratulate the students on the way they have studied, navigated the exam experience and arrived punctually to Padua. Both experiences provide students with the knowledge and skills to navigate their senior pathways. Our thoughts continue for the students undertaking their final Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority exams that conclude on Monday 30 November for CRC Melton.

Year 7 and Year 9 students complete their formal classes and assessments on Friday 27 November before beginning long awaited camp programs. This provides a different learning experience as students practice new skills in new surroundings. 

Our Year 8 students also have alternate day programs running throughout their final few weeks. Research, and our knowledge of students, clearly connects the relationship between learning, teaching and wellbeing. Here at the College, all programs are designed to support this integrated relationship.

Booklists

Families are reminded that booklists have been sent out via Operoo. Students have received an email with their 2021 subject and elective choices. You should refer to this when ordering the subject or elective requirements.

For senior years, Edrolo may be listed as a resource. This is compulsory and is ordered directly through Edrolo, reducing the cost to families and providing accurate information. 

A letter to parents and guardians was sent via Operoo today with the Edrolo Payment Portal instructions including video links on how to set up an account. Holiday homework will also be sent using the Edrolo resource. Payment to Edrolo is due by 18 December.

The Sustainable School Shop provides second-hand textbook options outside of those ordered through Edrolo. Please check the publisher and the edition are correct when purchasing. Teachers cannot alter courses to accommodate alternative texts and resources.

Student workbooks should not be purchased second-hand. These contain activities and tasks students complete in class.

Awards ceremony

At the start of 2021 we will recognise our VCE College Dux and academic excellence achieved by students in their VCE studies. 

We will also recognise our Year 7-11 2020, high achieving students at a whole school Assembly. Parents and guardians will receive an invitation during the week commencing 18 January 2021 to attend this next year, provided there are no COVID-19 restrictions in place. 

The Awards Assembly is scheduled to take place on 9 February.

Year 7 2021 orientation

We welcome our Year 7 2021 families as they begin the journey here at CRC Melton. We look forward to meeting our new student cohort on their Orientation Day on Tuesday 8 December.

Looking Ahead

VCE Exams

This year has been a trying one for our VCE students. With the difficulties of remaining focused during distance learning and impending exams to prepare for, 2020 has undoubtedly thrown everything at our young adults. However, the resilience and fortitude shown by our students have been inspiring.

We conducted practice exams in the second week of Term with almost 100% of students attending. These trial exams were an excellent opportunity to expose the students to the conditions they would face in their end of year Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) exams. VCAA invigilators supervised the exams and they were held in the same venue as their final exams.

Students were able to critically reflect on their timing and understanding of content as a result of these practice exams, and hopefully found the experience beneficial. Their conduct during these practice exams was exemplary.

Students are currently completing their VCAA exams, which will finish on Monday 1 December. Our Year 12 Coordinator Karina Dunne and I are so proud of the efforts of our VCE students and wish them the very best not only for these exams but for their future endeavours.

Carissa Lock

VCE Coordinator

NAIDOC Week Activities

Students and staff enthusiastically took part in NAIDOC Week celebrations at the College last week.

Competitions, lunchtime activities, morning teas and homeroom reflections highlighted the connections with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities.

Below is a snapshot of the week’s events.

Careers and Pathways Update

In education, October and November are always a time for change. In fact, we can honestly say that the entire year of 2020 has been focussed on change.

Our Year 12 VCE students are completing their final secondary school exams. Year 11 and 12 VCAL students are finishing up their TAFE certificates with some entering into apprenticeships and the workforce while others look forward to further study.

Year 9 students are preparing to enter their senior years of secondary school in 2021 and thinking about the career path they would like to take.

With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, more employment opportunities are becoming available. We encourage our senior students to read the weekly Careers Newsletter to keep abreast of these.

Some of our students have already been successful in obtaining traineeships in administration and sport for 2021. We congratulate these young adults and wish them all the best as they join the workforce.

University entry schemes

Universities have also had to change due to the pandemic. We have seen this demonstrated through the number of early entry and alternative entry programs that have been offered to current Year 12 students.

RMIT has introduced Diploma and Degree packages that open pathways from a Diploma course to a Bachelor degree without the minimum ATAR requirement.

The University of Melbourne has published guaranteed ATARs. Swinburne University, Victoria University, Australian Catholic University, and LaTrobe University have all introduced and adapted their entry programs so that students can receive a conditional early entry.

These programs have used a variety of methods to consider the whole student rather than just an ATAR. They look at a student’s community involvement, demonstration of leadership, school recommendations and Year 11 academic results. These programs give the students the benefit of reduced ATAR entry requirements, the assurance of knowing there is a place for them in 2021 and mentoring programs to assist with a smooth transition from secondary education to tertiary.

Early entry success for our Year 12 students

About 30% of our Year 12 students applying for university study have received an early conditional offer.

These include:

• 22 students with offers from Victoria University;
• four students with offers through the ACU Guarantee, ACU Passion for Law and ACU Passion for Business programs;
• three students with offers to Collarts in their Fashion Marketing Diploma/Degreee and Music Production Diploma/Degree;
• two students with offers through the LaTrobe Aspire program; and
• two students with offers through the Swinburne Early Entry program.

We congratulate these students and wish them all the best for their future studies.

Beyond Year 12

Our Year 12 students may be interested in a webinar being run this evening (17 November)

by Dr Michael Carr-Gregg titled Transition from Year 12, build your mindset and resilience. More information is available below.

Design and Technology Update

How wonderful it has been for students and teachers to be reunited with the return to face to face learning this term. The smiles, joy and sheer relief to be back in our everyday daily school routines and in the classroom together have been delightful for us all.

The Design and Technology students have been immersed in a range of practical tasks this term. They have shown so much enthusiasm, passion and commitment to the completion of their work across all Design and Technology learning areas.

VCE

Our Year 12 Food Studies students examined the impact of climate change on food security and the management of land and water to support sustainable futures. Students also undertook an analysis of food fads, trends and diets and the use of food labels.

Year 12 Product Design and Technology Wood students worked tirelessly on the completion of the products they designed earlier in the year. The determination and commitment of the students have resulted in some unique and creative pieces of furniture. We applaud their efforts in what has been a particularly challenging year.

Both our Year 12 Food Studies and Product Design and Technology Wood students are now preparing for their end of year examinations. We wish them all the best.

Our Year 11 Food Studies students have been examining how to plan and manage family meals at home and how to design and adapt recipes to meet specific dietary needs. Students have worked to a design brief to produce a nutritious and high fibre wellness brunch bowl that is nutritious and healthy and promotes the prevention of bowel cancer, Australia’s second deadliest cancer.

Food Studies

Our Year 10 Food Studies students have continued to examine global food security and food sustainability. The mushroom kits that students cared for at home during Distance Learning Mode (DLM) produced an abundance of oyster mushrooms. Students used their homegrown mushroom harvest to create mushroom recipes in response to a design brief. They produced an amazing array of delicious mushroom dishes.

In Year 10 Hospitality, students have been developing their complex practical skills for food preparation and presentation. They recently hosted a delicious and beautifully presented high tea for the college leadership team and also produced sponge cakes from scratch, which were decorated to professional standards.

Our Year 9 Food Studies students have studied food and nutritional needs at various life stages with a focus on their own needs as adolescents. They created nutritious lunchbox snacks as healthy alternatives to store-bought sweet and savoury foods such as healthy homemade energy muffins instead of a high in sugar packet muffin mix.

Year 8 Food Studies students have been cooking up a storm in the kitchen and developing their practical skills producing a range of recipes including Pita Pizzas, Macaroni and Cheese, Fried Rice and Chicken Kebabs.

The students have developed fundamental cooking skills including reading and interpreting recipes, measuring ingredients, using a range of tools and equipment including the oven, grill and stove. They also learned about cleaning up the kitchen, including sanitising all areas at the end of a practical session. The students will develop their baking skills in the final weeks of term, so look out for some delicious Christmas treats coming home to you.

Design and Technology – Wood and Metal

Year 7 Product Design and Technology Wood students have been working with a design brief to create a pop-up flock of birds that highlights the importance of native bird conservation in our local environment while developing essential foundation woodwork practical skills.

Students developed knowledge and skills in the safe use of the jigsaw to cut out their bird using plywood. The beautiful and colourful birds were screwed to a stake and have been placed in the school gardens.

Year 9 and 10 Design and Technology Wood students have been using a combination of square and rectangle-shaped wood materials to produce a small piece of furniture that was designed during DLM.

They have developed knowledge and skills in the safe use of portable power tools and showed incredible motivation and determination to produce high quality and functional products whilst meeting the timelines in their production plans.

Our Year 10 Design and Technology Metal students investigated the characteristics and sustainable properties of various materials. They used their engineering skills to construct dustpans, sheet metal figures and planes from aluminium cans. The result was some amazing creative products from our talented students.

Design and Technology – Fibre

Year 8 Design and Technology Fibre students have been learning how to use a sewing machine and developing their practical skills by creating samplers using a variety of sewing techniques. Cushion designs that students created during DLM are currently being turned into pattern pieces to create a cushion using an applique technique.

In Year 10 Design and Technology Fibre students have designed and created sustainable textiles products using recycled household materials. Students used yarn from recycled t-shirts and left-over traditional yarn, and through learning the technique of patchwork made some very inspiring finished products.

As we near the end of what has been an unforgettable and extraordinary year amid a global pandemic, I would like to thank our outstanding Design and Technology students and teachers who have displayed the utmost commitment and dedication to our curriculum programs.

We achieved so much together as a school community and I would like to thank parents and guardians for the support they provided to their children through DLM. I wish all students and staff a safe and enjoyable time in the final weeks of the school year.

Social Justice Initiatives

International Men’s Day

It’s International Men’s Day on Thursday (19 November), a day that focuses on men’s health, improving gender relations, highlighting male role models, and promoting positive expressions of masculinity. It’s also an opportunity to recognise men who don’t fall into traditional manifestations of masculinity.

The Social Justice team together with our College Media Captain Dillon, have put together a video about the inspirational men in our lives and messages for men of the future. The video will be shown in homerooms on Thursday.

Quiz questions will also be posted on SIMON every day this week. Students are encouraged to email their answer to Ms Hume at chume@sfcc.vic.edu.au. The first two students to send through the correct answer each day will get a Zooper Dooper at lunchtime.

On Wednesday 25 November at recess and lunchtime, the Social Justice team will sell ribbons and lollypops to raise money for White Ribbon Australia.

White Ribbon Australia is part of a global social movement working to eliminate gendered violence. It strives for an Australian society where all women and children are safe.

White Ribbon is the world’s largest movement engaging men and boys to end men’s violence against women and girls, promote gender equality and create new opportunities for men to build positive, healthy and respectful relationships.

The Social Justice team will have a table set up outside the canteen where ribbons and lollypops will be available for a gold coin donation. Staff and students are encouraged to drop by to have a chat about what White Ribbon Day stands for and buy a ribbon to show their support for the cause.

Community Business Directory

There are still plenty of spaces to promote your business in our CRC Melton Community Business Directory.

If you are a past student of CRC Melton or currently have a child attending the school and are interested in promoting your business in the directory, please complete the Expression of Interest Form below and email it to src@sfcc.vic.edu.au.

We look forward to hearing from you and continuing to promote your business to our CRC Melton community.