ISSUE 9, 17th JUNE, 2016

Absence Hotline - 0439 326 767
Issue 9 - 17th June, 2016
AUGUST
JUNE
Frid 17th - Sat 18th
Mon 20th
Tues 21st
Tues 21st - Wed 22nd
Frid 24th
School Production - Auditorium
Year 11 Indonesian Excursion - Melbourne
Year 10 Deakin Experience Day
Year 12 VCAL Sleep Out in the Gym - Youth
Homelessness Awareness Project
Last day of Term
- SCHOOL FINISHES AT 2.30 PM
JULY
Mon 11th
Thurs 14th
Frid 15th July
Wed 20th
Term 3 Begins
State Cross Country
Year 7 Poetry Performance
Public Speaking Evening in memory of
Barbara Staff
VCE/VCAL Parent Information Evening
Tertiary Information Session (TIS event)
Year 11 Debutante Ball - Club Italia, Moolap
Tues 26th
Thurs 28th
Frid 29th
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
All parents and students will be able to access the end of semester reports
on the Parent Portal at approximately 5 pm on Friday 24th June. I
encourage you to read through these reports and reflect on the progress
and comments made by the teachers in regards to your child. If you require
clarification on the reports, I encourage you to contact the school at the
beginning of term three to discuss the report. Parents that may have issues
accessing the school portal, contact Assistant Principal Josh Baker.
Staff changes
Tues 16th
STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY STUDENT FREE DAY
Wed 17th
Year 12 Biology Excursion - Biolab
Mon 22nd
Year 11 Chemistry SAC - Ecolinc
Wed 24th
VCAL Excursion - Geelong Ports
Mon 29th - Frid 2nd September
Bogong Leadership Camp
SEPTEMBER
Thurs 8th
Tues 13th
Year 12 Study Skills - Period 3
Year 9 Mock Interviews - Library
STUDENT FREE DAYS 2016
The following day has been approved by the the Oberon High School School Council as student free for 2016:
•
Tuesday 16th August - Staff Professional Development Day
•
•
•
Tegan Hassett
16th
Abbey Fedley
17th
Breanna Lugg
18th
Going thru to the State Finals as an individual
•
Caleb Morrisey
14 Yrs Boys
Other performances on the day are detailed in a full report in this
Newsletter.
Jungle Fantasy
There are a number of staff changes for Semester 2:
•
•
•
•
•
Mrs Sandra Silo returns after being on leave for Semester 1. Mrs
Silo replaces Ms Renee McCance in Food Technology. Ms
McCance has been appointed to a teaching position at Bayside
Secondary College for Second Semester.
Ms Rosie Hilder has been appointed to a music teaching position at
Balwyn High School which begins from the start of Term 3.
Ms Aleesha Platt has finished her contract teaching VCAL Literacy
and Humanities and is heading overseas in the near future.
Mrs Emma Wilson will be returning from family leave, replacing Mrs
Telsa Stubna in Food Technology.
Mrs Jessica Jones will be returning from family leave and replacing
Mrs Yvonne Varley in the Languages area teaching German.
I would like to thank Ms McCance, Ms Hilder and Ms Platt, Mrs Stubna and
Mrs Varley for their work at Oberon High School and wish them well for
their future educational employment.
I had the pleasure of attending the School Production ‘Jungle Fantasy’ on
Thursday 16th June. I encourage all members of the school community
to make the effort to attend, as you will find the Production highly
entertaining. Well done to all of the students that are involved in the
Production and to Mrs Pike, Mr Filipovski and Mrs Knight who have been
instrumental in creating this wonderful event.
Tickets for the
performances on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th June can still be
purchased from the office or at the door.
Last Day of Term
School will conclude at 2.30 pm on Friday 24th June. All buses have
been alerted.
As this is the last Newsletter for the Term prior to completing the last
week of Term 2, I would like to thank the student body and the teachers
for their efforts during Term Two. After the two week holiday period the
students will return to school on Monday 11th July.
Have a safe and relaxing break.
Alex Ivanov
Congratulations to Year 11 student Alex Ivanov who has been selected as
one of ten students across Victoria to attend a study tour to Vietnam,
visiting the key battle sites from the Vietnam War. This ten day study tour
has been organised by the State Government and will take place in the
September school holidays. Alex who is a very keen History student, had
to write a poem as part of his competition entry. He has allowed us to
include an excerpt from his poem in the Newsletter this week (Page 2).
Tim McMahon
Western Region Cross Country
Congratulations to all students that represented the school at the recent
Western Region Cross Country at Keilor on Wednesday 8th June. All
students ran very well with six of the twelve students who competed
qualifying for the State Finals in early Term 3. Results included:
STUDENT REPORTS
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL PARENTS
Student Reports will be available electronically
via the Parent Portal at 5 pm
on the last day of Term - Friday 24th June.
Team Victory for the 17 - 20 Years girls team
•
•
Emily Kinross-Smith
Kayla Wastell
If you do not have your sign on details or if you need assistance to
access the Parent Portal please contact the Office before the end of
Term.
5th
14th
12 Pickett Crescent, Belmont, 3216
Phone: 5243 4444
Fax: 5244 2005 Web: www.oberonhs.vic.edu.au
VIETNAM WAR HISTORY COMPETITION
An excerpt from a poem by Year 11 History student Alex Ivanov….
‘La Théâtre de la Guerre’ (or ‘The Theatre of War’)
War is a cloudy, disturbed puddle
Into which two children have jumped simultaneously.
Bacteria, leaves, dirt, small insects, that would otherwise be gently
Existing in their minute ecosystem, are displaced,
And fly out in every possible direction
Gently held in the palms of water droplets.
The children’s clothes, all muddied up,
Dumped on the ground like read newspapers,
Will be picked up gently and washed by their mothers.
After a war, the Mother always cleans up.
Someone must.
The Mother wonders,
Why did my little one make such a mess?
*
It was the premiere of the war. November 1.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. The great masterpiece is only in
town for twenty years, until April 5th.
The walls of the theatre were awash in a gentle ochre glow, set a metre,
perhaps three apart,
ensconcing the maquillage of the ladies in a resplendent light
and making the cheeks of men appear more hollow, an accentuation of the
sharp turns and angles in their faces.
The weighty, crimson curtains that concealed the stage
from the ever-searching mortal eyes
were shut tight,
just as in the previous two wars, the prequels to this one (I thought two was
enough? Why make another? No one wants to pay to see an unnecessary
sequel.)
Cinemoid filters basked the orchestra pit in an incarnadine wash.
The musicians were tuning their instruments,
violin strings the width of a single human hair
unwinding their coiled bodies and shivering under the pull of a bow,
emitting a single sigh.
Bassoons, clarinets, flutes and oboes,
their skeletons gently nestled in velvet cases,
were being assembled by loving, knowing hands.
Coiled, complex, golden snails of labrosones, their keys and mouths open
wide, gleaming.
The percussion section is ready, and the double bass players are still
tuning the deep timbre of wooden vessels of the same width and height.
Sheet music rustles
voices mingle and flow over one another,
coat tails ruffle
and laughs tinkle and bellow.
No one can see the masterpiece, no, no – not just yet. The roll of film is still
being cut and put together again - God forbid we see something we
shouldn’t.
CAREERS NEWS
YEAR 10 PATHWAYS PROGRAM
Last week, all Year 10 students were involved in a 2 day Introduction to
VCE and VCAL program. Mr Sutcliffe outlined the VCE and VCAL
structure with students. The students then participated in a VCE Subject
Expo where DBA leaders promoted the various subjects at VCE level. Mr
Lynch provided a detailed explanation of VET and SBAT options with Mr
O’Brien presenting a VCAL presentation. A panel of six Year 12 students,
including VCE, VCAL, VET and SBAT programs, gave the Year 10s a
great insight into all the challenges ahead in their senior years. A trial
survey was conducted to see what subjects students were interested in
for 2017. On the Friday afternoon half the group went to East campus
and the other half to City campus to explore the Gordon’s pathways.
Students were engaged in ‘An Amazing Race’ and enjoyed their time at a
different learning environment.
Next Tuesday, all Year 10 students will be going to both Deakin
campuses to attend workshops and tours to investigate more pathway
options.
Year 10 students will bring home their comprehensive workbook from this
program which contains valuable information about VCE and VCAL, VET
and SBAT as well as key dates for next term. Read through these
workbooks with your child to encourage them to ask questions about
pathways, subjects and interests. A note will go home in the first week of
Term 3 outlining the Subject Selection process, including the VCE
Information Night on Tuesday 26th July and the Subject selection
Interviews Thursday 11th August.
YEAR 12 STUDENTS
UMAT (University Medical Admission Test) 27th July 2016
Any students planning to sit the UMAT Test, an entrance requirement for
Monash and Latrobe Universities courses in Medicine, Dentistry or
Optometry on 27th July, may wish to participate in a preparation workshop
on June 12th. The National Institute of Education (NIE) is holding this to
help students understand the format of this test on June 12th. The online
registration for this closes on Friday 3rd. Registration information can be
found on http://www.nie.edu.au/umat-courses
By Alex Ivanov
YEAR 10 STUDENTS - KEYS PLEASE PROGRAM
Last week all Year 10 students attended ‘Keys Please’, a presentation
from VICROADS about the life on the road as students and parents
embark on this next stage in life. Joe delivered a very entertaining yet
powerful session that alerted students to the many challenges ahead.
Being involved in this program allows students to access ‘Keys 2 Drive’.
Keys 2 Drive is a revolutionary approach to learning road safety and the
free driving lesson is an opportunity for the learner driver, driving
instructor and parent/supervisor to learn it together.
Visit the website for more details.
Please contact Mr. Lynch in the Careers Room if you have any
questions.
LANGUAGES NEWS
FAREWELL LÉNA AND CAMILLE
WELCOME TO SAGSE GERMAN EXCHANGE STUDENT
Very soon the Oberon High School community will be saying a fond
farewell to two of our lovely exchange students; Léna Tetaud and Camila
Olocco, who will both be returning home to their respective countries at
the end of Term 2.
Tom Reiners from Mannheim in Germany has arrived at Oberon for the
next 10 weeks. He is here on a prestigious SAGSE scholarship, one of
only a few to be selected from all of Germany. Tom will be enrolled in year
11 and his host brother is Tristan Durden of Year 10. Many thanks to the
Durden family for offering to host Tom.
As a Rotary youth Exchange student, Léna has been with us at Oberon
for almost a year and will be returning home to France. Camila has been
with us since February this year, and will soon be returning home to
Argentina.
Léna and Camila, it has been a pleasure to be the host school for two
such bright and fun loving exchange students, and we hope that you
have enjoyed your time with us at Oberon High School. We hope that you
have had fun experiencing many new and different aspects of Aussie
culture, food, and language, and that you have made many enduring
friendships.
Thank you for being a part of our school. We wish you both the very best
for a safe trip home to your families and friends, and for your future
studies.
A big thank you also to the Host families and Oberon High School staff
and students, for helping to look after Léna and Camila throughout their
stay, and for helping to make their experience both at Oberon and in
Australia, an unforgettable one.
Goodbye and safe trip home!
Jocelyn Fincher & Yvonne Varley
International Student Coordinators
CONGRATULATIONS TO ANDY CRESWELL OF YEAR 12
Andy has been short listed for one of the prestigious SAGSE scholarships
to Germany at the end of this year. Andy now has to go through a rigorous
interview procedure. We wish Andy the best of luck!
LANGUAGES CORNER
Welcome/Willkommen/Selamat Datang/
week!
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
Black
White
Pink
purple
Orange
Grey
brown
INDONESIAN
merah
kuning
hijau
biru
hitam
putih
merah muda
ungu
jingga
abu-abu
cokelat
歓迎 youkoso to colours this
GERMAN
rot
gelb
grün
blau
schwarz
weiß
rosa
lila
orange
grau
braun
JAPANESE
aka
kiiro
midori
ao
kuro
shiro
pinku
murasaki
orenji
haiiro
chairo
あか
きいろ
みどり
あお
くろ
しろ
ピンク
むらさき
オレンジ
はいいろ
ちゃいろ
WESTERN METROPOLIAN CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
The attrition rate was high for this year’s qualifiers for the Western
Metropolitan Cross Country Championships at Brimbank. We initially had 21
students qualify for this round, however only 12 of these managed to
compete on the day. Regardless of this, those who did compete, did a
tremendous job in their respective events.
We had three runners in the 13 Years Girls 3km event. Bridget Brown was
the best Oberon runner finishing in 30th place, followed by Lucy Bretherton
(57th) and Zoe McKinnon (64th). Harvey Martin was the sole representative
in the 13 Years Boys’ race. He set a fast pace and was up with the lead
group in the first lap, but ended up finishing in 33rd place.
Caleb Morrissy is known at Oberon as a sprinter, so the fast starting pace
posed no trouble for him and to his credit, Caleb managed to keep pace
with the more aerobic athletes in the field for the rest of the race finishing in
an impressive 9th place. This qualified Caleb for the State Championships in
July.
Another excellent run came from Rose Bretherton in the 15 Years Girls’
race, where she pushed the front group to finish in 14th position, just missing
on qualifying for the next round.
That left two events in which we had runners competing, being the two
senior races. In the 17-20 Years Girls’ race, we had five of the twenty
runners and our girls managed a terrific team victory with Emily KinrossSmith in 5th place the best placed of the team. Kayla Wastell (14th), Tegan
Hassett (16th), Abbey Fedley (17th) and Bree Lugg (18th) finished in
succession to round off the team victory. This meant they went through as
Western Metropolitan representatives at the State Championships. Nicky
McMahon, who performed extremely well in a very talented field, finished in
tenth position in the 17-20 Years Boys’ 5km race. Despite his top ten finish,
Nicky missed out on qualifying for the next round.
Pleasingly, out of the 12 runners, we have six students who have qualified
to run at Bundoora in the first week in Term 3, which is an impressive effort.
We were lucky with the weather on the day. Despite the temperature not
passing much above the very low teens, there were patches of sunshine
and the rain only came during the final event.
Good luck to those students competing at Bundoora in the SSV State Cross
Country Championships.
Chris Sly
Members of the winning 17-20 Years Girls team
QUALIFIERS:
Emily Kinross-Smith:
Kayla Wastell:
Tegan Hassett:
Abbey Fedley:
Bree Lugg:
Caleb Morrissy:
17-20 years girls’ team
17-20 years girls’ team
17-20 years girls’ team
17-20 years girls’ team
17-20 years girls’ team
14 years boys
WORLD EDUCATION PROGRAM
HOST FAMILIES NEEDED
YEAR 7 STUDENTS - IMPORTANT DATES TERM 2 & 3
Please mark in your diary
TERM 2
Share a slice of your life this July - Host a WEP exchange student!
Week 10
Welcoming an Italian or French-speaking exchange student to your family
is rewarding in so many ways. You can share your family's Aussie way of
life with a student from another culture, connect to your community in
exciting new ways, and bring the world into your home. And for the student
you welcome into your family, you’re providing a once-in-a-lifetime
experience they’ll treasure forever.
Friday 17th June
Saturday 18th June
It's the simple things!
TERM 3
School Production - Auditorium
School Production - Auditorium
Week 11
Friday 24th June
Last day of Term 2 - School finishes at 2.30 pm
Week 1
For our exchange students, it's the little things that make their stay so
memorable: trying Vegemite for the first time, attending our high school,
seeing a kangaroo, koala or cockatoo. Hosting an exchange student
doesn't take anything fancy — just a warm, welcoming spirit and the love
you'd give to your own family.
WEP is currently looking for families interested in inviting an Italian or
French-speaking exchange student this July. If this is of interest to your
family, please contact Sylvia Kelly at WEP today to receive detailed
www.wep.org.au,
program
and
student
information:
[email protected], 1300 884 733.
Monday 11th July
Friday 15th July
Term 3 Commences
Year 7 Poetry Performance
Week 4
Monday 1st August
Year 7 & 8 Book Talk Period 1 & 2
Week 6
Tuesday 16th August
Staff Professional Development Day
- STUDENT FREE DAY
POLLING PLACES FOR FEDERAL ELECTION
Please note that Oberon High School will not be a polling venue for the
Federal Election on Saturday July 2nd
Polling places will be located at Mandama Primary School, 10 Corang
Avenue Grovedale and Oberon Primary School, 28-30 Dorothy Ave,
Belmont. Other polling places will be listed on the Australian Electoral
Commission web site.
SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAMS AT THE GORDON
Need help with exploring suitable careers?
Thinking about careers for your future? Can’t make it to a Careers
Expo?
We have the solution!
Explore
Study options
Work opportunities
Videos
and much more!
The Next Steps Virtual Careers Expo is available online until June 30,
2016.
Log on now and check it out before it is too late!!! http://
acce.6connex.com/event/fgc
Go online.
Explore Now.
The world awaits!