Aspire News | April & May 2024

The David Williamson Writing Competition

I am extremely excited to introduce the David Williamson writing competition to Elevation Secondary College this year. David Williamson has been Australia’s premier playwright since the 1970’s and has been responsible for writing and producing dozens of plays and screenplays including Don’s Party, The Club and Gallipoli. David has generously agreed to partner with Elevation and sponsor this new event.

This new, annual competition, will aim to find the best up and coming writers within our school community with significant cash prizes for the category and overall winners.
 
There’s still some time for students to enter in any of the categories of Poetry, Short Story, Play or Script, with this years theme: ‘No place like home’ .

The overall winner will receive ‘The Williamson Prize’ which also includes $500 prize and runner’s up will receive: Outstanding Poem: $200, Outstanding Short Story: $200, Outstanding Script or Play: $200, plus Year Level Prizes.

Deadline for all submissions is the 17th of June at 4:30pm, and students should submit any draft form (i.e. plan, draft, brainstorm etc.) by the 3rd of June. 

Handwritten submissions must be placed in the box- located at the library.

Electronic submissions must use and submitted as a Google Docs file via the library portal. 

For any questions or help in this competition, students can contact any of the following English teachers who have graciously volunteered to run the competition: Mr Fielding, Ms Francis, Mr Poulakis, Ms Wheaton, Ms Zuk, Mr Hanlon or Ms Stephens.

Classroom & Facilities Expansion

Relocatables

Students and many community members will have noticed quite a few building works going on at the school in recent weeks. We are currently installing 3 new relocatable buildings, which will give us 5 additional classrooms once finished. These classrooms will help to ease some of the capacity issues we have been dealing with since opening. I’m hoping to have some more news to share shortly about further changes and additions to our classroom spaces.

Masterplan

In the meantime, we are finalizing the planning of our new masterplan for future development. Once finished, the masterplan (which has been created by Brand architects) will allow the school to plan and advocate for future facilities and building expansion works for the school, so that we can continue to develop an improved educational facility over the next 5 – 10 years.

Building Fund

In support of this as well, the Elevation Secondary College School Council has established a Building Fund where community members and businesses can make tax deductible donations to the school, in support of future building works at the school. Communication will go home shortly via Compass with details of the building fund.

Traffic & Parking Improvements from Hume City Council Coming

Thanks to advocacy by school community members and the Elevation Secondary College School Council, I have been notified by Hume Council that infrastructure amendments will be made near our school on Elevation Boulevard. These improvements will greatly help student safety and include measures to improve approach sight distance, reduce crossing distance, provide a staged crossing , consolidate walking lines and extend school speed limits.

Design works will start soon and works are scheduled to be completed in either the 2024/5 Financial year or 2025/6 Financial year.

Until these mitigation works are completed I would continue to ask families to take great care when driving and parking near the school, especially at drop off and pick up times.

Real Trade Training Opportunities for Our Students

Last newsletter I wrote about the new Build10 program which a number of our year 10 students are participating in this year. This one of a kind program allows these students to attend Kangan TAFE two days a week as part of their year 10 program and complete a Certificate II in Building and Construction by the end of year 10 – two full years earlier than usual!

Just last week Mr Schutz and myself were able to visit some of our students in the program at Kangan, visit their classroom spaces and amazing construction workshop. I was very impressed with the amazing facilities, great teaching staff and also our students in the program – who are standing out as great performers within the program.

This genuine – industry based program is an amazing opportunity for our students to accelerate their careers and employment prospects while remaining at school.

I’m very excited to see how we can work with Kangan in coming years to expand this project to other trades and industries.

Colin Burke

It has been a great start to Term 2. Here are some reminders for our community.

Viruses and Illness

As we head into Winter, it is important to look after ourselves to avoid illnesses, and avoid passing illnesses onto others. There is a significant amount of COVID, flu and other viruses circulating in the community at present. We ask that if your child is ill with a virus, keep them at home and test for COVID. Mask use is now common and is appreciated to assist in slowing down or stopping the spread of viruses to other students or to school staff. When students are well, however, they should attend every single day.

Arrival Times to School

We have set school arrival time at 8:30am. This is to ensure students have adequate time to go to their locker, see their friends on their way to class. The music to signal the start of class, which begins at 8:45am. Students can help this by getting their uniform and bag ready the night before, going to bed (without devices) by 9:30pm. Families should also adjust their drop-off order in the morning to ensure all Elevation students are at school by 8:30am.

Uniform

We thank families for their efforts in ensuring students are in the correct uniform every single day. Given the Winter months are soon to arrive, now is a great time to ensure your child has the correct warm uniform items including the jumper and black jacket. Two reminders:

• The grey academic jumper is not to be worn with PE uniform,
• Students may wear thermal tops under their uniform as long as the item is not at all visible and does not distort the look of their Elevation Secondary uniform. The thermal top must be completely hidden by the correct uniform.

Staff will follow the uniform policy for any student who does not comply with the above requirements.

Respectful Relationships

Thank you to all parents/guardians that attended the Sexual Health Victoria Information session that was held at the school. It was an extremely informative evening and allowed for everyone to increase their understanding and awareness of this topic.

As a parent/guardian for your child, we know that you want the best for them. This includes them having healthy, respectful interactions with their peers, their elders, and their partner (when they choose to have one). That your child can identify what is healthy, normal for their bodies and legal. Also when your child can ask for advice if they are unsure or seek help if something is wrong.

The primary goals of respectful relationship, consent and/or sexuality education are to equip young people with the knowledge and skills to empower them to:

Education in this area acts as a protective factor in the relationships young people have with those around them, in identifying abuse (both in life and online), increasing help seeking behaviour and confidence in keeping preventative health care. It encourages communication between parent/carers and their children, helps avoid shame, fear and misconceptions and promotes informed and responsible decision making.

We understand that the best outcome for young people is when home and school work together within our community. Home provides the values around these important topics, while school can provide information that is scientifically accurate, non-judgemental and age appropriate in a carefully planned process. The curriculum that schools provide in this area creates opportunities for families to communicate their values within their home.

We are aware that young people can be vulnerable to conflicting and sometimes damaging messages and misinformation from their peers, the media, internet, or other unreliable sources. The school is with you in ensuring that your child has the best chance of having good healthy relationships with those around them with the right information.

Angela Lane, Sonia Loudon, Kyle Schutz & Andrew Stock

Assistant Principals

Dear Year 7 & Year 8 students and families,

Term two has been an exciting and productive period for our junior school. Our Year 7 students have settled into their classes beautifully, showing great confidence in adapting to the routines and school structure. It’s wonderful to see them thrive and embrace their new learning environment.

This term’s assembly was a special occasion where we celebrated the achievements of our dedicated students. We recognised those with 100% attendance and commended everyone for their excellent reports. It’s a testament to their hard work and commitment.

We also had some of our SRC students in our Year 8 assembly prepare and present a speech with an update on Harmony Day and other important school activities that are occurring this term. They demonstrated exceptional public speaking skills and spoke clearly and stayed composed whilst addressing the crowd. Well done!

Additionally, our school participated in the Athletics Carnival, where our junior students showcased their talents across multiple sports. Their enthusiasm and sportsmanship were truly commendable, making us proud of their outstanding performance.

Here’s to another successful term of growth and achievement for our Year 7 and 8 students!

Courtney Gorham & Gulsen Tankir

Year 7 & Year 8 Level Leaders

Wellbeing Update

My name is Natalie and I am excited to have recently commenced at Elevation as the Adolescent Health Nurse every Friday.  In my role, I assist students with individual health issues and collaborate with staff to develop and promote activities that support the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of students at Elevation Secondary College.  I love connecting with the wonderful community at Elevation. Feel free to reach out if you’d like further information regarding any health issues.

As we approach the winter months, I thought it would be a great time to provide a reminder about how to best keep asthma under control during the cold and flu season.

Please see the infographic below!  

Year 10

Year 10 Assembly

The Year 10 Assembly was held in Week 6. Thank you very much to the Year 11 students, Ravnoor and Cemre, that shared their VCE experiences of Year 11 as well as some of our own Year 10 Students, Harkirat and Jermaine, that are completing a VCE subject this year. This was helpful for the students who are about to embark completing VCE next year to understand the commitments and work ethic required to complete VCE subjects.

A big thank you to Aydin who also spoke about his experience and pathway for starting a School Based Apprenticeship/Traineeship (SBAT) in plumbing this year.

Hopefully hearing this from their own peers students are starting to think more about what the future holds and start making steps in that direction.

Subject Selections

The process for subject selections for 2025 is about to take place. Data will be collected on each student’s progress over their time at Elevation to help determine subjects that each student will be successful at. Please look for information coming out in relation to subject selection process.

Work Experience

Work Experience will be completed in the last week of Term 2 – 24th-28th of June. All paperwork needs to be handed into the Careers team before the exam period. Good luck for all students completing work experience. This can be a great opportunity to motivate you to study harder or start a TAFE pathway through your chosen work experience opportunity.

Year 10 Exams

Year 10 students will be completing their exams in Week 9 (Wednesday 12th- Friday 14th June) this Term. Here are some key information that you will need to know.

• Year 10 Exams are from 12th-14th of June (Week 9)
• All exams will run for 90 minutes, and will run during either session 1 & 2- starting at 9am or session 3 & 4- starting at 11:24am.
• Students who do a Year 11 subject will have one session where they have no exam. You are expected to attend an individual study session during that time or attend your Year 11 subject, if it takes place at the same time.
• Students will be dismissed after the session 4 exam UNLESS you have a Year 11 class in session 5, which you must attend.

Year 10 Exam Timetable

	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Session 1 & 2	10BIOES6A 10HIS6F 10MUS6A 10PHCH6C 10VCO6B 10ENG6E 10MAT6A	10ENG2D 10CBM2D 10HHD2B 10HIS2C 10HIS2G 10CHI2A 10MAT2B	10BIOES5D 10CBM5F 10HHD5C 10PSY5D 10EAL5A 10ENG5C
Session 3 & 4	10EXE1A 10HIS1B 10PE1D 10PSY1B 10ENG1A 10MAT1D	10HIS3G 10PE3A 10ENG3F 10ENG3G 10MAT3C 10MET3B	10BIOES4F 10CBM4A 10PHCH4A 10ENG4B 10MAT4E 10EXEP4A 10MET4A

James Devlin

Year 10 Leading Teacher

Senior School

Dear Families & Senior Students,

It has now almost been 4 months since our students started their VCE, MyVCE or VCE VM journey. With this, we have seen some tremendous changes in our students’ academic achievements as well as study habits and skills. 

This newsletter segment, the Senior School wishes to dedicate to our hard working Year 11 students. 

The following students have been identified as achieving academic excellence in particular subject areas. They have done this by completing their coursework to a high standard, having fantastic learning behaviours and obtaining the highest scores for their SACs in their cohort- an achievement indeed.

Asli Dulger

Senior School Leader

Careers & Pathways

Careers

Our careers department has been very busy this term. The focus of the term has been to support Year 10 students to gain their work experience placement. This is an exciting time for students as they look forward to the ‘world of work’ during the last week of this term.

Year 10s have also just started preparing for their future pathways. In PDM they have started investigations into their own work values, skills and interests. This should help them start to consider a range of possible career pathways. Following this they will complete a ‘Pre Course Selection Assignment’ where they will investigate and research three different career pathways. This will help them understand the subjects they might need to engage in over the next two years as they consider VCE:VM, VCE or an alternative pathway such as a full time apprenticeship or studying full time at TAFE in 2025.

VCE:VM

Our VCE:VM students are quickly approaching the end of Unit 1. They are complete coursework and projects in order to demonstrate key skills and knowledge required. Students have worked in terms and groups to decide on projects. Many of our VCE:VM students are exploring the world of TAFE, travelling independently to and from Kangan and Melbourne Polytechnic. They are enjoying learning in a practical, hands on environment. A number of students are also linked in with Head Start and more students are fulfilling their requirements through Structured Work Placement. 

This is a busy time for our students, and they are learning that to succeed in VCE:VM a student must be organised and focused as they are jogging work, academic learning here at Elevation Secondary College and TAFE. 

Literacy

The English and Literacy Team at Elevation is dedicated to supporting students who experience challenges with reading and writing. To address literacy challenges, we have implemented diverse programs tailored to the unique needs of each year level, ensuring that each student receives the specific support they need to access the grade-level curriculum and succeed academically.

Students in years 7 and 8 who are experiencing challenges with recognising and sounding out words undertake a phonics program called MacqLit. Macqlit is an evidence-based explicit and systematic reading intervention program. It provides a comprehensive sequence of lessons that includes all the key components necessary for effective reading instruction. 

Year 7 and 8 students who need support with reading stamina and comprehension join our weekly small group reading sessions in the library. These students are supported by a highly-qualified Literacy Aide to read and understand a novel and respond in a reading journal.

In addition, students in the Year 9 Literacy Program meet regularly in small groups with an English teacher to read and discuss the texts they are reading in English. The aim of this program is to ensure that year 9 students are prepared for and feel confident in their English classes. 

At Elevation, we understand the importance of supporting every student’s potential. Our dedicated English and Literacy Team are committed to providing support to ensure your child thrives academically. 

The English and Literacy team encourages all students to read at home every night for at least 20 minutes, especially if they are experiencing difficulties with their literacy, and to seek support if they need it.

Literacy Program Parent Information Session

The Literacy team will be hosting an information evening for parents and guardians of students enrolled in the Year 7 and 8 Literacy program. The sessions aim to encourage family involvement with student literacy goals.

Attendees will be guided through how to access the ePlatform phonics program and decodable readers. They will also be provided with a recommendation for how their child should use the program at home, plus a starter pack of complementary worksheets so students can continue their learning during the term holidays.

Date: 26 June 2024

Time: two sessions available, 3:30pm and 5pm.

Location: ESC Library.

Compass notifications will be sent out next week.

Rachelle Cole

Learning Specialist- Literacy & PLCs

Humanities

The Humanities faculty has been very excited to see our first VCE Units 1 and 2 subjects begin running this year. There are lots of fantastic opportunities for students to study different Humanities subjects in the Senior year levels.

During Semester 1, Year 7- 9 students study History in their Humanities classes. This includes the study of Ancient China, Vikings, Shogunate Japan, the Industrial Revolution and World War I. Students in Year 9 have been working hard to write essay paragraphs about the effects of WWI on Australian life.

In Semester 2, students will study different geographical topics such as liveability, urbanisation, natural disasters, biomes and water use in Australia. During our Geography studies many students will be able to attend excursions related to the topics that they are learning about in the classroom.

Throughout these studies, students will regularly use their ‘Good Humanities’ textbooks in class. These books have a variety of rich, engaging sources and information about the topics. Each page has questions to support learning and challenge students to engage in the topics. The books also have a unique code that allow students to access these texts at home. The Humanities faculty encourage students to complete additional work at home by reading the textbook and completing the Learning Ladder activities. This is an excellent example of study and revision that a student can do at home.

Meg Nicholas

Learning Specialist- Humanities & PLC

Library News

ePlatform Audiobooks

We’re excited to introduce you to ePlatform, a valuable addition to Elevation’s educational resources. Our subscription to ePlatform provides access to a consortium of audiobooks, with titles selected based on loan data from schools similar to Elevation.

ePlatform also provides access to decodable readers and a phonics program, both of which have been put to use in our literacy program. Literacy Officer, Chris Anderson: 

“Students use the decodables to practise reading skills like segmenting and blending words in line with the phonics program. Then, they can use the readers to access texts at an appropriate reading level to reinforce their skills. Lots of Year 7 and 8 students have already impressed their families and carers by practising their out-loud reading at home.”

After the initial roll-out to students enrolled in the literacy program, ePlatform sign-ups are now open to everyone. Spaces are limited, so we encourage interested students to secure their spot promptly. ePlatform is accessible across devices, providing students with convenient and flexible opportunities to listen to audiobooks.

We believe ePlatform will not only support literacy development but provide another option for students to encounter stories and develop a love of literature. 

To apply for access, please fill out this form. 

Victorian Premier’s Reading Challenge

The Premier’s Reading Challenge is well underway at Elevation. We currently have students from Years 7 to 10 participating. It is great to see more students reading in the library during break times and introducing favourite books to their friends. A couple of students have already met their initial goal and others are well on their way to doing so. 

There will be prizes awarded for Most Books Read (Junior), Most Books Read (Senior), Biggest Variety of Genres and Most Books Read Overall as well as participation prizes. Aspire points will also be awarded for each book read. Students can still join the Challenge at any time by seeing Kate in the library.

Kate Richardson, Collections and Reader Services Librarian.

David Williamson Writing Competition

The draft submission deadline for the DWWC is fast approaching on June 3. Students who are looking for an extra kick of inspiration, or just want to continue their creative explorations, can borrow from our growing collection of plays, poetry and short stories.

Recommended titles:

Plays

The Great Divide by David Williamson. The latest play from the mostly-retired patron of the DWWC was first produced by Ensemble Theatre in March of this year. It’s a developer-versus-underdog comedy providing scathing insights into greed and wealth inequality.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller. This play from one of the great American playwrights tells the story of puritanical hysteria run amok in 17th Century Salem, Massachusetts.

You Can’t Tell Anyone by Joanna Richards. First produced by the Canberra Youth Theatre, this play uses the teenage experience, centered on an end-of-school party, as a means to grapple with age-old philosophical problems.

Frankenstein adapted by Christine Davey, based on the novel by Mary Shelley. This adaptation, first produced by Skin of our Teeth Productions in Geelong, presented an all-female cast in a recalibration of the modern Prometheus from a 21st century perspective.

Poetry

Love Looks Pretty on You by Lang Leav. The sixth poetry title from Australian poet and novelist Lang Leav ruminates on love in all its forms.

A Book of Luminous Things (An International Anthology of Poetry) edited by Czelaw Milosz. A personal selection of Nobel laureate Czelaw Milosz’s favourite poems, written by poets both living and historic and organised into themes like ‘People Among People’, ‘Epiphany’ and ‘The Secret of a Thing’.

How to Grow Your Own Poem by Kate Clanchy. From writer, teacher and journalist Kate Clanchy, this is a practical and approachable how-to guide to poetry, from getting started to building your process to the final product.

Short Stories

New Australian Fiction 2023 edited by Suzy Garcia. The fifth annual collection of short fiction from Australian literary magazine Kill Your Darlings.

Black Light: 10 Years of First Nations Storytelling edited by Hannah Donnelly. A collection of works developed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers as part of author Michael Mohammed Ahmad’s Sweatshop Literacy Movement.

Voiceworks Magazine, Express Media. Any one of the multiple issues of Voiceworks available in the ESC Library gives students access to exciting new writing by young Australians. Voiceworks, published by Express Media, is a national literary journal featuring fiction, nonfiction, poetry and comics by Australians under the age of 25.

SRC Update

Hello to the community!

SRC have been meeting and discussing the development of clubs at the college. There have been some fantastic input from the student-leaders and have included ideas such as;

• Robotics Club
• Photography club
• Film club
• Games club
• Book Club
• Sport Club
• Coding Club

Each of these concepts have been forwarded onto other areas of the college for further exploration. However, as with all new ideas, one thing to consider is how we implement, fund and support these endeavours. So although we may not be engaging in a widespread selection of clubs as of yet, it means we are looking at ways to ensure that there are limitations, issues and teacher-input to be considered before offering something that will provide opportunities for our student population.

Our student leaders will be working on Mental Health awareness in preparation for Men’s Mental Health Week. We will consider what students will want to discuss/explore during PDM for that day that will help bring awareness to not only men’s, but all people’s mental health awareness.

As we move forward, there are more and more discussions about how SRC will be more engaged in the school and how we can increase opportunities for student-voice. As time progresses, we hope to have more discussions with non-SRC over the coming weeks to enquire as to what it looks like for students to pass on their ideas and opinions for us to discuss as a leadership body and ensure that all members of our learning community are heard.

Early Leaving Policy

School attendance is very important.
Students are required to attend school for the entire day. If there is an unavoidable reason for a student to leave school early on a particular day (such as for a medical appointment) a signed note from home must be provided.
Pickup times should coincide with recess and lunch.
 
Process: 

• Student brings a note from home explaining the absence and the intended departure time (recess or lunch). The note must be signed and dated by a parent/guardian
• Student presents the note from home to the Mini School Admin Office before Mentor Group.
• Student receives a signed Early Leaver note from the mini school.
• At recess or lunch – the student brings the early Leaver note to the Administration Office and signs out.
• Student is picked up

If a pickup time can only be during a timetabled period, the student must show their signed Early Leaver note to their classroom teacher at the designated time and then present to the office to be picked up.
 
School staff will not be collecting students from classes during timetabled periods.
 
It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that they arrive at the office for pickup at the designated time.
 
Learning is extremely important at Elevation Secondary College. Please note that staff cannot collect your child or put an announcement over speakers during class time.

Recess and Lunch Times
Recess –  10:56 – 11:24am
Lunch – 1:20 – 2:02pm

Aspire Recognition Week

The Aspire shop is continuing in 2024 and is continuing to reward students that are demonstrating the school values of in their everyday school life:

Aim High, Work Hard and Be Good. 

For every positive action that gets reported on Compass, students earn an Aspire point. These build up and allow students to purchase items in the Aspire Shop. The more Aspire points a student has the better the prizes they can buy. The Aspire shop will continue to run this year and will be celebrated 2-3 times each Term with an Aspire Recognition Week towards the end of each month.

This is a week to review and celebrate all the work that students have done and celebrate in MG’s the prizes that students have been able to earn through their work! Students will also have the opportunity to recognise the work that their Teachers are doing with them.

Aspire of the Month

Students can be recognised and nominated for demonstrated exceptional values of Aim High, Work Hard and Be Good within the school community. At the end of each month, the student that has achieved the greatest Aspire in each category is rewarded with an Aspire of the month Certificate and an exclusive prize only available by achieving Aspire of the Month.

There is a different one for each School Value. Who will be the first student ever to collect the set?

Aspire of the Month

This year we are introducing ‘Aspire of the Month’. This is to recognise students that have demonstrated exceptional values of Aim High, Work Hard and Be Good within the school community.

Aspire’s of the Month– April & May

Aim High: Daksh 8E

Work Hard: Ali Sina 9H

Be Good: Ridha 8D

Well done to all our award winners this month. There were over 260 nominations for Aspire of the month and what you have demonstrated has been exceptional and well deserving of the awards! Continue to Aspire in everything that you do!

This Aspire shop is mainly run through support and donations from local businesses. If you would like to offer something into the Aspire shop as a prize for students, please contact the school in regards to the Aspire Shop.

If you have a notice that you would like to share with our Elevation community, please email the College at elevation.sc@education.vic.gov.au. In the subject line, please mention ‘Aspire News’.

College Uniform Store
The uniform shop will no longer operate at the College as Noone have leased a new store right here in Craigieburn Junction shopping precinct and have officially opened their door to for business.

The new store is located at:
Shop A2-E
420-440 Craigieburn Rd, Craigieburn 3064
Store located on Cr Craigieburn Rd and Aitken Blvd next to Carpet Call in the Shopping Precinct.

Trading hours are:
Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
Saturday 9am-1pm

Sustainable School Shop

Any Parents/Guardians who are looking to buy or sell their second-hand uniforms or text books please visit the Sustainable Schools website to list or purchase items: http://www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au

So far the results have been very good and we encourage families to take advantage of this method of buying and selling second-hand items.

Here is a how to guide to get you started:

Student Learning Conferences

• Thursday 1st August & Friday 2nd August

Curriculum & Student Free Days

• Friday 7th June
• Tuesday 10th December
• Monday 12th August
• Friday 29th November

Public Holidays

• King’s Birthday- Monday 10th June
• Melbourne Cup Day- Tuesday 5th November

Events in Term 2

• Year 10 Exams- 12th June to 14th June
• GAT- Tuesday 18th June
• Year 10 Work Experience- 24th June to 28th June
• VCE Semester 2 Begins- 26th June

2024 Term Dates

Term 1	Tuesday 30th January (Year 7), Wednesday 31st January (Year 8-11) – Thursday 28th March (1.20pm Finish)
Term 2	Monday 15th April – Friday 28th June (1.20pm Finish)
Term 3	Monday 15th July – Friday 20th September (1.20pm Finish)
Term 4	Monday 7th October – Friday 20th December (12:22pm Finish)