KHS Newsletter : 01 April 2022

Year 10 Camp

… and in Banana Pancake News…

After A Million And One Muffins

The old Foods Rooms are no more. They have been reduced to bare earth.
Strapping a camera to one of the KHS ravens, Kevin Tootell obtained this bird’s eye view of the works in progress.

Harmony Day

Spruce

Years 7, 8, 9 Homegroup Program

Happening this week in Homegroup:

Cycle 2 Wellbeing Element Focus: Positive Emotions (The P of PERMAH)

PERMAH Topic:– POSITIVE COMMUNICATING / MIRRORING NEURONS

Wellbeing Learning Intention: for students to learn how to read and understand the intention of body language messages.

Character Strength: Honesty

Parent Wellbeing: What is something that you are passionate about doing? If you haven’t, then find something to give you a reason to get out of bed every morning and strive hard to achieve it. To accomplish it you will need to stick at it show grit.

To learn about how gritty you are, do Angela Duckworth’s free Grit Scale Score at http://bit.ly/gritscale. How gritty are you?
Acknowledgement: Angela Duckworth

The greatest single influence to living a meaningful and fulfilling life is high quality personal relationships. Nearly everything that we will achieve in life will be through people, with people and by people, so we need to develop our students’ interpersonal skills to communicate including:

• using and reading friendly and welcoming body language messages to show positive intentions

• recognising inference, bias and emphasis in conversations

• developing relationships through making eye contact when having face to face conversations

• learning to listen with their eyes, their ears and their hearts to show that the value other people

• valuing and considering other peoples’ opinions and ideas because they matter

• not being on autopilot and being present and mindful in each and every moment

Our students are digital natives, who in many situations, prefer communicating with their devices rather than having face to face personal conversations with others. And because of this lack of in person interaction, many students are not learning how to read or send appropriate body language messages. They are also missing out on the magnificent feelings which come from serotonin and oxytocin, the brain chemicals released during in person communication. We all possess mirror neurons, which copy the expressions, moods and intentions of those around us, but not so from electronic communication. As such, we need to create opportunities for them to experience the beauty of in person connection to share positive intentions. Acknowledgement: Greenfield & Iacoboni                                                

Caroline Sharpe : Homegroup Learning Area Leader

Jane Strickland – Learning Specialist (Assessment)

Benjamin Hill – Lead Teacher School Culture

Indonesian

More Rainbow Science

Year 12 Biology students have been exploring DNA technologies for the last few weeks. Today the class ran through a process called gel electrophoresis. The is method used in forensics, molecular biology and genetics to separate DNA fragments for comparative analysis. To simulate the movement of different sized DNA fragments students used a variety of dyes to visualise how different sized molecules move at different rates across the gel.

Ms Chapman

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Turning Sods

25th of March
Mary-Anne Thomas MP – State Member for Macedon – pictured with KHS student leadership Mitch Boyer, Marley Hordern-Reddin, Allegra Vanderkley, Layla McShane, Thea Kingston and Assistant Principal Faye Zollia – turning what appears to be an already very well-turned sod at the site of the newest phase of the KHS re-building program.
Images: Kate-Ida Lee

Library News

The Library has been back in action for a few weeks now, and it has been great having students able to use the space again. Unfortunately, due to the flooding, we were not able to hold our Book Tastings in the first weeks of term, but this week had Ms Nelms’ Year 7 English class in for a tasting. The students enjoyed trying different genres and gave very positive feedback:

“I thought the book tasting was great! I thought some of the books would be boring but were actually fun. I would love to do this more!”

“The book tasting was great. I love that we were able to read different types of books even though some I didn’t really like. …I like being introduced to different books.”

“I enjoyed trying new genres of books and rating them.”

We will be back hosting this activity for Years 7-9 classes next term, to enable students to try different genres, and choose a novel for reading in English classes.

Francesca

New Books

Always Morris Gleitzman		It’s fifteen years since readers were first introduced to Felix in Once and across six celebrated books, our brave young hero has survived many unforgettable and emotional journeys. Now comes the seventh and final part of Felix’s story, bringing to a powerful climax a series that countless young readers around the world will remember – Always.
I’ll keep you close Jeska Verstegen		‘A quiet, child’s-eye look into the effects of intergenerational trauma, from a guileless, devastating poet. Beautiful and unforgettable.’ – Alice Pung
Song beneath the tides Beverley Birch		Ally arrives from England with her brothers to stay for a month in Africa – weeks of running wild on an unspoiled, untamed coast amid mangrove creeks, vast white sandy beaches, coral reefs and warm seas. But on their first walk through the forest to the beach, Ally is swamped by a sense of an unseen presence close to her – of being spoken to.
A secret of birds and bone Kiran Millwood Hargrave		In an Italian city ravaged by plague, Sofia’s mother carves beautiful mementoes from the bones of loved ones. But one day, she doesn’t return home. Did her work lead her into danger? Sofia and her little brother Ermin cross the city underground, following clues in bones up to the towers of Siena, where – circled by magpies – the children find the terrible truth…
The other side of tomorrow Hayley Lawrence		What if you thought you had forever … To live your life. To tell your story. But what if forever was taken from you?
Once at the edge of the sea Sue Saliba		A captivating, poetic and beautifully written novel by a winner of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award. It’s about friendship and creativity, about losing what you treasure, and then finding it again in the most unexpected way.

Day	Time	Activity	Who	Where	With who
MONDAY	RECESS	Boxing Club and Gym	All interested students 7-12	Gym Shed	Mr Merret Mr Hill
		Chess Club	All interested students 7-12	B7	Mr Rickwood
	LUNCH	AFL Match	All interested students 7-12	Oval	House Captains Jason C. Year 11  Maverick K. Year 9 Mr Hill
		Book Review Team	All interested students 7-12	Library	Francesca
		Drama Club	All interested students 7-12	Performing Arts Studio	Ms Turpie Year 11 Performing Arts Captain Lana H.
		Gaming Club	All interested students 7-12	B8	Staff TBA Year 12 Gaming Club Captains Zoe P. & Aris A.
		Magic The Gathering Card Game	All interested students 7-12	B8	Ms Matthews
		Pride Crew (fortnightly)	All interested students 7-12	B3	Gareth
		Volleyball	All interested students 7-12	Grass area between Oval & our School Kitchen Garden	Year 12 School Vice Captain Lizzie B. Year 12 House Captain Charlotte K.

TUESDAY	RECESS	Boxing Club and Gym	All interested students 7-12	Gym Shed	Mr Hill
		Literature Club	All interested students 7-12	SL3	Ms Nelms
	LUNCH	PC Building Club	All interested students 7-12	B3	Tom
		Dungeons and Dragons Club	Main Group 1	B7	Ms Daws
		Dungeons and Dragons Club	Main Group 2	B8	Ms Matthews
		Singing Club / Choir	All interested students 7-12	Music Room (Rm 26)	Ms Frank
		Soccer Match	All interested students 7-12	Oval	Year 12 House Captains Adi & Charli
		Table Tennis	All interested students 7-12	Hall	Ms Nguyen

WEDNESDAY	RECESS	Boxing Club and Gym	All interested students 7-12	Gym Shed	Mr Oliveri Mr Hill
	LUNCH	AFL Match	All interested students 7-12	Oval	House Captains Jason C. Yr 11 Maverik K. Yr 9 Mr Hill
		Craft	All interested students 7-12	Library	Ms Matthews Ms Sharpe
		Dungeons and Dragons Club	Year 7	B7	Year 11 D&D Club Captains Zoe P, Liam G. & Liam McK.

THURSDAY	RECESS	Boxing Club and Gym	All interested students 7-12	Gym Shed	Mr Ryan Mr Hill
	LUNCH	Dungeons and Dragons Club	Main Group 1	B7	Ms Daws
		Dungeons and Dragons Club	Main Group 2	B8	Ms Matthews
		Girls Only Gym	All interested female students 7-12	Gym Shed	Ms Smith Year 12 House Captain Elise P.
		Student Leadership Team Meeting	Year Level Captains Values Captains Events & Promotions Captains SLT Photographer	SLT Lounge	Year 12 School Captains
		!!!Surprise Your Eyes!!! Mystery Video	All interested students 7-12	Library	Stephen

FRIDAY	RECESS	Boxing Club and Gym	All interested students 7-12	Gym Shed	Mr Feng Mr Hill
	LUNCH	Dungeons and Dragons Club	Year 7	B7	Year 11 D&D Club Captains Zoe P. Liam G. and Liam McK.
		Marimba Ensemble	All interested students 7-12	Instrumental Music (Room 7)	Andy Rigby & Sue Morris Woodwind Teacher
		Netball Match	All interested students 7-12	Netball Court on Bus Loop	Year 12 School Captain Thea Year 12 House Captain Tahlia
		Staff vs. Year 10 students Basketball Match	Year 10 students	KSAC Stadium	Mr Swan and an all-star lineup of other KHS Staff

Inter-School Sport

	Training began this week. All interested students are encouraged and welcome to attend training. You must attend training in order to get a place on our team. The SLT will be facilitating training each week as follows: Netball – Monday recess at our Netball court on bus loop Soccer – Thursday recess on our Soccer pitch AFL – Thursday recess on our AFL oval

From Lucy King – Alumni Coordinator

Year 11 & 12 ‘Thrive and Survive’ Alumni Session 

Kyneton High School recently hosted a panel of alumni to talk to the year 11 and 12 students about how to ‘Thrive and Survive’ their last two important years at school.

Six enthusiastic alumni took time off from work and university studies, to give back to their old school by offering help, support and guidance to the current cohort of students.

They each shared their own experiences of years 11 and 12 and provided practical tips and advice on how to manage time and workload, preparation for exams, the importance of looking after mental and physical health – as well as touching on their post-school pathway to their current studies or careers.

The visiting alumni were treated to a school tour with Principal Ana Rees to see the new buildings, classrooms and developments since they left, and it was lovely listening to shared stories of their old school days, and seeing them reconnect with each other and their former teachers.

A big shout-out and thank you to alum Jamie Gramberg (class of 2007) from Cookie Crumbs for providing morning tea – a great example of alumni supporting alumni.

A very warm hearted “thank you” to all six alumni who took part, and we wish each of you much happiness and success for the future!

Alumni involved:

Maggie Copeland (class of 2019) – Studying a double degree in Exercise Science and Physiology

Carmen Smith (class of 2018) – Studying a Bachelor of Science majoring in Computing and Software Systems

Janelle Spinks (class of 2017) – Studying a Masters of Science (Chemistry)

Sean Gottschling (class of 2014) – Civil and Dams Engineer

Jess Cockerill-Wright (class of 2013) – Prison Officer involved in training staff, and CFA FireFighter

Tom Woodman (class of 2013) – runs his own building and construction business ‘Zenith Building and Construction’

You can follow these stories and more about the alumni program on the alumni Facebook page: www.facebook.com/KynetonHighSchoolAlumni

If you’re an alumni of Kyneton High School (an ex-student) and would like to be involved in the alumni program, please contact Lucy King at alumni@kynetonhigh.vic.edu.au for more information.

The alumni program is run in conjunction with Ourschool, a not-for-profit service helping Victorian public high schools build thriving alumni networks.

To learn more about Ourschool, go to www.ourschool.net.au

Careers

In the newest Compass Career News:

Deakin University Campus Tours 2022
Studying Design Courses at RMIT
News from JMC Academy
New Acting (Performance) Courses
New Music Production Specialisation
News from Monash University
Monash Explorer
Primary Teaching at Monash
News from Victoria University
New Bachelor of Data Science
Free TAFE course Pathway into the Bachelor of Business
Australian Apprenticeships and Traineeships Information Service
Animals, Conservation, Wildlife & Zoology Degrees in Victoria in 2022
Veterinary Science Degrees in 2022
Snapshot of Flinders University in 2022

See the full newsletter below.

SCHOOL NOTICES

Uniform

It has been great to see most of our students supporting the implementation of the new uniform.

During this term, there have been some extended uniform passes granted due to uniform supply chain and some other issues. I would like to remind all students and families that these passes will be expiring at the end of this term. I have contacted Noone – the uniform supplier – who have informed me that they now have most items available and are in the process of filling and sending out the few back orders that are still on standby. Therefore, it is our expectation that all students will be in correct uniform by the start of Term 2. Please find the KHS Dress Code and Uniform Items documents below.

REMINDERS

• Shoes must be all black, all enclosed and all leather (or non-animal leather). Trainers are fine as long as they are all black and all leather. Ankle boots such as Doc Martens and Blundstones are fine as long as they are all black and all leather. These should not be higher than ankle height. See the pictures in the document for more details and sample images.
• Sport shorts, track pants and polos may only be worn during practical PE classes. If the student has practical PE in period 1 they may wear the sports uniform to school for the P1 class and then change into academic wear for remainder of classes. Students cannot wear sports shorts/trackies with their academic uniform.
• The rugby top and soft shell jacket can be worn with both the academic and sports uniforms.
• Any non-uniform extra layers worn for warmth (e.g. undershirts) must not be seen over the uniform. No hoodies!
  • If wearing long sleeves under a short sleeve top for extra warmth, wear a jumper or jacket on top.
• Accessories like hats, beanies and ties must be from the approved uniform items.
• All uniform items may be worn by students of any gender – there is no ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ uniform.
• All uniform items can be worn year round – there is no ‘summer’ and ‘winter’ uniform, though we encourage students to dress appropriately for the weather.

WHERE TO BUY

Uniform items can be purchased from directly from Noone’s Bendigo store, or online.

Noone Bendigo Store : 21 Queen Street, Bendigo, Vic. 3550
Phone : 03 7018 4199 Email: bendigo@noone.com.au

As of April 1st, Noone advises they do not have every item in every size, so we would advise calling the store to check before heading to Bendigo.

Trading Hours : Monday to Friday 9.00 am – 5.00 pm; Saturday 9.00 am – 12.00 pm. Closed Sunday & public holidays.

Online Store : https://www.noone.com.au/school/kyneton-high-school/shop

Financial support
If you are facing hardship, please contact Cheryl in the office to discuss options (5421 1100).

VARIATIONS TO UNIFORM

If there is a medical, religious or cultural reason why your child might need to wear a long-term variation of the approved uniform, then you need to write to Ana Rees, the Principal, on kyneton.hs@education.vic.gov.au requesting approval for variation. Those who have already had confirmation of Ana’s approval in writing don’t need to apply again next term.

If there is a short-term reason why your child is out of uniform, for example the correct item has become damaged and requires a period of time to repair/replace it, then please give your child a note to take to the General Office prior to the first bell of the day and they will be issued a uniform pass. From next term these will not be issued for more than a week at a time.

2022 GAT Date And Changes

The GAT is changing

From 2023 we will be transitioning the VCE and VCAL to a new integrated senior secondary certificate. As part of the reform of the VCE and VCAL system, Victorian senior secondary students will this year have their literacy and numeracy skills measured against new standards in a reformed GAT.

The new standards will indicate whether students have demonstrated the literacy and numeracy skills typically expected of someone completing their secondary schooling – giving another indication of their readiness to move onto further education, training or employment.

The 2022 GAT will be held on Wednesday 7 September. The slightly later test date provides the time required to ensure the revised GAT is valid and reliable, and for teachers and students to understand the changes – with the test expected to return to its traditional June date from 2023.

Full details on the changes to the GAT can be found here.

Call For Volunteers

We are looking for new volunteers for the Turning Pages program at KHS to work with Year 7 students one-to-one on their literacy skills.

Turning Pages is a fantastic program designed for non-teachers to help anyone to improve their reading and spelling – it’s so structured that there is no planning or making anything up – once you’re trained you just open the book and teach what’s on the page.

You only need a couple of hours a week (more if you like!) on days and times to suit you.

On-going support is provided by Jackie Nieuwenhuizen – trainer and co-ordinator for Turning Pages.
If you are interested please contact the office on 5421 1100 or kyneton.hs@education.vic.gov.au

School Privacy Collection Notice

Our school collects, uses, disloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy policy.

Please take time to remind yourself of our schools collection notice (below).

For more infomation about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy – information for parents.

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Some dates for the diary

Monday 4th April	Year 7 immunisations
Thursday 7th April	VCAL/Applied Grand Prix excursion
Friday 8th April	Athletics carnival End of Term 1
Monday 25th April	Anzac Day
Tuesday 26th April	Start of Term 2 (Pupil free day)
Wednesday 27th April	Students start Term 2
Wednesday 27th April	Live4Life

Click here to download the Youth Summit permission form

Our local cricket club is continuing to fight for its life in response to the recently released Draft Masterplan, which sees community sport in the reserve ousted while tourists, concerts, extra carparks, car rallies, horse racing and craft fairs all get the go ahead.   Local community involvement at Hanging Rock has been and will continue to be vitally important. It is local community which drives groups like Friends of Hanging Rock and has provided thousands of volunteer hours working on environmental projects within the park. It is the local community that volunteers for events, from the CFA at racing days to the many people required for crowd management at the concerts. It is local community businesses that welcome tourists and direct them to the Rock. It is local community that has advocated strongly for meaningful recognition of Aboriginal cultural heritage. Every one of Hanging Rock Cricket Club’s members – from seven years old to seventy – is invested in the protection of that environment. Moreover, the broader cricket community is invested. Visiting teams love coming to the Rock. Many are already involved in other activities in the precinct. Some of the young people who play with Hanging Rock emblazoned on their cap will grow up to to be rangers, or join Landcare, or own a local business, or even just bring visitors there. All of them will have a lifelong connection to a remarkable part of Victoria. If you’d like to see local community access to Hanging Rock maintained, if you don’t want to see the reserve developed exclusively for tourists and large scale events, please consider signing our petition. Julia Niall WSET Education Co-ordinator

Macedon Ranges Shire Council Youth Services is launching a remodelled Youth Ambassadors Program in 2022. It is a great leadership opportunity for young people in the shire to expand their skills, be a voice for young people and have projects they care about made into a reality. Below is some information about the Youth Ambassadors Program. More information is available on the website at www.mrsc.vic.gov.au/leadership