April

2013

Issue

3

Our College Curriculum Enrolment Calendar News & Events Students Parents

Mount Erin College

Newsletter

In This Issue

Principal's Message

New Email Distribution System

Open Evening

Year 7 Orientation Camp

Year 9's Help Bunnings at Frankston Hospital

History Lectures at Melbourne University

ANZAC Day

Sporting News & Achievements

SES “Wear Orange Wednesday” Reward Day

Food & Technology

Welfare/Student Support Centre

Community Notices

Principal's Message continued

Principal's Message

Welcome back to what promises to be a very exciting term. I hope you have had a relaxing break and have enjoyed the wonderful autumn weather.

Last term ended on such a high with the Presentation Ball for Year 11 students. After practising tirelessly from the first day of term, the couples performed a range of wonderful dance routines with confidence and flair. It was a very exciting evening and enjoyed by a large gathering of very proud family members and friends. The Debutantes looked so sophisticated, so grown up and so excited. It was a pleasure to witness and celebrate their formal introduction to the adult world. Congratulations to all involved, particularly to Rad and Glen Foote, the dance instructors, for their outstanding work. Click to continue reading

New Email Distribution System

Welcome to the new Mount Erin College Newsletter and Email Communication system. We have imported all recipient email addresses from our current Student Administration Database and your email was provided to the College at time of student enrolment or during our annual student details update.

This new system will allow the College to communicate with you via email; you will receive the College Newsletter and other important notices regarding upcoming events and happenings around the College.

If you are having trouble viewing the content of this email, please click 'view it on your browser' at the top of this screen.

This is an optional service and you may unsubscribe at any time, by clicking ‘Unsubscribe Instantly’ at the very bottom of this screen, you will be removed from the distribution list.

Any queries regarding this new system, please contact the Office on (03) 5971 6000.

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Open Evening

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Year 7 Orientation Camp

The Year 7 Camp was once again held down at Phillip Island and by all accounts was a huge success, enjoyed immensely by both the students and staff who attended. It is an important event that really helps our new students settle into secondary school life and enables them to establish friendships and get to know their teachers, in a relaxed and fun environment.

Unfortunately, many other schools made the decision to cancel the camps in light of the industrial action currently taking place.  It is a testament to the enthusiasm and dedication of our Mount Erin staff that they put the needs of the students as a priority.

On behalf of the Mount Erin College Board, I would like to sincerely thank all of our wonderful teachers and support staff, who put our students first to ensure that the Year 7 Camp went ahead as usual.

Lisa Dawes
College Board President.

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Year 9's Help Bunnings at Frankston Hospital

On Tuesday 8th March, eight of our Year 9 students headed to Frankston Hospital where they worked with members from Bunnings to help build a sensory garden. As you can see by the pictures below the students were involved in mainly painting the outdoor seats and tables. Some paint did make it onto the student's themselves. In all, a very worthwhile community project. A big thank you to Kath and Dean at Mt Erin College, Lyn at Bunnings and Emma at the Hospital. Great work to all students involved!

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History Lectures at Melbourne University

On Sunday 24th March, six of our Year 11 and 12 Australian History students attended History Lectures at Melbourne University. The lectures added to their understanding of the coursework for their VCE subject. They had a great day finished off with lunch at the Pancake Parlour! 

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ANZAC Day

Why is ANZAC Day so important?

Originally it was a day to remember the sacrifices made by soldiers of Australia and New Zealand as a result of Gallipoli and WWI.Today it has come to represent the spirit of Australia, the spirit of mateship. The spirit to honour and respect the men and women who made sacrifices, even the ultimate sacrifice of their life to guarantee the Australian lifestyle that everyone living in this nation can enjoy.

ANZAC Day is a day where we hear words such as ANZAC cove, Gallipoli, Turkey, Lone Pine, WWI, WWII, Dardanelles, Vietnam, and more recently the battles in Timor and Afghanistan to name a few. These bring to mind soldiers fighting and battles and all the horrors that come with what most of us will hopefully only ever see on a screen.

At many services remembering our fallen heroes the odes and speeches finish with the words “lest we forget”. We should never forget the sacrifices made for the nation and for us, for each individual who lives to enjoy the freedoms we take for granted today.

For the fallen
With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.
Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables at home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.
But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.
Laurence Binyon (1869–1943)

On Wednesday 24th April Mount Erin will be holding an ANZAC Whole School Assembly at 1:30pm. Parents/Guardians are most welcome, if you would like to attend please call the Office on 03 5971 6000 to register.

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Sporting News & Achievements

  • REMINDER: Interschool Athletics Carnival:
    A reminder to all students that the Mount Erin Athletics carnival will be held next Monday (22nd of April). So start finding that perfect house colour outfit to wear, (as well as your athletics clothes). Please make sure that you have brought back the permission form.
  • Sign up for Term 2 Sport:The sign-up sheets for Term 2 interschool sport are now up outside the A19 office. Students have until Friday 19th April to sign up.
  • Interschool Golf Competition: On Wednesday 13th March, Mount Erin was represented by Sam M and Matt I in the Senior Interschool Golf Competition and Nicholas in the Junior Interschool Competition at Centenary Park Public Golf Course. With the weather cooling off after the extended heatwave, the conditions were difficult due to the wind. All three of the participants represented the College well by displaying great sportsmanship to the other competitors and fine golf etiquette. At the end of the day Sam Ms stroke score was 88, which is well below his actual handicap and will see him compete in the Southern Zone final. Congratulations to all the boys on their participation and we wish Sam well at the next level. Mr Craig Blake
  • State Surf Life Saving at Anglesea: Yasmine Davis of Year 11, a member of Anglesea Surf Life Saving Club, competed in R and R (Rescue and Resuscitation) events at the State Surf Life Saving Championship in Anglesea over the Labor Long Weekend. She competed in Under 17 mixed 5 person team; Under 19 mixed 5 person team, Open Women 5 person team and Open mixed 6-person team. Yasmine won gold, silver and bronze medals in three events. Yasmine is currently training with her Under 17 team in preparation for the National Surf Life Saving Championship to be held at Kirra Beach, Queensland from 15th April to 21st April 2013. This is her sixth year competing in the State and National titles; she is hoping to bring home a medal from the nationals this year. Congratulations for her achievement and good luck at the Nationals.
  • National Titles of .22 Rifle Shooting: Congratulations to Chloe R of Year 12 who competed over the holidays in the National Titles of .22 Rifle Shooting and came first.
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SES “Wear Orange Wednesday” Reward Day

Former class members of 7C (from 2012) were rewarded for their winning entry in a SES campaign late last year. The campaign involved schools, businesses & individual entries and required entrants to dress up in orange in support of the good work the SES does in the community. The class was voted the winner by the public for the picture below.

The reward was an opportunity to watch the Melbourne Tigers basketball team train, undertake a clinic, collect autographs and pose for photos. The students enjoyed showcasing and improving their skills in the clinic with players Chris Goulding and Adam Ballinger the most.

Mr Mark Wiggins

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Food & Technology

Yummy Easter creations from our Food Tech classes!

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Welfare/Student Support Centre

Mount Erin College is committed to providing the best quality support for all students. The College takes a holistic approach to supporting students and understands that there are a myriad of issues that can impact on a young person’s experience of school. The Welfare team is well equipped to deal with the many facets of a student’s life and endeavours to maintain strong links with community agencies to facilitate referrals when appropriate. Click here for more information.

  • Breakfast Club runs every Tuesday and Wednesday from 8am in the College Dining Room. This is open to all students, so please come along, have a hot chocolate and something to eat! We are currently seeking volunteers to assist, so if you are interested, please contact the office on (03) 5971 6000 for details. A big THANK YOU goes to Brumby’s Towerhill and Baxter Village for their ongoing support and generosity towards the Breakfast Club!
  • Unused School Uniforms: For those students who have out grown their uniform or have any text books they wish to donate to the Welfare department, please drop them in at the front office. Your donations are most appreciated.
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Community Notices

  • Participants needed: FREE study for overweight young people looking for help: Murdoch Childrens Research Institute at The Royal Children’s Hospital is running a randomised clinical trial of an online weight management program for overweight adolescents. Participation involves completing height, weight, blood pressure and waist circumference measurements and an online questionnaire at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months. Parents are also invited to participate. Every 3 months there will be a draw for a $100 gift voucher for those participants who have kept their appointments. The results will demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of using the personalised, targeted Staying Fit program for addressing weight-related behaviours during adolescence. Recruitment has commenced and we are looking for 550 overweight young people aged 12- 17 living in metropolitan Melbourne.
    Enquiries Karly Cini 9345 6954 or stayingfit@mcri.edu.au or click here for more info
  • Saver Plus could help your family manage school expenses. By joining Saver Plus you could receive $500 to help pay for school items including text books, computers, camps and excursions, extra-curricular activities and uniforms.Saver Plus is delivered by The Brotherhood of St Laurence and ANZ. To be eligible you must:
    • be a parent or guardian of a student attending school, or be intending to attend accredited vocational training yourself
    • have a current health care card or pension card,
    • have some income from paid employment.           To find out more contact Kelly Clem, Saver Plus worker at The Brotherhood of St Laurence on 8781 5937 or email kclem@bsl.org.au
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Principal's Message continued

MESEM undertook the annual ‘Shave for a Cure’ assembly at the end of term and again raised a significant amount of money to support the search for a cure for cancer. This year there were again many volunteers willing to have their head shaved or hair cut. The hair is donated to a company that manufactures wigs for people undergoing treatment for cancer. Well done to each one of those brave souls who made the decision to be part of this very special event. It is a real demonstration of one of our school values – social awareness. What a great contribution to our community. Congratulations to all the student leaders involved in organising this important event.

Parent/Teacher Interviews were conducted in the last two days of term and it was very pleasing to see so many students attend with their parents to discuss their progress over the term. The importance of these opportunities to come together to look at ways to develop and strengthen student progress, cannot be underestimated. When schools and families work together the outcomes for students can be powerful. Feedback from many parents I spoke to was very positive and I congratulate students on completing Term One so successfully.

Term Two is always a busy one. With excursions to the Top Arts exhibitions, science students off to GTAC in the city and the Athletics Sports next Monday, it’s great to see students involved in so many things. Next week will also see our first Curriculum Day for 2013. With the ANZAC Day holiday on Thursday, the Curriculum Day will be held on Friday 26th April. Staff will be focusing on eLearning and moving to a cutting edge learning environment. Second term is also when we conduct a series of Information Evenings and begin the counselling process for subjects and course choices for 2014. In the coming weeks we will be celebrating with Year 7 students at “Our First Term” evening. A busy time indeed.

Open Night will be held next Tuesday 23rd April. This will be a great opportunity for us to showcase the College and the many programs and leadership and extra-curricula opportunities on offer for students. There has been a great deal of interest and we look forward to welcoming prospective parents and students to the school. As part of our aim to promote Mount Erin College in the community and improve communication with our families, you will notice the electronic signs have finally been connected and look great. The completed signage to surround the electronic panels should be finalised early in the term.

At the end of last term, Mr Murray Sydenham, Associate Principal for the Senior School, made the difficult decision to take leave from the College until the end of the year to explore other opportunities. We wish him well and thank him for the great work he has done for the College. Mrs Worrall and I welcome Mrs Jan Myers to the role as Acting Assistant Principal.  Mrs Myers will work closely with the Senior School Team to ensure the continued focus on improving the outcomes for our students. I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome Ms Vin Bua to the College. An experienced English and Humanities teacher, Ms Bua will be taking over from Ms Em Hall, who has resigned to take up a position as Social Media Account Manager with a Search Engine and Website company in Melbourne. Always passionate about ICT, we are sure she will meet the challenge of her new position. We wish her well.

Congratulations to Mark Wiggins, Director of the Sports Academy, who did extremely well coming 6th in the International Paper Tiger competition in New Zealand. Congratulations also to Jo Davis, Assistant Principal of the Deaf Facility, who has been selected to officiate at the National Surf Life Saving Competition at the end of next week. Well done to both staff members. What great role models for our young people.

The May budget is only three weeks away and we will know whether our Building Master Plan gets the green light. The design drawings will be on display in the foyer at the end of this week and I encourage you to come in to look at the exciting developments planned for our College. The architects submitted the planning documents at the end of March and I will attend a final meeting with the architects and representatives from DEECD infrastructure and planning this Friday. Advice from Head Office is that we are in a very good position to make the final list, but of course, there is no guarantee. If our building plan is approved, it will begin within eight weeks! The new buildings will have a dramatic impact on our facilities and will enable the cutting edge learning environment that the College is striving to achieve. Exciting times ahead for our College community – fingers crossed! Click to continue reading newsletter.

Karen Lee

College Principal

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Other News

Friday 26th April - Curriculum Day (Student Free Day)

Click to visit Mount Erin College Blog for the latest news around the College

Click to view Mount Erin College School Strategic Plan 2013-2015

Click to view College Policies, Procedures and Other Useful Information

Key Dates

- 22nd April - Athletics Carnival (All Students) Students may wear House Colours

- 23rd April - Open Evening 5pm-7pm (All Welcome) To register click here

- 23rd April - Top Design/Media Exhibition (Selected Students Only)

- 23rd April - Year 9 C,D,E,F Students visit Village Baxter

- 24th April - Year 9 A,B Students visit Village Baxter

- 24th April - Year 7 & Year 9 – 2nd Dose Immunisations

- 24th April - ANZAC Whole School Assembly 1:30pm (Parents/Guardians welcome-please call Office to register attendance) 

- 25th April - ANZAC Day Public Holiday 

- 26th April - Curriculum Day - Student Free Day

- 26th April - SEAL (Accelerated Learning) Program Testing Day for 2014 Students Only) Click here for more information

- 29th April - Year 12 Biology SAC GTAC Excursion (Selected Students Only)

- 30th April - Year 10 Boys Immunisations 

- 1st May - Top Arts Folio Viewing at NGV/Ian Potter Centre (Selected Students Only)

- 3rd May - Cross Country Carnival (Selected Students Only)

- 6th-10th May - Year 10 Work Experience Week

2013 Term Dates:

Term 1: 29 Jan to 28 March
Term 2: 15 April to 28 June
Term 3: 15 July to 20 Sept
Term 4: 7 October to 20 Dec

School Suppliers

Beleza School Uniforms

Beleza School Uniforms supply all of our College’s uniform requirements. Their store is located at: 129-133 Beach Street, Frankston.
Phone: (03) 9783 1088
Monday to Friday 9-5pm & Saturday 9-1pm

Landmark Book Supplies

Landmark Book Supplies is the schools official resource list supplier: Their store is located at: 13 Hi Tech Place, Seaford.
Phone: 1300 658 641
Monday to Friday 9-5pm

Contact Us

Robinson Road,
Frankston South
VIC 3199
Ph: (03) 5971 6000
Fax: (03) 5971 1421
Student Absence Line:
(03) 5971 6098

Office Hours: Monday to Friday 8am - 4pm

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