Officer Campus – 31 October 2019

Welcome to the Officer Campus Newsletter. So much is happening in our community to strengthen our Positive Learning Partnerships. We have also enjoyed the company of many students from our feeder primary schools as a part of the Year 7 Transition Program. 

We got some great feedback from the parents/guardians that attended the City Experience Information Evening on Monday night. One parent took the time to email the next morning saying:

I was one of the parents that attended the City Experience Information Evening last night and just wanted to say how informative it was. I cannot begin to imagine the hours of work that you and your colleagues have put in so far to bring this to life. It is going to be a fantastic experience for the Year 8 children and good luck as it all comes together. We are very grateful that this has been added to the curriculum and our son is really looking forward to it.

Of note is the 1:7 staff to student ratio that has been achieved. I would like to extend my thanks to Megan Ball (Learning Culture Leader – Year 8) for her work on this exciting project.  

I would like to extend my best wishes to the Year 9 students as they prepare for their exams. Exams can be stressful. The key to feeling in control is preparation, having an effective revision plan and a well-planned out strategy for the exam itself. The strategies you use will need to be flexible to adjust the type of exam you are sitting. Over the exam period, it is important to create a study plan and we have prepared some to support our students. 

Hotel Escargot

The College Junior Play is a great experience to be a part of. We have made many new friends from the Berwick Campus and we hope to remain in touch with them until we merge at the Beaconsfield Campus in Year 10. It also allowed us to embrace our inner actor, as all students involved were able to become a character. It was a truly fun experience to learn who the character was and how to portray them. We believe that everyone involved thoroughly enjoyed this experience, teachers and students alike. Being able to put on a show and have audience members enjoy themselves had been such an amazing and exciting experience for both of us and everyone else involved. 

Mitchell Rook, Year 9

Officer Campus Student Newsletter 

Our student editorial team is excited to share issue two of Student Corner. This issue explores the world of social media and what it means to young people in our community. The feature article explores the good and bad of social media whilst our advice column provides practical ways to handle cyber conflict. We have exciting news to share, talent to showcase and our unique student perspectives to make you smile. Happy reading! 

Kids Help Line 

The Kids Help Line is a non-profit organisation that help kids and young people (ages 5 to 25) feel better, live happier and overcome challenges. The Kids Help Line team of trained and qualified counsellors are there 24/7 to talk and help you with just about anything you need. 

Phone: 1800 55 1800 

Web: https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/  

Web Chat: https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/get-help/webchat-counselling/  

Email Counselling: https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/get-help/email-counselling/ 

Summer Uniform – Term Four 

A reminder to parents/guardians that summer uniform is to be worn by all students in Term 4. Please ensure you are familiar with the 2019 Student Uniform Policy and refer to it when purchasing uniform items for the term. The College Uniform Shop is located at the Beaconsfield Campus (in the building by the exit driveway). If you require a fitting appointment please contact Ms Vicki Lister, Uniform Shop Coordinator on 9707 3111 during shop opening hours, or email uniformshop@sfx.vic.edu.au. 

Van Der Graaf Machine 

I am not sure that Science was this fun when I was school. The Van Der Graaf Machine creates a current of static electricity that can be passed around a circle. This enables students to see and experience the static electricity created from the Van Der Graaf Machine. The students really enjoyed seeing the effects of the static electricity as people’s hair around the circle was starting to stand up on end. 

The Chemistry Quiz Group for 2019 

Lisa Harkin – Deputy Principal – Head of Campus – Officer Campus 

Arts Week – Wrap Up 

During the week of 14 October, the Officer Campus celebrated Arts Week. Celebrating the Arts is an essential event in our school calendar as it is a time for our students to showcase their many and varied talents. There were a variety of activities and performances from the Performing Arts students and Visual Art students, including a daily music trivia quiz. 

The Performing Arts students were involved in a Teachers v Students Rap Battle on Tuesday, a lunchtime concert with student bands on Wednesday where five student groups performed preceded by a tremendous impromptu performance by The Rapping Alphabet Man. As the week ended the Brass band played the Star Wars theme music outside the LRC at recess on Friday. 

The highlight of the week for the Performing Arts students was the Cabaret Night. Parents, Grandparents, friends and many staff enjoyed a fantastic evening full of a variety of acts from rock groups, solo singers and musicians, including the Cantabile Choir performing an unforgettable rendition of the U2 hit Sunday Bloody Sunday, to monologues performed by the Year 12 Drama students. The students were outstanding in their delivery and professionalism. The audience thoroughly enjoyed the evening. 

A big thank you to Mr Bennet for organising the Performing Arts activities and Ms Murphy for hosting the mini exhibition, all Arts activities were well supported by our students. 

Lorinda Mutsaers – Acting Director of Learning Culture – Officer 

SIS Book in a Day 

Marista de Vries and Jarryd Black took the students who participated in SIS Book in a Day to the awards presentation at St John’s Regional College. Officer Campus was nominated for Best Cover, Best Illustrations and Best Character. They ended up winning the award for Best Book for our zone, beating out Berwick Campus and Berwick Grammar! Thank you to Leesa Gordon for her amazing leadership of the event, even help organising today while on long service leave.  

Jarryd Black – English Teacher – Officer Campus 

Art Week and the Learning Resource Centre 

The Learning Resource Centre supported Art Week by hosting an St Francis Xavier Community Art Exhibition. Students, Staff and any children of the staff were encouraged to submit a piece of work. We received many beautiful pieces that made up our mini exhibition, thank-you to everyone who entered. The winner was Shwetha Mannapperuma who received 27 votes for best work! Below are some pictures that were taken during Art Week, including a copy of the winning piece. 

MESSAGE FROM VICTORIA POLICE

The use of social media to sell/buy goods is becoming increasingly popular with the whole community, especially young people. Recently, a number of robberies have been committed during this type of transaction. If you are planning on using sites such as Marketplace or Gumtree etc, please follow some simple safety precautions:

• Consider the time and location. Agree to meet in a public place, where there is likely CCTV coverage, and at a time when there are other people around
• Take someone with you. For young people, take a parent/guardian or adult friend/sibling
• When buying, be wary of items that seem very cheap. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is
• If you become a victim, notify police immediately