Our students like all those across the country and the world are dealing with very unique and somewhat stressful times with the outbreak of COVID-19. As you are aware, schools in Victoria start Term 1 holidays on Tuesday 24 March. Students have been informed through their teachers and Level Coordinators how to prepare for a school closure.

Headspace has published advice on how to cope with stress and anxiety related to COVID-19 on its website. This information has been shared with students and gives you a good opportunity to speak with your children about their thoughts and concerns.

https://headspace.org.au/young-people/how-to-cope-with-stress-related-to-covid-19/

Online safety is vital at this time and it is important to monitor your child’s access to the Internet. The eSafety Commissioner has provided some useful advice and tips.

https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/blog/covid-19-online-safety-kit-parents-and-carers

With so many people practising social distancing in the face of COVID-19, you can help your loved ones avoid social isolation by geting them established online.

Download the Get Started app for ideas on how to inspire your loved ones to get online.

eSafety have also put together a guide to help older Australians find access to reliable information, stay connected with friends and family and shop for essential items like food and medicine. https://beconnected.esafety.gov.au/quick-reads/coronavirus

When should I get help?

If you ever feel your child is unable to cope because of overwhelming or intense emotions, or if they have any thoughts of harming themselves, please ask for help immediately.

Our College counsellors and psychologists will still be available through their school email address if you need advice.

National 24/7 crisis services

Lifeline: 13 43 57 (13 HELP) or lifeline.org.au

Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 or suicidecallbackservice.org.au

beyondblue: 1300 224 636 or beyondblue.org.au

Additional youth support services

headspace: visit headspace.org.au to find your nearest centre or call eheadspace on 1800 650 890

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 or kidshelpline.com.au

ReachOut: reachout.com.au

SANE Australia: 1800 187 263 or sane.org

Speak to your local doctor or General Practitioner (GP) and help make a plan for their recovery. Or you can search for a health service and GP on healthdirect.

Year 10 History students visited the Jewish Holocaust Centre in Elsternwick on 12 March.

At the centre students were able to meet a survivor of the Holocaust, hear his account of the tragedies that took place and then view the museum displays.

Students then visited the HMAS Castlemaine in Williamstown where they had a private tour of the vessel, a World War 2 Corvette.

The students had a wonderful day and were excellent ambassadors for the College receiving positive feedback from staff at both venues.

Ashlee Hughes

History Teacher

Ashlee Hughes

History Teacher

A newly installed artwork in the Learning Resource Centre titled Our Wall of Nations was designed to symbolise the diverse and inclusive nature of the College community.

Artist Christina Sage has kindly provided this description of her artwork:

"It symbolises our diverse and inclusive community. We are unique but made up of many types. The silhouettes endeavour to describe the diversity of our Elders and Ancestors but when we come to this community, we are united as one.

Each of us should be able to find ourselves within the artwork. The landscape describes the open plains of our local Melton environment that the College was built on 40 years ago - the vibrancy of colour and the blank canvas of opportunity our community offers us to be part of."

Cultural Diversity Week (21-29 March) began with Harmony Day on 21 March.

The Intercultural Student Committee designed two activities to connect with this year’s theme of Curiosity, Conversation and Community.

Student traced their hand on a piece of card, cut it out and coloured it in with the colours of the flag they identify with the most. Homerooms had discussions about why each student identified with their chosen flag and what they liked about that culture.

The Intercultural Student Committee will collect the hands and use them to create a display in Term 2.

The second activity involved students writing an answer to one of the following questions on a post-it note:

What are the benefits of cultural diversity and interculturalism? OR What does cultural diversity mean to you?

The students then stuck their post it notes to the display in the Resource Centre.

The Intercultural Student Committee will use these notes to develop one statement about what Cultural Diversity Week means to our school.

Clare Hume

Social Justice Coordinator

It's been a busy term of fundraising for Project Compassion.

The Social Justice team ran three fundraisers across the College and the competitive spirit of students and teachers has helped raise money for this worthy cause.

Firstly we ran a homeroom competition that raised more than $1000. The winning homerooms were: 7 Catherine; 8 Reed (which had the highest total); 9 Parrwang; 9 Barnong; and 11 Catherine. These homerooms will receive a slab of Coke in Term 2.

Some staff and students also decided to give something up for Lent and ask for sponsors using a GoFundMe campaign. The team raised $215 which will also be sent to Project Compassion.

The Acts of Kindness Project ran alongside these fundraisers. Students were given a piece of paper with an act of kindness on it each Monday morning in homeroom. They were encouraged to complete the task and report back to their homeroom teacher with what they did, who they did it for and how it made them feel.

Each homeroom had a chart for teachers to sign when a student discussed an act of kindness with them. The senior homeroom (Year 10, 11 and 12) with the most signatures on their chart by the end of the competition was 11C and the junior homeroom (Year 7, 8 and 9) was 7B. These two homerooms will receive a hot chip lunch in Term 2.

Clare Hume

Social Justice Coordinator

Handwriting is an important skill for students despite the increase in online learning.

Many students today are not developing good handwriting skills. Some argue this is because of the increased use of devices and though it appears we are moving more towards online programs, handwriting is an important skill that needs to be mastered.

Research shows when taking notes, students retain 60 per cent more of the work if it is handwritten rather than typed.

Additionally, students need to learn how to hold a pen to allow for lengthy writing time. Exams are completed by hand and in VCE, this means up to three hours of writing.

If a pen is held incorrectly, the student can experience discomfort and even pain. Ask your child if they write for a length of time, do they need to shake their hand after a little while? If so, they could be holding their pen incorrectly.

If they are not sure, ask them to write something for ten minutes. If they tire or their hand hurts and there is no underlying condition, chances are they need to improve their fine motor skills or pincer grip on the pen.

Left unaddressed, pencil grip problems can end up affecting a child’s academic performance at school. When children can see they’re not keeping up, it can lead to anxiety, frustration and low self- esteem, leading them to fall even further behind.

The most efficient way to hold a pencil is the dynamic tripod grasp (as pictured below) where the pencil is positioned between the thumb and index finger with the pencil resting on the middle finger.

Being able to hold a pencil correctly requires a child to have a range of foundation skills in place, so if your child isn’t using one of these pencil grips yet, some fine motor activities can help them develop the skills they need to hold their pencil the right way and write more easily. Sometimes, just trying different pens - thickness or weight, round or flat edged - can make a difference. No one size fits all.

Some tips on how to develop fine motor skills will be published in a future Newsletter.

As a result of the early completion of Term 1, the Parents and Friends meeting scheduled for Wednesday 25 March has been cancelled.