House Swimming Carnival

We had it all last Tuesday at Melton Waves- beautiful weather, Year 12 students in colourful costume, and a terrific spirit amongst all students, staff and parents present. Well done to our Year 12 leaders who set the pattern for the day. Congratulations to Glasheen House who reigned supreme!

Parents and Friends Meeting

Our first meeting for 2018 is being held tomorrow night, Wednesday February 28. All parents and guardians are most welcome.

I plan to host a short school tour of the College at the commencement of the meeting.

Relay for Life

Last weekend, a number of Senior Students participated in Relay for Life and to date have raised $8,700 for the Victorian Cancer Council. A special mention to Boden Mugridge who coordinated the event.

Information Evenings

Thank you to all parents/guardians who attended our Year 12 Information Evening. Our numbers at our session were lower than expected, so we invite feedback as to factors that may have prevented parents/guardians from attending.

Camps

Our Year 8 camps begin and finish this week and Year 9 Gadal RITE Journey camps (boys and girls) will take place next Monday (5th March) to Wednesday (7th March). All families would have received CareMonkey notifications for these events.

The ATAR or Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank is the number that determines a Year 12 student’s entry into university. Students who complete scored VCE studies will receive their ATAR (out of 100) in the December of their Year 12 study. Speaking in very rough terms, the ATAR number scored by a student is the percentage of students they did better than in the state. For example, if a student got an ATAR score of 90, it roughly means they did better than 90% of the students in the state. So how do students get the best ATAR score that they can?

The achievement of an ATAR that reflects the student’s best effort is the result of many things- careful preparation for their Year 12 year starting in Year 7, choosing the correct course and subjects, academic talent, work ethic, home study and a consistent program of regular revision throughout the year. Students must take advantage of every learning opportunity at CRC Melton and plan to develop the skills they require to cope with the academic rigour of a scored VCE pathway starting at Year 7.

Upon speaking with Year 12 high achievers over the years, it is always apparent how important regular revision and home study has been in the achievement of their success. It is an expectation of the College that students complete the following amount of home study:

• Year 7 45 minutes (5 evenings per week)
• Year 8 60 minutes (5 evenings per week)
• Year 9 75 minutes (5 evenings per week)
• Year 10 90 minutes (6 evenings per week)
• Year 11 120 to 150 minutes (6 evenings per week)
• Year 12 at least 150 to 180 minutes (6 evenings per week)

So how does at home study relate to the ATAR? At home study is where students consolidate their learning; embedding the skills and knowledge learnt in class that day and relating this knowledge to the assessment in that subject. It is where students make study notes, memorise facts, read texts, complete exercises and past exam questions and compile lists of queries to ask their teachers. VCE high achievers around the state are always the students who have a program of regular revision. It is generally accepted that the relationship between the ATAR score a student achieves and the hours of home study they complete in Year 12 follows the rough pattern:

• 1 hour of home study per night will provide possibility for the student to score an ATAR of about 20.
• 1.5 hours of home study per night will provide possibility for the student to score an ATAR of about 30.
• 2 hours of home study per night will provide possibility for the student to score an ATAR of about 40.
• 2.5 hours of home study per night will provide possibility for the student to score an ATAR of between 50 and 60.
• 3 hours of home study per night will provide possibility for the student to score an ATAR of about 70.
• 3.5 hours of home study per night will provide possibility for the student to score an ATAR of 80 or above.

I encourage all parents and guardians to speak with their student about their ATAR goal. Are they meeting the home study requirement in the year level they are currently in? Is their home study honest preparation for the hours required in Year 12? Are they choosing subjects that are realistic for their academic ability?

Narelle Layton

Director of Learning

The enrolment process for Year 7 2020 is now open and will close on 3rd August 2018. Enrolment packs will be delivered to all Year 5 students in our feeder Catholic primary schools and will be available on request to parents from other Catholic parishes and other school settings. Letters of offers will be mailed to the student’s residential address by Friday 19th October 2018.

Application forms will be available from the College from Monday 19th February 2018.

Applications for Year 7 2020 close on 3rd August 2018. The application must be returned with a photocopy of the child’s Birth certificate, Baptism certificate and an application fee of $50.

Families who do not have a child attending the College will be required to attend a College Tour and will be interviewed by a senior staff member at a later date.

All families will be required to attend an interview with their Parish Priest. Families who belong to the Parish of Melton are required to contact the Parish office. Families from the Parishes of Bacchus Marsh and Melton South will be contacted by the Parish office.

Applicants are notified by mail of the result of their application by Friday 19th October 2018.

Families wishing to accept the offer are required to confirm their acceptance by completing the Enrolment form and returning it to the College with a $100 deposit which is deducted from the first term fees. This deposit is non-refundable. The paperwork and deposit needs to be returned by Friday 2nd November 2018.

Last Tuesday 20^th February we held our annual school swimming carnival at Melton Waves. We had fantastic weather and many participants. The Year 12’s started the day with a fashion parade around the pool. We had appearances from Minnie Mouse, Popeye, a blueberry, strawberry and a pea, we had a shark, an air bender and the Joker. The Year 12’s did an amazing job of dressing up.

Both the main pool and the novelty pool had events running simultaneously for most of the day. Mrs Bertsias did a remarkable job of filling every event in the main pool for Glasheen. There was only one race for the whole day that she did not have 2 swimmers compete!

Out of the pool we had a BBQ, an obstacle course set up by our VET and VCAL students and then there was face painting and the girls were busy all day painting various pictures on the students, from stars and moons to snakes and birthday cakes!!!

The placings were as follows:

• 1^st place - Glasheen - 2693
• 2^nd place - Daffey - 2517
• 3^rd place - Fitzgerald - 2473
• 4^th place - Reed - 2445

Well done Glasheen! You had some amazing students who swam in many races!

The house MVPs are awarded by the house leaders to one student from each house that has demonstrated high levels of participation, sportsmanship and team spirit. Congratulations to the 2018 swimming MVPs:

• Glasheen: Gabriel Acosta
• Daffey: Jacob Presnell
• Fitzgerald: Karlos Nuestro
• Reed: Cameron Higgins

Other students were also standouts on the day, as well as the MVP’s and in the coming weeks they will be awarded with certificates and prizes.

Well done to all students, staff and parents for such a great day.

Natalie Bourke & Jordyn Syme

Sports Coordinator

There are a small number of places available for students currently in Years 8 - 11 for the 2019 European Tour, in April, 2019.

The tour will travel to Poland, with a visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau, Oscar Schindler's factory and a bike tour of Krakow the main activities. From there, Italy, where the students will visit Venice, stay with families from our sister school in Cividale, hike through parts of the Cinque Terra, experience the art, shopping and food of Florence, have cooking lessons in the countryside and take in the sights of Rome such as the Colosseum, St Peter's and the Sistine Chapel.

The cost of the tour is around $6,500, with all flights, accomodations, breakfasts, transfers, entry into museums and guides included.

If you are interested in your child attending, please contact Mr Paul Iannazzo at piannazzo@sfcc.vic.edu.au.

Paul Iannazzo & Carissa Lock

European Tour Coordinators

If you applied for the CSEF at your child's school in 2017, you do not need to complete an application form in 2018 unless there has been a change in your family circumstances. Your child's school will apply for the CSEF on your behalf.

You will only need to submit an application form in 2018 if any of the following changes have occurred:

• new student enrolments: your child has started or changed schools in 2018 or you did not apply at the same school in 2017 or
• changed family circumstances: such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new siblings commencing at the school in 2018.

Schools are able to accept and process applications up until the end of term two each year.

CSEF payments are made to schools from March onwards each year.

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/programs/health/csefapplicationform.pdf

Eligibility

On the first day of term one (29 January 2018) or the first day of term two (18 April 2018), a parent or legal guardian of a student must:

be an eligible beneficiary of one of these cards:

• Veterans Affairs Gold Card
• Centrelink Health Care Card
• Pensioner Concession Card

OR they must be a

temporary foster parent

OR the student is

16 years or older and holds a valid concession card (such as a Youth Allowance Health Care Card)

Parents who receive a carer allowance on behalf of a child, or any other benefit or allowance not income tested by Centrelink, are not eligible for the CSEF unless they also comply with the above.

If the eligible card is in the name of the student, the fund is only granted to that student, not their siblings.

Special consideration is given to:

• Families on a bridging visa, temporary protection visa, are in community detention or are asylum seeker families
• Students in out of home care
• Students in statutory kinship car

Kerry Palmer

VASS Administrator

Canteen News

“Rise”, a Catholic youth festival will be held on Saturday 17th March 2018 at Mount St. Joseph Girls' College, Altona. This is one of the main events celebrating the Year of Youth on an Archdiocesan level and we celebrate it on the feast of St Patrick, our Archdiocesan patron saint.

“Rise” aims to empower young people to deepen their relationship with Jesus, discover and celebrate the life of Catholic faith, and be disciples in the world as vital members of the Catholic Church. It is for young people from year 9 to the age of 30.

“Rise” will gather an impressive line-up of inspiring speakers from all around Australia to break open a wide range of topics. There will also be live music, creative spaces, interactive exhibitions, sports and entertainment and prayer experiences.

Kinship Care is when children and young people are cared for by Siblings, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles or friends of the family, when the children's parents are unable to care for them.

Parents may be unable to care for their children due to: mental illness, difficulties managing alcohol & drug use, homelessness or domestic violence.

Please see attached file for when the Kinship Group meets and further information.

Over the last 3 years Bacchus Marsh EasterFest has donated $13,024.88 to Bacchus Marsh & Melton Regional Hospital Urgent Care Department. We will again be donating 100% of net proceeds to the Urgent Care department.

Please see attached flyer for more information.