Issue 4 March 9th - Fitzroy High School

school council
Parents
David Brant
(President)
Education Convenor
dbrant.sel@gmail.com.
(mob)0402 540 383
Virginia Swanton
(Vice President)
Communications Convenor
(mob) 0408 031 531
virginia.swanton
@transport.vic.gov.au
AnTony McPhee
(Treasurer)
Finance Convenor
mob)0425 781 405
mail@antonymcphee.com
Tim Dolan
Buildings and Grounds Convenor
Canteen Convenor
Jacqui Van Vugt
Staff
Sandra Dickins 9488 1900
John Hinman 9488 1900
James Jackson 9488 1900
9th March 2012 volume 9 edition 4 Newsletter
PO Box 1068 Fitzroy North 3068 Telephone 94881900 info@fitzroyhs.vic.edu.au
Chris Millard is
the Year 9 & 10
Sandra Dickins is
Team Leader and
the Scarlet Team
arrived at Fitzroy
Leader, leading
in its re-opening
the Scarlet Team
year of 2004.
teachers and stuOriginally, he grew
dents from years
up in Warrnam10-12. Sandra is
bool and moved to
active in the comMelbourne to community and lives
plete his degree in
locally. Her many
Applied Science
occupations in
(Physical EducaAustralia, Italy and
tion). At Fitzroy, he has worked in all the
the UK, help to
teams – Sapphire, Indigo, Jet and Scarlet and
debunk the myth
taken on the role as Sport Coordinator as well
of ‘one job for life’. In her adult working life
during that time. Away from school, Chris is a
Sandra has been a teacher, trainer, internakeen cricketer who plays for Carlton in the
tional flight attendant, manager, consultant
Victorian Premer Cricket Competition.
and administrator. In addition to her leadership
role Sandra continues in the roles of careers
counsellor and transition leader. Sandra has
a Bachelor of Education and a Graduate DiThursday April 26th, 1.30 - 4.30pm followed by
ploma in Careers Education & Development.
Information Evening 6.30-7.30pm
Staff Profiles
Open Day
Jenny Fulford is a
mother and a
teacher. I love to be
active outdoors and
to make things. I
have taught for 30
years including:
gymnastics to Primary School students; basic Maths
to parents and
Grandparents who
wanted to catch up
to their offspring, and to young Adult migrants;
PE, Health, Maths and Science to High School
students; bus driving to teachers. I hope my
legacy is to open minds up to possibilities
rather than cramming them full of facts.
School Tour Dates
School Tours will be conducted every Tuesday and Thursday mornings in March starting
at 9.30am. If you would like to attend a tour
please contact the school office on 9488 1900
to book.
Tuesday March 13th
Thursday March 15th
Tuesday March 20th
Thursday March 22nd
Tuesday March 27th
Thursday March 29th
School grounds patrolled from 8:30am every morning
Due to traffic safety concerns, students are required to enter the school grounds when they
arrive, and not wait in Falconer Street.
9th March 2012 volume 9 edition 4 Newsletter
mark your calendar
Yr 10 Work Experience
when
Monday 12
March—Friday
23 March
where Various
Workplaces
who
Sandra Dickins
Netbook Parent/
Student Info Evening
when Thursday 15
March 6.007.00pm
where Library
who
ICT committee
3 Way Conferences
VCE
when Monday 19
March 1.308.00pm
where FHS
who
Sandra Dickins
3 Way Conferences
VCE
when Wednesday 21
March 1.308.00pm
where Collingwood
College
who
Sandra Dickins
School Council AGM
when
Thursday 22
March 6.30pm
where Principal’s Office
who
Pauline Rice
Exhibition Night Yr 7-8
when
Wednesday 28
March 6.307.30pm
where Indigo Rooms
who
Jenny Fulford
Open Day/Information
Evening
when
Thursday 26
April 1.30-4.30
Information
Evening 6.307.30pm
where FHS
who
Linda Mitchell
3 Way Conferences
Year 11 & 12
Lady Northcote Camp – Year
7 Reflections
Monday 19th at Fitzroy HS and Wednesday 21th
On the Wednesday 22nd of February, the year
March at Collingwood College
sevens, along with their teachers, travelled to
3 Way Conferences for Years 11 and 12 will be
Lady Northcote Camp. The camp was challengheld on Monday 19th March (at Fitzroy High
ing, exciting, and terrifying for the students (and
School) and Wednesday 21st March (at Colling- the teachers) and they all had an incredible time.
wood College). There will be an online booking
The activities included the giant swing, high
system via the school website; log-in codes are
ropes, the leap of faith, yabbying, canoeing and
listed below which will allow you to book a time
convenient to you with your son/daughter's class mountain biking. There was also a disco, a performance night, a scavenger hunt, and hours of
teachers. On Monday 19th March VCE classes
will finish at 12:45pm, interviews will be held from free time which were mostly spent at the camp’s
swimming pool. The cabins were comfortable
1:30pm-8:00pm AT FITZROY HIGH SCHOOL.
On Wednesday 21st March VCE classes will fin- and cosy, which would have made for a good
ish at 12:45, interviews will be held from 1:30pm- night’s sleep for the students, if they had actually
slept.
8:00pm AT COLLINGWOOD COLLEGE. VCE
students will start late on the mornings following
3WC days (start at 11:15am on Tuesday 20th
March and Thursday 22nd March).
The countryside scenery was beautiful and
green, and it was nice to escape the city for a
few days. A few highlights of the camp, from the
Book on http://www.schoolinterviews.com.au (the student’s perspectives, include the amazing
site explains step-by-step what to do)
dance performance by Arop, Yasid, Koun, Ben,
Wol, and Kalid, with their DJ Adnan, Shannon
Years 7&8: booking code 2QPAA (40-minute
capsizing his boat during canoeing, one of the
conferences with advisor)
pipes exploding and bursting water everywhere,
Years 9&10: booking code WSLPY (20-minute
and meeting the ‘dragon donkey’, as it was nickconferences with advisor)
named by the kids.
Years 11&12: booking code 5LVEZ (10-minute
conferences with class teachers)
Lady Northcote Camp is run by a group of funny,
Follow on-screen instructions (you will need to
nice and daring adults who did a great job of orknow your child’s classes and teachers)
ganizing the activities and helping the kids participate.
Netbook Parent/Student
Information Evenings
This year, as part of the federal government
program, National Secondary School Computer Fund (NSSCF) all students in years 9 - 12
at Fitzroy High will receive a netbook for their
personal use. The process will include the signing of an agreement about use and the payment
of $50 to cover the insurance excess.
Throughout term one, we will roll out the computers team by team until each student in years
9 - 12 has a device that is theirs to use and care
for. The following information nights will be held
where the details of this program will be explained in detail:
• Years 9/10 - Thursday March 15th, 6:00 7:00pm in library
7C Advisory group
Learning Things about Other Students
Other students are ‘actually quite friendly’ and
‘nobody goes to sleep at 9pm’ Tom V
‘Year 7s have talents in singing, dancing, comedy, even Gaga’ Sasha
‘I had the best time and got to meet new friends’
Jen
Learning Things about Self
‘lost my fear of heights’ Tom V
‘I have difficulty doing things under pressure’
Tom D
‘I can sleep when people are breathing really
hard’ Matthew
• Any parents/students in Yr 10 doing VCE who ‘camp is actually cool, meet new friends, learn
did not attend the first information night.
your fears’ J-L
Please call or email the school to RSVP your
attendance, we would welcome both parents and 7D Advisory group
students attending the evening if possible.
The Worst Thing about Camp was leaving camp.
ICT Committee
I had a lot of fun and leaving meant I had to
9th March 2012 volume 9 edition 4 Newsletter
clean up all my stuff, clean the cabin and sit in a
bus for an hour and a half.
Liam
pieces.
Justice=Response
The Worst Thing about Camp was that we had to
The local, national, international contexts of jusgo to sleep early because I wanted to stay up to
tice and the responsibility of political mechatalk to my friends. I also wanted the disco to go
nisms will be the focus of this area of study.
for longer so we could dance. Ben M
Power=Control
The Best Thing about Camp Camp was very fun
and I enjoyed it I liked pretty much all of the acPower and control is examined in a transnational
tivities. I can’t wait for next year’s camp in yr 8.
context. Responsibility of the state and the power
Christian
behind the state and the system are the examined.
7B Advisory group[
2. The Year 10 Experience
The Leap of Faith We had to climb up a wooden
pole, which was about 12 metres high, then we
As part of the Excel program, the Year 10 experihad to jump and grab hold of a trapeze. When I
ence involves a number of student-driven, organfirst reached the top I looked down, fear gripping ised and executed school trips that aim to foster
like an iron hand. When I saw the trapeze I was and develop independence.
released from fear and I jumped and grabbed
The program offers student experiences at three
hold of the trapeze. Oscar
levels: international, national and community.
Students are currently in the planning phase of
this program and I have met with a number of
them to examine their proposals.
Do you have any spare items
lying around the house?
A request for parent donations of old shirts (for
the Art room) and old caps (for the sport department and any items that you think would be useful for out props department. They may be left at
the general office thank you.
This kind of real life learning provides students
with opportunities to problem solve, negotiate,
plan and organise. These very practically based
project management skills are combined with the
opportunity for students to experience new
places and activities.
Principal’s Report
3. The Year 10 Challenge
Year 10 Program 2012
As another part of the Excel program, the Year
10 Challenge is five-week integrated unit beginning at the start of Term 4 that seeks to bring
FHS 10 to the community. The aim of the challenge is for students to become engaged in and
to give back to their community.
The Year 10 program in 2012 has undergone a
radical transformation with significant time and
effort placed in producing a program that is engaging, challenging and empowering.
1. Crime, Justice and Power
The Inquiry program is based on the concepts of
Crime, Justice and Power. Within this framework,
there are three interdisciplinary themes that students and their teachers will explore throughout
the year.
More information and student responses to the
program will be provided in later newsletters.
Crime=Action
My thanks to Rainer P, the Year 10 Leader and
Jamie B and Matt T, Teaching and Learning
Leaders, who have driven much of the work to
develop this exciting new curriculum.
This involves examination of transgression of
societal norms, motivations and consequences
and the responsibility of the individual.
Pauline Rice
Students have undertaken a crime tour of Melbourne and one of their first major assessment
tasks is to write a crime feature article where
they will practice the style and techniques, structure and devices they have explored in Capote’s
In Cold Blood, and other investigative journalism
9th March 2012 volume 9 edition 4 Newsletter
Beginning last week, student leaders commenced a regular arrangement where they go in
Students in the Scarlet Team have started the
to a dedicated Year 7 advisory group on a
school year with a range of stimulating educaweekly basis. They will get to know the groups
tional activities. Our Year 12’s are in the full
of new students, help out in advisory, and be a
swing of their final year. Their Year 12 pins were contact for our Year 7 students in and around the
distributed on Monday.
school.
Scarlet News
Earlier this week our new Physics teacher, Dave
Logan, took his Year 12’s to Luna Park for the
day. They put faith in the principles of Physics to
keep them safe when they went on the rides.
Hanging upside down on the Enterprise without
seatbelts, without falling, was a great way to see
Physics principles demonstrated in action – a
great way for learning to occur in a fun way.
Our Year 11 students are getting into the swing
of the demands of VCE and have settled in to
their studies.
We are looking forward to the opportunities the
netbooks will provide when they are rolled out to
VCE students next week.
Our new student leaders have been working
hard. Thanks to Luci K, Christina R, Simon I,
Mia T and Ruby N-J, some of our Year 12 student leaders. They did a great job helping out at
the recent barbeque to welcome new Year 7
students and families to the school. They have
also helped out with Year 7 Active Advisory.
Scarlet Ten students have been on Crime Tours
of Melbourne as part of their Inquiry project.
They investigated major crime scenes in Melbourne in preparation for writing a feature story.
They were also visited by Keith Moore, editor of
the Insight segment in the Herald Sun.
Next week sees Scarlet Ten students going out
on their first block of work experience. This will
be followed by a second block in June. Following the placements students will be writing thankyou letters to their employers and updating their
resumes. Work experience plays a major role in
career decision-making, and Scarlet Ten students will commence making decisions about
their senior school certificate at the beginning of
term three.
Sandra Dickins
Scarlet Team Leader
“ A group of our Year 12 students contemplating their futures”