The wonderful Cast of The Addams Family Musical Production

Transcription

1 No.11 August The wonderful Cast of The Addams Family Musical Production

2 THOUGHT OF THE WEEK When written in Chinese, the word crisis is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity. JOHN F. KENNEDY FROM THE PRINCIPAL CLASS The benefits of co-curricular activity in schools have been extensively researched and it has been found that students who participate in these activities develop higher academic results, better relationships at school, and are more likely to lead healthy, active lifestyles when they leave school (Broh, Beckett 1988). Addams Family The Koonung and Whitehorse communities were treated to a spectacular musical: The Addams Family. What talent we have in the Koonung community including students, staff and parents. I was fortunate to be part of the audience on opening night and watched in awe as we saw: Fester falling in love with the moon; Gomez trying to keep a secret from Morticia; Morticia insisting her guests play the game of Dull Disclosure ; Wednesday falling in love with Lucas; Pugsley being zapped by his sister; Grandma and her many different potions; Lurch having an amazing voice after grunting all night; seeing how Mal, Alice and Lucas Beineke cope with dinner at the Addams Family house; the scaring spirits of the dead trying to keep love alive; the backstage students transform the sets many different times; and our amazing instrumental students and parents. The passion and dedication shown by our staff, students and parents was testament to a great musical. Thank-you for bringing back my childhood memories of watching The Addams Family. VCE Interviews Last week I was involved with a large group of teachers who interviewed all Year 10 students to discuss their VCE pathways and beyond. It is a rewarding time as you help guide students through the challenge of subject selections. I recall one student who was very unsure when he came in to discuss his pathway but after reviewing his report, subject ideas, future study ideas and focusing on his strengths, I was able to show him that he had many options available. The Careers Team has developed this invaluable process of counselling for all our future Senior School students. Maths Week It was great to see so many students involved in the Maths week at Koonung trying to solve many different numeracy problems including the popular M&M Jar activity. Thank-you to our Maths Domain Leader, Marilyn Fathfull, and teachers for the time and effort in developing the activities and problems. These Domain Weeks provide every student with an opportunity to be involved in the many the special activities conducted by the specific subject areas. School Visits Anne Abbott, Assistant Principal, has joined a small group of Principals with the Victoria Association of Secondary Schools Principals to visit educational venues in Finland for the next 8 days. On Wednesday 12 th August, I will have the opportunity to join another group of Principals as we tour three top performing secondary schools in the North Eastern region of Melbourne. This is a great opportunity for Koonung as we broaden our educational outlooks. Throughout the year, the Principal Team have many schools groups coming to view the school to research our various College programs. Monash University Dr Trent Brown Trent is a Senior Lecturer in Physical Education and Teacher Education within the Faculty of Education. He is also the President of ACHPER Victoria ( ) - the professional body for Health and Physical Education teachers. He is currently involved in researching VCE PE pedagogical practices at various secondary colleges throughout Victoria,

3 including Koonung. This is a wonderful opportunity for Koonung to be involved with ongoing teaching and learning professional research. Ski Camp I am fortunate to join a dedicated group of staff taking 50 Koonung students to Mt Buller for skiing and snowboarding. Mark Threadgold started the planning for this camp last year as lodges on the mountain are booked out very quickly. The camp is in its 15 th year and is popular amongst our students as we challenge them in an alpine environment setting. This is just one of the many co-curricular activities that students can access. Science/Food Complex Plans for our new Science/Food Complex have been approved so that the building of the new structure can commence in the Term 3 holidays. The College is planning to have the complex open for the beginning of Father s Day Celebration Fathers, come and join your sons/daughters at our annual Father s Day Breakfast on Friday 28 th August from 7.30 to 8.30am. Please register through the TryBooking link on the Koonung SC homepage: (for catering purposes) by 20th August. Staff Replacements Erika Haberle from the Arts Domain will be on leave for the remainder of term 3. We wish her an enjoyable break. We welcome Shane Castricum, an experienced Art teacher, as her replacement Enrolment vacancies We have a small number of vacancies at Years 8 and 10 for Applications are now open for 2016 new enrolments. Please access the Koonung webpage ( ) and click on enrolment enquiries. Mark Quinlan Assistant Principal KOONUNG PRESENTS "THE ADDAMS FAMILY" 2015 This year's musical production of "The Addams Family" has been a huge success with 4 out of the 5 shows sold out. The 24 cast and 16 crew members have worked tirelessly to put on a fabulous show filled with great music and lots of laughs. The production team: Mark Anderson, Susanna Wailes, Zoe Taylor, Ryland Sack, Chelsea Thomas, Luke Wilcockson and Sophie Andrew have loved working with the students and are so incredibly proud of their efforts. Watch this space to discover what next year's show will be...

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5 INFLUENZA SEASON As everyone is aware, the influenza season is well and truly upon us. We have had lots of our students away with nasty colds and they are taking at least 3 to 4 days to recover. If your child is unwell with flu like symptoms, please keep them away from school and limit their contact with others. Please do not send your child to school with instructions to ring me if you don t feel any better as this very often results in you having to leave work to pick them up anyway. We need to be considerate of other students with underlying medical conditions such as Asthma and Heart conditions as the complications for them can be twofold. Despite constant reminders here at school, students are not very careful with personal hygiene when it comes to cold and flu prevention. Your best defence against colds and flu is to wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Other things such as covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and throw the tissue in the rubbish straight away. Avoid touching your mouth, eyes and nose. It is very difficult with our hectic lifestyles to remember to be diligent with prevention. The greater the prevention, the more likely you are to avoid becoming unwell with the flu. A little extra time spent now might keep us fit and healthy and avoid having to take lots of days off work or school.

6 2015 PARENT OPINION SURVEY Randomly selected families will have now received the 2015 Parent Opinion Survey (in the mail) from the school. The survey is designed to take no more than 20 minutes to complete and your feedback and opinions play an important role in making our school the best it can possibly be. It is important that as many surveys as possible are completed and returned to the school by Tuesday August 4 th. Should you require another survey, please contact the school. YOUNG PERSON OF THE MONTH

7 SPORTS NEWS Year 10 boys Inter School Netball team, competed at the EMR competition on Monday 27th July. Year 10 Super Coach class playing netball with Melbourne Vixen player Joanna Weston. FATHER S DAY BREAKFAST The Parents and Friends Association (PFA) is proud to host a breakfast to celebrate all of the fabulous Koonung Fathers on Friday 28th August from am in the Amphitheatre and Middle Years Centre. We will provide egg and bacon rolls, hot drinks, juice and fruit platters. Please register through the TryBooking link on the Koonung SC homepage: (for catering purposes) by 20th August.

8 MATHS MATTERS Maths Week Last week students celebrated Maths Week with a variety of activities. Problem of the day: Each day students submitted a solution to problem of the day. There were three categories (7 & 8, 9 & 10 and 11 & 12) and correct solutions, with working shown, earned a chocolate. Prizes were given to Ayana Dobie of Year 7, and Ellen Liu of Year 10 for the most correct entries in their category. Many students successfully solved questions in categories higher than their year level. M & Ms guessing competition: A jar of M & Ms in the library generated lots of interest. Students had to not only guess the number in the jar, but also estimate the gross weight. There were 666 M & Ms in the jar and it weighed 1565 grams. Amy Moore, of Year 10, guessed 665 and Jack Kerr, also of Year 10, guessed 1530 grams. Isabella Zhu also guessed 665 but Amy was awarded the jar as her guess for the weight was closer. Poster Competition: The winner of the Maths quotes poster competition was Daniel Shen of Year 9. He created a typography poster using a quote from Richard Preston: If equations are trains threading the landscape of numbers, then no train stops at pi. Australian Mathematics Competition: Students across the school participated in this on Thursday. Here s an example of a problem from the Year 7 & 8 paper: A recipe requires 2 kg sugar, 4 kg butter and 6 kg flour to make 8 cakes. How many cakes can you make if you have 9 kg sugar, 17 kg butter and 28 kg flour? (a) 40 (b) 34 (c) 37 (d) 32 (e) 36 Some photos from Maths Week:

9 Maths Challenge Results During Term 2, students in the Enrichment Maths groups in Years 7 & 8 had the opportunity to participate in the Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians Challenge Stage. This involved solving 6 problems over a three week period the problems were not straight-forward and required persistence, but involved mathematics known to the students. Two students scored High Distinction Jamie Nastas (Year 8) and Lisa Yamamoto (Year 7). Their results placed them in the top 10% of entries across Australia. This is indeed a fine effort. Distinctions were also achieved by the following students: Year 8: Sarah Bacon, Connor Diamantopoulos, Hamish McLean and Silvia Valente. Year 7: Elisha Punay and Reka Ropolyi Well done. Marilyn Faithfull Mathematics Domain Manager 2015 IMPRO MELBOURE SECONDARY SCHOOLS THEATRESPORTS CHALLENGE After a semester and a half of blood, sweat and drama games, the Koonung Theatresports Club are competing in the annual Impro Melbourne Secondary Schools Theatresports Challenge. On August the 9 th at The Space on Carlton Street, Prahran, two Koonung teams will step up and lift their metaphorical swords of theatre in a salute to improvisational comedy. For the seniors Paige Joustra, Jacob De Santis, Miguel Lourenco-Keene, Gareth Clauson and Lexie Thodis will do battle with the best thespians other Melbourne schools have to offer. For the junior competition Miranda Burg, James Wilson, Jackson Birch, Friyana Madon and Kendal Varley will represent the pride of Koonung s impro team. Combining wit, physical comedy and bravery under fire, Theatresports invites competitors to choose and compete in different improvisational Drama games that are rewarded by judges for their originality, entertainment value and theatresports technique. Ms Julia Hodson and Mr Peter Hodkinson will accompany the students and will be cheering them on from the sidelines. Both are very proud of the two teams brave enough to have a go at what is a very difficult discipline, and would like to thank Drama Captains, Paige Joustra and Lexie Thodis, for all their hard work coaching the Theatresports Club every Thursday lunchtime this year. Peter Hodkinson

10 DOBSONS UNIFORM STORE - KOONUNG NORMAL TRADING HOURS Mondays: 8.15am am Wednesdays: 10.15am 1.45pm Contact Kylie at the Uniform Shop on or koo@dobsons.com.au for all enquiries. Monday September 7th Monday October 26 th December Xmas Dinner TBA All meetings are pm in the MYC PFA MEETING DATES PFA SECOND HAND BOOKS PFA have a large selection of good quality second hand books available for sale. Please direct enquiries to Carolyn Minster at drcarolyn@optusnet.com.au ENGLISH DOMAIN

11 CAREERS NEWS Year 12 PARENT INFORMATION SESSION There will be an information session for Parents and Guardians of Year 12 students on Selecting Tertiary Courses. This will be held in the Senior Centre on Thursday 6 th August from 6.30pm-7.00pm. YEAR 12 INTERVIEWS All Year 12 students need to book in for a careers interview in Term 3. You can sign up on the Career Interview Sheets outside the Careers Office to discuss options for next year. VTAC Applications for 2016 Timely VTAC applications open 9am 3 rd August and close 5pm 30 th September. For currently enrolled year 12 students, a processing fee of $29 applies. After 30 th September the fee will increase to $121. You can list 12 courses in preferential order. Applications for SEAS and scholarships also open 3 rd August. Engage Education Practice Exams Find free practice exams with worked solutions for many VCE subjects on Engage Education s website. Open Days Most tertiary institutions hold open days throughout August. All Year 12 are encouraged to attend. You can collect a list of the Open Days from the Careers office. Year 11 Year 11 subject choices need to be entered by Thursday 6 th August. Course Selection interviews for Year 11 going into Year 12 next year will then be held on August 7 th. Students will need to bring a printout of their subject choices and the subject selection counselling form to their interview. Year 9 PARENT INFORMATION SESSION There will be an information session for Parents and Guardians of Year 9 students on Selecting Year 10 Courses. This will be held in the Senior Centre on Thursday 6 th August from 7.00pm 8.00pm. Year 9 subject choices need to be entered by Thursday 13 th August. Course selection interviews will be held for all Year 9 s going into Year 10 on Monday August 17 th. Students will need to bring a printout of their subject choice and the subject selection counselling form to their interview. If students wish to apply for VET (Vocational Education and Training) studies, accelerated studies or Lightmare they will also need to bring along the relevant forms. General Information UNIVERSITIES LEAP Advanced Engineering Workshop: Engineering Link Project 29 th & 29 th September, 9am La Trobe University, Bundoora This two-day workshop is running during the school holidays for year 10, 11 and 12 students to explore different disciplines within engineering, such as robotics, electrical, civil, aeronautical, mechanical and environmental. Students need to be enrolled in Maths Methods or Pre-Methods to take part. Expressions of interest are due by 14 th August.

12 Upcoming At Monash Seminars Find out about the courses Monash have on offer, including some new degrees in Monash Honours Programs From 2015, Monash Uni are offering courses with an embedded honours component in areas including education, engineering, law and a variety of medical courses. An honours degree gives you a competitive advantage in your future career due to the higher qualification you ve earned. RMIT: Science in the City 21 st September, 11am 2pm Tour the labs at RMIT and find out about the programs and research facilities they offer. Students, parents and teachers are invited to attend. Interstate Universities All About UAC for 2015: Year 11 and 12 Students Students interested in studying at a university in New South Wales should find out information about the interstate application process. NIDA Courses and Experiences for Young People NIDA offers a range of courses and experiences for young people across a variety of disciplines from introductory courses in Drama, Acting on Screen, Music Theatre and Public Speaking to the Young Actors Studio or Residencies for Young People aged years. Courses run in conjunction with the school term and holidays in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne and in other major capital cities and regional centres at selected times throughout the year. (2016 full-time courses applications close 30 th September 2015.) SCHOLARSHIPS Swinburne Aviation Scholarships From 2015, Swinburne is offering six new scholarships and prizes in the aviation field, made available by the Piers Fowler Trust. Find out about these scholarships, as well as the many others available at Swinburne, here: Defence Force University Sponsorship The Defence University Sponsorship allows students to study an accredited degree at any Australian university and graduate with a career in the Navy, Army or Air Force. Vocational Education training (VET) in Schools program Thinking of undertaking a VET subject next year? There are a series of Taster classes put on by the Inner Melbourne VET Cluster. Automotive Thursday September 3, Community Services Tuesday September 8, Engineering Thursday September 10, Make-up and Skin care Tuesday September 15, Hospitality Thursday September 17. See the Careers Office or Inner Melbourne VET Cluster website for bookings and further details. TAFE AND APPRENTICESHIPS Timber & Building Industry Apprenticeships TABMA are a group training organization seeking applicants for a number of apprenticeships in the timber and building industry. Australian Apprenticeships Government Website This website is an invaluable resource providing information on apprenticeship programs, location of apprenticeship centres, government initiatives and recent publications regarding apprentice work force changes.

13 Australian Government ICT Entry-level Program The Australian Government ICT Apprenticeship Program is for students who are currently completing their Year 12 Certificate, and people with a passion for ICT who are looking for a new and exciting career change. As an ICT Apprentice you will work the equivalent of 4 days per week within an Australian Government agency, with the remainder of your time dedicated to completing a Certificate IV (2 years) or a Diploma (3 years) in IT. The course fees for your qualification will be paid by your agency, which means no out of pocket expenses! You will also be provided with paid study leave in order to attend your classes. Applications for the 2016 program open Monday, 13 July There is also a cadetship program for university students who have completed their first year at university. Box Hill Institute Enrolment Night 29 th September, 4pm Elgar Campus OPEN DAYS 2015 INSTITUTION Australian Academy of Design OPEN DAY(S) Sunday 9 August 2015, 9.00am 5.00pm Australian Catholic University- Melbourne Ballarat Sunday 9 August 2015, 10.00am 4.00pm Sunday 30 August 2015, 10.00am-3.00pm Australian College of Sports Therapy Several dates : 9 August, 10.00am-4.00pm, 12 August, 23 October 4.00pm-7.00pm 6 September 12.00pm-3.00pm Australian College of the Arts (Collarts) Saturday 1 August 10.00am-3.00pm Box Hill Institute Chisholm - Dandenong Deakin University Burwood - Geelong Holmesglen Chadstone, Moorabbin, Waverley JMC Academy Kangan Institute Richmond - Docklands La Trobe University Melbourne - Bendigo Monash University Clayton & Caulfield - Peninsula Photography Studies College RMIT University Swinburne University of Technology University of Melbourne (The) Parkville - Southbank Victoria University Federation University - Ballarat William Angliss Institute of TAFE Sunday 23 August 2015, 10.00am-3.00pm Saturday 22 August 2015, 11.00am-3.00pm Sunday 23 August 2015, 9.00am 4.00pm Sunday 9 August 2015, 9.00am -3.00pm Several dates check link above including 13 August or call (03) August August am-2.00pm 29 August am-2.00pm 9 August 2015, 10.00am-4.00pm 16 August 2015, 10.00am-3.00pm Sunday 2 August 2015, 10.00am-4.00pm Saturday 1 August am-4.00pm Sunday 16 August 10.00am-4.00pm Sunday 9 August am 4.00pm Sunday 2 August am 4.00pm Sunday 16 August am 4.00pm Sunday 23 August am 4.00pm Sunday 30 August am-3.00pm Sunday 9 August am-4.00pm Trish Paddick/Kylie Poppins/Carol McCaskie Careers Team

14 WELLBEING & ENGAGEMENT NEWS Social Anxiety & Shyness A public information session with John Jakupi - Clinical & Coaching Psychologist Wednesday 5 August pm pm Kew Library (Phyllis Hore Room), Corner of Cotham Road & Civic Drive, Kew, VIC Melways Ref: 45 / D6 Cost: $15.00 Standard fee $10.00 ADAVIC members For bookings or further information: Mental Health & the GLBTI Community: Vulnerability & Treatment A public information session with Dr Glen Hosking, Clinical Psychologist Thursday 13 August 2015, 7.30pm pm Northcote Town Hall, Rooftop, 189 High Street, Northcote, VIC 3018, Melway Ref: 30 E9 Cost: $15.00 Standard fee $10.00 ADAVIC members For bookings or further information:

15 Teaching Kids How to be Sad Posted on July 27, 2015 by Shridevi Generation Next Helping the next generation live with feelings, not pathologise them. Young people in our society are increasingly worried and upset not about any aspect of their life in particular but about being worried and upset. This is a relatively new phenomenon. In the 1980s, surveys of teens showed they were worried about school, the future, relationships, friends, the environment and war. Today surveys of teens show they are also worried about one additional area mental health. Not surprisingly therefore, young people are hypervigilent about their own difficult feelings. Almost every young person who comes to our offices seeking support has googled their mental health symptoms. They feel shocked, worried and depressed about having intense negative feelings. Many of them have diagnosed themselves with depression and anxiety. They see their difficult feelings as abnormal, needing treatment and unable to be tolerated. Last month Sarah, aged 16, sat in my office. She had broken up with her boyfriend the day before and spent the day crying. By the end of the day, her mum, desperately worried about her had taken her to the GP. Within hours of her break up, Sarah was taking anti-depressant medication.

16 What message about life and about suffering does this send? Unfortunately, as a result of our attempt to destigmatise mental health problems we have sent some unhelpful messages. We have sent the message that strong difficult feelings are unusual, abnormal and pathological. I am worried about what this means for the long term resiliency and wellbeing of our young people. I have procrastinated about writing about this for a long time because I have been worried about being seen as trivialising mental health problems. Before I go any further, let me set the record straight: * I believe that anxiety, depression and emotional pain are agonising experiences for many individuals. * I believe many people have been born with brains which are especially predisposed to anxiety and depression, and that there are some purely biologically driven factors which strongly contribute to the experience of anxiety and depression. * I believe that in many cases medication for anxiety and depression is a useful and life-saving tool. However, I also believe that both mild and severe anxiety and depression are far more common than what a disease model implies. I believe both mild and severe levels of anxiety and depression have complex and multifaceted causes. I believe people with both mild and severe anxiety and depression need support and a range of options to help them cope with how they feel. Some of these messages have not reached young people. We need to teach young people that for many of them, on many days they will feel simply terrible. And when this happens they should reach out to others and get support and help. But that feeling bad is not a rare brain disease but an unfortunate part of life more so for some but still commonly experienced by many. Most importantly, we need to teach young people that with the right help and support they can meaningfully live with all kinds of difficult emotions and cope with all kinds of difficult situations. By Kirrilie Smout, Clinical Psychologist Specialising in supporting Kids and Teens Kirrilie helps kids and teens develop resilience, cope better, stay calm and get through tough times. More information, and free articles and resources for teachers and parents can be found at Tackling Anxiety and building Resilience in young people Anxiety in children is a normal part of childhood development. But it s estimated that 8-22% of children experience anxiety more intensely and more often than other children, stopping them from getting the most out of life. In this presentation one of Australia's leading child and adolescent psychologists will discuss what is normal anxiety and what is not, what are the common anxiety disorders and what parents and carers might do to build happy and resilient young people. 7pm to 9pm Wednesday August 12th, 2015 Our Lady of Sion College 1065 Whitehorse Rd, Box Hill $20 per person (at the door) NO EFTPOS Secure your place! rick@criticalagendas.com.au Include your NAME, Date attending and No. Tickets required. Collect and pay for tickets on the night. Enquiries: The wellbeing and engagement team!

17 Op Shop Volunteers Needed Doncare needs friendly volunteers to assist them in their Op Shops. Funds raised in the shops by our volunteers provide substantial funds to our programs in Domestic Violence, Emergency Relief, Family Services, Counselling and Social Support for Seniors. Call us on us at or drop into one of our shops and ask for an application. Jen McMahon Manager, Opportunity Shops Program (03) (03) Suite 4, Level 1, 687 Doncaster Road, Doncaster Vic 3108

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21 DIARY CALENDAR FOR TERM (10 WEEKS) WEEK MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 3 Aug (Day 6) 4 Aug (Day 7) 5 Aug (Day 8) 6 Aug (Day 9) 7 Aug (Day 10) 8 Aug Y9 into Y10 Ski Camp Ski Camp Student Info Session Period 4 Ski Camp. Year 12 Parent Info Session: Selecting Tertiary Courses 6.30pm 7.00pm. Y11 into Y12 1:1 Interviews 4 Y9 into Y Parent Info Session on Subject Choices 7-8pm SSCentre. Y11 into Y12 choices close. 10 Aug (Day 1) 11 Aug (Day 2) 12 Aug (Day 3) 13 Aug (Day 4) 14 Aug (Day 5) 15 Aug 5 Y9 into Y10 Staff PD Day. choices close Student Free Day 17 Aug (Day 6) 18 Aug (Day 7) 19 Aug (Day 8) 20 Aug (Day 9) 21 Aug (Day 10) 22 Aug 6 Y9 into Y :00pm 1:1 Interviews School Council 24 Aug (Day 1) 25 Aug (Day 2) 26 Aug (Day 3) 27 Aug (Day 4) 28 Aug (Day 5) 29 Aug PFA Fathers Day Breakfast 7.30am 8.30am MYC 7 31 Aug (Day 6) 1 Sept (Day 7) 2 Sept (Day 8) 3 Sept (Day 9) 4 Sept (Day 10) 5 Sept 2015 Vietnam Regional Aths. 8 Trip Parent Meeting 6:30pm MYC 7 Sept (Day 1) 8 Sept (Day 2) 9 Sept (Day 3) 10 Sept (Day 4) 11 Sept (Day 5) 12 Sept 9 Year 9 Camp Year 9 Camp. Year 9 Camp Year 9 Camp 14 Sept (Day 6) 15 Sept (Day 7) 16 Sept (Day 8) 17 Sept (Day 9) 18 Sept (Day 10) 19 Sept 10 7:00pm Spring Concert Parent Teacher End Term 3 School Council Interviews