A Celebration of 2019 with House Staff and Students

The school will travel to various beaches for the annual House Picnics on Friday 13 December. This is a celebration of everything we've achieved in the year and a chance for staff and students to enjoy a day at the beach, with games and activities such as swimming and beach sports - and hopefully some great weather!

Each House has their own picnic spot, but parents must provide payment and consent before midnight on Friday 6 December, via Compass.

There will be an opportunity for students to arrange lunch via a Fish & Chip order that will be managed through the House Office. Please note that this event may be altered due to weather. Transport in both directions will be via bus from Geelong High School. 

Check Compass for more details and contact your House Leader for more information.

Mr Ben Langdon

Leigh House Leader

Below are some wonderful and insightful student reflections from the Northern Territory Camp that ran from 27 October to 2 November 2019.

My experience on the Northern Territory camp was truly unforgettable and I have memories to last a lifetime. I knew that this camp would change my life but I didn’t know just how hard it would hit me. The first things that hit were, of course, the heat, the flies and missing the small things that are taken for granted, such as showering each day. 

Completing the 10km base walk of Uluru, Kata-Tjuta and the 6km hike of Kings Canyon starting with “heart attack hill” were truely amazing. The views were incredible and seeing the sunrise at Kings Canyon and the sunset over Uluru one night was unforgettable, making getting up at 4am just that little bit more rewarding. Learning all of the culture and stories over the whole camp was incredible, especially at Uluru, where the stories came to life. Learning the story about the devil dingo was remarkable, especially when we could look up and see the giant paw print left by the dingo and the outline of a woman, who’s head was missing. 

Staying at the indigenous community of Lilla was an experience of a lifetime. Spending time with the local kids was just a bonus. Playing games with them including Connect Four and basketball made the trip that whole lot better and easier to withstand the heat. Learning dot painting and spear throwing was unbelievable as well as learning about the stars in our astronomy lesson, something that I will remember forever. Going down to the water holes at Lilla was incredible and being able to just sit there for a while in silence whilst enjoying the serenity, was amazing. Even though some days were hard and hikes were challenging, being able to look up at night as you went to sleep in your swags and see all the stars made it just that little bit more special. 

I will forever be grateful that I had the opportunity to go on this remarkable camp and create lasting friendships, memories and be apart of what was one big family.

Tahlee Watson Year 9BA

The Northern Territory camp is one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life. Learning about 'indigenous' culture was definitely the best part about my truip. The way they live is amazing and keeping to their tribal traditions as well as adapting to our lifestyle.

I personally never thought that I would ever go to the Northern Territory in my life. All the amazing place's we went to like Kings Canyon, Uluru and Lilla, which is a remote community.

We slept under the stars every night. On the second night we had an Astronomy lesson, our tour guide showed us how to find planets, stars, patterns and how to tell where North, East, South West is.

Like me, I think all of my class mates that went on the trip got so much out of it.

Big thanks to all the staff involved for making it a trip to remember.

Dom. B.

On Thursday 31 October, 15 of our students from years 7 to 11 including our four 2020 School Captains, attended the first Geelong Youth Council - Youth Summit. They participated in a design thinking workshop aimed at developing local solutions to mental health and wellbeing, the environment and public safety/homelessness.

The students heard from experts, used teamwork and design thinking to help find innovative solutions to some of the greatest challenges facing our community.

Debating Report 6 November 2019

Congratulations to our DAV Junior Secondary Program Debaters for completing four evenings of debating training and competition!

It was most impressive to see our students improving each fortnight with each debate. It was especially inspiring to see three of our members overcome their fears of public speaking and manage to stand tall while delivering their speeches and rebuttals. Well done!

In the third and final round held at Clonard College last Thursday evening, GHS-2 (Connor Blyth, Peter Gregor and Rajveer Kambo – all of 7LB) were arguing for the negative on the topic ‘That we should limit the driver’s licences of senior citizens’. While pipped by the formidable opposition Sacred Heart team, our debaters put up strong arguments and showed themselves to be a worthy team. Special mention must go to Nina Magor (7LA) for her enthusiasm, commitment and thorough preparation throughout the whole program.

GHS-1 (Ash Turner, Jorja Beatty-Sinclair – both from 7CA, and Nina Magor) argued for the affirmative against Geelong College on the same topic, and experienced their first victory. As a result of his consistent and concerted effort, Peter Gregor took out Best Speaker.

Many thanks to volunteer parent helper, Ms Kate Gregor, who assisted the teams with their preparation every Wednesday lunchtime at Geelong High. It was great to have you with us!

Both JSP teams have indicated that they would like to compete as a single team in ‘D’ Grade (Year 9 and below) next year. This means that in 2020 we hope to have one ‘D’ Grade team, two ‘C’ Grade teams and one ‘A’ Grade team as well as a new crop of JSP participants.

If you would like to be involved in any way, please contact Mr Mantelli at Geelong High School.

Well done to all our debaters for their enormous effort researching, preparing and debating throughout the year, and for representing Geelong High School and the public school sector amid a mass of more privileged schools with pride.

Mr Ubaldino Mantelli

Debating & Public Speaking Co-ordinator

JSP Geelong High School, left to right: Rajveer, Connor, Peter, Nina, Jorja, Ash and Mr Mantelli

Intermediate Table Tennis Report - 17 October 2019

Geelong High’s intermediate boys team did well to make their way through five rounds of competitive table tennis in a ten-school, two-pool round robin. Unfortunately for us, there were some consistently strong opponents along the way. Nonetheless, the boys had great day. Our girl's team were solid in their rounds and made their way into the final against Grovedale. While Geelong High Sschool played well, their opposition was just too good.

Congratulations to our girls for achieving runners up!

A great effort from our boys too, congratulations.

Ubaldino Mantelli

CA English, Humanities, HG & PosEd; 9-10 Design & Tech; 7 Drama

Australian Air League youth group coming to Geelong

The Australian Air League youth group is opening a new Squadron in Geelong and will be holding a meeting at the Geelong Umpire Association Club Rooms at Kardinia Park on Thursday 7 November starting from 6pm. Young boys and girls who wish to learn more are welcome to come along with their parents to discover what the Air League has to offer.

The Australian Air League is a national organisation for young people aged from 8 to 18 years who have an interest in aviation either as a career or as a hobby. It teaches leadership skills and provides a wide range of interesting and exciting activities such as camping and hiking, sport and physical recreation, building and flying model aircraft and ceremonial drill. Through classes and practical demonstration members learn the theory of aviation and a wide range of associated topics such as Meteorology, Navigation, Aero Engines and Aircraft Construction, as well as general interest subjects such as photography, field craft and community service.

With Squadrons in most states of Australia, the Air League has been serving the community in Australia since 1934. It is entirely self-funding and is staffed by volunteers who give their time to achieve its goals. To learn more about the Australian Air League visit our website at https://www.airleague.com.au

For more information please contact:

Malcolm Angus (Geelong Sqn)

oc.geelong@airleague.com.au

m. 0448 229 900

or

Greg O’Brien (Victoria State Office)

operations.vic@airleague.com.au

Brian Grinter

National Marketing and Publicity
Australian Air League

m: +61 402 323 050
marketing@airleague.com.au
http://www.airleague.com.au

Ourschool & Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Information Session

A recent collaboration between *Ourschool & the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre provided a unique opportunity for over 100 students across Victoria, four of which, were from Geelong High School.

On Friday 6 September Maddie Brown, Molly Grey, Charlotte Robertson and Jess McTigue travelled to the state-of-the-art Cancer Centre, Peter MacCallum to learn about different pathways, jobs and opportunities Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre has to offer. Some of the professions that were brought into the spotlight included: Radiation Therapy, Clinical Education, Nuclear Medicine Technology, Radiation Oncology, and ICT Program Management. The session was intended for industry professionals (most were alumni from public high schools) to inform, inspire and encourage the students as they continue to consider their VCE subjects and future pathways.

The name is Bond, James Bond!

Well, not quite but close enough in our books...

It was reported that the doors to a particular classroom were unable to be unlocked resulting in a class having to relocate!

Music House - The Future of our Music Program

From Term 4, Geelong High School’s Chamber Orchestra will officially become the core ensemble of the Music Program. The Concert Band, this year's Training Band and the String Ensemble will now merge to form The Chamber Orchestra. The Chamber Orchestra will rehearse at the old Concert Band rehearsal time of 3.30pm - 5.00pm on Mondays in Room S1 (Next to Shenton).

Deaking University would like to invite you to attend a Deakin Accelerate Information Evening, aimed at Year 10 and 11 students, their parents and career practitioners. 

Deakin Accelerate is a distinctive VCE extension studies program offering high-achieving students university-level learning opportunities.

Students study one unit per trimester either on campus at one of Deakin’s four vibrant locations or at the Cloud Campus – our innovative online learning environment.

Students get the same benefits as studying a fifth or sixth VCE subject, while gaining university credit and reducing the cost of their future degree at Deakin. They’ll also have the opportunity to boost their ATAR.

We offer 14 exciting study areas:

• accounting
• criminology
• disability, diversity and inclusion
• economics
• health practice and research
• journalism
• law
• management
• marketing
• philosophy (new in 2020)
• psychological science
• public relations (new in 2020)
• robotics and data science
• sport management

Click to REGISTER NOW 

Need more information?

EMAIL or CALL 1800 MY FUTURE

Last Friday our Music House received a lovely garden makeover, courtesy of Bunnings - Leopold!

Bunnings Leopold kindly donated three raised colour-bond garden beds, all the potting mix and colourful plants, including Lavender to add the finishing touch.

Our VCAL Students assisted with the project.

As part of the inclusive curriculum at Geelong High School and to broaden students' understanding of diversity and disability in an active environment, last week students were introduced to 'Goalball'.

This is a Paralympic sport designed for and played by blind and vision impaired people. It is fast-paced and relies on hearing and tactile senses. Members of the Year 9 Cohort, who share the learning environment with a visually impaired student, attended the sessions run by instructors from ExSight Sports. The students and staff involved found the experience challenging and fun. It was an excellent activity to highlight some of the difficulties that others have to manage on a daily basis.  

Ms Margaret Rhoddy - Maths

As part of the Geelong High School STEM Program, the Year 8 Digital Technology class travelled out to the Geelong Technical School last week, to undertake the practical component the Bot Rescue Project. This is a project that we've been working on back at school, looking at how robots and other forms of digital technology can aid humans in natural disasters. On day one students worked on designing, building and coding robots to assist in these scenarios. Day two, students were back to test the robots in some mock disaster scenarios and see how they perform. 

The Geelong High School STEM Program aims to expose our students to the different areas of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) as this is currently the fastest growing industry across the world. This field provides many different job opportunities for our students and other students across the world, jobs which are both highly paid and very diverse. 

Students that are interested in STEM should see Mr d'Offay at school to see what opportunities are available in this field as part of our programs at Geelong High School.

Jason d'Offay - Maths/PE/Digi Tech

Geelong High School

Senior Badminton

On 25 July the Boys and Girls Senior Badminton teams competed at Corio Leisure Centre

The boys team consisted of Martin Delores, Ben Coe, Andrew Mystakidis, Kian Gonzales, Shuji Wakasugi and Morrison Bacon. The boys played against Belmont, Bellarine and North Geelong. The boys finished third in the round robin tournament.

The girls team was Maia Durran, Talisha O’Connor, Jorja Storrar, Natasha Tryupkovic, Tahlee Watson and Tianna Watt. The girls had some very tough opposition and played some long and hard fought games. They played Matthew Flinders and North Geelong and finished second in their pool. They then played Belmont in the semi final where they were defeated.

Congratulations to both boys and girls teams for their effort and behaviour on the day.

Mrs Killen

On Tuesday 20 August the Year 12 Chemistry class visited Ecolinc in Bacchus Marsh. They performed an experiment where they made some smelly compounds called Esters, were able to use the infrared spectroscope and used the HPLC (high pressure liquid chromatography machine) to analyse and identify the unknown sample of aspirin or paracetamol they were given.

Ms Killen - Science Learning Area Leader

On Friday 23 August Mrs Vanderkley’s Year 11 HHD classes visited The Hive Early Learning Centre and The Geelong Children’s Centre. Our students interacted with the children at the centres, aging between four months old and five years.

Our students had been studying childhood development, with a focus on the importance of reading books for literacy development. Our visit coincided with bookweek, so we had a lovely afternoon reading books and playing with little Elsas, Batmans and other dressed up daycare kids. Students were able to observe children at different stages of the lifespan and compare their physical, social, emotional and intellectual development.

We would like to thank the staff and children at both centres for welcoming us into their communities and making our visit so meaningful.

Ms Melanie Vanderkley - PE/Health

If your child missed their Meningococcal ACWY Vaccine, please see below Barwon Health Immunisation Timetable or your local GP.

The Year 9 GPEP class spent two days in Melbourne last week exploring the city. Students visited the Salvation Army 614 where they donated numerous items such as dog food, tooth brushes, tooth paste, feminine hygiene products and first aid kits. They also visited the Eureka Sky Deck, had dinner in China Town, went to NGV and explored the Vic Market.

Students have been raising money for those experiencing homelessness by completing a couch surfing activity. This is a hidden, but very common form of homelessness for young people. The money raised will be donated to a charity of the students' choice.

Ms Cat Yee - GPEP/Business Management/VET Dance

TRACK & FIELD ATHLETICS

 Athletics Chilwell is currently welcoming new members/athletes to join the club for the upcoming 2019/20 track and field season.

Competition is held on Saturday afternoons at Landy Field, commencing on Saturday 65th October 2019 until February 2020

Senior athletes aged from under 14 to Veterans are welcome to participate.

 Coaching is available in all disciplines, eg. Sprints, middle/long distance running, throws and jumps.

Athletics free “Come & Try Day” on Sunday 8 September, from 1pm to 3pm at Landy Field. Junior and senior athletes of all standards and abilities are welcome to participate in a variety of events. Enquiries to chilwelllittleaths@yahoo.com or athletics.chilwell@gmail.com Ph 52 293920

 For further information, please contact Mary McDonald on 5229 3920 or email: athletics.chilwell@gmail.com

Year 7s are currently studying the creepy novel 'Coraline', written by Neil Gaiman and its film version by Tim Burton. As well as comparing and contrasting features of the two texts, Year 7s have also been looking at the characters. One of 7LB's artists has been inspired by the story to do his own portrait of the creepy villain, Beldam.

Mr Ben Langdon - Leigh House Leader/English

Mr Langdon and Mrs Vanderkley took selected Year 10, 11 and 12 student to GPAC to participate in the You Just Never Know program. The afternoon was so valuable, but also confronting for some of our students. They heard from many speakers about real trauma caused by a wide range of road incidents. Some of these stories ended in a fatality, and others had a lifelong impact, for the person involved, and their families. 

Students heard from Superintendent Craig Gillard of Victoria Police, Sergeant Brendan Butland of Victoria Police's Major Collision Investigation Unit, Geelong Paramedic George Vasey, Magistrate Ann McGarvie, Trauma victim and quadriplegic Alex Eleftheriou and Dr. Michael Sheridan Emergency Director of Geelong Hospital. Students heard about the impact has on these professionals and their role in caring for young people when road trauma occurs. The afternoon was emceed by Peter Hitchener of Nine News.

From this, there were many positive messages for our students. These included:
- speed, alcohol, drugs and mobile phones are the biggest risks on our roads
- all road users need to show respect to all other road users
- your life can change in a split second

Our students are to be congratulated on how well they represented Geelong High with so many other schools from the region present. We look forward to taking more students to this program next year.

Mrs Vanderkley.

Ebony Smith, one of our students, adores her horse and everything equestrian!

Ebony competed in the Barwon Equine Dressage Series recently. It was a five round competition. Ebony managed to win Champion for Grade 4 on three out of five events to secure overall Grade 4 Champion.

Ebony was up against 30 plus riders!! 

She has worked very hard to train and prepare her horse for these events.

Congratulations Ebony, we are all extremely proud of you and your achievements!

JAPAN TRIP STUDENTS – YOUR TICKETS ARE HERE!

Those attending this year’s Japan trip - your ticket wallets are now ready for collection from Miss Wild. Please see her on Monday-Wednesdays in the staffroom or K8 at recess, lunch or afterschool to collect them.

They include your E Ticket, Final Itinerary and some baggage name tags.:)

Anna Wild-Fyfe – Japanese Teacher

Containers Required for Food Pracs

A friendly reminder that students are required to bring containers to Food Technology Pracs so that they can safely take their food home. We do not supply bags and are trying to limit the use of excess single use plastics. Teachers usually inform students prior to the prac what they are making and what size container is required.

Ms Talbot - Foods/Health

SIGH Group - Sexuality and Identity Group

Wednesday 28 August from 12.40pm - 1.30pm

A lunchtime group will be held for young people who are same-sex attracted gender diverse that will be held in the Conference Room. This will be a safe and inclusive space for young people at Geelong High School where there will be a range of activities as well as support being provided.

This group will be facilitated by Annette Scanlan (Social Worker) and Luke Hill (City Greater Geelong Youth Worker).

The Power of a Phone Call

A chat with celebrity stylist and Geelong High School Alum, Deni Todorovic

It’s something we, as a society, are doing less frequently as we become accustomed to other forms of ‘easy’ communication. However, a lot can be said for making the effort to pick up the phone to make a call.

I recently phoned Geelong High School alumnus, Denis (Deni) Todorovic as I was interested in hearing about his career in the fashion industry.... And boy am I glad I did! I heard about this and so much more!

Deni spoke about how he has gotten to where he is today. He was quite open and honest about how tough secondary school was for him, particularly in relation to how he was treated by some of his peers. He was, however, quick to mention how exceptionally supportive the school, as a whole, was and how they contributed to his entry in the world of fashion.

Deni’s goal, after completing Year 12, was to travel to France to complete a Fashion Design Course, however he had to the raise funds in order to get there. It was Geelong High School who supported and assisted Deni in organising a ‘Fashion Show’ Fundraiser which ultimately funded his trip to Paris.

Deni spent many years living abroad in London working in PR and marketing as well as fashion buying. When he returned to Australia (Sydney) he worked for Cosmopolitan Magazine, and was the Fashion Editor until the magazine folded last year. Deni is now enjoying being back in Geelong freelancing and writing in the Fashion Column for the GT magazine each Saturday.

As wonderful as Deni’s career has been, it was so nice to hear that he had not forgotten his roots and was still so appreciative of all that Geelong High School had done for him. Deni also took the opportunity to express his strong desire to pay it forward and return to his old school (it’s on his ‘bucket list’) to speak to students about life as a fashion designer and stylist as well as his experiences with bullying.

To top our conversation off Deni suggested I might also want to speak with his brother, Michael (Mikey). Mikey is legally blind and has recently returned from a trip to Spain where he represented Australia in the Blind Tennis. He also founded a Blind AFL league here, in Geelong.

I certainly got ‘bang for my buck’ so to speak, calling Deni, as I would not have learned so much about two unique individuals via text or email.

I can’t wait to have such inspirational alumni return to their old secondary school to speak with current students about their experiences at secondary school and beyond.

If you are a past student of Geelong High School and have not yet reached out, please get in touch: 7855-alumni@schools.vic.edu.au

Tanja Dunat Timms
Ourschool Program Manager
Ourschool, an alumni service for students in state secondary schools

On Friday 26 July, our students had the opportunity to both connect and give to the wider community of Geelong by participating in National Tree Planting Day!

By the looks of it, they all worked extremely hard with a lot of fun to be had along the way.

Well done everyone, love your work!

All our boys netball teams have made the Western Metro Finals to be played out on Thursday 8 August in Melbourne - Junior, Intermediate and Senior teams.

All won their Geelong divisions last term and will now play in Altona, at the Atlona Netball Centre, in a round robin style format.

Best of luck to all!

Ms Sonia Kinsey - Hape/Sports Coordinator

Winners Are Grinners! Congratulations to the Junior Boys Hockey Team!

Defeating Oberon in the final, with no goal scored on them on Wednesday 7 August. How good is that!

Round 5 last Thursday evening, 1 August, at Geelong Grammar saw the end of the DAV’s Competition Debating season.

The GHS ‘A’ Graders – Clare Adams (11LB), Xavier Curtis (11CA) and Ebony Storrar (12BA) with preparation help from Holly Maloney 11BA) – were for a second time stood-up by their competitors and were offered an easy victory. Like the previous time, however, our debaters were treated to another challenging stand-in opposition in the form of veteran debater and DAV adjudicator, Mitchell Dye. Mitchell again took on the topic with only minutes to prepare, and rivalled our team’s definition and arguments. This was good practice for our debaters who walked away wiser for the experience.

The ‘D’ Grade GHS-2 team of Erica Thyer (9LB), Aiden Prins (9CB) and Harold Walker (9BB) were debating for the negative on the topic ‘That refugees should have full access to the Australian welfare system’. It was a tough stance, requiring careful argumentation, and our three debaters did well to challenge their competitors from Geelong College Middle School who took the honours for the evening.

The ‘D’ Grade GHS-1 team of Emma Couchman, Summer Lehmann and Mason Blyth (all from 9LA; see photo) were debating the same topic but on the other side. The adjudicator commented on their solid use of evidence and statistics. It was a close debate, but GHS-1 just pipped Sacred Heart with Summer Lehmann awarded Best Speaker.

Congratulations to all our debaters, thanks to our supportive parents and families, and a special farewell to our Year 12s Ebony Storrar (12BA) and Heath Bayfield (12CA) – joined by this year’s recruit Kyle Adams (12MA) – who have been successful debaters for Geelong High Sschool over the years. Hope to have you back to help out the younger debaters!

Next up for Geelong High Sschool is the DAV Junior Schools Program. We have a number of Year 7s and 8s set to embark on a four-session program of training and friendly competition to be held at Clonard College later this term and into Term 4. More on that in the next update.

Mr Ubaldino Mantelli 

On Wednesday 31 July, just after lunch, our Year 12s headed off on their way up to Mt Stirling/Mt Buller for their ski trip as part of their Year 12 Outdoor & Environment Studies.

The students and staff stayed at Merrijig Lodge.

On day one, the students went for a 'shred', either snowboarding or skiiing, and then there was a day of cross-county skiing (also known as Nordic Skiing) within Mt Buller/Mt Stirling Alpine  Resort.

Mr Gemmill reported that the kids had an absolute blast and that the weather turned on providing some great skiing conditions! 

Over the past five week students from years 7-10 have been involved in 3v3 basketball competitions at lunchtime. Each competition consisted of three weeks of round robin matches, before a semi-final and finals week. Well done to all of the students who participated; we hope you enjoyed yourself.

 Congratulations to the eventual winners:

 Year 7/8 - Mac Butcher, Jaylen Ridgeway and Damon Pearson Year 9/10 - Kyle Lindeman, Jason McRae and Elliot Last

Mr Darren Meadows

REMINDER:

Closing date to complete the below survey is SUNDAY 11 AUGUST.

A big thankyou to all the parents/carers that have already completed the survey so far!

WE WANT OUR PARENTS TO TELL US WHAT THEY THINK!

Our school is conducting a survey to find out what parents think of our school. The Parent Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education and Training that is conducted amongst a sample of randomly selected parents. It is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of parents’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour and student engagement. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies. 

Approximately 30 per cent of parents will be invited to participate in this year’s survey. All responses to the survey are anonymous. This year the Parent Opinion Survey will be conducted from Monday 22nd July to Sunday 11^th August.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 10-15 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the fieldwork period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in a range of languages other than English. These include: Arabic, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Chin (hakha), Hindi, Japanese, Somali, Turkish, Punjabi and Greek.

The survey results will be reported back to the school at the end of September. Survey results will be communicated to parents through annual reporting and the parent newsletter. Last year we used the survey results to measure satisfaction levels from parents about our current curriculum, monitor levels of student engagement and wellbeing, compare school level data on engagement with state-wide benchmarks, stimulate discussion within the school community about how to improve parent engagement, and assist in the identification of areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school.

Please contact Julianna Garcia (Assistant Principal of School Operations) if you would like more information.

Please see below information on Federation University's Open Day that will be held on Sunday 25 August across the Ballarat, Berwick and Gippsland Campuses.

You can click on this link to find out more!: federation.edu.au/openday

Geelong High School Welcomes Back Alumnus, Lindsay Maxsted

What a privilege it was to have 1970 Geelong High School Alumnus and DUX, LINDSAY MAXSTED return to his old school to participate in a Q&A with Year 11 and 12 Business Management students.

Lindsay is one of Australia’s most successful businessmen, working as a non-executive Director with three main appointments: Chairman of Westpac Bank, Chairman of Transurban, and a Director of BHP.

The students absolutely relished this amazing opportunity. They asked Lindsay for advice on pathways, his thoughts on jobs of the future, and the common attributes of people he has seen achieve success. Students then delved into asking Lindsay more Business Management related questions in accordance to their course-work and his role as Chairman of Westpac.

Lindsay was obviously very knowledgeable and an exemplary public speaker, but what I didn’t expect was his humble, warm and personable nature. He made the students feel comfortable to ask their questions as he kept the tone casual and conversational.

There was so much to gain from this unique opportunity. Looking around the room you could see both students and teachers alike, soaking up all that Lindsay had to say. Some of the main take-aways from the session include:

 -          Lindsay’s greatest philosophy- try to be a ‘yes’ person rather than a ‘no’ person; embrace opportunities bestowed upon you.

-          Don’t climb OVER others in order to climb the ladder.

-          Be hard-working and willing to learn.

-          Don’t focus heavily on what’s next in your career – do your current job well and you will naturally succeed.

-          Follow a pathway that interests you. You don’t necessarily have to be absolutely passionate but you do need to have an interest.

We can’t thank Lindsay Maxsted enough for taking the time out of his busy work schedule to return his old school. We are so appreciative and look forward to having him return again in the future.

If you are a past student of Geelong High School, we would love to hear from you!

Please email: 7855-alumni@schools.vic.edu.au

P.A.R.T.Y (Preventing Alcohol Related Trauma in Youth) at the Alfred Hospital excursion was attended by our Year 10 & 11 Health students on Thursday 27 June.  Students visited Emergency, ICU, Trauma wards, Physio, Occupational Therapy and Rehabilitation departments.

It was an incredibly valuable day, aiming to keep our young people safe.

Ms Vanderkley - PE/Health

On Thursday 20 June, Geelong’s world-renowned Back To Back Theatre visited Geelong High. Ensemble member Sarah Mainwaring, Artistic Associate Ingrid Voorendt, and Community Programs Coordinator Nikki Watson ran a workshop with fifteen of our students from Years 7-10. Our students were generous and inclusive participants and gained a great deal in such a short time. They were very grateful for the experience. Here is some of their feedback:

“My experience with Back To Back was a great one for these two reasons: one, the Back to Back people who came along were exceptionally nice and understanding. And two, the activities we did were fun. Thank you for the experience and the opportunity to participate.”

Flynn, Year 7

“Thank you for today and the amazing opportunity that was the workshop. It was an interesting experience that, unlike drama, focused on a small game that gradually built into something bigger. It was an enjoyable process that got me out of my comfort zone but still made me feel like I could let go, not having to worry. Drama can be a fast-paced subject bouncing on different skills, and this workshop made me think about reading an atmosphere and the feel of an impulse internally then acting upon it. Working with others that I myself haven’t experienced in this sort of way was fun with new people I’ve never met. Thank you again for this experience.”

Tahlia, Year 9

“I really liked the workshop. At the start I felt a bit awkward because I don’t like talking to other people a lot, but then, when we didn’t have to talk, I felt a lot better. It was also very fun and interesting.”

Ash, Year 7

We’re planning to run another workshop later in the year, so keep an eye out for that. We’re also developing the possibility of incorporating similar workshops with Back To Back Theatre in the Year 8 Drama Program for 2020.

Mr Ubaldino Mantelli - Design & Tech/HUEN/Drama

Every Year 10 student participated in the Year 10 Careers Week during the last week of Term 2. Each student designed their own time table and had the opportunity to participate in countless activities. Participation in the Careers Week has enabled students to experience Universities, TAFE and apprenticeship opportunities. Students had the opportunity to visit and explore: Federation University, Deakin University, La Trobe and Victoria University.  At The Gordon students could choose from Beauty, Graphics, Hospitality, Fashion, Bricklaying, Painting and Carpentry workshops.  Each student had the opportunity to ask questions and familiarise themselves with VET options, accelerated VCE, VCAL options and subject selections for 2020.  Congratulations Year 10, you did yourself and GHS proud.

The depth and breadth of your pathway knowledge will be invaluable when making subject decisions soon.

Ms Trudy Cameron - Careers (MIPS, SBAT, VET & VCE)

A number of students have already been involved in sport for Geelong High School in the first few weeks of Term 3, with a variety of team sports going out to play other schools in and around Geelong.

We have made the finals in a number of sports at both Intermediate and senior level, with a small group of students running in the state cross country finals last week which is a great result.

Coming up In the next few weeks will be Year 7 and 8 sport which includes basketball, volleyball, table tennis and hockey. Students will need to sign up for these sports and then attend training to be selected for the day. They will then need to have their names ticked off on the compass permission forms prior to the day of the event. There is a cost of five dollars per event that a student participates in. This cost covers the bus and the venue hire that also includes the supply of umpires for the day.

Any questions please email Ms Sonia Kinsey - HAPE | SPORTS COORDINATOR

Intermediate Girls Netball 

Both teams played beautfiully all day and made the finals. Congratulations girls! 

Senior Girls Hockey

Lost to a penalty shoot out, a tough ending but a wonderful effort regardless. Well done girls!! 

Intermediate Boys Badminton

All three teams made it to the semi-finals, and showcased some great skills plus lots of improvement from last year.

They were however outclassed in the semis but can hold their heads-up high. Great sportsmanship and teamwork.

Keep trying…lets aim for 2020!

Ms Raj Gopal

State Cross Country Championships 2019 - Thursday 18 July (Pictured above: Matt and Luke Lawrence, Tim Willson and Cody Brogden)

We are excited to share some news that we have received of one of our students, Lucas Rankin in Year 7.

Lucas is involved in 'The Sound of Music' production that is currently being held at GPAC, Geelong, from Friday 19 July, opening night, and running through until 3 August.

Lucas is playing the eldest boy, standing at the back on the right hand side of the image that I have included. Such a nice shot of you too, Lucas!!

The Year 12 students headed off to the wilderness for their Year 12 Camp at The Summit. Students were challenged physically and mentally and they rose to all the challenges they were faced with. Every student demonstrated exceptional teamwork, comradery  and a ripping sense of humour. 

Some student quotes include:

“Absolutely life changing – pushed me to challenge myself”

“You have an opportunity to bond with friends and make new ones and look back at the memories with a sense of pride”

“Pushed me out of my comfort zone and taught me everything is not as scary as it seems”

“There is a massive variety of activities and every moment is enjoyable and fun from your own participation to others’ reactions”

“The Summit was a simulating experience that proved to be full of both challenges and enjoyment – promoting teamwork and getting out of my comfort zone”

Congratulations on your effort and your ability to unleash greatness.

Ms Trudy Camerson - Careers (VET & SBATA Coordinator)

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact Ms Trudy Cameron (Careers, VET & SBAT Coordinator) or Mr Graeme Matheson (SBAT Coordinator)

Year 9 Japanese Excursion - Hi Sushi

Our Year 9 Japanese students celebrated the end of a productive semester by attending an excursion at Hi-Sushi Japanese restaurant. After braving the weather on the walk into town, students selected their preferred meals which included Okonomiyaki, Obento Boxes, Sushi and Gyoza. The meal sizes were huge and everyone reported that they thought it was delicious, many hoping to return to Hi-Sushi with family another day.

Mrs Jacques

Japanese Teacher

Over the last few weeks, the Year 8 Digital Technology class has been designing and constructing mazes for their Common Assessment Task (CAT). 

As part of the CAT, students also worked in groups to code (program) Sphero's (small robots) to travel through as many of the mazes as possible. It was a fun way for the students to learn more about coding.

Mr Jason d'Offay- STEM Coordinator

All Year 12 students had the opportunity to start to refine their career pathway decisions when University, TAFE, Apprenticeship Organisations and Private Providers visited Geelong High School a couple weeks ago. Students were able to ask individual questions and have personal conversations with representatives of the Organisations.

Ms Trudy Cameron - Careers

The table tennis demo was a success. The students got to have a hit against Australia’s current number one ranked male player, Hemming Hu. Five students were lucky to score a point against Hemming to win them a free ticket to the ITTF Seamaster World Tour Platinum Open at the Geelong Arena.

As Hemming explained, this year should see more of the best players from across world come to Geelong to gain points towards 2020 Olympic qualification.

Thank you to Justin Harris for helping with supervision and for sparking the competition, and to Darren Hobbs for taking photos.

Tickets are available here: https://tickets.geelongaustralia.com.au/event/seamaster-2019-ittf-world-tour-platinum-australian-open

Mr Ubaldino Mantelli

Stevie Mackenzie with a passion for everything equestrian and one of our very talented students, recently participated in the Inter-schools Grand Final Show Jumping at Werribee Park, representing Geelong High School.

Stevie's mum stated: "Chief, (Stevie's horse), is very new to the competition world and so it was more of an educational experience. Both horse and rider handled themselves very well."

Congratulations to the dynamic duo, Stevie and her beautiful horse, Chief!

On Tuesday 28 May our Year 12 Business Management class visited Little Creatures in Geelong where they toured the facilities to enhance their understanding of Operations Management within a manufacturing environment. This tour gave our students a deeper understanding in operation processes and strategies used to optimise operations.

Ms Kyla Jacques - Language (Japanese)

We visited Deakin University Waurn Ponds on Tuesday the 27 May for an Engineering Experience Day. There were numerous activities to show the students different engineering courses on offer at Deakin. We participated in three workshops, to dig deeper into the Electricity, Environmental, and Computer Engineering branches. For the Electricity workshop, we created our own windmills with limited resources, and then tested them out using a voltmeter. Luckily, everyone’s windmills spanned reasonably well. For the Environmental workshop, we had to create a water filter using materials such as, sand, coal, gravel, cheesecloth and put it in a bottle to test them by running dirty water though them. For the computer workshop, we had to put a code though a computer, which would set off a controlled sequence of lights, in this case traffic lights. Overall, the students who visited Deakin left satisfied and hopeful for the future.

Enza Magor Year 7LB

Last Thursday night, 6 June, students from GPEP + VCAL took part in the 2019 Sleep Out. 

This event aims to raise awareness of those sleeping rough, and raise money for organisations supporting the 1 in 200 Australian’s experiencing homelessness. Students spent time cooking lots of soup and lasagne, that was donated directly to the Salvo’s Outreach Bus. They were also visited by the Orange Sky Laundry van to see how the service operates!

A big thanks to Nick Ayerbe, Brennon Reusch and Chris Green for supporting the students and program.

Ms Cat Yee - Dance/Bus Mgt/GPEP

Barwon Office - Assistant House Leader

All Year 7 students headed down to GMHBA Stadium for their Careers Adventure Day. The day started brilliantly with the students seeing the 'Mighty Cats' complete a training session.  During the day students completed many employability challenges to strengthen their communication, teamwork, problem solving and initiative skills. Each student completed a skills audit on themselves and set goals for the future. Each student has written a letter to themselves to be opened when they are in Year 12 which discusses their aspirations and hopes.

Some Year 7 quotes include:

“I liked thinking about what I am good at”

“the teamwork activities were fun and you could see who were the good workers”

“it gave me a more happier mindset about myself”

“it was nice to be out of school and spend time with my friends”

“I think it is going to be funny to open my letter in six years!”

Well done Year 7’s, you worked hard all day!

Ms Trudy Cameron - Careers/VET, VCAL & SBAT

Two rounds in one report...

In Week Four of this term, Round Two saw the final of the prepared debates. Our ‘A’ Graders – Holly Moloney (11BA) and Xavier Curtis (11CA), led by Captain Clare Adams (11LB) – were pleasantly surprised by the Geelong Grammar Team Three no-show, despite the debate being on Grammar’s home soil/carpet, a short walk away from the residences.

Not to be left feeling like their research, speech writing and travel was time wasted, our team was treated to a one-man assault by DAV adjudicator and veteran debater Mitchell Dye. The confident, erudite and experienced Mitchell spoke as first and second negative, having had only minutes to prepare for the topic ’That we should criminally prosecute companies that use sweatshops’. It was his rebuttals, however, that were to behold. As our team, pushed through with their credible arguments, Mitchell showed no mercy as he built his case and demolished ours.

Nonetheless, Mitchell was generous in his praise and advice, and our team found it an invaluable experience.         

Our ‘D’ Grade Team 1 – Emma Couchman, Summer Lehmann and Mason Blyth, all of 9LA – fared well against one of two Geelong College Middle School teams. Arguing for the affirmative ‘That all political parties should have quotas for female candidates’, Geelong High School won with Summer taking out Best Speaker. Our other ‘D’ Grade team had to forfeit in advance due to lack of numbers, which was disappointing, but at least we let the opposition know ahead of time!

In Round Three, two weeks later, all three teams competed. The ‘A’ Graders had their first of three secret topic debates, before which they have just one hour with no devices, parents or teachers and only newspapers to develop their arguments and speeches. Our team of Ebony Storrar (12BA), Clare Adams (11LB) and Heath Bayfield (12LA) fought hard against a well-organised and articulate Geelong Grammar Team 2. Despite losing the debate, Ebony was awarded Best Speaker.

Our ‘D’ Graders were arguing on both sides of the debate against other schools. GHS 1 – Emma, Summer and Mason – were on the affirmative for the topic ’That we should abolish standardised testing (e.g. NAPLAN)’ against the other Geelong College Middle School team, while GHS 2 were arguing the negative against Clonard College. While GHS 1 were victorious again, the first-timers of GHS 2 – Erica Thyer (9LB), Aiden Prins (9CB) and Harold Walker (9BB) – while highly commendable in their approach and effort throughout, were unable to overcome their more experienced opponents.

In public speaking news, congratulations to Kyle Adams (12MA) and Clare Adams for participating in the VCAA Plain English Speaking Award Regional Final. Thanks to Mr Steve Brown and Ms Julianna Garcia for transporting our speakers to and from the Geelong venue. Stand by for an extended report from Kyle and Clare.

All our debaters and public speakers are doing Geelong High School proud, showing perseverance, intellectual rigour and teamwork.

Good luck for Round Four, Thursday 13 June!

Mr Ubaldino Mantelli - Design & Tech/Drama/Corio Office Assistant House Leader

Dear Parents/Guardians/Carers

Just a reminder that the closing date for CSEF Applications is Friday 21 June 2019.

If you are the holder of a valid Pension/Healthcare card, you may be eligible to claim financial assistance for camps, sports and excursions.

Please complete your CSEF Application Form 2019 (available on Newsfeed or at Administration Office) and return to the Administration Office before 21 June 2019.

PLEASE NOTE: IF CSEF WAS RECEIVED LAST YEAR, UNLESS CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE CHANGED, CSEF IS AUTOMATICALLY ROLLED OVER AND APPLIED. A NEW APPLICATION IS NOT REQUIRED.

Thank you.

Administration

Sustainability Week was a great success with many students participating in events and activities around the school. On Monday 20 May, we had our energy challenge. Our school community was encouraged to car pool, walk or ride to school and we had an Earth Hour during the day where electrical devices were switched off where possible. Throughout the week, many staff took time out of their regular program to discuss sustainability in their lessons. Some teachers showed films in class and in particular, John Foss’s documentary, highlighting the issues facing the fragile ecosystem of Point Impossible in Torquay. Others took time out to spread mulch over our garden areas and we introduced our Soft Plastics Recycling program. Wednesday was ‘Nude Food Day’ with many students acknowledging the difference we can create when we reduce the amount of waste we bring into school. We also spoke to students about conserving water and stickers were put up around the school to remind everyone to reduce their water waste.

The highlight of the week was our whole school assembly on Sustainability. The school Captains stepped up to promote sustainability to a very receptive audience. We showed our short film on our recent Waste Audit which will soon be available on our Facebook site. The Assembly finished with an inspiring rendition of ‘Let it Grow’ from the Disney film ‘The Lorax’ by Ms Courtney Yengi’s performing arts students. In all, a fantastic spectacle that wouldn’t have happened without the time and energy of Ms Yengi and her crew.

Also during the week there was a Poetry Writing Competition, a 'Swap Don't Shop' event as well as a Raffle! There were some very happy, smiling faces receiving some fabulous prizes!

Winners of the Writing Competitions included: 

Senior Division Winner

Natasha Fox (11CA)

Commendations:

Grace Lewis (11MB)

Pia Chipperfield (11MB)

Mackenzie Smith (10BA)

Emilee Pearson (10CB)

Junior Division Winner

Keira West (8CB)

Commendations:

Anna Filbay (8CB)

Elijah Daley (8LB)

Axden Murdoch (7LA)

Rhiannon Logan (8MA)

Persuasive Letter Writer Winner

Bella Telfer (7MB)

Raffle Winners

Our all-important Raffle was a bit hit over Sustainability Week. One of our year 12 students, Leigh Munro, selected the winning tickets and Mr Davey announced the winners just before the bell last Friday 24 May.

Two teachers and one student were the lucky recipients. Ms Trudy Cameron took out First Prize, a lovely hamper filled with treats from The Farmer’s Place as well as some handy vouchers including a $100 gift card from Bunnings. Darcy O’Neill and Ms Sonia Kinsey were our Second and Third prize winners, each taking home a hamper of goodies.

Thank you to all who bought tickets for the raffle. The money raised will go to sustainability activities and support plans to create a nude food only eating garden at the school.

Sharon Hultqvist - English/Sustainability Coordinator

The Year 8 Digital Technology class went out to the Geelong Tech School to work on their 'Bot Rescue' projects. 

In this project, students have looked at a range of natural disasters and how modern technology can be utilised in the response to and recovery from natural disasters. 

At the tech school students were designing, building and testing small scale robot prototypes that could be used in a natural disasters.

This class has been introduced to the Geelong High School curriculum as part of the STEM program, which aims to increase student exposure to and interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths pathways. 

These pathways are the fastest growing in the world, so provide some pretty interesting and highly paid job opportunities for students across the world. 

Jason d'Offay -  STEM Coordinator

Last week saw the launch of a new exclusive cafe in Garden Street. Located in the Shenton complex, the cafe has been developed and operated by Geelong High School's Intermediate and Senior VCAL team. All students have gained barista training in Melbourne and are now using those skills to bring a unique coffee experience to the school.

At the moment, the cafe is open at recess and lunch times to GHS staff and senior students. Each shift is managed by three students which helps build their industry skills as well as teamwork and customer service.

The cafe was open three days last week and we sold over 40 cups which is a great start. On Friday the cafe also sold muffins which had been made by our amazing Food Tech teacher Katherine Talbot and all proceeds went to the Corio House fundraiser.

At the end of the first week, the team awarded a $20 Bakers Delight voucher to one of their lucky customers, and that customer was Emma Balkin. There will be more incentives as the cafe continues so if you're a staff member, please make sure you come in and have a look.

BEN LANGDON

Leigh House Leader

Justin Allison, a graduate from the class of ’96, returned to Geelong High School to speak to the Year 12 Visual Communication students about his graphic design pathway and work in the industry.

Jonathan Brown, the Year 12 Alumni Leader, came to the Q&A and has reflected on some of the ‘takeaways’ from the session:

After listening to Justin Allison ’96, it really put a few things in perspective for me in regards to design.

Justin told us about his secondary school days at Geelong High School, where he mainly studied art-based subjects such as: Art, Studio Art, Graphic Design, Woodwork and, of course, English. He knew from an early age that he wanted to pursue a career in this field but he was not aware that he would have to jump a few hurdles in order to get there.

Justin faced his first hurdle when he finished Year 12 and was trying to get accepted into Graphic Design at La Trobe University. He had prepared a folio that he was rather proud of, knowing that this could be his ticket into the University. Unfortunately, what Justin wasn’t aware of was the need to demonstrate his ability to use technology. This was something he had not considered, due to the limited access to technology at the time, which became rather problematic as most universities were looking for students with computer skills.

Undeterred by this, Justin looked at other avenues and was accepted into a Fine Arts Degree at Ballarat University. Justin soon realised that this form of art wasn’t where his passions lie and decided to withdraw, going on to complete a Diploma of Graphic Design, specializing in cartoon drawing. After completing his Diploma, Justin was employed by the Geelong Advertiser to work in administration. Justin never lost sight of his goals and eventually convinced the editor, whom he had a good rapport with, to allow him to complete a weekly cartoon for the newspaper pro bono.

Justin eventually made his way up the chain at the Geelong Advertiser, to management. He did long hours, still drawing his weekly cartoon as well undertaking other contract work, in his own time, on the side.

He began to regularly design for a small, local clothing brand, St Goliath which was showing positive signs of expansion. Justin was eventually approached by the company and offered a full-time position as their main graphic artist. He grabbed the job with both hands and still works there today, designing t.shirts, which he loves.

I found Justin’s story very inspiring and reassuring as it showed me that teenagers don’t necessarily have to have their whole lives planned out when they finish school. Justin demonstrated how hard work, perseverance and grit can eventually get you to where you want to be.

Good luck Justin! Best wishes for the future.

Jonathan Brown

Year 12 Alumni Leader

Jack Nyhof was a guest speaker at the Geelong Regional Local Learning and Employment Network AGM on Wednesday. Jack spoke about his experience working in the gig economy, and his work with the Office for Youth with the Victorian Government. Jack has produced a local television show for channel 31 and has also been a broadcaster on The Pulse since he was 14. Jack acknowledged the support that Geelong High had provided him whilst a student at the school.

He is pictured here with Ken Stewart (Assistant Principal), who is a Board member of the LLEN.

Year 8 Interschool Girls Netball

On Tuesday 21 May our Year 8 Netball Teams, A & B, travelled to the Geelong Indoor Netball Centre for a round-robin netball tournament.

Our Year 8 Team A were lucky enough to win their competion. Team B were not as lucky but still put in an amazing effort. We are very proud of both teams!

Year 8 Interschool Netball Team A. Congratulations to all!

Year 8 Interschool Netball Team B. Fantastic effort!

Year 8 Interschool Girls Soccer

On Thursday 23 May our Year 8 girls soccer team played against other schools in a round-robin style format and made the semi-finals! Congratulations girls!

Geelong is located on an impressive bay but how many of us know what goes on in the industrial areas or in the shipping lanes or on the docks?

Twenty-four VCAL students were given a behind-the-scenes look at our shipping industry last Thursday, 23 May. They boarded a refurbished tug boat and navigated through the channel systems which are 120m wide and have to fit large container ships up to 50m wide. The tight squeeze means that the Geelong shipping lanes are only ever one-way and ships have to schedule their access in advance.

The excursion also gave students an insight into some of our neighbours, including a pod of five dolphins who swam along the boat as it moved along the channels. The boat driver said it was only the second time he'd seen dolphins in the Bay this year.

 Back on shore, students were invited to AMOSC - Australian Marine Oil Spill Centre which is located in North Geelong but responds to oil disasters across Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia. They also train experts from around the world on ways to contain oil spills and then work on different methods of dispersing or removing it. The presentation showcased lots of jobs linked with the Shipping industry in Geelong.

BEN LANGDON

Leigh House Leader

All Year 11 students headed off to the Geelong Careers and Pathways Expo held at Deakin University to explore their chosen pathway. 

Students had the opportunity to explore pathways at University, TAFE, Apprenticeships, Defence Force, Police and Ambulance Victoria to name a few. 

It was fantastic to see students engage in meaningful conversations and start to refine their decisions on the future.

Ms Trudy Cameron - Careers SBAT, VET & VCE

The Winter Ensemble Concert will be held in the Shenton Theatre on Monday 3 June.

Performances include Geelong High School's Concert Band, Chamber Ensemble, Brass Ensemble and Flute Ensemble.

Performing students' arrival: 6.00pm for sound-check

Audience time of arrival: 6.45pm

Concert commences at: 7.00pm

Cost: This is a FREE event

For more information, please contact Mr Andrew Kypriotis or call the Music House on Ph 5225 4199.

Deakin Future ME Year 9 Careers Program

Year 9 students have been participating in their Year 9 Careers Program supported by Deakin University. This program has involved students completing employability activities including teamwork, problem solving and communication tasks. Their major challenge at Deakin University was to complete group interviews of lecturers. The students had to lead this activity and they rose to the task and completed it with enthusiasm, nervousness and professionalism. Students were also given a tour of the University with many aspiring to attend Deakin after Year 12.

A great effort Year 9’s!

Trudy Cameron - Careers

On Wednesday 23 May, it will be NUDE FOOD DAY!

Please see the below flyer for further information:

On Friday 10 May, four of our lucky Year 8 students were invited to attend the Science Alive pre-launch.

They also made Friday's Geelong Advertiser, just to top off an exicitng week.

Year 8 students, Fraser Doyle, Jacob Pearce, Melaia Nacagilevu and Montana Olsen made wonderful ambassadors for Geelong High School and by the look of their faces, had a great time too!

Congratulations to the Geelong High School Intermediate girls football team on making the Semi Finals last week. The day began with a very hard fought draw against Grovedale College. 

It was a tremendous effort to hold on in the second half as we were defending into a strong breeze. Circumstances were similar in the next game as the girls came from behind into the wind to win by under a goal. The semi-final was also a hard fought game, but unfortunately Surfcoast were too strong, defeating us by 2 goals.

Congratulations to all players who showed improvement throughout the day. 

Darren Meadows

Coach

The clothing swap event, to be held on Thursday 23 May, is for staff and students at our school, during Sustainability Week.

Please see the below flyer for more information.

Students in the Senior VCAL program planned and ran a parent welcome night late term one. The focus of the night was a ‘meet and greet’ and various presentations by the students on what they have done so far. The night started with a BBQ where parents, teachers and students mingled. Students showed their parents around the new spaces where there were lots of photos and work by the students.

A huge ‘thank you’ to East Geelong Quality Butcher for supplying all the meat for the BBQ and East Fruit Market for raffle vouchers. Following the BBQ everyone made their way into Shenton where students presented on what they had been involved with so far this year, activities such as, barista qualifications, first aid, RSA, sailing, industry surf day and class activities. The event formed their major assessment for term one and took a number of weeks to plan.

Students did an amazing job putting it all together and worked brilliantly as a team.

Well done to all involved!

Brennon Reusch

VCAL

Corio House fundraising day has changed to Friday 24 May!

This year Corio House are fundraising for Headspace. Students are allowed to wear casual dress on Friday 24 May and are encouraged to wear GREEN on the day. This will cost a gold coin donation, which will be collected period one in class time. There will also be a sausage sizzle which will also cost a gold coin donation.

Ms Julianna Garcia - Assistant Principal

Week three of Term Two saw the start of the Debaters Association of Victoria’s Geelong Region Competition.

Our ‘A’ Grade representatives – Clare Adams (11LB), Xavier Curtis (11CA) and Holly Maloney (11BA) – and Year 12, Kyle Adams (12M) competed valiantly for the affirmative against Geelong Grammar (1) on the topic ‘That, instead of being elected, members of Parliament should be randomly selected’.

It was a tough debate, and Grammar proved more succinct with their arguments overall. Geelong High School, however, articulated theirs commendably. Well done, especially to our new team members and to Clare, our Debating Captain!

We have two ‘D’ Grade teams this year, but, in Round One, Team Two had a bye.

Team One, comprising Emma Couchman, Summer Lehmann and Mason Blyth – all from 9LA, and a formidable trio for the past two years – returned to their solid form, winning their debate against a skilful North Geelong. Geelong High School argued for the affirmative on the topic ‘That we should ban horse racing’, making clear and sustained points throughout.

Special congratulations to Summer for being awarded Best Speaker!

Mr Ubaldino Mantelli

Debating & Public Speaking Co-ordinator

WE WANT OUR STUDENTS TO TELL US WHAT THEY THINK!

We value student voice as a means to improving student engagement, wellbeing, and quality instruction, and are conducting a survey to find out what your child thinks of our school. The Attitudes to School Survey is an annual student survey offered by the Department of Education and Training to assist schools in gaining an understanding of students' perceptions and experience of school. Our school will use the survey results to plan programs and activities to improve your child's schooling experience.

Students from Year 7 to 12 at our school will participate in the survey. Your child will complete the survey online during school hours using a purpose built secure online survey tool.  It is important to note that we are not in any way “testing” your child. Your child has the right to refuse or withdraw from the survey at any point before, during, or after completion of the survey. It is our expectation that all students will participate given that we expect them to be responsible members of the school community and voice their opinion.

Your child will be provided with a unique login to complete the survey. The student login is an assigned identifier that may be used to link data for statistical and research purposes only. All responses to the survey are kept anonymous in the response file. Personal identification data will not be recorded in the survey response file. This ensures that the confidentiality of your child’s responses is protected at all times.

This year the Attitudes to School survey will be conducted at our school on Thursday 30^th May and Friday 31^st May. The survey will be conducted in our school hall and will occur during your child's class time, involving one year level at a time. The survey only takes up to 20 minutes to complete.

All students need to ensure they bring their device to school on that day.

The survey results will be reported back to the school before the end of term 2. All survey data that is made available in reports are for groups of students only so that no individual student can be identified. Survey results will be communicated to parents and carers through annual reporting and communicated to the student body through the SRC and senior leadership group (G21).

Last year we used the survey results to monitor levels of student engagement and wellbeing, compare school level data on engagement with state-wide benchmarks and assist in the identification of areas of improvement and professional development needs in the school.

If you would like more information, please speak to your child’s teacher or visit: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/management/improvement/Pages/performsurveyat.aspx

Please see the below letter from MSP Photography that explains the delay in our school photos.

Year 12 students today opened their letter they wrote to themselves in Year 7 as part of the Geelong High School Careers Development program. 

The Year 7 letter contained their goals, aspirations and inspiration thoughts from six years ago.   It was a very special moment to share with the Class of 2019 

as they put these plans into action or sometimes something totally different.  The gym was full of laughter, sharing of ideas and the realisation that it is a time to be planning for the next step.

Ms Trudy Cameron - Careers

Ms Wild’s Year 8 class finished off Term 1 on a high note by attending an excursion to ‘Hi Sushi’ Japanese restaurant in week 10. This event was planned to coincide with a unit of study on Japanese Food and Drink. For many students this was the first time they had tried Japanese. (Other than Sushi.) The overall feedback was that the food was pretty darn good with Tempura, Gyoza, Tonkatsu Karee, Yakisoba and Beef Teriyaki being the favourites. Ms Wild and Ms Garcia were impressed with the students willingness to try a variety of food they had never eaten before including Takoyaki (octopus balls).

Ms Anna Wild-Fyfe - Japanese Teacher

Click on link to book your tickets: trybooking

The Seamaster 2019 World Tour Platinum Australian Open will be held at the Arena in Geelong on 9-14 July. ITTF-Oceania is the Event Delivery Organisation and they are now recruiting ball children and volunteers to support the event.

Last year’s event in Geelong was a great success and with your support it will be even better this year.

Please nominate here as a ball person. Please nominate as per below links: