1. education
2. school

Broadford Secondary College
Pinniger St, Broadford, 3658
Tel: (03) 5784 1200
Fax: (03) 5784 1921
www.homeworkworld.com.au
www.broadfordsc.vic.edu.au
The App!
Principal: Mr David Mills
NEWSLETTER No. 7
PARENTS GET INVOLVED AT BSC FOR MOTHER’S
DAY
Broadford Secondary College students and their mothers, or
significant female figures got together to celebrate Mother’s Day with
an afternoon tea last week, as part of the ‘Parents as Partners’
program. The program has been developed by the school Wellbeing
Team with a focus on engaging parents in the educational lives of
their children.
There is a great understanding that the home environment plays a
significant role in student academic outcomes and therefore the
Wellbeing Team are aiming to create more opportunities to strengthen
these links by engaging parents to get involved with the education of
their children and the school environment.
Each student was asked to write a personal invitation to their
significant female figures, inviting them to attend the afternoon tea.
15 May, 2015
COMING EVENTS
Thursday 21 May
Parent Forum, 7-8pm
Friday 22 May
Term II Round Robin Sports
Tuesday 2 June
Year 7 SPAC
Wednesday 3 June
Year 8 SPAC
Monday 8 June
Queen’s Birthday Holiday
Wednesday 10 June
GAT Exam
Friday 12 June
Report Writing Day
NO CLASSES FOR STUDENTS
Thursday 25 June
Reports available at 3.10pm
Friday 26 June
End of Term II
Students dismissed at 2.30pm
UNIFORM SHOP
ALL THINGS UNIFORM
1/70 High Street, Broadford
5784 2276
The afternoon tea was attended by 50 mothers (or significant female
figures), who enjoyed tea, coffee, cakes and hand massages,
OPEN INVITATION
MEET THE COLLEGE REVIEWERS - PARENT FORUM
WEDNESDAY 20 MAY, 6-7pm OR THURSDAY 21 MAY, 2.30-3.30pm
Please contact Kaye Blake – 5784 1200 to register your intention.
Aspire - Strive - Achieve
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courtesy of Vive Total Body Care. Funding from the Mitchell Community Resources and Advocacy Groups
made the afternoon possible.
The Mother’s Day afternoon tea is one of many programs focussed on engaging our families into our school
environment. The next opportunity for parents is a Parent Forum to be held at the College on Thursday 21
May at 7pm. The guest speaker will be Bernie Geary who is the Principal Commissioner of children and
young people. All are encouraged and welcome to attend.
We would like to thank all the lovely ladies who attended and made the event very special. We sincerely
appreciated it and are sure your young person did also.
Jason Gatt, Kirsty Roberts, Sarah Gething.
Wellbeing Team.
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
Every Day Counts in the education of our children.
Literacy: learning we all share. How much reading has your child done at home in the past two weeks?
Broadford Secondary College is now reporting on COMPASS for your convenience, for mid-term progress
reports in Terms 2 and 3. It is the College’s intention to improve our communication and inform parents how
their children are progressing on a more regular basis. These will be ready for viewing on COMPASS as of
Monday 18 May and as usual I look forward to any feedback about this new innovation for the College.
You may have noticed the two titles on my newsletter pieces focusing on Attendance and Literacy.
We all know in sport, work and education that if we do not put in the effort and attend, we do not gain the
rewards. I will share with the community our attendance results for 2014 and to date 2015. This enables you
to compare and understand the impact of poor attendance on your child’s our students learning.
Average Days Absent
7
8
9
10
11
12
2014
17.05
21.29
33.30
27.39
23.57
24.67
2015
(Year to Date)
11.95
14.34
15.45
17.18
13.13
14.22
These figures certainly indicate that Broadford Secondary College students are taking a lot more days off
school than we would like. I urge all parents to please ensure that your child has no unnecessary days away
from school and that you continue the practice of informing the College of any known absences.
Some of the processes we are undertaking to assist and reduce the number of days absent per student
include the introduction of the COMPASS program, absence letters and timely roll marking in class.
We have a dedicated attendance officer at the College, Mrs Meryl Adams, who tracks absences and ensures
that the records provided are entered and kept up to date. Please contact Mrs Adams either via COMPASS,
phone or mail with any known absences endorsed by you or those unknown absences of which you are
aware.
Remember that:
Every day counts in the education of our children.
The Year 7 and 9 students have been involved in their NAPLAN testing over this week. It is most important
that students take this assessment so that you, the parents, can see their achievement levels, and that we,
as a College, can see the learning growth between Year 7 and Year 9, to enable us to best plan for the
future.
Dave Mills.
SKOOLBAG APP
Important information is being circulated to mobile phones and devices via our “Skoolbag” App. Have you
downloaded it yet? Search for “Skoolbag Broadford Secondary College” in the App/Play Store.
Aspire - Strive - Achieve
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FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S
DESK
Well it's been a big few weeks. The cross country
was cancelled and then the cross country was not
cancelled. A big thank you to all the students who
acted as officials or participants and ensured this
event proceeded during the week under trying
conditions.
The last few days have seen our Year 7 and 9
students complete the NAPLAN tests. I
congratulate the majority of students who used
these tests as an opportunity to showcase the hard
work they have been doing in class. I observed all
these tests and am proud of the efforts of most of
our students. The results from these tests are
important to the College and are used in planning
curriculum changes for the next few years.
I wish to remind students and families that
skins/leggings and hoodies are not acceptable
pieces of uniform. Thank you to the majority of
students who have complied with this.
Mark Boland
JUNIOR SCHOOL NEWS
The last two weeks have flown by! Students are
currently completing a range of assessment tasks
in all learning areas as teachers prepare to write
progress reports and later, semester reports.
Please check with your child and see what
assessment tasks are being undertaken and when
work is due. Overdue notices will be sent home if
students have failed to meet deadlines; keep your
eyes out for these and ensure your child catches
up on any outstanding work.
good luck to all those involved and hopefully you
come home with a win. Go Broadford!
Students in Year 7 and 8 had their immunisations
in the hall on Monday 11 May. Hopefully
everyone’s arm is now feeling OK. Year 7 Urban
Camp letters have been sent home. If you have
not received one please ask your child to pick one
up from the office.
It is fantastic to see a number of students who have
received multiple merits, keep up the great work!
Any teacher can award a Merit at any time for work
or effort above and beyond the norm. Upon
accruing 5 Merits, students will receive a canteen
voucher from an Assistant Principal.
A reminder to parents that the Junior School
Relocation Policy states that students must selfreport to their Co-ordinator if they are relocated.
Three such relocations in one term results in a
suspension. The uniform policy is currently being
enforced across all years. Students who are not in
full uniform for any reason need to report to the
conference room before 9.00am to receive a
uniform pass.
Please remember that hoodies, canvas shoes,
caps, beanies, leggings/skins are not part of the
uniform even on PE days. I must emphasise that
students who wear leggings or skins to school will
be receive immediate consequences and that facial
piercings must be clear or less than 1mm in size;
no bolts or rings.
I also wanted to highlight the College’s plan to
improve communication with parents through social
media and apps.
The Broadford Secondary
College app is available for (free) download. It can
be found in both the Apple App Store (iPhone) and
the Google Play Store (Android). Parents can also
visit the Junior School Facebook page. Simply
search and like ‘BSC Junior School’ on Facebook.
This page will focus on the day-to-day goings on at
the college and recognise student achievement.
If you have any questions about this term please
don't hesitate to contact your child’s Advocate,
Year level Co-ordinators or me, the Junior School
Co-ordinator.
Year 7 – Mr Chris Powell and Ms Belinda
McKenzie
Year 8 – Ms Kellie Mckernan
Year 9 – Mr Jason Stradella
This fortnight, a number of junior school students
participated in the cross-country event held at the
College on Tuesday 12 May. It was previously
cancelled due to poor weather conditions. The
inter-school Round Robin Sports Day is next week,
Ms Kellie McKernan
Junior School Co-ordinator.
YEAR 8 JIGSAW EXCURSION
A reminder that permission slips and payment for
the Immigration Museum excursion need to be
returned to the General Office as soon as possible.
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SPORT NEWS
HOUSE CROSS COUNTRY
The delayed House Cross Country competition was
held last Tuesday, for competitors only.
Approximately 250 students signed up to run the
4.4 kilometre course.
House Swimming and Athletics, (and Cross
Country when run as a whole school event).
Failure to attend, without a valid reason, not an
excuse, will result in suspension from Round Robin
for two terms. Reasons and other evidence MUST
be provided before the event (unless there is
something that happens on the day which
precludes their involvement such as injury, illness
etc). The school is aware that some students, for a
variety of valid reasons, may not wish or be able to
participate. Notification of such circumstances
needs to be advised to the relevant Year Level Coordinator or Mr Dennis before the event.
All of us, at some time, have to do things we may
not be interested in or wish to but are required to
do so in order to achieve another goal.
Attendance or participation is compulsory for these
events because, as a school, we feel it essential
that the students contribute to the whole school
community and not just ‘pick and choose’ when
they wish to participate.
The participation rate at Years 7, 8 and 9 was
fantastic but seemed to ‘drop off’ in Years 10 and
11. Most Year 12 students competed. This maybe
because they have realised that such events will
not occur again and they will not have that ‘whole
school’ experience in the future.
I would recommend that all students appreciate the
opportunities the school offers them to personally
grow and develop as individuals. Participation in
these events is an important part of this.
Congratulations to all students who qualified for the
Southern Ranges Finals which will be held at Yea
on Tuesday, 2 June. This may conflict with exams
for Year 10 or 11 students but we are able to make
arrangements for them to compete.
I am aware that many students wished to
participate in Round Robin this term but were
denied the opportunity due to lack of numbers
and/or coaching staff or suspensions based from
lack of participation. This was compounded by the
simple fact that students did not listen to and act
upon various Bulletin announcements.
Herald-Sun Footy!
Shortly after finishing the rescheduled cross
country event on Tuesday afternoon, 24 of our
Year 10, 11 and 12 boys immediately switched into
preparation mode for the annual HeraldSun Shield
competition. Fuelled by some of Bulluss' bolognese
- we headed to Euroa to play under lights in an
elimination-final game of AFL.
The list of qualifiers – first 8 in each age group – is
on display on the notice board in the Year 11 locker
corridor.
A list of age group winners will also be on display
and they will receive their ‘colours’ at the next
School Assembly
Well done to all students who participated and
thanks to all staff who were able to assist on the
day.
ROUND ROBIN SPORT
It is necessary to remind all parents of the school’s
policy regarding participation in Round Robin Sport.
Since
2004,
attendance,
not
necessarily
participation, is compulsory for ALL students at
Following some words of wisdom from Coach Rose
- the boys set about warming up and there was a
lot of positive talk amongst the group. Led by team
captain Jaxson Kinnear, a fired up Broadford unit
was ready for the first bounce.
A couple of early goals from Euroa, including a
lucky barrel from beyond the 50m arc had BSC on
the back foot. Matt Bulluss took a mark and kicked
truly from right on the 50m line, initiating a period of
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Broadford dominance. We were on top for the rest
of the first quarter, with the majority of play in our
forward half of the field.
Hayden Phillips made a brilliant tackle on the wing
that allowed us to send it forward again, with Paddy
Coppinger pouncing on a loose ball and snapping
beautifully with his opposite foot to put BSC in front.
In the dying minutes of the first quarter, a good
series of handpasses allowed us to build through
the middle quickly and deliver the ball deep into our
forward line where a strong mark from Bulluss led
to another BSC goal.
The second quarter began with Euroa running
unchecked through the middle and scoring from a
set shot about 30m out, directly in front. Josh
Vilinskis turned on the jets and sprinted across the
wing to send it into our goal square, but we couldn't
capitalise and Euroa rushed it through for a point.
A series of easy possessions out the back of the
packs for Euroa led to a goal and at half-time the
scoreboard had BSC 5 points down.
Many thanks to Mr Mills, Mr Boland and all the
parents who came to cheer us on. Also to Mr
Bulluss for the pre-game nutrition and for being
runner. Thanks to Mr Symons for running water
and not getting in the way, and to Mr Rose for a
great job coaching.
Mr Darren Symons.
BROADFORD VCAL
The Year 11 and 12 VCAL students have been
working towards meeting their learning outcomes
on Community Engagement and Active Citizenship
this term by helping to landscape the front of the
school. Students were involved in replacing garden
bed edging; spreading a huge amount of mulch;
weeding and trimming garden beds and planting
seedlings. Through the hard work of students, the
front of the school is looking fantastic. It is much
nicer for students and staff to walk into a tidy and
well-presented work environment! Thank you to all
the VCAL students for their great effort.
Back in the rooms, Coach Rose refocussed the
troops and ignored his cravings for a can of coke
(get on board the H30 challenge!)
Early in the third, the game was very tightly
contested. A great spoil from Luke Gallina in
defence saved a certain goal. Hard running and
tackling from all the BSC boys was a highlight
early, with the ball trapped in our forward 50m but
unfortunately, for no reward. A dropped BSC mark
at centre-half back led to another Euroa goal. A
few easy marks in the danger-zone for Euroa and
the scoreboard no longer reflected the closeness of
the game. Late in the third, Caleb Blay smothered
a kick and with a huge individual effort, recovered
the ball to send a cracking handpass to Bulluss.
He broke a tackle and sent a long kick into our
forward line that was expertly crumbed by Nathan
Woods who ran in to kick an easy goal from 5m
out. Euroa then caught us unawares to quickly
reply on the scoreboard with an after-the-siren goal
making the score 51-28 at 3/4 time.
The fourth quarter had some very tough footy, with
both teams finding it impossible to score. The
highlight of this quarter was Bronson Phillips
corralling Euroa's best player right in front of the
interchange bench then laying a strong tackle to a
chorus of cheers from the BSC faithful who'd made
the trip up. The final siren rang and the score was
53-30, in Euroa's favour.
Best on ground for BSC were: Blay, Bulluss,
Coppinger, Kinnear, The Phillips brothers, Vilinskis,
Gallina and Brad Bennetts.
Goals: Bulluss (2), Coppinger and Woods.
Students in the Foundation Personal Development
class have also been working on fundraising
activities in an effort to raise money for the charity
they have chosen to support. Students will be
running BBQs, selling a variety of sweet and
savoury foods, making t-shirts and having ‘Guess
the Lollies in the Jar’ competitions. Hopefully the
VCAL students will be able to raise a lot of money
for the charities they are supporting.
YEAR 10 WORK EXPERIENCE
Year 10 Work Experience dates are:
Monday 14 September to Friday 18 September
Students should start looking at opportunities NOW
as there are 120 Year 10 students who will all be
seeking placements at that time.
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ART NEWS
The blurb from the book is: “Two years before
Beatrice Prior makes her choice, the sixteen year
old son of Abnegation’s faction leader does the
same. Tobias’s transfer to Dauntless is his chance
to begin again. Newly renamed “ FOUR” he
discovers that the initiation is only the
beginning………….
Four must claim his place in the Dauntless
hierarchy. His decisions will affect future initiates as
well as uncover secrets that could threaten his own
future and the future of the entire faction system.
Two years later, Four is poised to act but the
course is still unclear. The first new initiate who
jumps into the net might change all that. With her,
the way to righting their world might become clear.
With her it might become possible to be Tobias
once again.”
Congratulations to Brittany Dean, Kirsten Boehm
and Melissa Boehm who entered their artworks in
the annual Kilmore Art Expo in April.
It's great to see our students showing off their
talent in the wider community and getting involved
in local events.
We look forward to seeing more of this involvement
during Art Week - next week, Monday 18 - Friday
22 May).
Come and see us and let us know what you think of
this companion novel.
Ms Nicole Lehman
Library.
ZANE’S WORLD
Ms Sarah Groves
Art Teacher.
LIBRARY NEWS AND REVIEW
With the early arrival of winter weather, nothing is
better than curling up in front of the fire, with a good
book. The library is happy to announce the arrival
of a great selection of fiction titles for you to enjoy.
So come and have a browse.
For those of you who are fans of the “DIVERGENT”
series, we have a new book called FOUR: A
Divergent Collection. It is a spin off from the series
as said from “Four’s” point of view. A series of
short stories, taken from Four through the journey
of his life. It is a companion book for the Divergent
series.
What d’ya reckon, could this photo be used on a
card, or what? I’m hot looking and Scooby’s got
fame, therefore, it should appeal to the
‘mainstream’ crowd – I think we could be onto
something. In fact that’s my goal in life, to become
more famous than Scooby. As Walt Disney said, ‘If
you can dream it, you can do it’… I think that’s what
he said and if I could be bothered, I’d look it up on
‘Sparknotes’ but to be honest, I’d rather go and
seek a stray crust. You know how there was the
myth about Walt Disney having his brain
cryogenically frozen, well I was thinking that when I
pass away, maybe I could have my brain
embalmed in one of those jars in the Science room
or maybe I’ll be mummified and have it put in a
cyanotic jar but wait, I digress …. and that’s a bit
morbid.
Great turn up for the Mother’s Day afternoon.
Sounds like it was a real hit, not that I was invited!
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I guess I’m not a mum and, for that matter, not
even a female… and I have a problem with
resisting food. Anyway, glad it was a hit.
Hope everyone had fun doing the Cross Country.
Man, I was quick! I’d like to see that Euroa dog
beat me over 4kms. But seriously, some of you
guys were awesome, well done!
And thanks to the Year 12s who brought me back
some brochures from the Careers Expo. I’ve read
through them and I’m thinking of either: A Customs
Dog, A Chef, A Personal Trainer, A Dietician, A
Greyhound, A VET, or maybe a Rocket Scientist
(yeah, I made that one up). Actually, I’ve been
watching Master Chef, for obvious reasons, and I
think Matt Preston’s job looks pretty cool too. The
opportunities are endless.
Before I sign off, how good was needle day? I
looove needle day – thanks for the pats everyone.
Off for now, I’ve got to get my homework done to
make sure I don’t narrow my job choices.
Catchya. Woof.
Have you changed phone
numbers?
Did you advise the School?
Useful phone numbers:
Parent help Line
13 22 89
Life Line
13 11 14
Kids Help Line
1800 55 1800
Mens Help Line
1300 789 978
Crack the code with maths! is the theme of this year’s Education Week, 17 – 23 May 2015. The
Education Week website now features information for parents and students about the value of maths and
computer coding education, and the diverse study options and rewarding career paths it can lead to. It
also features themed activity ideas. To find out more about Education Week and the value of maths and
coding, visit: www.education.vic.gov.au/educationweek.
FRIDAY 12th JUNE REPORT WRITING DAY
Students DO NOT attend school on this day.
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JAPANESE SISTER SCHOOL VISIT
HOST FAMILIES REQUIRED
Are you interested in hosting a Japanese student?
20 students from our sister school in JapanKatsuta High School – will be visiting our
school early in term 3.
What’s involved?





You need to be able to provide food
and
accommodation
for
the
student(s) for 4 nights. (Saturday 1
August to
Wednesday
5
August).
My home is too small – No it isn’t.
Japanese homes are much smaller
than ours. The students are used to small spaces.
We don’t have a spare room/bed. They can share a room/ sleep on the floor/couch.
We don’t speak Japanese. The students are here to practise their English. If you can slow down
your speech /avoid too much slang/ play a decent game of charades – you’ll be just fine.
We don’t have time to take them places – The students will fit in with what you are doing on the
weekend (shopping, sport, playstation etc.).
A brief outline of the program
The Katsuta students will arrive in Broadford on Saturday 1 August. Host families will be asked to pick up
their student(s) from Broadford Secondary College at around 3pm. They will spend the weekend with you and
your family.
The main purpose of the homestay is to experience everyday life with an Australian family, and to
communicate in English. They are here to improve their language skills, and they do that by talking to you. It
is always a bit awkward at first – it takes a while for them to adjust to the Australian accent! They learn best
by watching, listening, helping you around the home and taking part in games and activities.
Some good ice-breaking activities:
 Card games (Uno etc.), board games, jigsaws
 Helping with setting tables, cleaning up, cooking.
 A home tour –it’s really important to show them how to use the bathroom/shower. If you’re on tank
water, indicate that you have a time limit on showers. To avoid peak hour rush in the bathroom, you
may ask the student(s) to shower in the evening rather than the morning.
 Introduce them to your pets and animals.
 Show them the Milky Way.
 Take them to the supermarket to help you shop for groceries and find out about their favourite foods.
On Monday and Tuesday the students will attend B.S.C for the day. They will take part in classes, tour the
school and present information about Japanese culture to Broadford students. Host families are asked to
provide lunch for the Katsuta students.
The students will depart Broadford Secondary College on Wednesday 5 August, at 9am.
This is a brief outline of the program, and more detailed information will follow. Please feel free to contact me
with any questions/queries/concerns that you have.
Stephanie Paton (Japanese teacher).
Phone: 5784 1200
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JAPANESE STUDENTS HOMESTAY
Please complete and return to General Office as soon as possible.
We are interested in hosting Japanese students during their visit from:
Saturday 1 August until Wednesday 5 August (4 nights)
Name:___________________________________Phone:________________________
Address:______________________________________________________________
Please indicate the number of students you could host ___________ and whether
you would prefer to host male or female students ____________ (we especially need host
families for male students).
Bus traveller? Yes / No
Do you already have a Working with Children Card? Yes / No
Parent’s/Guardian’s signature:_______________________________________
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Parents Victoria Online
Conference May 18-21
Principals are encouraged to invite parents to participate in part two of
Parents Victoria’s online conference.
The conference is being held during Education Week on 18 -21 May and will
cover social media, online reporting, career advice and pathways, access to
education, parent clubs, and funding. There will also be the opportunity for
participants to raise other issues important to them. For updates, visit:
Parents Victoria
The online conference will feature live online discussions, hosted by a
member of Parents Victoria. Each day a special guest from a relevant
organisation will be available to comment on one of the topics. Final dates
and times are currently being confirmed.
You don’t need to be a member of Parents Victoria to take part and no
special software is required. The online discussions will be easy to join in,
with guidelines and online resources provided.
To register for the event, visit: Register for Parents Victoria Online
Conference May 2015
10
11
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Broadford Secondary College
ATTENDANCE
Policy and Procedure
Rationale:
The Education Act requires that children of school age (six to seventeen years) resident in Victoria are
required to be in full-time attendance at a government or registered non-government school unless formally
exempt. Our school requires that post-compulsory aged students also attend school unless a valid reason
exists.
Aims:
To maximise student learning opportunities and performance by ensuring that children required to attend
school do so regularly, and without unnecessary or frivolous absences.
Implementation:

Education is a sequential process. Absences often mean students miss important stages in the
development of topics, causing them to find ‘catching up’ difficult.

Absenteeism contributes significantly to student failure at school.

All enrolled students are required to attend school unless reasonable and valid grounds exist for
them to be absent.

Parents have a responsibility to ensure that their children attend school regularly, and are only
absent if ill or if absolutely necessary. Parents have a further responsibility to provide a written note to
the school explaining why an absence has occurred.

A staff member will be responsible for monitoring and investigating student absences.

Parents of students who are absent are required to notify the school to report the absence. This
may be done by telephoning the school (to be confirmed in writing by a note from parents) or directly
via COMPASS.

Independent students not living with parents or guardians are also required to provide notes.

The designated staff member will telephone parents of absent students if communication from
parents is not forth coming.

Unexplained or inadequately explained absences will cause the designated staff member to
communicate with parents and the student involved so as to implement strategies that will resolve the
problem.

Students who aggregate more than 8 inadequately explained absences, will fail that year of study.

Ongoing unexplained absences, or lack of cooperation regarding student attendance will result in a
formal attendance conference being organised. Unresolved attendance issues of post-compulsory
students may result in their expulsion from school. Unresolved attendance issues for students required
to attend will result in year level failure and may be reported to the Department of Human Services.

The principal will ensure all student absences are recorded each period by teachers, are aggregated
on our CASES database and communicated to the Department of Education.

The Department of Education and enrolment auditors may seek student attendance records.

Aggregated student attendance data is reported to the Department of Education and the wider
community each year as part of the annual report.
Evaluation:
This policy will be reviewed as part of the school’s three-year review cycle.
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