Newsletter- Term 3 Week 3 2024

Newcomb Secondary College House Olympics

Let the games begin! If you are anything like me, you may be a little bleary-eyed this week and no doubt over the next fortnight. Not only has the Paris Olympic Games commenced, but some may say more importantly, the Newcomb Secondary College House Olympics is ‘off-and-running’ (pardon the pun!). Yesterday the Frisbee and Basketball competitions got underway and today the Basketball continues, and the relay also takes centre stage. It is fantastic to see our students completing this great event, an event that was designed and is led by our student leaders. As such, here is a blurb from the student leaders to share with you all:

"Well done to everyone who participated and volunteered on the first day of the Newcomb Secondary College Olympics. Congratulations Yasir Saeed from Harrison who dominated the Frisbee throwing competition, helping to secure 1st place for his house. Keep up the good work and participation in the events. Congratulations to Drysdale for winning against Wills in the first round of basketball, making it to the grand final. Yesterday (Tuesday) there was a house relay, when Harrison and Curlewis competed to secure their spot in the grand final. Please don't forget you can still help support your house by wearing a splash of red, green, yellow, or blue (bow, shoes, socks, scrunchie, full school uniform still required)."

Leaderboard - as of Tuesday 30/07

1st - Harrison with 5500 points

2nd - Curlewis with 3500 points

3rd - Wills with 3000 points

4th - Drysdale 1200 points

Course Counselling

This week we welcome parents and carers into the college to share in their student’s course counselling conversations. These decisions become more and more important as our students progress through their schooling, and we are fortunate to have a comprehensive Course Counselling program in place, led by our Pathways team, to guide and support students with their choices and their decisions. Can I acknowledge all of you who attended our Pathways meeting last Thursday- your investment in your student’s future was evident and I know it means a lot to the students themselves.

Mobile Phone Policy

The roll-out of the amended Mobile Phone policy has been exceptional and the impact on the school climate has been overwhelmingly positive. We thank our students, staff, and the college community for supporting this important revision of the Mobile Phone policy and look forward to our students reaping the rewards of the benefits to their Mental Health, Social Health, Learning and Wellbeing.

This week the policy commences to its full effect, that is we have finished the initial phases of the roll-out and the policy now comes into full-effect. Essentially what this means is that the full set of consequences are in place for students who breach the policy whilst at school. All details on the policy can be found on the following link.

Professional Practice Day (PPD)- Thursday August 1

Please note that this Thursday (August 1) all teachers at Newcomb Secondary College will be participating in their Professional Practice Day (PPD). As a result, no regular classes will be conducted on the day. The day, as part of the current agreement, provides teachers with the opportunity to complete planning and assessment.

Facilities Upgrades- Lockers

Later this week we will be in receipt of 350 new lockers for students. These new and innovative lockers will contain a charging point for students learning devices and a lockable pad for students to place a code in to secure their locker and such belongings. Students should be aware that the lockers will be slightly smaller so are encouraged to determine the items necessary to be stored at school and those not relevant stored at home.

To accommodate the locker installation and transfer of items to the new lockers, students will be asked to take all their belongings home with them prior to Thursday of this week. On Thursday, any lockers with items remaining in them will be cleared and the belongings named and stored in the Student Support offices. On Friday we hope to be able to allocate students to their new lockers however we will be guided by the installation by the builders. The fall-back will be for handover on Monday of next week- please ensure you keep an eye out on Compass for updates.

On a positive note, the Basketball Courts look fantastic as does the new fence line and Bike Shed- check out the pictures below.

Have a great week!

Regards,

Scott McLeod

Principal

Newcomb Secondary College

81-85 Bellarine Highway | Newcomb 3219

T: (03) 5248 1400 | F: (03) 52483532

Creating Positive Futures

Newcomb Secondary College is fortunate enough to have a Doctors in Schools Program running 2 days a week.

We have both a GP, and Mental Health Nurse that attend onsite to run a clinic on a Tuesday and Wednesday. This clinic is for any student in Years 7-12. The appointments are bulk billed, meaning that there is no cost to families.

Appointments can be made by either contacting the schools Wellbeing Team or calling Bellarine Community Health on 5253 0400.

Students may access this service to address any of the following:

• Physical pain or issues
• Health lifestyle (sleep, diet, nutrition, exercise)
• Mental health
• Sexual health and contraception
• Sexuality and gender identity
• Body image
• Scripts

If you would like to know more, please contact Jane Osborne in our Wellbeing Team.

Jane can either be reached by contacting the school office, or via email at jane.osborne@education.vic.gov.au

Jane Osborne

Newcomb Secondary College

Student Wellbeing & Engagement

Ph: 5248 1400 | 

E: Jane.Osborne@education.vic.gov.au

Welcome!

This health content is brought to you by Doctors in Secondary School.

Please find the selected resources from your healthcare team below. These resources offer a trusted source of relevant health information. We hope you find them helpful and informative.

This week's focus is about how to finance your studies - for young people.

Once you've chosen the course you'd like to do, you need to make sure that you're able to cover the expenses of the course fees and your living costs while you study, as these can all add up to be a pretty big challenge to face.

To learn more, visit the webpage by, clicking here.

You can also access the information via QR code.

COGG Parent Education Events Term 3 2024 PDF

Student Representative Committee Update

In Term Three the SLAM team, school captains and house captains have some big events planned. This will make the term more enjoyable and help build a positive community spirit at the college.

The Newcomb Secondary College Olympics will be held in Week 3 from the 29th of July until the 2nd of August. The week will consist of house-coloured Olympic based competitions. Over the week the winning houses of each activity will accumulate points and the leading house at the end of the week will be crowned 2024 Newcomb Secondary College Olympics champions. This will be a great event to bring together the school community and build house spirit.

The prize for the winning house is going to be funded by collecting the 10c cans and bottles, therefore the more cans and bottles collected, the bigger the prize! Students can collect cans and bottles via the box in the refectory, or members of the community are able to donate via your local can collection depot points.

It would be greatly appreciated if you could choose Newcomb Secondary College next time you collect your 10c bottles and cans!

You are able to donate your funding from cans and bottles to Newcomb Secondary College via the CDS app by registering via the instructions below.

Charity Donation

You can donate via the CDS Vic West app. Just download the app, select Charity Donation as your payout method, and choose your preferred charity. (Select Newcomb Secondary College)

1. Scan the barcode before you start your session.
2. Insert your containers and select “Payout” on the screen when you’re done. The charity will receive 100% of your donated refund within 1 week.
3. This is what you will see when you have downloaded your app and set up Newcomb Secondary College at the active payout.

Simply scan your barcode when you deposit your cans and bottles, and Newcomb Secondary College will benefit from your deposit. Thank you.

During week three of this Term, we will be conducting the Newcomb Secondary College Olympics- an event like no other! This initiative was the brainchild of our college school captains and has come to life with the guidance and support of the SLAM team. We encourage all students to take part in the events and activities, accumulating points for the House competition that will define the overall college winner. We are looking forward to the Newcomb Secondary College Olympics- Good Luck to all involved!

The events include-

Some Updates on our Newcomb Secondary College Olympics events

Vision from the Newcomb Secondary College Basketball Olympics. Drysdale beat Wills!

On Monday the 22nd of July, our Intermediate Boys and girls badminton teams went out to Corio. The boys started off by playing against Bannockburn and also played against Bellarine. There were many wins throughout these games. Then the girls started off by playing against Oberon then they played against Surfcoast which they all won, and then lastly they played against Northern Bay2 which unfortunately they couldn’t come away with a win. It was a good day out with everyone and a day that everyone enjoyed. It was great to see the boys watch, cheer and score for the girls when they played and when the boys played the girls did the same which was fantastic to see! Thank you to Mr Bell and Mr George for taking the time to host trainings and supporting everyone on the day.

By Talisha Brooker Year 104

On the 25th of July Newcomb Secondary College Senior Girls and Boys Netball teams competed against multiple other schools at the Geelong Sports Hub. The Senior Girls team played against Lara and Northern Bay defeating both. Our team played really well in our first two matches while showing great teamwork and encouragement. We later played in the semi-finals against Western Heights, sadly not advancing to the next round.

The Senior Boys team played 2 games, winning against Grovedale Secondary College and had a tough battle against North Geelong Secondary College but didn't advance any further. Thank you to Mr Bell and Mr Stafford for coaching the teams on the day, and Mia for helping score on the day.

Scarlett Johannesen 111

Our students Zane and Bella participated in a career immersion day during the school holidays, where they were able to make a metal letter during a session called "Foundry in a Box" and do a tour of the foundry. During the tour, they learned of IXL's long standing history in Geelong, about career opportunities and about IXL's connection to the community. Following this, Zane and Bella will both have the opportunity to undertake work experience at IXL.
IXL is one of our most engaged P-TECH partners, supporting Newcomb Secondary College links to local industry via curriculum, industry immersions and work placement programs. One of our P-TECH students, Lachie Rollo has been awarded the Australian Foundry Institute (AFI) Achiever of the Year 2024 award, known as the Bill Pratt Award for Excellence. Lachie is off to New Zealand in October to accept the award, and there will also be a presentation in Victoria in November.

Ceramics, Term 2 clay pinch pots from Year 74.

2025 Geelong Youth Council - Nominations Open NOW!

Are you aged between 12-17 and interested in having a say, making a difference, and learning more about local government decision-making?

The City of Greater Geelong is looking for 11 passionate new members from the Geelong region to join the 2025 Youth Council Advisory Committee.

Youth Council is an opportunity to share your ideas, discuss issues affecting young people, provide advice to Council, develop an understanding of local government, build your leadership skills, and make heaps of new friends!

If you are interested in this amazing opportunity, make sure you submit an application for the 2025 Youth Council program.

Nominations are open from 12 August - 13 September so head over to our socials @GeelongYouthCouncil or head to the Geelong Webpage

https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/youthcouncil for more information about how to apply.

If you have any questions or require more information jump on to the Youth Council Instagram page- @GeelongYouthCouncil and DM us, or email Youthcouncil@geelongcity.vic.gov.au

The After School Homework Club is in Room B2 every day except Thursdays. Students are welcome to attend to catch up on classwork, complete homework, receive individual tutoring or to work with classmates on a group project. They may attend for 15 minutes to sort out just one problem or they may attend right up to 5pm to accomplish a greater amount of learning. Those who attend will be awarded a positive learning chronicle (with reward token) and will be offered food and hot chocolates!! 

Mr Curnick

* Tuesdays (Weekly): CBCA Shadow Judging Book Club with Miss Marshall - members only at this stage as we prepare to vote for our favourite Older Readers Fiction books.

CBCA Sun Project: Shadow Judging – Young voices welcome here

* Tuesdays (Weekly): Games Club - Board games, movies, karaoke and popcorn!

Joining in and having fun is central to the success of Games Club. Run by Vanessa (City of Greater Geelong) and Ms Noor Al-Assafi (our Newcomb Secondary College Social Worker), we have an outstanding turnout of students enjoying the warmth, friendship and fun in the school library every Tuesday lunchtime.

* Wednesdays (Fortnightly): Geelong Regional Library with Ms Laura Farrington 

Manga, mysteries, magic, trivia games and craft are on the table when Laura is visiting from Geelong Regional Library Corporation. Newcomb Secondary students particularly enjoy using their badge maker machine and special activities like Easter, Halloween, Christmas and Idahobit Day crafts. We are very fortunate to be right next door to Newcomb Library where Miss Laura Farrington is the Children's and Youth Services Librarian. 

Our Term 3 2024 schedule of visits are as follows: 

Theme: Magic & Monsters

Wed 24 July – Monster Rock painting (With Sharpies, not paint) “Let’s talk about your favourite Book/Movie villain”

Wed 7 Aug – DIY Magic Wand “Favourite Fantasy Novel & How Magic Works in books vs Tv”

Wed 21 Aug – Book Week Kahoot Harry Potter HOUSE CUP competition (with Miss Marshall) & additional craft activity Magic Bookmarks for colouring and sewing

Wed 4 Sept – Glow in the Dark Silhouette “Haunted house movies and Scary Books”

Wed 18 Sept – Trivia

* Thursdays (Weekly): Craft Club with Miss Marshall: Knitting/Sewing/Polymer Clay Jewellery/Pet Rocks

* Fridays (Weekly): Crochet Club with Mrs MacArthur

We’re excited to let you know that entries for the 2024 Insight Creative Writing Competition are OPEN. If we have any budding writers from Years 7–12 at our school, please enter! We’d love to see your work.

Here is a quick reminder of the guidelines Insight have made to help students get even more creative with their entries.

• All year levels have an upper limit of 1400 words. There is no minimum word limit.
• We accept other creative writing forms in addition to short stories, including poems, scripts and more.
• This year’s theme (Beauty in the unknown) is optional, giving entrants the freedom to write about anything that inspires them.

To download the submission form and view all conditions of entry, please click below.

DOWNLOAD CONDITIONS OF ENTRY AND SUBMISSION FORM

COMPETITION KEY DATES

Entries open: 18 March 2024
Entries close: 1 September 2024
Longlist announcement: 18 October 2024
Shortlist announcement: 1 November 2024
Awards ceremony: TBA

We’re looking forward to hearing about your stories soon! Good Luck!

Here are some more contact details for the Insight Team

INSIGHT PUBLICATIONS

3/350 Charman Road, Cheltenham 3192 VIC AUSTRALIA

p. +61 3 8571 4950 | m. 0413 131 842 | w. www.insightpublications.com.au