The process for selecting the School Captains for 2021 has concluded and we are pleased to announce that next year our students will be lead by our School Captains: Sarah Giesen-White and Paige Bower and the Deputy School Captains: Hailey Rickard and Elliot Nicholas. We are confident that these 4 students will do an outstanding job in representing and leading.
Year 12 Students Complete Their Studies For 2020
The first of our Year 12 Students have started completing their entire courses at Newcomb Secondary College for 2020 and are saying a final goodbye to each other and the staff. Well done to Bek Moyle the first VCAL student and Kaysha Pitman the first VCE student, to finish their courses. Other students are expected to conclude their courses over the next 2 weeks.
Year 12 Exams
Year 12 Exams have commenced for many of our VCE students. First up was the gruelling 3 hour English exam on 10/11/20. Whilst there can be little doubt the Year 12s would have rather spent their day at the beach instead of the exam room, relief and pride were evident in many eyes as they left the exam room after writing 3 essays in 3 hours. Other subjects will be examined over the next 3 weeks, concluding on 1/12/20 with VET Laboratory Skills.
COVID Update
Year Level Assemblies can now proceed with teachers and students, however whole school assemblies are still on hold. Planning for Transition and the Year 12 Graduation is now underway.
Surveys
The Parent Opinion Survey closes this Friday, November 13. Thank you to those of you who have taken the time to complete the survey- we certainly value your feedback!
We encourage as many parents and guardians to contribute to our schools improvement and as such would greatly appreciate if you could take the time to complete the survey prior to it closing this Friday.
The Glover Family Award, valued at $1,000, aims to encourage and support a talented and motivated Year 11 Newcomb Secondary College student to complete Year 12 and pursue an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
The establishment of this award was led by Barney, who studied Mathematics at university and obtained his PhD in 1993. At Newcomb High School, Barney was President and Secretary of the SRC, School Captain, School Dux and Lions Youth of the Year for Geelong, and played school football.
Our Alumni Program Coordinator, Jennifer Chiu, spoke with Barney about the award, his career and pathways in STEM. You can watch the interview here:
Lynn Glover (Class of 1974), Barney Glover AO (Class of 1976) and Gerry Glover (Class of 1977) are all past students of Newcomb Secondary College. Lynn is now the Chief Executive Officer at the Victorian Regulations and Qualifications Authority; Barney is the Vice-Chancellor and President of Western Sydney University; and Gerry pursued a career in trades and became a long-serving organiser with the Electrical Trades Union.
The Glovers are passionate about giving back to their old school. Newcomb Secondary College’s partnership with the not-for-profit Ourschool alumni program this year allowed us to reconnect with the Glover family and establish this new annual award.
Newcomb Secondary College students recently had the opportunity to hear from people working in building and construction at Multiplex, a global firm.
The Ourschool Industry Insights Q&A featured four speakers who all came from a public school background before taking different pathways into Multiplex, such as a trade qualification or university degree.
We were among 18 Victorian public high schools that had access to the live Q&A, through the Ourschool not-for-profit alumni service we’re subscribed to. After the live-stream Q&A, Pathways Coordinator Maggie Boyanton and the students who attended had a great discussion about the things they learnt and their career aspirations.
The session with Multiplex was the third and final instalment of Ourschool’s Industry Insights this year. If you missed them, all three videos are now available for students, parents and staff to watch, until the end of this term.
Here are the links and passwords for each session:
SESSION #1 – Career pathways in health and allied health at PETER MACALLUM CANCER CENTRE, a leading cancer research hospital
As students in both mainstream and specialist settings recommence on-site learning in Term 4, I want to thank you all for your efforts during this challenging time. I also want to reassure you that the health, wellbeing and safety of children, young people and those involved in their education continues to be of paramount importance.
Throughout the pandemic we have closely monitored the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on schools; the strategies that can be implemented in schools to reduce risk; and the health impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) on children and young people, including those with a disability or complex medical condition.
Research by Murdoch Children’s Research Institute found that coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission in schools is uncommon when community transmission is low. A summary report of these findings is available to read.
With declining case numbers in the community, I am confident that the risk of coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission in mainstream and specialist schools is very low, when we have in place a range of health and safety measures.
The health and safety measures recommended for schools focus on the strategies we know are most effective. These include ensuring unwell staff and students remain home, good hand hygiene, enhanced cleaning and wearing face masks (only mandatory for those 12 years and over attending high schools). Temperature screening is not currently recommended for schools, given low levels of community transmission. I encourage you to read the health and safety advice for schools for further information on what schools are doing to keep students and staff safe.
The most important thing I ask of every family this term is to keep your child home from school if they have even the mildest coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms and to get tested as soon as possible. Staying home when unwell is one of our strongest measures to limit the spread of the virus. For more information on what to do if your child is unwell, see this fact sheet.
The good news is that evidence continues to show that children are less impacted by the virus, and are less likely to develop severe illness. Additional advice for families has been developed for those with medical vulnerabilities to support decision making about on-site learning at this time.
Working together to implement COVIDSafe strategies, I am confident Victoria’s students can continue to safely attend school throughout Term 4.
Adj Clin Prof Brett Sutton Victorian Chief Health Officer
