ssue 30—20 eptember 2013 - Blackburn High School...2013/09/20 · Chaplaincy – celebrating...

Issue 30—20 September 2013

From the Principal

Issue 30 20 September 2013

Inside this issue Page

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10-11

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14-15

16-20

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From the Principal

School News

FreemanHouse

Hollows House

Camp News

SYN Radio excursion

eLearning News

Careers Corner

Primary School Links

Pinjarra Cover Comp

Art News

Music News

Sports News

Food Tech News

Chaplaincy News

Working Bee

Other News

School Calendar

Lachlan

Hugo Madeline

Coleman-Bock

School Captains

Please remember to advise the relevant House

Assistant by 9:30am if your child will be absent

from school

Melba—8804 6407 Freeman—8804 6408

Hollows—8804 6409 Dunlop—8804 6410

Music Dept: (Direct) 8804 6411

Term Dates in 2013: 1. 31/01—28/03 2. 15/04—28/06 3. 15/07—20/09 4. 07/10—20/12

Next School Council

Meeting - Wednesday 30 October 2013

Blackburn High School 60 Springfield Road, Blackburn Vic 3130 Website: www.blackburnhs.vic.edu.au

Telephone: +613 8804 6464 Facsimile: +613 8804 6499 Email: [email protected]

Dr Sandra Woodman

Principal

End Of Term 3, 2013 Congratulations to all our staff and students for their significant

work throughout Term 3. Again it has been extremely hectic and a well earned

rest over the holidays will be greatly appreciated.

The two week ‘study break’ is also an excellent opportunity for VCE students

(in fact all students!) to combine revision & further study with relaxation. This

time will allow students to consolidate their understanding of the skills and

knowledge in preparation for the upcoming exams in Term 4.

I wish staff and students a relaxing, enjoyable and most importantly safe holi-

day break. School resumes for Term 4 on Monday, 7th October.

Staffing changes for Term 4 Thank you to Dinuka Dharmasena who has been with us for Term 3, it has

been great to have her on staff again and we wish her all the best with her

teaching career. Welcome back Greg Hlasko from leave.

Student Progress Conferences Year 7-10 This opportunity was held last Thursday and it was great to see the level of

attendance. It is an important time for students to appraise their level of per-

formance, look at achievements, areas for improvement and to set further

goals for the rest of the school year. It was also great to receive feedback

from many parents as to their level of satisfaction with the school.

Celebrations Chaplaincy – celebrating 40years with a community service Thursday

night. A fabulous opportunity to acknowledge the role of Chaplaincy,

and their many volunteers over the many years at BHS.

Royal Show – thank you to Tess Monda who has provided an oppor-

tunity for many of our students to showcase their skills in the Royal

show this year. They have spent many lunch time hours developing their

creations and we wish them well.

Pinjarra Cover Competition – Congratulations to Daniel Smith in Year

12 on winning the Pinjarra Cover Competition (more details on page 13).

School Council: 2 casual Parent vacancies have arisen:

A term finishing in March 2014

A term finishing in March 2015.

If you wish to express interest in either of these positions, please return an

expression of interest either in writing or via email addressed to the Principal,

stating the vacancy you are interested in by Friday 11th October 2013. Please email all expressions of interest to [email protected] .

School Councillors represent the interests of the whole school community.

mailto:[email protected]

Year 1

2 N

ew

s


School News Arlene Roberts

Teaching and Learning Leader

Year 12s….

Register for VTAC ……NOW!!!!!

Before it costs you $91.00.

You have until 5pm on September 27 to firstly, register for

only $27.00 on the VTAC website, then secondly, go into

VTAC again and put in your preferences. Just go to

www.vtac.edu.au click on “REGISTER HERE”

and follow the process through. See Mr

McGann to get a handout if you need more

help completing the form.

DELAY OF 2013 NAPLAN STUDENT REPORTS TO PARENTS!

We have just been notified by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting

Authority (ACARA) that there will be a delay in distributing the NAPLAN Student Re-ports to parents this year. As you would know, in previous years, reports have been

sent out to parents by the end of Term 3. ACARA has informed us that Student Re-ports will be sent in Term 4, to schools, for distribution. We generally send out the

Student Reports to parents within a week of receiving them, so as soon as we re-ceive them, we will forward them to you by post.

http://www.vtac.edu.au

Ron Hansen Junior Provision (Junior camps

and excursions coordinator)

Year 8 Excursions in Term 4

Please find the details for the Year 8 excursions in the first week of Term 4.

The students need to be in casual clothes with appropriate walking shoes for both excursions.

Students will need to bring lunch for Trees Adventure as there will be no opportunity to buy food, however there is a canteen at MSAC.

The excursions will still run if it rains, however it is recommended that students bring a raincoat

if they are going to the Trees Adventure. An umbrella is sufficient for the MSAC excursion. The schedule for the excursions are as follows:

Date Classes Excursion

Wednesday, October 9 Freeman and Dunlop MSAC

Wednesday, October 9 Hollows and Melba Trees Adventure

School News

Blackburn High School

Valedictory Dinner 2013

Date: Monday, 21st October, 2013

Time: 7pm-10pm

Venue: Karralyka Centre

Mines Rd, Ringwood East Cost: $60 per person (due now)

Dress: Male: Jacket, Shirt with collar and tie;

Female: suitable evening wear.

No denim, runners or t-shirts

Attendees: Current Year 12 Students plus family members. Home stay families are also most welcome.

Please be aware that this is an event to celebrate the completion of your secondary schooling and aca-

demic achievements, so family only please.

Bronwyn Roach

Senior Social Events Coordinator


Geoff Vezey

Freeman House Leader

Contact

Details

Ph: 8804 6408 Please call Denise on this

direct number if your

child is absent or late.

FREEMAN HOUSE

Written by

Ardian Strybosch &

Abdullah Abdulhakeem

We participated in more numeracy activities last week during the Mentor session time. It was back to the basics; students had to

find a way to add up and reach a specific number using the prin-ciples of BODMAS and weren’t allowed to use a calculator. It was easier said than done, as most students had trouble solving it. There were two

rounds and then year-level finals on Thursday. Congratulations to the following winners.

Year 7 – Jerry Dai

Year 8 – Devon Chen

Year 9 – Andrew Zhang

Year 10 - Curtley Hughes

Year 11 – David Woods, Ethan Grooby and Alan Pennings

Year 12 – Kipp Hughes

On Monday 9th September F3 Mentor Group educated the House about the im-portance of listening and how significant it is in our lives. Whether it is building

good relationships, getting a job done, taking notes in class, showing support to someone and trying to understand. Listening skills allow one to make sense of and understand what another person is saying. They further talked about how

important it is to be active listeners such as paying attention and ignoring dis-tractions, facial expressions, body language and posture. F3 Mentor Group did a

great job and presented in a unique and entertaining way, as two students’ played a scenario that showed examples of how to be a good listener.

Last Friday F8 Mentor Group spoke about extreme sports and how entertaining, weird, and interesting they can be. Some of the sports were: Pogo Jumping, Sky Diving, Freestyle Canoeing etc. They explained how the sports were played,

and the risks involved. Although the risks involved are high, these sports are great recreational activities, but only for older and more mature students. On Monday morning during the House Assembly Mentor Group F3 presented their

topic on gay rights and same sex marriage. Yesterday Freeman House hosted our Fundraising Day to support the Cathy

Freeman Foundation. We were providing hamburgers and lolly bags for lunch. Today in our House Assembly Mr Vezey spoke about the work of the Freeman Foundation and showed a number of short videos about their work. We all re-

flected on what we will be raising money for; supporting the kids at Palm Island who aren’t privileged enough to receive an adequate education and lifestyle which we are so fortunate to have. Being able to support the underprivileged is

an honour which Freeman House doesn’t take for granted, on the contrary, it helps all students in the House understand the importance of appreciating what you have and valuing the education system which is available to us.

The student leadership team are preparing for the Freeman Year 12 farewell. On Monday 14th October we held a breakfast to honour the Freeman Year 12 stu-

dents and on Friday 18th October we will formally farewell them in a House As-sembly. The whole school farewell to all Year 12 students will occur on Monday 21st October.

Freeman House wish all students, parents and staff a safe and enjoyable break.



Camp News

Year 8 Excursions

I write this from MSAC watching students

have a great time in the pool. They have

been diving, used the wave pool and water-

side. The other group is now at Trees Ad-

venture and hopefully have stayed dry.

Previously I watched two groups travel to

Bounce, a trampoline park in Glen Iris. Staff

comments were that two hours on the tram-

poline was sufficient. One boy had to be

picked up from the station due to being

overheated. It is great that students were

able to do something physical to finish off

the term.

There will be one more excursion on the

Wednesday of the first week of term 4.

Photos of Bounce excursion



Camp News

Year 8 Excursions (Cont’d)

Year 8 Dunlop and Freeman House students spent the last Wednesday of Term 3 at the ‘Trees Adven-

ture’ in Belgrave. All courses departed from the 150 year old Oak ‘Home Tree’ and ranged in levels of

difficulty. Highlights included the many flying foxes (longest more than 100m), wooden obstacles, cargo

nets and rope bridges. Students thoroughly enjoyed the day connecting with nature while they were

swinging, leaping, climbing and flying through the forest. It was a great way to develop confidence and

communication skills, while building team spirit. Special mention goes to Ardian ‘Tarzan’ Strybosch, with

his impressive skills and speed! Many thanks to Mr Hansen for organising these great events for students.

Michael Nicassio—Teacher

SYN Radio News


Ron Hansen

Music Teacher

Jeans for Teens Do you have pairs of jeans just laying round that no longer fit you?

Need to clean out your wardrobe of old jeans?

You can donate your old jeans to support homeless youth.

We're the BEAMS group from GLP and we are trying to make a

difference to homeless youth in our community.

You can help by donating your old jeans at the Dunlop House Office until the 20th September.

DONATE NOW AND SUPPORT THE HOMELESS YOUTH

SYN Radio Excursion

It was a nice warm day for the excursion on a Monday so the walk to the train station was very

pleasant. We took the train to Melbourne Central and walked to the SYN studios to do a day of training. Next term the Year 9 class will all have a go at doing their own two hour radio show. They were all attentive knowing they were getting great tips to make their show interesting.

We planned a "mock" show then went into the studio and recorded it. Nick's stories of how his older brother teased him had the trainer laughing hysterically. We had done some recording at

school previously so there was not too much shock when they heard themselves speaking. The next time students go into the studio will be to broadcast their own show. They will be ex-

pected to remember how to get there and what to do as it be only them and the facilitator. Another highlight was lunch at Melbourne Central. Why do teenagers stick to known foods like

KFC rather than try the different delicacies on offer? The trip back was uneventful. Listen to the class show on Tuesday 11-1pm on 90.7FM

Margaret Graham eLearning Coordinator

eLearning News

Careers Corner Terry McGann Pathways Coordinator

ACCESS MELBOURNE – ‘Access Melbourne’ (University) provides educational opportunities for students from a diverse

range of backgrounds enrolling in undergraduate degrees. The University has a selection guarantee for eligible applicants in the

following Access Melbourne categories:

Disadvantaged financial background

Applicants from rural or isolated areas

Students who complete an Australian Year 12 or the IB in 2013 and are eligible for one or both of these categories, will be guaran-

teed a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) in the following undergraduate degrees, providing they meet the course prerequi-

sites and achieve the following ATAR or notional ATAR: Arts, Environments or Science – ATAR of 78+; Commerce – ATAR

of 88+; Biomedicine – ATAR of 95+. Even if a student’s ATAR falls below these levels, they will still be considered for a place.

Applicants eligible of other Access Melbourne categories will be considered on an individual basis.

See: www.access.unimelb.edu.au.

FASHION CAMP – Want to cut it in fashion? Get a glimpse ‘behind the seams’ of this creative industry with instruction on

everything from illustration and construction to styling and visual merchandising. Over five days of intensive fashion you will learn

from industry experts how to turn a passion into a profession. When: 23 -27 Sept (holidays); Where: Kangan Institute’s Centre for

Fashion and Creative Industries, Cremorne St, Richmond; Cost: $785; Ages: 15 – 18 years;

Book: www.kangan.edu.au/short-courses-melbourne/fashion-camp/aosc/tfashn12/

DEAKIN UNIVERSITY NEWS -

Discover Deakin – Deakin University’s school holiday program is running at all campuses. Meet with current students, find out

about courses, and experience what university life is like. When: Mon 23 to Fri 27 Sept; Info: www.deakin.edu.au/discover.

THINKING OF ENGINEERING AS A CAREER? As the workforce ages and the world shifts to an innovation econ-

omy, the demand for engineers increases. A report by Engineers Australia highlights the nature of Australia’s engineering skills

shortage (not just Australia). According to the Times Higher Education it is estimated that UK engineering companies will have 2.74

million job opportunities between 2010–2020. The USA also has a great demand. Engineering ranks third amongst the ten best pay-

ing sectors. Monash engineering: www.monash.edu.au/study-engineering.

NEW SCIENCE DEGREE AT MONASH - A science education complemented by skills in leadership, entrepreneurship

and communication will be the focus of the new Bachelor of Science (Global Challenges) in 2014. The course targets those want-

ing to push the boundaries of possibility, effect change in the world, and use science as a base to establish themselves as lead-

ers in their career. Students will take two internships, at least one internationally, financially supported by the university. There

will also be a year-long project where students work with peers and mentors, partnered with an organisation to tackle an issue.

Info: www.monash.edu/have-you-got-the-edge.

THE MONASH ‘SEAS’ ESTIMATE CALCULATOR – The Special Entry Assess Scheme (SEAS) provides considera-

tion in admissions for students who have experienced disadvantage. SEAS adds points to the aggregate study score, based on

the type/level of difficulty experienced. The ATAR score is then recalculated with the additional points included.

See: www.monash.edu/seas.

Reminders IMPORTANT NOTE –

Brilliant new website to help you choose potential careers, all thanks to Monash Uni. Just go to www.monash.edu/

futureyou where you can link up your abilities with all the related possible careers and then look at all the courses at Monash

that will get you there.

Year 10 & 11 students interested in a career as a Police Officer and who would like to do work experience with VicPol

please see Mr McGann before Fri Oct 11th.

Fashion Camp: 23 -27 Sept); Kangan Institute, Richmond; Cost: $785; Ages: 15 – 18 years;

Book: www.kangan.edu.au/short-courses-melbourne/fashion-camp/aosc/tfashn12/

Monash Year 11 Inspiration Day – explore options, university life, discuss your future; 26 Sept; Caulfield; Register:

www.monash.edu/year11-day; Info: Eddie 9903 1613 or [email protected].

Nuclear Medicine Hospital Visits – What is nuclear medicine? Find out on a visit to a major hospital; 26-27 Sept; Info:

[email protected], see www.rmit.edu.au/medicalsciences/nuclearmedicine.

‘Careers in Psychology’ evening - Fri 20 Sept; Swinburne University, 427-451 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn; Parking:

www.swinburne.edu.au/corporate/facserv/parking.html. Bookings not needed

Werribee Zoo/Healesville Sanctuary holiday events; Enquiries: 9285 9406.

http://www.access.unimelb.edu.au

http://www.kangan.edu.au/short-courses-melbourne/fashion-camp/aosc/tfashn12/

http://www.deakin.edu.au/discover

http://www.monash.edu.au/study-engineering

http://www.monash.edu/have-you-got-the-edge

http://www.monash.edu/seas

http://www.monash.edu/futureyou

http://www.monash.edu/futureyou

Careers Corner Terry McGann Pathways Coordinator

MONASH (Cont’d)

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS – who are studying Year 12 can book a 30-minute talk with University of Melbourne staff

about study options, VTAC applications, and support services. When: 2-5pm, Tues 24 & Wed 25 Sept; 2-5pm on Wednes-

days, 2 Oct to 18 December; Info: www.futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au/international-yr12;

Registration: [email protected]

LA TROBE MELBOURNE – La Trobe Melbourne is a pathway into a degree from La Trobe University. La Trobe Mel-

bourne is part of the Navitas group, an internationally recognised education provider with the knowledge and resources of staff in

more than 50 different college and campuses worldwide. The diploma programs are in Business, IT, Mass Media and Communica-

tion, Bioscience and Health Science. These diploma programs are equivalent to the first year of a University degree, but with smaller

class sizes and increased academic contact. After you have completed the Diploma, you progress into second year of a range of

Bachelor degrees at La Trobe University (see pages 230-231 of VTAC Guide).

NOTE: This is similar to the Melbourne Institute of Business and Technology’s (MIBT) relationship with Deakin University.

Monash College also has pathways to Monash University; Swinburne has UniLink. Another pathway to university is a TAFE Diplo-

ma. As a rule, two years at TAFE equals one year at university (in a related field).

LA TROBE UNIVERSITY ADVISORY DAYS – Choosing a university course is one of the biggest decisions you’ve

made to date. This is a chance to talk with expert staff before completing your preferences. When/Where: Melbourne campus:

11am-2pm, Tues 24 Sept; Bendigo: 11am-2pm, Thurs 26 Sept. Info: 1300 135 045; Book: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/events/

all/advisory-day-melbourne-campus or http://www.latrobe.edu.au/events/all/advisory-day-bendigo-campus

ATAR WIZARD – If you plan to study at La Trobe, the ATAR Wizard is a handy way of finding out which courses you are

likely to be able to access once you know your ATAR (based on last year’s ATARs). See: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/school/

apply/atar/atar-wizard

DIPLOMA OF NURSING – This Diploma (also known as Enrolled or Division 2 Nursing) is offered at some TAFE’s.

Some require a VTAC application, while others require a direct application to the TAFE. You will also need to do the VET-

ASSESS Nursing Test (see www.vetassess.com.au). The Diploma can be a pathway into Division 1 nursing (university), giv-

ing credits towards the degree. Apply for the Diploma if you think you may not achieve a high enough ATAR for the degree.

UNITS 3 & 4 VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN REVISION SEMINAR – Visual Communication Victoria

(VCV) will deliver an Exam Revision Seminar for students/teachers of Units 3 and 4 VCE Visual Communication and De-

sign. It will cover strategies for effective study techniques for success in the VCD exam. Where: Swinburne, Hawthorn;

When: 2-3.30pm, Sat 12 October; Cost: $25.00; Register and pay at: http://www.vcv.asn.au/.

GUARANTEED ATARs AT SWINBURNE – Swinburne has guaranteed ATARs for most degrees. If a student

achieves an ATAR equal to or above the guaranteed ATAR, and they’ve listed that course as their highest successful prefer-

ence through VTAC, their place in that course is guaranteed. See: http://www.future.swinburne.edu.au/vtac/atar/index.html.

Vice-Chancellor’s and Dean’s scholarship programs also have Guaranteed ATARs. Both exempt students from the stu-

dent contribution of tuition fees. Students with an ATAR of 95 are eligible for a VC’s scholarship, while students with a 90

ATAR can be awarded a Dean’s scholarship. Scholarships in some discipline areas may have further selection criteria.

http://www.future.swinburne.edu.au/scholarships/.

APPRENTICESHIPS AVAILABLE – In Cabinet Making/Furniture Making – I have a couple of apprentice

positions with a very large employer (makes about 1000 kitchens each year) who is located in Reservoir and whose apprentices do

their school component at Box Hill TAFE. See Mr McGann by the end of week 1 in term 4.

YEAR 10, 11 & 12 STUDENTS - ……Aspiring to have a career in the Sport, Recreation, Fitness or Aquatics industry?

MSAC is holding a Sportfutures Careers Information Session on Wednesday 2nd October 2.00 to 4.00 pm.

Students will have the opportunity to gain information on:

How a World-Class Sporting Facility operates

An overview of qualifications and pathways

Guest speakers from MSAC and other sporting organisations

Tour of MSAC and Lakeside Stadium

http://www.futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au/international-yr12

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.vcv.asn.au/

http://www.future.swinburne.edu.au/vtac/atar/index.html

http://www.future.swinburne.edu.au/scholarships/

Primary School Visit


Georgia Pashias

Primary School Links Coordinator

Blackburn Lake Primary School – Grade 5 High School Experience

On Thursday 29 August we welcomed 58 Grade 5 students

from Blackburn Lake Primary School. Since the majority of

their students are choosing Blackburn High School for their

secondary education, Blackburn Lake teachers thought it was

fitting to visit us for a high school experience.

The students were welcomed by Freeman House Leader,

Geoff Vezey and they were given an overview of high school

life by current Year 7 students, Morgan McMurtrie and Sam

Burns. The Grade 5 students then sampled a variety of les-

sons. They made a honey oat slice in Food Technology, discovered the reaction of mixing vinegar and bicar-

bonate of soda in Science, and were speaking newly learnt German and

French words. They participated in sporting activities and attended the

Senior Strings practice.

The visit demystified high school life and the Grade 5 students and

their teachers found the experience valuable. Some comments made by

the Grade 5 students follow:

Matthew: 'Our excursion to

Blackburn High School was re-

ally great. I liked the amazing

new kitchen. I liked music too, so I am definitely going there in 2015.'

Lincoln: 'Blackburn High is a good school. When we visited I really

liked the kitchen, science room and the sports stadium with lots of

courts and pull out seating.'

Sam: 'I found the atmosphere at Blackburn High school very friendly. When we had lunch outside with the

students there were no arguments. The teachers were very enthusiastic about what they teach and the school

has high quality facilities.'

Tayla: 'Our excursion was a very good introduction to high school. All the activities we participated in were

fun and taught us about what we can expect in high school. It was great to see the high school students behav-

ing so well, it was an example to us on how to behave and be responsible leaders.'

THANK YOU to the following Year 7 students who became buddies for the visit: Megan Stamp, Morgan

McMurtrie, Gabriella McFadden, Ryan Nazemian-Pour, Samuel Burns, Evan Strahan, Adam Smith, James

Heaney and Ka Wai Foo..

Cheryl Angus

Art Coordinator Competition News

Pinjarra Cover Competition

Winners Blackburn High School encourages team work and collaboration between students,

Houses and the wider community. This year we asked students to design a cover page

for the school magazine, Pinjarra, that reflects these values of “Working Together”. We had some amazing entries from all year levels.

I’d like to announce that the winners of this year’s competition are;

1st – Daniel Smith, Year 12

2nd – Caitlin Ashby, Year 10

3rd – Johnson Diep, Year 7

The students have each won a JB Hi-Fi voucher and

Daniel will have his design on the cover of the school magazine. Thank you to all students who participated

in this year’s Pinjarra cover competition.

Marina Crescia

Art Teacher Art News

Cheryl Angus

Art Coordinator Art News

Music News

Upcoming

Events

Term 4

Wed 23 Oct

Senior Ensembles Concert

(all Senior Ensembles)

Thu 28 Nov

Jnr/Int Ensembles

Concert

(all Jnr/Int Ensembles)

2—4 December

String Workshop

(ChaS, ConS, Quattro

Strings)

Contact

Details

Music Department

8804 6411* *Direct line to Maureen

Stephen Hardie

8804 6464 (extn 6526)

Fax: 9894 2751

Stephen Hardie

Director of Music

SOUTH STREET

The Royal South Street Competitions in Ballarat are something of an institu-

tion for Blackburn High School, as they are for many schools in Victoria.

Whilst the eisteddfod lasts for many months and incorporates a variety of

performing disciplines, it is the Festival of Bands and Strings held in late Au-

gust and early September which captures our attention like nothing else dur-

ing the year. For some reason, this is the event where our students want to

play at their best, and the same applies to many other schools. What results

from this are performances of, at times, quite extraordinary standard, but

always in a spirit of healthy competition and mutual respect.

For Blackburn High School, South Street began at 7.00 am on Saturday Au-

gust 31. This was the appointed time for the Concert Strings to meet at

school for the trip to Ballarat. Perhaps unsurprisingly, not everyone was on

time, but this was compensated by the attendance of one student who was

not required at this time – he was travelling later in the day. Eventually the

32 members were herded onto the bus, under the leadership of Robyn Car-

rington, to commence Blackburn’s participation in this year’s Eisteddfod.

As is the case in many of the junior and intermediate sections at this Ei-

steddfod, our students found themselves being compared to groups that

were in fact the senior groups from their respective schools. Whilst this al-

ways attracts comment, our students actually relish the challenge of

“punching above their weight” and it increases the satisfaction of being ad-

judged to have still been amongst the strongest performers. This was the

case for the Concert Strings, who were awarded 3rd place in the Junior

Strings Orchestra section.

The Senior String Orchestra section is always of an extremely high standard.

Many of the schools who enter this section have their groups as the primary

focus of their string programs, unlike Blackburn who also have a group en-

tered in the Symphony Orchestra section. Our Chamber Strings were given

a High Commendation for their performance. Almost all of these students

backed up again a few hours later to perform in the Symphony Orchestra.

This was an extremely even competition, with as many as 5 or 6 groups feel-

ing that they might figure in the placings, and it was with considerable ex-

citement that Blackburn received the 2nd place award – a fine endorsement

of the work done by the group under the direction of Chris Ondaatje who is

conducting the groups for the first time.

On the following Monday, the Junior Band, under the direction of another

new director in Wyana O’Keeffe, made the journey to Ballarat. For many of

the students, this was also their first experience of South Street, and there

was considerable excitement as the bus made it’s way up the hill. In a large

section, against some bands containing much older players, Blackburn was

awarded 3rd place.

Tuesday evening saw the Percussion Ensemble sections take place. Earlier

in the day Oilver Iacono repeated his success of the previous year by win-

ning both of the U18 Drum Kit and U18 Percussion Solo sections, and then

the Senior Percussion Ensemble gathered to defend it’s position as holder of

the perpetual shield. With competition from as far afield as the United King-

dom, they gave a very accomplished performance of a challenging program,

and were rewarded with a 1st place – the fourth time in the last five years,

but the first for their new director Wyana O’Keeffe.



Music News (Cont’d) Stephen Hardie

Director of Music

After a late return the previous night, Stephen Hardie was back at school at 7.00 am on

Wednesday for the Junior Stage Band. In a familiar story, our students gave a performance that

belied their age (no student older than year 9) and then found themselves in competition with groups

considerably older than themselves. The 3 other groups in the top four were all senior groups from their

schools, which made their 2nd placing all the more satisfying.

Later that afternoon, the VCE Jazz Quartet (Zac O’Connell, Bronson Zoltan, Ronan Nicholson and Oliver

Iacono) were convincing winners of the VCE Jazz/Rock Ensemble section – a fine reward for these stu-

dents who have working within this group for VCE Music Performance, under the guidance of Steve Se-

dergreen. Still later that same day, the Clarinet Ensemble performed in a section containing an enor-

mous variety of ensemble types, from classical guitar groups to saxophone ensembles. Their performance

earned them a score only one point behind the placings, and Chris Ondaatje is to be congratulated for

generating the enthusiasm in this group to prepare and compete.

On Thursday, the Concert Band under the direction of Sue Wedding returned to see if they could re-

peat their success of the previous year. Although the membership of the group has almost completely

changed, including an unprecedented 16 year 7 students, the strength of our program was underlined by

them achieving 1st place in the Intermediate Concert Band section, a section that contains a number of

groups who are the senior bands from their respective schools, including one group combined from three

schools with a collective enrolment of about 2000 students.

Thursday night was the Peter Martin Jazz Solos. This is a unique competition amongst music eistedd-

fods – a competition for solo performers with an emphasis on jazz improvisation. Blackburn students have

traditionally performed very strongly in this event, with the perpetual shield being covered with the

names of some of our most outstanding past students. Zac O’Connell’s name will now appear not once,

but twice on this shield, having been placed 1st in both 2012 and 2013. Remarkably, his fellow placeget-

ters this year were his colleagues from the VCE Jazz Quartet – Ronan Nicholson and Oliver Iacono.

This is a fine reflection of the quality of jazz instruction being provided at Blackburn.

The Friday of the Festival of Bands is one of the most eagerly awaited days, with both the Intermediate

Stage Band and Senior Stage Bands performing in sections that are truly wonderful to hear, with many

fine bands providing outstanding entertainment for those lucky enough to be in the audience. Our Inter-

mediate Stage Band, under the direction of Dave Palmer gave a performance that would not have been

out of place in the Senior section later that evening, and was duly awarded 1st place. Andy O’Connell

then led the Senior Stage Band, playing at the start of the evening, through their program, setting a

standard that was not approached until very late in the evening by Eltham High School. The 2nd place

awarded to Blackburn could very easily have gone the other way.

The final section of the competition is the Premier Bands section, an invitation-only section for the very

best high school wind bands. Blackburn is very proud to have been invited to be part of this section since

its’ inception, as it represents and showcases the very best ensembles in this genre, playing an extended

program of very challenging music. On an evening of extremely high standard music making, the Sym-

phonic Band under the direction of Stephen Hardie was placed 3rd behind Eltham High School and

Christian College Geelong, having given a performance of which both student and conductor were very

proud.

So ends South Street for another year. It is with considerable satisfaction that we can say that all of the

school’s major ensembles placed in their respective sections, and the school’s Stage Bands were all once

again prominent within their events as well. No other school can claim to be so well represented across so

many genres and ensemble types in this eisteddfod, and of that Blackburn can be very proud.

JOHN HOFFMAN

On Wednesday, September 11, Blackburn High School played host to John Hoffman, an American-born

jazz trumpeter who has made Australia his home for the last 30 years or so. In addition to playing a

lunchtime concert with BHS staff and students, he workshopped with our jazz improvisation students for

an hour and then rehearsed our Senior Stage Band for 2 hours after school. This was a thoroughly enjoy-

able and worthwhile exercise, with many of our students benefitting from the enormous experience and

expertise of this marvellous musician. Thanks to Andy O’Connell for organising this.


Director of Music


FRIENDS OF MUSIC BBQ & CAKE STALL

On Saturday, September 7, with the school being used as a polling booth, our intrepid

Friends of Music held a Sausage Sizzle and Cake Stall during the Federal Election. This

was very well supported by the school community, with many contributions of cakes, as

well as time on the day. The president of FoM, Heather Pennings, reports a

profit in the order of $1500, as well as being able to restock supplies in anticipa-

tion of future events such as the Beginner Band Bonanza and the major concerts

towards the end of the year. The FoM committee would like to thank all of those

who contributed to the success of this venture.

BEGINNER BAND BONANZA

On Monday September 16, Blackburn High School hosted the inaugural Beginner Band Bonanza. This

concert was the brainchild of Sue Wedding, who conceived this concert as a means of providing an addi-

tional performance opportunity for our Novice Band, and other bands who have lost the opportunity for an

external performance due to the demise of the Melbourne School Bands Festival. We hosted groups from

Xavier College (Burke Hall), Kew High School, Canterbury Girls Secondary College, Balwyn High School,

Aquinas College and Catholic Ladies College, Eltham.

The concert was noteworthy for the relaxed, non-competitive atmosphere, with all groups, and their ac-

companying parents, being genuinely supportive of each other and most enthusiastic in their applause.

Whilst there was considerable variance in the size of ensembles from the various schools, there was a con-

sistently high standard presented, with a wide variety of repertoire.

In addition to thanking and congratulating Ms Wedding for her foresight in creating this event (which we

intend to repeat in future years), thanks are also due to Ron Hansen for his technical expertise in provid-

ing sound and P.A., and a very valuable team of students who assisted with backstage movement and

stage management – Cassie Pennings, Emma Jeffery, Grace Xie, Sam Ondaatje, Callum Gibson

and Will Kelly. The Friends of Music provided front of house service, plus tea and coffee as well as a

well patronised sausage sizzle at interval, in the process raising over $1800 for the Music Department.


Director of Music


South Street Photos


Director of Music


Friends of Music Update

Thank You Friends of Music would like to thank everyone for their support and help at the Election Day

BBQ and Cake Stall, and at the Beginner Band Bonanza. Money raised from both events will

be put towards the Music Chair Replacement Fund.

Music Chair Replacement Fund Friends of Music are currently raising money to purchase Replacement Music Rehearsal Chairs, and are

aiming to raise $10, 000 to achieve this. There is a poster in the Foyer of the Music Department which

will record our progress.

Senior Ensembles Concert Tickets for the Senior Ensembles on Wednesday 23rd October will be

available for purchase online via the Try Booking website at:

http://www.trybooking.com/DORR .

Tickets can be purchased from Friday 4th October until Tuesday 22nd

October. Your tickets will be printed with your chosen seat num-

bers.

Ticket prices are as follows:-

Adult: $15.00

Concession: $10.00 (student and pensioner)

Children: Free of Charge

http://www.trybooking.com/DORR

Nadine Roche

Sport Coordinator Sports News

Tess Monda

Food Technology Coordinator Food Tech News

The Royal Melbourne Show

The entrants were:-

Melissa Webb – anzac biscuits Gabrielle Bergman- decorated cupcakes Caitlin Ashby-decorated cupcakes Bonnie Hodge – iced cupcakes Aisha Lavi- Hayne- iced cupcakes Erin Fraser- decorated cupcakes

Emma Aldred- decorated gingerbread Graziella Estrada-decorated gingerbread Betty La- decorated gingerbread Hugo Schulz- choc chip cookies

Andre Burborough- choc chip cookies Emilia Alininelli- lunchbox muffins Ardian Strybosch- lunchbox muffins Shai Robinson- rumballs Emma Cooke- decorated cake Lani De Jong- decorated cupcakes

40th Year Celebration

A great celebration was had on Thursday evening as we marked the 40th Year of Chaplaincy at Blackburn

High School. It was great to have with us Mrs Pat Ots, the wife of our first Chaplain in 1974 the Rev. Ed

Ots (dec). Mrs Ots was able to share with us Ed’s understanding of the role of chaplaincy and it was in-

teresting to note that with the passing of 40 years things have not changed much. The biggest difference

is that the Chaplain’s time is no longer taken up with providing Religious Instruction – and sex education

– to all year levels. At the time that Chaplaincy began, Blackburn High School was one of the largest

schools in the state and the Chaplaincy Program quickly developed to include a part time (2 days a week)

pastoral assistant, a number of volunteer counsellors, and a theological student on placement, as well as

a full time chaplain.

It was fantastic to also have past Chaplains Mrs Lyn Greenall (1988-1993), Mr Ian Finley (1994-1999),

and Ms Julie Perrin (2000-2006) all present for the evening. Julie and I job shared for the last two years

of her time at the school. Lyn and Ian both reflected on their experiences of chaplaincy, and Julie (who

now works as a story teller) brought us a poem called the School Chaplain’s Psalm for Fridays – complete

with rainstick.

It is a great privilege to be Chaplain in this school and I am very conscious of the blessing of a firm foun-

dation laid by chaplains who went before me and also the work of many volunteers on Chaplaincy Com-

mittees over the years. When a team of people began meeting in 1973 in order to raise funds for the first

Chaplain their biggest concern was that this be a sustainable position into the future. This is still our hope

and I am thankful to the faithful work of the current Chaplaincy Committee as we work together with the

challenges of raising over $40,000 each year.

It was good to have Mr Michael Sukkar the new Federal Member for Deakin as our guest and we are

thankful for the contribution of some funding through the National Schools Chaplaincy and Student Wel-

fare Program. Finally, my thanks to all from the school community who attended and who continue to

provide strong support and encouragement to chaplaincy at the school.

Chaplaincy News Ms Megan Thompson

Chaplain

Other News

07

1st Day

of

Term 4

08 Intermediate Boys Hockey

School Tour (Booking

Essential)

09 Year 8 Camp MSAC—Freeman & Dunlop

Trees Adventure—Hollows &

Melba Year 12—Final SAC / Practice Exam for English / ESL

Year 11—Time Management incursion

10 11 12 13

14 Eastern Zone Athletics

15 Immunisations

Year 7; and

Year 9 (Boys

only.

Year 9— GLP Bushfire

Recovery excursion

16 Intermediate Boys Cricket


Essential)

17

Year 7 Interschool Sport

Cricket

Tennis

18 Intermediate Stage Band performance at the Orchard Grove Fiesta

4pm—6.30pm

19

Working

Bee

9.30am –12.30pm.

Red Ball Performance with Liam Burrows

20

21

Year 12—

Celebration

Day (Last Day)

Year 12

Valedictory

Dinner

22


Essential)

23 Year 11—Student Elevation

Senior

Ensembles Concert

24 Year 7 Interschool Sport

Tennis

Year 8 Interschool Sport

Cricket

25 26 27

Day


SCHOOL HOLIDAYS - 21 September to 6 October 2013

ssue 30—20 eptember 2013 - Blackburn High School...2013/09/20 · Chaplaincy – celebrating...

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Transcript of ssue 30—20 eptember 2013 - Blackburn High School...2013/09/20 · Chaplaincy – celebrating...