Parent Bulletin 6
6 April 2023
Principal's ReportCelebrating a Successful Term 1
I wish our school community a safe, happy, and restful holiday and thank all our students for their hard work and perseverance throughout Term 1. I am proud of their achievements as highlighted in various communications to the school community. I look forward to welcoming our students back to commence Term 2 on 24 April. Professional Development Day Monday 8th May 2023 – Student Free Day Strathmore Secondary College is partnering with Corwin Australia for a third year. Corwin is the sole provider of Visible Learning globally and currently partners with more than 1400 schools across Australia transforming Professor John Hattie’s research into practice. Visible Learning will assist the college to further embed our Teaching and Learning Framework. Monday 8th May is a student-free day to enable all teaching staff to participate in this professional development program. 2022 Annual Report The Annual Report was discussed and approved at School Council on 30 March. This report will be available to the school community on the College website shortly. Jillian English Principal Top Designs 2023The College is exceptionally proud to have two students from the Class of 2022, Jade Leahy (12A) and Shobhit Mehra (12A), selected to exhibit in this year’s Top Designs at the Melbourne Museum as part of the VCE Season of Excellence.
Top Designs is an annual exhibition which celebrates the innovation of Victoria’s emerging designers and highlights a selection of exceptional VCE work. Work on display by Jade and Shobhit was undertaken as part of their major SAT project for their Product Design and Technology studies. This task required students to identify a problem and work to produce a creative and innovative solution. Jade produced a multifunction games table made from recycled floorboards, plywood, recycled pine and fabric. She looked to solve a COVID, lockdown inspired issue as during this time many families spent their days trying to reconnect through playing board and card games. Jade’s product is designed to function as an everyday surface for busy families, while providing an area to play games on. The unique design allows for games to be continuously paused by putting the lid on top and then resumed when ready. Shobhit’s multipurpose product made from plywood looked at our ever shrinking living spaces. With housing rental rates rising, many people are now opting to live in smaller apartments. This has resulted in a widespread need for multipurpose furniture. In creating this product, he undertook research into similar, existing products and decided to incorporate the three most common types of furniture found in a small apartment: the dining table, coffee table and desk. Scandinavian design elements were incorporated to give the product a minimalist yet contemporary look and appeal to its intended target audience of young adults aged 18–30. We congratulate these two alumni and are so pleased that their high quality work has been recognised by the wider Victorian community. We wish them well for their post-secondary design related studies and look forward to seeing them emerge as future designers. Top Designs is on until 9th July at the Melbourne Museum. Burnet BulletinGood afternoon and happy Thursday Burnet parents, carers and community.
It has certainly been a busy term and your students (and us teachers) have earned the break. It was nice to have an opportunity to speak with so many of our parent community over the past week during the conferences, and to discuss your student’s successes and goals for term two and beyond. We hope you found the conversations meaningful and can continue your discussions with your students in the lead up to next term. Our Year 7 students have to be commended on the excellence they have shown as they transitioned to secondary school life. It was a treat to see them come out of their shells at the pancake breakfast, on our orientation camp and even more since then. Our Yr 7 & 8s performed well at the Swimming Carnival (top four finish!!) and a number of our junior students have had the opportunity to represent the school further at the Division championships. Our Yr 9 Peer Support students have done a fantastic job at welcoming our Yr 7s to the college. Yr 10 students have completed their Kickstart session and are a step closer to work experience in term two – well done on so many of you securing a placement by the final date. Year 10s have now had their first glimpse into life as a VCE student with the conclusion of the foundation term, there was a lot of new information to take on board and many new processes to follow and they have done a wonderful job navigating them. It was such a wonderful experience for us in the Burnet team to be able to meet with so many of our new Yr 7 parents at our junior school meet & greet. It was great to put some faces to names and to be able to enjoy each other’s company in a casual setting. Thank you all for being a part of the event and here’s hoping we’re able to hold more of them in the future. We must also thank Ms Hutchison and the VCE-VM crew and Mr Luke Steward, Tim Fisher and the Strathmore Big Band for providing the entertainment for the evening. Our music department does outstanding work and it was really great to see our students getting the opportunity to play to an audience. We are truly very proud of our Burnet students and their perseverance through their first term of 2023 and hope they return in term two with a reinvigorated pursuit for excellence. Great effort Burnet!! Thank you, as always, for your support and we wish you a safe and happy term break. Your junior Burnet Team 
Outdoor & Environmental Studies Coastal CampThe Year 11 and Year 12 OES students took a trip down to the coast during Week 8 to participate in some studies regarding relationships with outdoor environments. The senior students (Year 12’s) were keen to show off their exemplary menu planning and cooking skills to the new recruits (Year 11’s) and taught them how to put up and pack down a camp-site.
The 12’s got to adventure in the You Yangs Regional Park, checked out Big Rock and learned about Indigenous relationships with the land. Next in line was some snorkelling at Point Roadknight, followed by stand up paddle boarding along the Anglesea River and a hike up to the top of Mt Ingoldsby to learn about human impacts on outdoor environments. Last on the agenda was a trip to Lorne to find out about the building of Australia’s largest war memorial - The Great Ocean Road - which celebrates the sacrifice of service men and women from World War I. Meanwhile the 11’s embarked on the Point Addis Koorie Cultural walk, immersing themselves in the local Indigenous culture and learning about the significance of the land. They also had a fun time playing beach games, followed by setting up camp in tents and cooking on a Trangia. Day two started by watching a beautiful sunrise on the beach and breakfast. Today was all about adventure, with the students canoeing in Anglesea river and doing a coastal walk to learn about the coastal processes. The activities provided an opportunity for students to put their theoretical knowledge into practice and gain hands-on experience. On the last day of the camp, students enjoyed surfing in the morning before packing up and heading back to school. The camp was a great success, with students gaining valuable insights and knowledge about the environments encountered. Ms Trahar, Miss Rigden, Mr Gourley and Mr Delaney were impressed by the enthusiasm and participation of the students across the entire camp and all the activities! Ms Trahar & Ms Rigden Year 7 Design TechnologyThis term, Year 7 Design Technology students have been designing and sewing soft toys inspired by monsters.
Well done for creating such well sewn, funny and clever designs! Ms Wright 
Wind Ensemble ConcertStudents from the college’s wind ensembles gathered on Wednesday afternoon to showcase the work they have been doing this term. It’s an outstanding achievement for students to be able to perform as an ensemble after such a short span of time.
Congratulations to all performers. VCE Top Class MusicThe VCE season of excellence looks to celebrate the outstanding achievements of year 12 students in each year, and Strathmore student Niamh Cristofaro (’22) was selected as part of this year’s celebration.
Students are nominated by a panel of assessors, but must also have achieved an A+ in their performance examination. Niamh performed two of her recital works, Los Grillos and Bedouin Song and the panel recognised her vocal agility and the depth of understanding she showed in her performance of the works. Congratulations also to Niamh’s teachers and faculty staff for supporting her growth and development throughout her time at the college. |
Happy Holidays from the VCE Team
As we approach the holidays we want to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and joyful time with family and loved ones.
Thank you to Elizabeth W and Kerem K for their contributions to the bulletin. We have observed our students dedications to the upcoming celebrations. Stay safe and we look forward to seeing you next term. 
What is Easter?
Easter time is the principal event on the Christian calendar, as it commemorates the crucifixion (Good Friday) and resurrection (Easter Sunday) of Jesus Christ, Son of God. Are there two Easters? When is Easter? Western churches follow the Gregorian Calendar, while Eastern/Orthodox churches follow the Julian Calendar. This means that some churches celebrate Easter on different dates. In 2023, Easter Sunday will fall on Sunday 9th April, and Orthodox Easter will fall on Sunday 16th April. Additionally, the dates of Easter change every year because they are based on the timing of the March equinox and full Moon. Why is Easter important? For Christians, the events of Easter make salvation possible: Jesus’ death acts as a sacrifice, atoning for the sin that separates people from God, while His resurrection demonstrates the opportunity for eternal life. How is Easter celebrated? Christians often celebrate Easter by attending church services, spending time with family, and exchanging gifts that symbolise new life (e.g. Easter eggs). Many Christians also observe other significant events around the Easter period, such as Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Lent, Palm Sunday, Pentecost, as well as their own family traditions. These observances can include prayer, fasting, and feasts, among other activities. Happy Easter to all who celebrate! Elizabeth W 12D 
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars — or duties — of Islam, along with the testimony of faith, prayer, charitable giving, and making a pilgrimage to Mecca.
What’s the purpose of fasting in Ramadan? Fasting was practiced by our prophet as a pillar of Islam, therefore, we have the obligation to fast. Fasting brings us closer to Allah (god - most exalted) and our faith as a whole through this. Fasting also allows Muslims to test our humility and patience, strengthening our discipline. Are you allowed to drink water whilst fasting? Whilst fasting, Muslims taking part in Ramadan do not consume any food or drink during daylight hours, Fajr (sunrise) and Maghreb (sunset). Is it okay if someone who’s not Muslim fasts as well? Yes, this is allowed. Everyone who is capable and willing to fast, can fast. Fellow Muslims, will not be offended by this, and would be happy to support anyone who makes the sacrifice of fasting. When does Ramadan end? Ramadan ends after 30 days of fasting, and is followed by Eid Al Fitr, an Islamic festival which celebrates the end of the holy month. Eid brings together our families and friends and can be compared to Christmas or Easter, as the values of family, worship and festivities remain. Eid al Fitr typically lasts 1-3 days, it is common for friends and family to exchange gifts during this time. Do you lose weight during Ramadan? Not necessarily, whilst fasting people refrain from intense exercise, making up for the lack of food consumed. Also, Iftar dinners are usually larger meals, equalizing food intake out of Ramadan. Anyway, any weight we may lose we will gain back during Eid feasts; haha! Eren K 12S Year 9 TextilesOver the past month, students have been constructing a pillowcase utilizing skills of measurement, machine-sewing and learning how to include zippers in their textiles work.
Each student researched and dyed a unique fabric using the Shibori dying method. Excellent work by all Year 9 textiles students for producing a professionally sewed and designed project! Ms Wright 
Calder CannonsDuring the week at Calder Cannons Football Club the 2023 leadership group was announced. We would like to recognise and congratulate two of our Year 12 students.
Congratulations to Kade Mueller for receiving Calder Cannons Captaincy 2023 and Amin Naim for receiving the Vice-Captaincy. An amazing effort and we wish you both the best of luck for this season. HPE Faculty 
Year 9 English
Protest Poems from 9A2 English class.
Western Metro Region Swimming FinalsOn Thursday the 30st of March, we had 30 students represent Strathmore at the Western Region Swimming Finals held in Geelong.
We had many swimmers place in both individual and team events, all contributing to the overall point tally that meant Strathmore won the Grand Aggregate for the day and took home a flag! We have 7 swimmers that are advancing to the State Championships which will be held early term 2. Ahmed Elgammal and Ollie Salmon advanced through in both individual and team events. Hamish Keenan will compete in multiple individual events on the day and the following students will be involved in the relay events, hoping to bring home gold; Damien Reynolds, Cinar Cakir, Edward Nguyen and Ty Davis. Good luck to all the swimmers in the State Championships. Go Strathmore! 
Unit 1 Food StudiesThe Year 11 Food Studies students participate in a range of practical activities. Currently we are studying ‘Food in Australia’ and in the practical sessions students will demonstrate, observe and reflect on contemporary culinary uses of foods and flavours indigenous to Australia.
This week students made two types of shortbread with Indigenous flavours; macadamias and lemon myrtle. Next term we will explore the use of wattleseed and kangaroo. 2023 Insight Creative Writing CompetitionEntries are now open for the 2023 Insight Creative Writing Competition.
Open to all high school students in Australia, the competition aims to ignite a passion for creative writing and to inspire the voices of the future. It also offers participants the chance to share in over $3000 of cash prizes! All shortlisted entries will be judged by one of the following acclaimed Australian authors: Scot Gardner, Demet Divaroren, Alice Pung, Michael Earp, Nam Le and Melissa Keil. Competition key dates Entries open: OPEN NOW! Entries close: 1 September 2023 Longlist announcement: 18 October 2023 Shortlist announcement: 1 November 2023 Awards Ceremony: 7 December 2023 For further details on how your students can participate, please click here to download the Conditions of Entry and Entry Form. 
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