2022 March Newsletter
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Principal's Update
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Student Gallery
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AST Information
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Student Gallery
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Capital Chemist College Scholarships 2022
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Participation of the student community at the Canberra Show
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Carpark responsibilities / Health
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Smoking and Vaping Policy- For Students
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UC SSC Lake Ginninderra P&C
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Arts Technology and Design Update
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News from the Sciences
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Sports Report
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Outdoor Education Update
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PPE & Global Perspectives - R Unit
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Global Classroom
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Academic Excellence
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Student Group (SG) Update
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COVID-19 Information
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Hoodies 2022
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Careers Update
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Community Notices
Welcome all to 2022. While this first newsletter has taken time to emerge, I hope you have felt informed by the weekly college updates. With so much information to share early in the year, weekly updates have been the most efficient way to keep in touch with you all.
There has been much fine work by teachers in transitioning year 11 students into college and they seem to be well settled. You will be hearing soon about the academic progress of students as we approach the middle of semester 1. A progress report will be emailed towards the end of term 1.
Opportunities for parents to discuss student progress with their teachers will be held in the first week of term 2. Bookings for these discussions will be taken by Schools Online Booking System software after progress reports have been sent. The link will be on our website. You may contact teachers, however, at any time to enquire about your student.
Our values of Connect, Innovate and Impact are put into play each day at college as teachers through their professional learning teams work in concert to improve the problem-solving skills of their students. The college values are exemplified by the recently presented Capital Chemist Scholarship winners – Olivia, Jemma and Laura.
While assemblies have been curtailed for many months, we have continued the process of stimulating all students to solve problems by the presentation of ‘challenges’ first introduced at assemblies in 2021 via video in the pastoral care (SG) Monday meetings. Two of the challenges have been first, to explain how a helium filled shark can ‘swim’ through the air and second, what is behind the colour change of rose flowers as they age on the bush.
It has been wonderful to have the opportunity to meet some of you via the ‘virtual morning tea’ and ‘cheese and cracker’ events. Hopefully some on campus events for parents will be the next step towards returning to a more normal school year.
We will be planning for them.
Thanks,
Gerard Barrett
Acting Principal February/March
Upcoming Dates:
Wednesday 27 April 2022 and Thursday 28 April 2022 - Parent Teacher Meetings (Format to be confirmed)
Year 12 Tertiary students AST information
AST practice classes commenced in Week 2. They will run every Monday on H line (3:00-3:40) until the 5th of September. The Google Classroom code is hnxxyca and all materials and activities will be posted there weekly.
All Year 12 Tertiary students are strongly encouraged to attend these classes. Students will learn important skills in understanding various question types and how to logically structure their responses. Attending the classes will also help to alleviate some of the anxiety around sitting the AST as students will have consistently practiced skills that are required prior to the exam. Students will also be able to gain an R Unit for their attendance.
Students who require special provisions must have applied by the 22nd March and must supply documentation from a medical practitioner to support their application. Please return completed forms to Suzanne Wright, Chris Cutting or Emily Clarke.
Attached is an information video outlining what the AST is and how it is run in the ACT Senior Secondary college system.
Please contact Emily Clarke (emily.clarke@ed.act.edu.au) or Louise Schmidtchen (louise.schmidtchen@ed.act.edu.au) for any further information or concerns.
Further information from the BSSS about the AST and ATARs can be found here.
AST Dates and Information 2022
Tuesday 6 September |
Sessions 1 & 2 |
Short answer am Multiple Choice pm |
Wednesday 7 September |
Session 3 |
Written response |
AST is an annual exam in three parts taken by students in year 12 who are following an ATAR track with their studies.
This year the exam falls on Tuesday 6 September and Wednesday 7 September.
The parts of the exam are:
Tuesday
Short Response 2 hours
Multiple Choice 2 Hours 15 minutes
Wednesday
Writing Task 2 hours 30 minutes
The AST team of Emily Clarke, Jenny Hanson and Louise Schmidtchen run a preparation program on Monday afternoons at 3pm. The program aims to teach the skills required for success. Further familiarity with the style of the papers is obtained with trial exams held after assessment is concluded for semester 1 in June.
Anyone wishing to learn more about the AST, the ATAR or a non – ATAR track such as Australian School-based Apprenticeships (ASbAs) is invited to express interest to LakeG@ed.act.edu.au
The following members of our school community contributed as volunteers and entrants in the 2022 Canberra show.
We had a wonderful showing in the Ceramics section with Eloise Churchill winning as a competitor and Katie Jakab-van Dooren and Linda Jakab demonstrating and interacting with the public. Nikita Fulton volunteered in the petting zoo and Nartasha Mayne won in the felting section of the craft pavilion.
Carpark
Cars and college go together. Most students will be drivers by the time they finish college, and some are drivers when they begin at college. Many young drivers in the one location increases the possibility of an accident. We ask all drivers to exercise special care in the car parks. To increase security for the cars and safety for pedestrians, students are not to sit in cars or to loiter in the car park. It is important to note that students from other colleges do not have authorised access to the car park.
In addition, the Belconnen Bikeway runs past the main entrance to the school. Motorists are required to give way to other road and path users when entering or exiting the school, including pedestrians on the footpath and cyclists on the cycle path.
The diagrams below show the preferred routes for pickup and dropoff.
Emu Bank entry Aikman Drive entry
Health
It is important that precautions are taken to reduce the probability of exposure to COVID19 on campus. Please keep students at home if they display symptoms.
Notify the school by email to LakeGStudentServices@ed.act.edu.au in the event of a positive test whether it is Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) or Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) variety.
University of Canberra Senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra is a Smoke-Free Workplace. The Education Directorate has a legal obligation to provide a safe working environment and to protect its employees, students and clients from injury or illness arising from the workplace. The health of the directorate’s officers, teachers, and students should not be put at risk by exposure to the ill effects of cigarette smoke and vaping plumes in the workplace. Smoking and vaping is not permitted on school property. School property includes the school buildings, ovals and grounds surrounding the school, stairs and footpaths.
In implementing this policy, staff of University of Canberra Senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra are endeavouring to maintain a smoke-free and vape-free workplace as an occupational, health and safety priority. Literature and information about QUIT programs and strategies is available through the Youth Worker or Student Services Team.
TREATMENT OF SMOKING AND VAPING ON SCHOOL GROUNDS
If a student is found smoking cigarettes or vaping on the school grounds, the
following procedures will be followed.
1. Teacher reminds the student that they are in breach of the policy and the code of conduct by smoking/ vaping on school grounds. Teacher informs the student that the incident will be recorded.
Teacher will call parent/ carer.
2. If a student has been found smoking/ vaping on school grounds a second time, the call to parents will be made by the Deputy, Principal or SLC for student services.
This may result in an external suspension.
The student will attend a re-entry meeting accompanied by a parent/ carer upon completion of any suspension. The student will be given information/ offered support for quitting.
Art Update
Attached are some photos of a class problem solving activity in Visual Arts. The activity brief was simple; in groups of 2 to 3 students were to use black and white card to make a 3D animal sculpture that was recognisable as an animal. To complete the task students applied a creative process that included:
- Research, looking at images of animals and different ways other people solved this type of problem
- Reflection, on work in progress to evaluate success
- Refinement, problem solving and making improvements as they worked
As a warm-up activity in Art it worked in having students apply transferable problem solving and evaluation of own work skills. Students will be expected to apply the same creative process to more challenging activities.
Music Update
Music Performances:
The past few weeks have seen students in all music classes complete their first in-class performance assessment tasks for the semester. A coverage of all levels, genres/styles and instrumentation was captured and seen by the audiences as the students presented confidently and with poise. Congratulations to all of the music cohort for a great start to the year and for taking on the challenge of the methodical preparation and reflection needed to refine these high level performances!
Hospitality Overview – Term 1
Year 12 students are enjoying being back in the school kitchen and have prepared a selection of beverages and mocktails, whilst practicing their tray service.
Year 11 Students have adapted well to the fast-paced commercial kitchen environment and have prepared an array of dishes using various methods of cookery including poached eggs, handmade pasta, and calzone pizza.
Week 7 had all classes prepare a traditional dessert, Sticky date pudding with students challenged to create their own decoration using either egg whites, sugar or chocolate. Students enjoyed experimenting with ‘spun’ sugar, which involved carefully melting the sugar and then pulling and stretching it to form nests and shards. Others meanwhile made meringues and chocolate moulds to encase their puddings.
Food Studies
In recognition of International Womens Day, the recent focus was on the Australian Women's Land Army and the use of rations of the 1940s in food supplies during World War 2. Students were given a ration pack of core ingredients, mostly canned (including deliciously hearty SPAM), and ration coupons to "purchase" additional ingredients. There were no recipes; the students had to call on their previously acquired skills and knowledge to create something with the ingredients available.
Metalwork
Metalwork students are developing light metal fabrication techniques using a range of hand tools, power tools and welding processes to produce Toolboxes, Bottle Openers and Collapsible BBQ’s. Industrial design students are developing their freehand drawing skills and using the design process to respond to design briefs.
Biology
In Year 11 Biology students have spent the term learning about cells and how they function. They have been introduced to key biology concepts such as osmosis and diffusion, and surface area to volume ratio. Their weeks have been full with plenty of practical activities to keep them busy investigating things like photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Next term the students will be getting their hands dirty with some dissections to help them learn about how organisms work on a larger scale.
The Year 12 Biology students have been working hard trying to disrupt their homeostasis this term, doing things like exercising and dunking faces in ice water. They have learned that our bodies are amazing and able to keep us within our tolerance limits very effectively during many stresses. They have also learned (NOT by first hand experience) that alcohol is very disruptive to our homeostasis, and is the reason people may feel bad the morning after a night of drinking. To quote Shakespeare who understood these upsets to homeostasis well: ‘Macduff: What three things does drink especially provoke? Porter: Marry, sir, nose-painting, sleep, and urine.’ ~ ‘Macbeth’ act 2, scene 3.
Human Biology
The Year 11 Human Biology students have been also examining life on a microscopic scale. We are working our way through the different tissues of the human body, learning what their particular features and functions are and how to tell them apart when looking at them through a light microscope. This week the focus has been on muscle tissue and students enjoyed spending some time looking at the muscles of a chicken wing in some detail. Their dissecting skills still need a bit of refining, but looking at some of the dissection handiwork there may be some future surgeons among the group!
Health, Medical and Applied Sciences (HMAS) R unit
The HMAS R Unit is offered by the science department for any students interested in pursuing a career in the sciences, with a particular focus on health sciences. An ‘R’ unit is an extra credit class that students can opt to participate in – with no assessment to worry about. R units can help to contribute towards total points on the Year 12 certificate, and they are an extracurricular activity to add to CVs and university applications. The group attends once a week on an H line (the whole school ‘free line’) where they participate in learning activities and hear from experts on a range of science career options. This term so far we have been fortunate to hear from a physiotherapist, forensic science students, an optometrist, and an exercise physiologist. In the coming weeks there will be tours of local universities, with the first tour being to the Australian Catholic University in week 8. If this sounds like something of interest please come and see Sarah in Science for more details.
In term 1 schools have not been able to engage in inter-school sport. PE staff at this school organised lunchtime competitions within the College for our sport focussed students. Large numbers of students showed their appetite for competition by signing up for basketball, futsal, badminton and then participating in round-robin-styled competitions before knockouts and grand finals.
Congratulations to all those who participated with such enthusiasm and skill, as well as the many students who came to watch and support their friends in a really positive manner. This was an unexpected highlight of the term, and a reminder of the positive and supportive culture of the college.
TERM 2 SPORT
It has been recently confirmed that term 2 sport is going ahead. So we are preparing in anticipation of the resumption. Students have been signing up in record numbers on the noticeboard in the PE foyer for the available sports. Trials will be conducted for a number of sports during this term. Notices will be published in SG.
Proposed Thursday Afternoon C line College Sports - Futsal & Netball
Proposed One Day Gala Days
27-Apr-22 |
AFL College North Boys and Girls |
4-May-22 |
Netball Mixed and Womens |
06-May-22 |
ACT Swimming |
09-May-22 |
ACT Golf |
10-May-22 |
Mixed Touch Football |
20-May-22 |
Brumbies HS & College 7s Boys |
25-May-22 |
Kate Tominac/John Stelzer Open Basketball |
26-May-22 |
Rugby League Girls Tag |
27 May 22 |
NSW Futsal Regionals - Campbelltown |
01-Jun-22 |
AFL College Finals |
25-May-22 |
Girls Football |
26-May-21 TBC |
Rugby Boys 7s |
02-Jun-21 TBC |
3 on 3 Basketball |
03-Jun-21 TBC |
Girls Rugby 7s |
15-Jun-22 |
ACT Cross Country |
17-Jun-22 |
Brumbies HS & Colleges 7s Girls |
27-Jun-22 |
Rugby League College 9s |
Sports development students had the opportunity to order a polo shirt upon being accepted into the Lakers Sports Academy program. These shirts have since arrived and some students have picked them up and are wearing them around the college with pride which is great to see. We still have many remaining, if you haven't picked yours up yet please pay at the front office and bring your receipt to the PE staffroom to collect your shirt. You will also receive a college logoed facemask which we would like students to wear while masks are required at representative sporting opportunities.
Outdoor Recreation C course students in Year 11 have been participating in hiking, abseiling and rock climbing in Namadgi National Park as a part of their Minimal Impact Assessment.
Outdoor Recreation C course students in Year 12 have been running leadership sessions with the Year 11 Outdoor Rec. students as a part of their ‘Leadership’ unit.
Year 11 and 12 Tertiary Outdoor and Environmental Education students have been gearing up to complete a hike in Kosciuszko National Park. They will be hiking in the Jagungal Wilderness in week 9 and week 10.
Workshop - Interconnection
The PPE & Global Perspectives R Unit participants were given the opportunity to take part in a workshop on on interconnection that explored human trafficking in Vietnam. The workshop was facilitated by Kim Miller, the School and Partnership Coordinator at Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation; and Ben Randall, an Australian activist, author, and acclaimed documentary filmmaker.
‘Sisters for Sale’ Film Screening and Q & A with the Director, Ben Randall
The ‘Sisters for Sale’ documentary is a fascinating, many-faceted teaching resource, providing a powerful entry point for a variety of curriculum connections. Centered around the issue of human trafficking, ‘Sisters for Sale’ inspires students to think critically about their roles as global citizens with the agency to create change in their own worlds. ‘Sisters for Sale’ connects with a broad range of curriculum outcomes, relating specifically to issues of:
- Human rights, and human trafficking
- Gender roles in traditional and contemporary societies
- Forced marriage, and child marriage
- Social and economic inequality, both within and between communities
- Women’s reproductive rights, and China’s “one-child” policy
- International law, and moral relativity
Global Classroom 2022 Conference: ‘Ways of Learning’
‘Ways of Learning’ Global Classroom Conference 2022 is proudly hosted by UC SSC Lake Ginninderra from 24 March to 27 March 2022.
It has been an exciting couple of months of getting to know our international participants through a range of pre-conference tasks we designed and hosted that ran from late 2021 to early 2022. We are so appreciative of everyone's hard work and dedication towards the Global Classroom Partnership! The pre-conference activities provided opportunities to engage in a valuable cross-cultural learning experience.
- Pre-conference Task 1 (November 2021): Each participating country sent a few mini gift boxes filled with items from their countries. These included iconic food and items, pictures of the environment GC participants live in, any special clothing or anything significant to participants, and a postcard with some special messages in it.
- Pre-conference Task 2 (December 2021): Each participating country team created an interactive Kahoot quiz about their country, its culture and history. We had lots of fun playing with each other's Kahoots.
- Pre-conference Task 3 (December 2021): Each participating country created videos of making their most known and iconic holiday recipes. It was interesting to see how different our experiences would be during holidays too!
- Pre-conference Task 4 (January 2022): Online debate in international country groups.
- Pre-conference Task 5/ Conference Task 1 (February - March 2022): Each participating country showcasing ‘Ways of Learning.’
For more information on the conference, please check out our conference website designed by our IT working group: https://gcc2022.com/
We will give you a snippet of the conference in the next newsletter. Stay tuned!
Academic Excellence Enrichment Update
Guest Speaker - Professor Michael Ireland
As part of the Academic Excellence Enrichment opportunities, we invited Professor Michael Ireland, an astronomer and an instrument scientist from the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Australian National University. He spoke to our participants about the Astrophysics and Exoplanet Exploration at the Technological Frontier and his discoveries including CHARA - a star rotating so fast that it bulges in the middle. Michael is also leading an instrument to image planets as they form at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer, and developing technology for life-space-mission.com.
Michael gave a snippet of what it means to be an astronomer, essential skills needed to be in the profession and career options relating to astrophysics.
Academic Excellence Program:
The Academic Excellence Program at UC SSC, Lake Ginninderra is open to any student with motivation and a growth mindset.
If you would like to joining the program please visit lakeonline.act.edu.au and complete the Academic Excellence Application Form |
The Academic Excellence Program offers students targeted mentorship and opportunities to support their learning in Years 11 and 12. Upon successful entry into the program, opportunities for students are designed through consultation with the Academic Excellence Team. These opportunities support students not only in their academic pursuits but focus on developing core skills that will enrich students beyond the completion of their ACT Year 12 Certificate. Students within the program are expected to proactively engage in extracurricular activities across the school and attend targeted Academic Excellence enrichment activities.
AE Mentoring Partnerships:
Mentoring partnerships within the college and with outside organisations like ‘Global Shapers’ have been an integral part of the program. Mentors work with participants assigned to them with common areas of interests.
Invitation to Community: If you would like to work with our AE participants in mentoring capacity please send your EOI with your skills and expertise: |
SG Program at UC SSC Lake Ginninderra
The SG program at Lake Ginninderra College provides pastoral care support to students in an inclusive learning environment. The 2022 SG program is designed with a thematic approach to maximise student support:
- Term 1: Transition to college and Community Partnerships
- Term 2: Mental Health and Wellbeing
- Term 3: Interpersonal Development
- Term 4: Transitioning to tertiary education/ Workplace & Training
Each Student Group is assigned a dedicated teacher who is in-charge of facilitating weekly workshops and programs. SG teacher serves as the first point of contact for parents and carers as well. SGs meet every Monday from 11.40am to 12.20pm. All students are expected to attend these sessions and R unit points are awarded that go towards the ACT Senior Secondary certificate.
As part of the Term 1 SG program, students have engaged in activities around:
- Completing ‘Setting for Success’ proforma including SMART goals
- Exploring career opportunities and subject requirements
- Growth mindset
- Community event: Clean Up Australia Day 2022
HOODIE ORDERS ARE OPEN
To order a 2022 Hoodie please go to this online store; https://shop.onesport.com.au/cat/ucssc/
There are two designs (see image below) to choose from.
Cost: $70
Deadline for orders: 2nd April (No extension possible to ensure prompt delivery)
Sizing: Sample sizes are available to try. I will be in the Quad from 1.05pm-1.25pm on Thursdays and Fridays for the next couple of weeks for you to try sizes. If the weather is unhelpful then I will be in A109X.
If you have any questions please speak to Ross (Maths Staffroom)
Defence Work Experience
https://defence.gov.au/workexperience/Default.asp
The AIE Work Experience Program