School Saving Bonus
Subject Selections
Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey
Last Day of Term
We are approaching the end of the term, and for some of our Year 12 students, it will be the end of their 13 years of schooling. The VCE students will have compulsory practice exams over the holidays. Beginning in October, these exams will provide valuable feedback for students preparing for their VCAA exams. The students will also be preparing for these exams at school. Revision sessions will run up to their exams. Some VCE VM students will be back at the school finalising courses and or preparing for their school exit interviews.
In Term 4, 2024, families with a child enrolled in a government school from Prep to Year 12 in 2025 will receive the one-off $400 School Saving Bonus.
The $400 School Saving Bonus provides families with support for education-related costs, such as school activities and or school uniforms and textbooks.
The School Saving Bonus is not available for full-fee international students, home-schooled students, TAFE students, or students attending kindergarten in 2025.
Actions for parents and carers
Before 18 October 2024, the Department of Education is asking parents and carers to:
● Complete enrolment: If your child, or children are changing government school for Term 1 2025, or starting Prep or Year 7 in 2025. For more information, read about Enrolling in School.
● Check your contact information: Ensure your email address and phone number is up to date with us. You can check this information by contacting us or verifying on your Compass page.
We need to ensure your contact information is up to date as the Department of Education will email you twice:
● in October, to verify your email address
● in November, with your $400 School Saving Bonus and access to an online system.
Please check your junk mail regularly to ensure you get all the important emails.
Download the School Saving Bonus Information sheet for government school parents and carers to learn more about the School Saving Bonus. Visitvic.gov.au/school-saving-bonus.
Subject selections were conducted in Term 3 and involved significant decisions for students in Years 8, 9, 10, and 11. Parents played a crucial role in this process, assisting their children in choosing subjects that align with their career aspirations and interests. Students have gained educational experiences at school and have also visited tertiary institutions to help them make informed decisions about their education.
The school is currently working on the timetable based on the students' choices. This timetable is designed according to the selections made by the students during the course counselling process. While the school aims to accommodate as many of the students' choices as possible, it may only sometimes be feasible to meet all requests. Secondary school students have a greater degree of influence over their subject choices, and this autonomy grows with each passing year. This period is an exciting time in their lives as they shape their education to align with their interests and career aspirations.
The survey deadline has been extended and will now close on Friday, 20 September.
Thank you to the families who have already completed the survey, contributing significantly to our community with their feedback.
If your family was selected to participate in the Parent Opinion Survey and has not yet completed it, we strongly encourage you to do so. Your input is invaluable to our school community.
The purpose of this survey is to gather opinions from parents, caregivers, and guardians to inform future planning and enhance our college.
Rest assured, the survey is anonymous, and your responses are strictly confidential.
The survey will take roughly 20 minutes to complete. We recognize your time is precious, but your insights are equally important to us.
We appreciate your support. Should parents, caregivers, or guardians have any inquiries or concerns about the Parent Opinion Survey, please do not hesitate to contact the school and speak with Ms. Leanne Scarlett.
Friday 20th September is the last day of term. Wishing the NGSC family a restful break and looking forward to a productive term 4 with our students.
The importance of attendance for students has been well publicised. At NGSC we have high expectations for attendance where we want the students at school so they can learn. The value added to a young person’s mental health and wellbeing is significant when engaged with a school community. Recently we sent out communications to parents of students whose attendance for 2024 was below 40%. The objective was to start a conversation with families to get their child attending more often and to support families to overcome challenges faced with getting to school or engaging with the school community. The letter might have presented its own challenges, but we appreciate parents contacting the school to set up a meeting to best support students in attending more frequently.
Figure 1: A diagram showing the number of high school years missed when attending at a certain percentage.
The meetings being held with families are best outlined in the chart (below) which highlights the avenues of support that NGSC explore.
Our students took part in the third Be Bold Be Heard girls' forum for 2024. This was held at Lara Secondary College, successfully led by their students. Again, our students were actively involved in the day, dancing up a storm at the start of the day then engaging in questions of guest speakers and enacting their own action plans. The guests at this forum included:
Allison Marchant (politician), Ella George (politician) and Ace Spencer (Immunology scientist).
The students then organised the next part of their work in their action teams which was finalised in the following week. All of us are greatly looking forward to the Celebration Forum where all students will share their successful outcomes with other schools and leaders in the community.
We are all probably used to the Curriculum Day perspective shared by the students…another day off! At NGSC we are really pleased to utilise these days to effectively plan and organise engaging programs for all our school community. On Thursday 29th August we explored the introduction of our new “Connect” program. Connect will replace Home Group in 2025 and, instead of being conducted daily, it will be once per week on a Thursday for 25 minutes. These classes will be highly engaging, interactive, enjoyable and targeting the student point of need. Staff were provided some professional learning in the morning of the Curriculum Day and then broke up into year level groups to best plan for the upcoming year of Connect. It was highly entertaining seeing staff coming up with their interactive activities and there was some hilarity when sharing them with staff. I think students will enjoy this new initiative.
We have had some challenges with the change of seasons and weather. The winds have been significantly strong and, although we have regular checks of trees and overhanging branches the high winds can have a massive impact. To promote the safety of students we have closed the oval during periods of high winds and we have opened up the classrooms for students when needed.
There have been some recent changes to Compass. This will be evident to all the parents and students who use it frequently. From our point of view these have been a positive addition and enable easier use. In addition to this they have updated Newsfeed so that we can count the number of views that have been registered. This will help us in reviewing what is most important to parents. There is also an opportunity to make it more interactive which can enable emojis and feedback, which will be considered in coming weeks.
Many boys in years 9-12 have developed facial hair. It is a school requirement that students attend school clean shaven (to revise the uniform requirements such as these, please refer to the webpage or the student diary). In the event the student has not met this requirement we will have a conversation with them about the expectation and request they return the next day meeting this requirement. Should the student continue to come to school unshaven they will be given lunchtime detention and further consequences such as after school detention. In addition to this students will be provided with shaving cream and a shaver or sent home to shave. We thank parents for supporting the communication of this expectation.
Year 9 students are taking part in a program that engages them with the TAFE opportunities in Geelong. This involves modules in class and several visits to the campuses of the Gordon TAFE. This program has been going on for a number of years now and is very successful at showcasing the numerous opportunities for students in our region. At the last GTFP immersion experience students took part in a range of programs that were tailored to their interests. They came back from the day full of knowledge and enthusiasm for a variety of pathways and we thank the staff at the Gordon for providing these opportunities. The next TAFE day will be on Friday 13th September.
The Junior School has been very busy over the last few weeks. With excursions and work as well as immunisations taking time for our Year 7 and 8 students.
The Year 7 students have completed their immunisations, and the process went very smoothly, thanks to everyone who returned their forms. The efficiency of the procedure was greatly enhanced by the prompt submissions of consent. Thank you for that.
Last week, our Year 7 students visited the Melbourne Zoo as an extension of their science studies. It was an excellent day filled with tours of the zoo, observing various animals, and enjoying the pleasant weather. Please stay tuned for information on an upcoming excursion for our Year 8 students in the following weeks.
Students in Year 7 Science have just commenced a Physics Forces unit. To introduce the topic students participated in some ‘science yoga’ to demonstrate balanced and unbalanced forces.
Toys were also used to observe the six main ways a force can act on an object. Those six ways being: start an object moving, slow an object down, speed an object up, change an objects shape or direction, keep an object still.
As we near the end of term students begin to sit assessments and hand in various pieces of work. As a sub-school we are trying to improve the organisation of the students in this time to make things that little bit easier.
The last day for students will be Friday the 20th of September. Students will finish earlier at 1:30 pm so please be aware of this.
As we approach the end of Term 3, I'd like to express my gratitude to parents, students, and staff for their support in career planning throughout the term. Students should have their subjects and pathways for the next year chosen by now, providing them with a clearer vision of what they need to achieve their goals. Special thanks to Janelle Butler for her help in the Middle Sub School during my Long Service Leave, and to all staff members who supported our students in this period.
- Mr Daniel Grozdanovski
This week, 23 Year 10 students have been granted the chance to participate in a camp. Although the wild weather on Sunday night caused a delayed start, the students set off on Tuesday morning. The camp's objective is to build upon the values listed below.
R- Resilience
E- Empathy
S- Setting Goals
P- Present
E- Environmental
C- Collaboration
T - Thankful
We wish them all the best and can’t wait to hear about their experiences when they return.
All the Year 9’s recently attended The Gordon taster day as part of the Geelong Tertiary Futures Program.
The students got to experience workshops in:
Early Childhood Education, Hairdressing, Health & Community Services, Screen and Media Studies, Cookery & Hospitality studies.
Students will again get the opportunity this week and next week to attend some different tasters. We very much appreciate all the students who involved themselves in the workshops!
Any student who is completing a scored VCE Unit 3/4 subject will be having practice exams run during the first week of the school holidays. The timetable for these has been shared and a printed copy is up in the common room for all students to see. Practice exams are important in building writing stamina and allowing students to replicate the exam that will take place in October/November. These practice exams will allow our students to know how confident they are with the content and how much extra work is still required before the VCAA exams take place. All students completing a Unit 3/4 subject will have teachers giving back meaningful feedback on the exam and quality of answers at the start of next term and students can use this valuable feedback to work on gaps in their learning.
Year 12 VCE Vocational Major students will participate in an interview process next term to acknowledge and celebrate their achievements throughout their final years of secondary schooling. In preparing for these interviews, the students are encouraged to reflect upon their employability skills development, for example their ability to work cooperatively in a team environment and to communicate effectively in the workplace. The timetable for the interview times will be shared early next term.
A reminder to our Year 11 students, your Year 12 jumper needs to be paid for by the end of term. Please come and see Mrs Martin if you have any concerns over any payment questions, size of the jumper to be ordered or the name to go on the back of the jumper.
The Year 12 Camp for 2025 is in its final stages of planning. Students will receive information about the dates in the coming days, stay tuned.
Students are reminded that although we are close to the end of term, it is important to knuckle down and give it your all and not lose focus. Stay in the present and make sure you have your priorities clear for the final days of term.
Borrowing Times: 12:39pm – 12:50pm
Please record the date, your name, home group, and the items you have borrowed on the Borrowing Sheet.
Return Times: 1:25 pm
Make sure to return the borrowed equipment and mark your name off the list. If any issues arise with returning the equipment, immediately notify the staff at the Sports Shack.
Failure to return equipment may impact your ability to borrow in the future.
The Sports Shack is an excellent resource for students, and it is in everyone's interest to contribute to its efficient operation.
We have recently had Year 7 & 8 Teams representing the College in basketball, volleyball and table tennis. These teams were very popular as many students signed up and the selected students represented the school values while competing against other local schools.
Looking ahead to next term, we will have Year 9 & 10 teams competing in interschool competitions for basketball, cricket and table tennis. Tryouts for these are underway as lots of students have expressed interest in going up against other schools in these sports.
Year 7 & 8 students will have the opportunity to represent the school in cricket, tennis and baseball next term. Coaches should have reached out to students that signed up for this and organised some training in preparation for the events.
Good luck to all students who have signed up to represent our great college!
Mental illness in younger people
Like all of us, teenagers can feel a bit down sometimes. Everyday frustrations, disappointments, problems at school or family troubles can cause this feeling. If the sadness or worry go on for more than two weeks and start to affect their daily life, though, this may be a symptom of a mental illness which needs medical assessment and treatment.
Please scan the QR code for more information or visit:
https://www.sane.org/information-and-resources/facts-and-guides/mental-illness-in-younger-people
This health content is brought to you by Doctors in Secondary School (DiSS).
For further discussions about this topic, or to make an appointment please contact the DiSS GP and Nurse at your school.
R U OK Day: will be celebrated at NGSC on Thurs 12th September. This year’s theme is “Ask R U OK? Any Day” and encourages us all to start conversations about mental health, not just on R U OK Day, but every day.
Students are welcome to join Student Wellbeing and the SRC for food and activities at lunchtime to recognise this important day.
Secondary School Nurses support the school community in addressing contemporary health and social issues facing young people and their families. This is achieved through focusing on the following health priority areas:
Secondary School Nurses focus on preventative health by using a whole-school approach and partnering with the school, families and community-based health services, to support the health and wellbeing of the school community. A Secondary School Nurse is allocated to North Geelong Secondary College for two days a week.
Days of Work:
We really care about health and wellbeing at our school and have signed up to work through the Achievement Program. The Achievement Program is a free State Government initiative that helps schools create healthier environments that benefit students, teachers, staff and families. The program looks at different health areas, including Healthy Eating and Oral Health; Physical Activity and Movement; Mental Health and Wellbeing; and more.
We are excited to start the program and will keep you updated with our progress. If you would like to read more, further information about the program can be found here.
Vaping Prevention:
Parents, carers, schools, and community all play an important role in protecting children and young people from, and educating them about, the harmful effects of smoking and vaping.
Research from the Royal Children’s Hospital shows many parents and carers are not aware of the harmful effects or how their views about smoking and vaping can impact the likelihood of a young person taking up smoking or vaping.
The Department of Education has developed resources to help you learn more about the health risks of smoking and vaping. The resources include advice about how to talk to children and young people about vaping, and where to get support. To access the resources, go to https://www.vic.gov.au/smoking-and-vaping-advice-parents
You can also view this video on smoking and vaping from experts at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne for health advice and tips for starting a conversation with young people.
The ‘smoking and vaping: advice for parents’ document is also available in different languages:
Active Schools:
North Geelong Secondary College is proud to be an Active School. The evidence is clear, active adolescents are happy, healthy and resilient adolescents. Active adolescents are also active learners. An active school encourages physical activity through a whole-school approach that goes beyond traditional physical education and sport to promote physical activity at every opportunity.
The core of the framework acknowledges the importance of schools, family and community as influences of a student's level of physical activity. Families and communities are crucial in supporting students to continue their participation in physical activity beyond the school environment.
The priorities of an active school are:
We will explore the key priorities of the Active Schools framework in more depth over the next few months. Click on the link for more information about Active schools | vic.gov.au (www.vic.gov.au)
Cultura Geelong has created "Let's Get Active Geelong" video clips in various languages. These videos aim to motivate women to adopt a healthier lifestyle by incorporating simple, daily physical activities and explore local areas for exercise and recreation. Click the links below to watch the video clips:
Wear It Purple Day
On Wednesday, August 28th, North Geelong Secondary College celebrated WEAR IT PURPLE Day. ‘Wear It Purple’ aims to create supportive, safe, and inclusive environments for young people in the LGBTQIA+ community. The day empowers LGBTQIA+ youth to dream big and embrace "Your Passion, Your Pride". By wearing purple, staff and students showed their support for rainbow young people, letting them know that they are celebrated and respected. At North Geelong Secondary College we acknowledge that everyone has the right to be proud of who they are and who they are becoming.
We partnered with GASP (City of Greater Geelong), QHub (Drummond Street Services) and The Geelong Project to offer some fantastic Wear It Purple Day activities for our school community.
We would like to thank the Skittles Squad, SRC and Beauty students for working together to create an incredible, inclusive event.
The ‘Skittles Squad’ catches up every Tuesday at lunchtime in the Wellbeing area. We welcome all LGBTIQA+ students, staff and allies to attend this supportive and inclusive group.
Click on the links below for information about supporting a young person with diverse sexuality, as well as some translated information about understanding sexuality and sexual identity:
The NGSC Multicultural Festival, a highly anticipated event, is progressing well, as evidenced by the lively discussions and productive planning session that took place at the recent meeting on Monday, 26 August.
Please make a note in your calendars for this upcoming Festival—Common Ground—on Friday, October 25th. This event will be a vibrant celebration of cultural diversity, showcasing an array of global cuisines, numerous activities, rides, workshops, arts and crafts, and a wealth of cultural dances. Don't miss out on this annual event—a truly unique celebration of cultures!
Your support is crucial in various forms: contributing to the Festa Raffle with products, services, gift vouchers, or even a homemade cake for the cake stall, or by simply spreading the word within the community. With your help, we can keep the spirit of the Festival alive and glowing.
Keep an eye out for more Festa updates or join us at our next term's meeting, scheduled for Monday, August 14th, from 12:45 pm to 1:30 pm, to participate in the final stages of planning. Let's aim to elevate this Festa to new heights!
Dear Parents, Guardians, Community Friends, Staff, and Students,
We are excited to announce that the Multicultural Committee is hosting its fabulous, traditional homemade cake stall! To continue our proud tradition of having the best cake stall in Geelong, we need your assistance.
How You Can Contribute:
We invite all our wonderful families to bake and donate cakes, slices, muffins, and/or sweets for the Multicultural Festival on Friday, 25th October at North Geelong Secondary College!
Important Details:
- Delivery Time: Please ensure your delicious treats are delivered to the school by 9 AM sharp on the day. They can also be sent with your children if necessary.
- Health Regulations: Due to allergy concerns, please provide a list of ingredients (not the recipe) with your baked goods.
Interested in Getting Involved?
Please let us know! Forms are available from the following members of the Multicultural Cakes Committee:
- Mrs. Vera Dudas
- Ms. Carolyn Kent
- Mrs. Irene Walters
- Ms. Soghra Mahtabi
Forms can also be collected at the front office and in the staffroom.
Your continuous support is greatly appreciated in making our cake stall a delightful success!
Thank you.
Rollins Primary School Electives
Each year, North Geelong Secondary College is delighted to host Grade 5 and 6 students from Rollins Primary School for their elective's classes in Science and Food Technology.
This year was a little different where the students undertook five activities in the science sector giving them a full insight into this area and what they may experience in their secondary college years ahead:
The Food Technology was also an extravaganza of excitement where the students made Bento Boxes, a very heathy treat that was enjoyed by most but if not, the students gave this as a gift for their parents.
A fun and enjoyable day filled with big smiles and a lot of interactive fun for all of the students involved. Thankyou Rollins Primary School for attending this event.
Year 9 students have now entered the second phase of completing the state-wide Careers Morrisby Profile. Students have had the opportunity to complete an online profile that asks a series of questions to identify their interests, strengths, learning styles and skill sets.
Students are then completing a session with a Careers Practitioner who shares the data collected by the Morrisby profile to identify then discuss subject selections for Year 10 and potential careers pathways. Students and parents will receive more information to support subject selection during Term 3.
During Term 3, Year 9 students will have three single day excursions which are part of "The Geelong Tertiary Futures Program". This program is at both Gordon campuses. Students will complete five different half day tasters over weeks 6, 8 and 9 which they have selected. This program allows students to experience several different careers in the environment where these courses are delivered.
Please find below a brief snapshot of the ways we support our students.
Furthermore, we ask that if you, or someone you know, is in a position to assist our students by offering work experience, please contact us so we can help facilitate such a rewarding experience.
What are employers looking for in an apprentice or trainee?
There are the baseline traits that all employees look for:
So how do you capture the attention of an employer?
Why are you unique? What can you offer that no one else can? We all have Unique Selling Points or USPs (in digital marketing terms). Name your top three strengths then ask a parent, friend or former employer to do the same. For example, you may be efficient, outgoing and driven. Think of examples in your personal life where you have illustrated these strengths and spell them out using examples.
YOU MUST have a Resume. Employers offering apprenticeships and traineeships accept that you may have very little paid work experience, but you do have skills. Perhaps you are the captain of your sporting club, or you are coach of a team, completed a pre-apprenticeship, studied tech or hospitality at school, worked at your dad’s company in the holidays or learned how to construct things. Include achievements such as awards or projects you managed at school. It could simply be that you worked part-time for a year to go on a school trip, which shows you have determination.
Be creative with your skill set.
Present well. Dress well and look clean and tidy even if you are in your school uniform. Presentation also includes ensuring there are no spelling or grammar mistakes in your resume. This is especially important to show you have a keen eye for attention to detail.
Be enthusiastic. Enthusiasm is so important in apprentices!
Someone who is enthusiastic, energetic and passionate creating products will get employed. Remember, while you may not have a lengthy resume, you might be surprised by how much you can truly offer.
Employers also value a young person’s initiative to pick up the phone (yes actually talking) and have a conversation with prospective employers.
Stay off your mobile during business hours!
Might be obvious, but Snapchat, Instagram, Tik Tok.... CAN ALL WAIT!
The one thing the Head Start Coordinators hear from frustrated employers; “They are always on their phone.”
Check it at appropriate times during breaks, but other times show some initiative during slow periods and clean, restack, clean a work vehicle – this is the thing that will impress.
What makes doing an apprenticeship so worthwhile?
Learning in a practical setting is invaluable. Not only do you get to develop skills in a practical environment, but you’re surrounded by experienced professionals that you can learn and draw inspiration from. An apprenticeship goes beyond the theory and provides you with skills and experience that will set you up for a career that you may have never been able to access otherwise.
Finding yourself the right apprenticeship isn’t always as difficult as you may think, talk to your Careers Teacher about how Head Start can help you present well to employers.
If you’re a student looking for a pathway into employment, a parent looking for a secure future for your child, or an employer looking for your next apprentice, contact the Careers and Pathways Team about the Head Start Program!
The upcoming Apprenticeship and Traineeship Forum, hosted by Skilling the Bay in collaboration with Workforce Australia Local Jobs (Barwon) and The Gordon, promises to demystify the apprenticeship and traineeship pathway.
We invite you to share this fantastic opportunity with your students and parent/carer community through the school newsletter or other pathways.
🌟 Discover Your Path with Apprenticeships and Traineeships! 🌟
Event Details:
Why Should Students Attend?
Register here: Eventbrite link
The VCE Vocational Major students had a visit from three alumni who spoke of their journey since leaving North Geelong. They also passed on many suggestions on how to be successful in firstly, obtaining a position and secondly, on how to move across different workplaces or various roles within the same company. They focussed on communication skills and how important it was to be able to be flexible in your style, depending on your audience. As well as verbal and written communication skills, emotional intelligence was also highlighted. They commented that the ability to recognise and regulate your own and others' emotions, and to empathise with colleagues and/or clients is of growing importance in today’s work situations.
Students completed a worksheet on their own level of competence with the transferable skills being discussed. This allowed them to reflect on their strengths and to identify areas for improvement – also mentioned as a valuable tool for succeeding in a competitive workplace.
Thanks to
Your willingness to give back to the NGSC community is very much appreciated.
If you would like to be a part of the ever-growing alumni community at North Geelong Secondary College, please get in touch!
Email: alumni@ngsc.com.au
Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/northgeelongsecondarycollegealumni/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ngsc-alumni-129212264/
North Geelong Centre
Located at
North Geelong Secondary College
Just a quick update on the situation with VSL / LOTE learning. Many of our students attend school on a Saturday morning to learn a language. The VSL is running all classes through on-line learning, as are day-schools; the lessons are running at the usual time on a Saturday. The VSL teachers contacted each class member prior to the commencement of this term in regard to the electronic platform being used and instructions to access those. If any of our students or their parents/guardians have questions about this, please contact the class teacher first (if possible) and then make all enquiries through the VSL head-office.
The Victorian School of Languages is a specialist Government school offering complementary language instruction outside of regular school hours. It enrols students in Years 1 to 12, who are unable to study their language of choice in their mainstream school. Students from all educational sectors (Government, Independent and Catholic) are eligible to enrol.
The Victorian School of Languages offers quality courses aligned with Government curriculum standards, based on communication skills, that include speaking, reading, writing and listening. Its VCE Program is fully accredited and can advantage students in the calculation of their University entrance score.
The school`s Language Program is delivered through online teaching in over 40 Language Centres situated in government Secondary Schools across the state, and through Distance Education mode.
In North Geelong, classes are held on Saturday mornings between 9:00 am and 12:15 pm online.
Languages offered:
Croatian, Karen, Vietnamese, Dari, Persian, Polish, Macedonian, Bosnian, Turkish and Russian
*New languages may be offered subject to demand*
For enquiries Telephone: 5277 9833
Further details and enrolment are available online at our website: www.vsl.vic.edu.au
Discover the World of Languages!