WHAT'S HAPPENING AT STAUGHTON
New ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
The new Assistant Principal has just been selected. Mr Harry Culbertson will join us in 2012. Mr Culbertson is currently the Assistant Principal at Ararat College in the Grampians Region. We wish Mr Pear all the best at his new school.
VCE EXCELLENCE
Congratulations to all VCE students and special congratulations to our Dux, Jordan Woolley who achieved an impressive ATAR of 90.25. Congratulations also to Skye Handley who scored 89.95. Four students had individual subject study scores of 40 or over, with another 4 scoring either 38 or 39. 2011 VCE results build on our learning goals throughout the College. The 2011 literacy and numeracy scores for NAPLAN show that we add value to students who come to our College. The average improvement of the same cohort of Staughton students from Year 7 NAPLAN, is far greater than the state average. We are rightly proud of these achievement
Staffing News
Assistant Principal Zlatko Pear is leaving Staughton to take up a promotion position as the Principal of Myrtleford P-12 College in the Alpine Shire. We are pleased and excited for him but recognise that his are large shoes to fill and we are in the process of selecting a new Assistant Principal. We all wish Zlatko well in his new role.
Zlatko began his teaching career in the late 1980s and has worked, motivating students and as a leader in the school, since that time. Zlatko does not want a fuss made of his departure, but on this occasion I would be remiss if I didn’t mention his support, his commanding presence, big personality - all based on a strong moral compass - and his desire to make good decisions for the students at Staughton. We will miss him.
New Caledonia
New Caledonia-newsletter
During the September holidays this year a group of 14 students and 2 teachers journeyed to the island of New Caledonia for 8 days of fun in a tropical French environment. The experience was such a success, we are looking to go again in 2012. For next year, the trip will be open to any Staughton student who will be 14.5 years of age as of September 2012. A parent information night will be held Wednesday November 23, 2011 from 6:30 to 7:00pm. Any interested parents and students are invited to attend. For more information please speak with Ms. Duff (French teacher).
School Uniform
Uniform is a requirement of attending Staughton College. All students are expected to be in full school uniform including shoes. Black canvas slip on shoes are NOT acceptable and are also not OH&S compliant. Students out of uniform are required to go to the YLC office in the morning and will be taken through the uniform process. Please contact the relevant Year Level Coordinator if you have any concerns regarding uniform.
Note: acceptable shoes are to be black leather lace ups with heel for boys and girls; girls are also allowed to wear the black leather t-bar shoes.
Year 12 Examinations
The Year 12 VCE examinations started this week. Our students have already completed the English and Further Mathematics exams. Student left the exams feeling confident and we wish them all the best for the rest of the exam period. The exams will continue over the next 3 weeks with French being the last exam on Tuesday 22nd of November.
Opening Of The Basketball Courts
We were thrilled to have our first basketball game on the new courts at lunch on Tuesday. A staff-versus-student game was the opening event. College Council President Ursula Ramadge cut the ribbon to officially open the courts and our guest - Warwick Giddey from the Melbourne Tigers basketball team - led the student team onto the court first.
Grounds/Facilities Update
A few weeks ago we wrote about the ongoing facilities upgrade, describing a number of works going on at the moment. In addition to those mentioned, we also:
• Have been successful in applying for funding for new ramps and landings to our Portables. Stage 1 is already completed improving access to 4 classrooms. The next stage will be completed at the end of September. Once the installation has been completed all portable classrooms at the college will have ramps.
• Received funding to replace the old timber window frames along the front of the school. New aluminium frames will be installed. A part of the funding will allow us to replace the gutters, downpipes and part of the roofing in that section of the school. These works will take place over the Christmas break. Once completed, they will give the school a modern look. We are confident that water leaks and storm damage at the school will no longer be a problem.
Supporting Literacy Development
To support the Independent Reading Program and the development of literacy skills, Staughton has implemented Classroom Libraries in the rooms that year 7, 8 and 9 students learn in. Staughton has invested heavily in this support and will continue to do so in the future. The aim of the classroom library is to provide breadth of materials, fiction and non-fiction, for students to read during the independent reading program. It is also expected that all year 7, 8 and 9 students have a book in their bag to read at any stage of the day. So a combination of Classroom Libraries and a book in the bag ensures that there is something that students are interested in reading on a daily basis.
Not only has Staughton implemented the Independent Reading Program, Book in the Bag motto and Classroom Libraries, but we have now also invested in Listening Posts and audio books to enable all students to access a wide range of literature, no matter what their reading abilities.
STAUGHTON COLLEGE DEBUTANTE BALLS 2012
Dates of Debs
Friday 16th March 2012
Friday 23rd March 2012
Friday 30th March 2012
Venue: The Luxor Function Centre, Cnr Melton Highway & Sydenham Road, Taylors Lakes
Three dates have been reserved for 2012 with confirmation deposit required by the venue early August 2011. An
$80.00 non refundable deposit will be required from girls interested in participating in 2012 by 1st August 2011. The
number of girls interested will determine how many Deb Balls will be held in 2012. There will 16 - 18 places in each
Deb.
Staughton Students Lead ‘Mind Matters’ Workshop in Bendigo
Four Staughton students in our Youth Empowerment Program were selected to lead a youth empowerment workshop. We are extremely proud of Paige Hunt, Nancy Gater, Krystal Bridgeman and Cassandra Hamill, who this week spent 2 days in Bendigo training students from 6 local Bendigo schools. To be considered experts and to be selected to lead the program is an excellent achievement. They are the only students doing this for Mind Matters in Victoria. Well done girls!!
Resiliency Robbers
by Michael Grose
Parents, by nature, have the best of intentions when raising kids.
Wanting what is best for kids in the short term can cause parents to
make decisions that are not always in their (children’s) long-term best
interests.more...
Our History
Simon Staughton and his family were the first settlers in the Melton South district. They travelled from England to start a new life in Victoria when there were no roads or services and few people in the district. After years of pioneering effort, Simon owned tracts of land from Melton to Werribee and left a rich inheritance for his descendents. The Staughton family motto was "Through Industry you progress". We are proud to build on the Staughton pioneering spirit of perseverance and achievement here at Staughton College.
Try Persevere Achieve
Our school motto is Try - Persevere - Achieve. This is a snapshot of our philosophy. It reminds all of us in our College community that learning involves a series of steps. These steps seem simple but they are essential if we want to grow as people - not just now but throughout our lives.
Try
The first step in anything is to try - to have a go even when we don't know whether we will succeed. Sometimes just a small step is enough for us to start to learn.
Persevere
Next we need to persevere - to keep trying even when we make mistakes or hit a difficult patch. Many things in life are hard and we only succeed if we persist with our efforts.
Achieve
It is only when we persevere that we move forward in life. We always enjoy the satisfaction of achieving something worthwhile. When Staughton College students achieve, we celebrate as a community.
