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Year 8 Camp

Homegroups 8_1, 8_2, 8_3


Sunday 24th November Wednesday 27th November

Year 8 Camp
Homegroups 8_4, 8_5, 8_6
Wednesday 27th November Saturday 30th November

MIPS Interviews 2014 VCE Students


Monday 25th November Wednesday 27th November

VCE Headstart:
Friday 29th November

English & VCE Orientation

I S SUE 17

WorTh reADInG
www.wrc.vic.edu.au

2 0 TH N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3

DUKE OF ED BAW BAW HIKE


The Duke of Edinburgh award is a program for young people to develop both leadership skills and initiative. In order to complete the award participants must spend time volunteering, learning a new skill and engaging in physical recreation. The nal part of the award is the Adventurous Journey, which this years Duke of Edinburgh group set out for on the 20th of October. We set out early Sunday morning, arriving at Mt Baw Baw National Park. Over three days we hiked through 28kms of bush, low scrub, muddy tracks, rocky terrain, swamps and gravel roads, carrying with us all the equipment necessary for camping in the bush. After leaving Mt St Gwinear car park, we hiked up to the top of Mt St Gwinear where we stopped for lunch. Shortly on the track, we found some snow. After that, we decided to follow what we thought was the track when in actual fact, we ended up bush bashing for the next hour. We stopped in a windy paddock for the night after making it through a swamp, where only one person fell in. That night everyone enjoyed 6 second spotlight. On the second day, we were pleased when we found the path and managed to follow it for the next 16km until we came to Mushroom Rocks. Everyone loved Mushroom Rock's Campsite and we stayed up talking until it was dark. There was plenty of laughter and games and although it was raining constantly while we were there, it was still plenty of fun. We walked the rst section of road for the entire camp. The forest was foggy, and for the rst time we had issues with leeches, but everyone hiked enthusiastically. In the nal section, we crossed a river to get to the Eastern Tyres car park. The hike was a rewarding experience for all the staff and students involved.

A Proud History, a Bright Future

assistaNt PRINCIPAL'S REPORT


The Importance of Writing
Writing is a critical skill that most of us will use throughout the course of our lifetime. Like many important skills, writing improves with practice. There are many arguments as to why the writing skills of our young people seem to have deteriorated over time. Some people blame technology, others colloquial speech, texting, or Facebook; however, the reality is that most young people are practising writing daily. The challenge as I see it, for educators, families and adolescents is to practise the discipline of writing. What do I mean by this? Communicating via technology does not have to be precise, words are shortened, incorrect spelling accepted and many of the conventions used in Facebook are well known. We even have the option of using visual icons to explain how we are feeling. You know the ones so and so is feeling happy with the smiley face icon! But writing for an educative, instructional or entertainment purpose takes discipline and hard work. We need to think about our audience, our word choice and we need to draft and re-draft, checking spelling and punctuation. If we are arguing our case we need to use language which is persuasive and which helps us to convince the audience that they need to listen to what we have to say. If our piece is poorly constructed, our audience may not be able to understand us and therefore our meaning is lost. What then is the best approach to teaching students to write and how might parents help?

School
Regular practice. Promote reading. Use of learning tools to develop student skill in all the areas of writing. Push perseverance (anything worthwhile takes time).

Parents
Encourage writing for pleasure. Think about purchasing grammar software (there are numerous products online). There are also fun apps which help students to create stories. And most of all support your children to practise their writing.

Vaya Cross Assistant Principal

Year 11 work skills workplaces eXcursioN


As part of the Learning Outcomes of Work Skills Unit 1 our year 11 VCAL group went on an excursion to two different work sites. The aim was to get a workplace appreciation of OH&S issues. Firstly we visited Fulton Hogan in Drouin. There we got a tour of the working site which was interesting as we learnt about their machines, how they work and all of the safety aspects involved with the operation of the company. There were a lot of dangers and rules that had to be followed to meet OHS standards including PPE (personal protective equipment) and SWMs (Safe Work Management). After checking out the machines we headed down to the work shop. A couple of the workers there gave us a run down on their patrol truck and what they have to set up to be safe out on the roads when lling in pot holes and so on. There is a lot of paper work that needs to be lled out each time they work on the road to ensure safety of themselves and others. After this we visited a building site in Warragul. This involved the boss and one apprentice nishing off framing a house. Leigh talked to us about OH&S in his business, including stories of inspectors dropping in regularly. Over all it was a good excursion and well worth it.

By Shaun, Mikkaela and Chris.

cesses group about OH & S pro Rob Beecroft talks to the Truck. l tro Pa the on involved in working
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teXt book sales 2013 years 7-10


Please note; only the books that appear on these lists are able to be sold.
YEAR 7 ENGLISH Pankration (P/Back) Trust Me! INDONESIAN Retain books for 2014 JAPANESE Retain books for 2014 YEAR 8 ENGLISH Once - Gleitzman Lord of the Flies INDONESIAN Bagus Sekali 1 Workbook (if not written in) YEAR 9 ENGLISH Tomorrow When The War Began INDONESIAN Bagus Sekali 2 (on past booklists) YEAR 10 ENGLISH Of Mice and Men Stack of Stories Doppelganger ENGLISH LITERATURE Insight -Lit for Senior Students -2nd Ed Romeo & Juliet-Insight Shakespere Plays (on 2012 booklist) FOODS & PATISSERIE Food Book (Oxford H/B) JAPANESE Gakkoo Seikatsu (from 2012) MATHEMATICS Access To Prevocational Maths 1

AN EVENING OF TRIVIA
Hosted By

World Challenge Namibia/ Botswana Team 2013/14


With Trivia MC Ian Moore DATE: Saturday, 30th Nov WHERE: Warragul Regional College School Hall COST: Tickets $15.00 available from General Ofce
Includes 1 savoury platter per table BYO alcohol, soft drinks and additional nibbles
MAXIMUM TABLE SIZE IS 10 PEOPLE

Great prizes to be won on the night Spot prizes Silent Auction with additional prizes to be won

teXt book sales 2013 VCE


ACCOUNTING Cambridge VCE Acc Units 1&2 - 2nd Ed Cambridge VCE Acc Units 1&2 - 2nd Ed Workbook (if not written in) Cambridge VCE Acc Units 3&4 - 2nd Ed Cambridge VCE Acc Units 3&4 - 2nd Ed Workbook (if not written in) ART Art-iculate - Art for VCE Units 1-4 (retain if continuing units 3&4)

MATHEMATICS Access to Prevocational Maths 1 Essential Advanced General Maths - 3rd Ed Essential Advanced General Maths - 2nd Ed Essential Maths Methods 1&2 Essential Maths Methods 3&4 Essential Specialist Maths - 3rd Ed Essential Further Maths - 4th Ed Maths Quest VCE Foundation Maths
(all 8 workbooks MUST be included and not be written in)

MUSIC PERFORMANCE VCE Music Performance Musicianship Ess. Units 1&2 (if not written in) VCE Music Performance Musicianship Ess. Units 3&4 (if not written in) PHYSICAL EDUCATION Nelson Physical Ed. VCE Units 1&2 Nelson Physical Ed VCE Units 3&4 - 5th Ed Nelson Physical Ed VCE Units 3&4 Workbook - 2nd Ed (if not written in) Physical Education Notes VCE Units 3&4 - 2nd Ed PHYSICS Jacaranda Physics 1 - Units 1&2 - 3rd Ed Jacaranda Physics 1 - Units 3&4 - 3rd Ed PSYCHOLOGY Psychology Study Dictionary - 2nd Ed STUDIO ARTS (Photography) Artisan-Studio Arts for VCE Units 1-4 VCAL LITERACY Stack of Stories Ninety Packets of Instant Noodles The Boy in the Striped Pajamas VISUAL COMMUNICATION & DESIGN Visual Comm & Design VCE Units 1-4 -3rd Ed NOTE: Casio ClassPad 330 calculators. The new model of the Casio Graphic ClassPad calculator has been requested on booklists in 2014. The existing version of the calculator is still perfectly acceptable in class and does not need to be replaced if you already own one! There will be 25 of the black and white versions available for sale from the college class set at a reduced price of $75.00 for those who wish to purchase them. Parents and Friends will also still continue to accept these calculators as well as Casio Scientic Calculators FX100AU from students who wish to sell them through the book sale. Please write the price that you wish to receive for the calculater along with the other details requested on the 'bookslip' ie: name, address, contact phone. Thank you.

BIOLOGY Heinemann Biology One - Enhanced - Textbook Heinemann Biology One - Units 1&2 - 4th Ed Heinemann Biology One - Units 3&4 - 4th Ed Student Workbook (if not written in) BUSINESS MANAGEMENT Key Concepts VCE Business Management 1&2 - 2nd Ed Key Concepts VCE Business Management 3&4 - 2nd Ed CHEMISTRY Heinemann Chemistry 1 - 4th Ed Heinemann Chemistry 2 - 4th Ed DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY Product Design & Technology VCE 1-4 - 3rd Ed 200 Projects Get You into Fashion Design Nelson Product Design & Technology W,M&P workbook (if not written in) Nelson Product Design & Technology Textiles workbook (if not written in) ENGLISH 1 & 2 Don't Start Me Talking The Things They Carried Jasper Jones ENGLISH 3 & 4 The Lot - In Words ENGLISH LITERATURE 1 & 2, 3 & 4 Insight - Literature for Senior Students - 2nd Ed Kinglake 350 In Cold Blood FOOD TECHNOLOGY Food Solutions Units 1&2 - 3rd Ed Food Solutions Units 3&4 - 3rd Ed INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Nelson Info Tech Units 1&2 - 5th Ed Nelson Info Tech Units 3&4 - 5th Ed LEGAL STUDIES Key Concepts VCE Legal Studies Units 1&2 - 2nd Ed Key Concepts VCE Legal Studies Units 3&4 - 2nd Ed

2014 Laptop Program for Year 7 aNd 10


Thanks to all the parents who attended our presentations on the 11th and 12th of November. These meetings allowed us to inform parents of the thinking behind the plan, as well as advise you of a further option now available to parents in 2014. What follows is a summary of the key information presented, and will help all to understand why the college has made certain decisions.

Upfront versus ongoing costs


Our low cost devices: Have a 1 year warranty only (greater risk of future repair cost). Are proving much more expensive to repair (e.g. replacement charger $60 vs $20 for our other devices). Must be sent away for repair. The low up front cost devices have high potential to be the most expensive over time. 3 year warranty can save a lot of money.

Why did we select Lenovo laptops?


When selecting a student laptop there are two main things to consider 1. Cost - How much does the laptop cost to run across three years? This includes: a. Purchase price b. Cost of warranty c. Cost of repairs after warranty runs out (usually 12 months) d. Cost of accidental damage Availability - The laptop must be available every school day.

Cost to Parents

2.

From our experience over the past 5 years, we have learnt that the main things that effect cost and availability are: Robustness Student laptops work very hard. (5 days per week for 6 hours per day, plus homework, mostly powered by battery). The devices travel a lot during the day as well as to and from home. Warranty Most of the repairs over the life of the devices are 'warranty related' rather than accidental damage. The key types of repairs have been charger, battery, or hard drive failure, some times more than once. Maximum uptime Repairs undertaken at WRC: turnaround time 1-3 days. Repairs off site with laptop supplier: minimum turnaround 5 days up to 30 days. We have experience with Asus, Acer and Lenovo brands, and we have tested Dell and IBM devices. Lenovo has proven to the most reliable for us with the lowest downtime and the least costly to run when backed by a 3 year warranty.

Lenovo laptops may seem expensive, but include a 3 year warranty. Except for accidental damage, they should be cost free after purchase. The school has reduced the booklist cost since 2012 by between $430-$530 over years 7-9 to help parents with the purchase of laptops. The net cost of the Lenovo X131 is $70-$170 more than the year 7-9 2012 booklist over 3 years ($25$60 per year more). Whilst we have provided a variety of payment options, we are always happy to discuss individual circumstances.

There are 4 options, the choice is yours


The three Lenovo models come with a 3 year onsite warranty. Accidental damage cover is available for each device at an added cost. You may choose any of the following options. 1. X131e 11.6 screen, very robust. 2. L430 14 screen, inbuilt CD/DVD drive, excellent graphics. 3. X240 12.5 screen, top end specs with extra memory, longer lasting battery. 4. Bring your own laptop (see below).

Bring your own laptop if you wish, but do your research rst!
Parents can supply their own Laptop provided it meets our minimum technical and physical specications, and parents/ guardians clearly accept responsibility for organising repairs and meeting all ongoing costs. There are advantages Parents/guardians are free to choose a brand name. Potentially cheaper up front. Choice of warranty options/risks. There are disadvantages Parents/guardians are totally responsible for organising all repairs/warranty claims. Parents must ensure that the student has access to a replacement machine (the school can help with this). Possibly more expensive in the long term. We ask that all parents who opt for their child to bring their own laptop, carefully read the BYOD process and BYOD Parent Agreement. Each arrangement will be assessed on a case by case basis (to make sure the laptop will work) and the parent/guardian will be asked to sign our BYOD Parent Agreement.

Why is long term warranty important.


Laptops which work hard require lots of 'warranty repairs' over 3 years. Industry statistics (IdeasLab) Over three years almost all laptops in schools will require repair under warranty. The problem increases as the laptop gets older. 20% of eet in Year 1 60% of eet in Year 2 120% of eet in year 3 Our experience has largely backed up these gures. 16% of eet in Year 1 35% of eet in Year 2 75% of eet in year 3
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If you need more info please contact us on 5623 9900.

diary dates
WWW Week 7 Group D7 School Council & Finance Meeting 6:30pm Year 10 & 11 Exams Unit 3 & 4 External Exams

Quote of the week


Trust that little voice in your head that says 'Wouldn't it be interesting if...'; And then do it. Duane Michals

Wed

20 Nov

Thurs

21 Nov

Unit 3 & 4 External Exams Year 10 & 11 Exams Domain Leaders Meeting 3:30pm

Fri

22 Nov

Unit 3 & 4 External Exams Year 10 & 11 Exams Valedictory Dinner

Sun - Wed

24 - 27 Nov

Year 8 Camp Homegroups 8_1, 8_2, 8_3 depart 9am Sunday, return 3pm Wednesday

Wed - Sat

27 - 30 Nov

Year 8 Camp Homegroups 8_4, 8_5, 8_6 depart 9am Wednesday, return 3pm Saturday

25 - 27 Mon - Wed Nov

Year 10 & 11 Exams MIPS Interviews - VCE 2014 Students

W A AC RE R N

Wed

27 Nov

WWW Week 8 Group D8 Wellbeing Meeting 5:15pm Chaplaincy Meeting 5:30pm

O IO G FN Y ED AU ARE LC NL U CA E G T A

Thurs - Fri

28 - 29 Nov

VCE Headstart: English & VCE Orientation

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O 1 F

Fri

29 Nov

Last day 7 - 9 Work Requirements

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C ommunity A chievement R espect E ffort

9 | Ph: (03) 5623 9900 | Fax: (03) 5623 4473 P.O. Box 213 | 55 Burke Street Warragul 3820 | Web: www.wrc.vic.edu.au E-mail: warragul.co@edumail.vic.gov.au | A.B.N. 19 320 417 831 | CRICOS Provider Code: 00861K

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