Reservoir High Newsletter 2017 term 2 Issue 3

Term 2 | Issue #3
Reservoir High
Newsletter
Pg. 1 Pg. 14 Pg. 16
Principal’s Report
Another smooth start to the term
with students commencing their
studies enthusiastically as we race
towards the end of semester one
Tall Ships
On Friday April 21 all Year 9 students
attended a terrific excursion to
Melbourne Docklands.
Barjarg Camp
The Advance class went on
an amazing adventure with the
people that brought laughter
and happiness out of us.
2017 Reservoir High Newsletter | Term 2, Issue 3 Page 1

Principal’s Report
It is very hard to believe that we are almost in the
middle of Term 2 and we are talking about Winter
and how many shopping days until Christmas. Time
is flying by and working in schools, where we rely on
bells and dates makes the year seem to go faster!
We have had another smooth start to the term with
students commencing their studies enthusiastically
as we race towards the end of Semester 1 which
commences on June 19th, 2017.
“Another smooth start to
the term with students
commencing their studies
enthusiastically as we
race towards the end
semester one”
SO LONG FAREWELL
After over 20 years working at Reservoir High (or
under its various other names) we said goodbye to
one of our treasured staff. Ms Dimi Nicola. Dimi has
been our leading SEAL light for many years and was
largely responsible for the area becoming such an
important one for Reservoir High and its students.
Dimi’s interest in English and Humanities enabled
our students to excel and delight in her classes.
Dimi Nicola was an outstanding teacher who we shall
miss very much. We wish her well for the future and
trust that she will pop back and see us all soon.
RESERVOIR PROUDLY ON SHOW
After many tour groups during Term 1, Reservoir held
its annual Information and Evening Showcase in week
tw. This followed a very successful Open Morning
during our first week of term. Hundreds of prospective
students and their families arrived to see if what they
had heard about Reservoir High was true. I can proudly
say that our visitors were very impressed with what
they saw and heard. It was terrific to see so many of
our current students and staff talking with prospective
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT Reservoir High Newsletter | Term 2, Issue 3 Page 2

families about life at Reservoir and what it means to
be a Reservoir High student.
The Information Evening began with a SEAL
presentation presented for the first time by Ms
Giovanna Hill, our new SEAL Coordinator for 2017.
There was standing room only for the presentation
which took students and their families through what
it was like to be a SEAL student at Reservoir High.
Testing for the SEAL program took place on May
13th and from the list I have just seen there are many
more students undertaking the test than ever before.
I wish these students all the best for the future.
After the conclusion of the SEAL presentation we
went to the Performing Arts Centre and heard from
Mr Forbes (Year7 Coordinator and Junior School
Leader) about our transition processes and what to
expect as a new student at the school. Our students
also spoke about their first ten weeks at their new
school Ms Pizzey outlined our school uniform
policies with a group of aspiring models from Year 7
showing families what our uniform looks like.
After this our Key Learning Area Leaders and their
staff met with families and prospective students.
Each KLA area provided a unique interactive display
regarding the nature of their area. Prospective
students then voted upon their favourite display and
this year the Science KLA came out on top and won
the coveted trophy. Well done to Ms Amy Hutchings
(Science KLAL) and her staff for all they did to create
such a dynamic display. Many thanks must go to all
our student volunteers, staff and, of course Mr Darryl
Forbes for all his organisation and work with our local
primary schools.
LORD OF THE FLIES
Last time I wrote in our school newsletter we
were all excited about seeing Michael Russo
and Damian Seddon in their performances in the
hugely successful dance theatre piece at the ARTS
CENTRE. A large number of staff and students
saw the production and were overwhelmed by its
brilliance and in particular Damian and Michael’s
performances. Not only did the boy’s perform in the
show, they also featured in The AGE newspaper and
on television being interviewed by Danni Minogue
on The Project. Please see our website for clips from
the show and also The AGE article. Well done to
Michael and Damian who we are sure will be seen on
the Melbourne stage again very soon. Seeing them
up on stage at The Arts Centre was a very proud
moment for Reservoir High and, no doubt, the boys
and their families.
“Well done to Michael
and Damian... seeing
them up on stage at
The Arts Centre was
a very proud moment
for Reservoir High”
THE HURTING GAME
Our school’s motto – DIVERSITY, EXCELLENCE AND
SUCCESS – is something that we live by each day.
Our students know that we have high expectations
in regards to their work, but also in regards to the
kindness and support of each other. Is it Fair? Is it
Kind? Is it Safe are mantras which support our motto
throughout the school. Each year we commence
with our Fair Go Sport Athletics Day to revisit diversity
and acceptance of everyone. This is followed by our
Year 7 students seeing a tremendous play called The
Hurting Game which explores relationships in our
world of cyberspace including Facebook, Snapchat
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT Reservoir High Newsletter | Term 2, Issue 3 Page 3

and the other forms of social media. Classes then
discuss these issues after the play. The production
fits snuggly with the work of our Peer Support
Program and extends into our work in Year 9 when
our Respectful Relationships program commences.
ANCIENT GREECE – 7 F PRESENTS
It was my pleasure to be invited by Ms Angela
Neophytou to hear the class present their talks on
Ancient Greece this week. A hint of nervousness
could be felt in the room as I arrived. However this
talented class quickly got into the groove and spoke
passionately about their fascination for Ancient
Greece. I knew little about how women were treated
in these ancient times, nor about the literacy levels, or
the means of warfare and management of slaves. It
was a wonderful class to visit and I enjoyed my time
there very much! Happy to be invited again anytime!!
WELCOME BACK CONNOR
This title took me back to a humorous TV series
in the 1980’s or was it the 90’s – Welcome Back
Kotter. However this has nothing to do with our
Year 9 Student Connor Koops. Last term Connor
had the experience of a lifetime at the Alpine
School for Leadership and has returned this term
to relative normality at school and home. Connor
had an amazing time at the school and has returned
to Reservoir with lots of ideas and plans which he
hopes to include in our up and coming International
Week. I recommend you read his fascinating article
in this newsletter and Welcome Back Connor!
“I hope all our Year
10 students enjoyed
their week of Work
Experience.”
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT Reservoir High Newsletter | Term 2, Issue 3 Page 4

SLOW DOWN YOU MOVE TOO FAST
It has been an interesting week in regards to the
support we have experienced from our local
community. You will already know that our student
cross the very busy Plenty Road intersection and
tram stop with the utmost care. We are, also, very
pleased to have the support of two, sometimes
three, Lollypop men and women who do all they can
to support those crossing this very busy road. We
also have three staff on Yard Duty every morning
and night. Despite our vigilance there are still a
number of drivers who pass our school with total
disregard of the 40 kmp speed limit. Overnight, on
Tuesday, a member of the public – not the Principal
– placed several signs around our crossings to try
and encourage drivers to take more care as they
drive past our school during morning drop off and
afternoon pick up times. I also rang the Epping
Highway Patrol to encourage a more obvious police
presence around the school. Thank you to the
overwhelming number of drivers who do respect
the speed limit at these times. A special thanks to
everyone who supports the safety of our students
during these peak times.
WORK EXPERIENCE
I would like to wish all of our Year 10 students all the
very best for the Work Experience adventures. As I
write this article, I am also madly signing the relevant
documentation for students who will spend their
week working in the medical profession, enjoying
the delights of hospitality, working with four legged
animals, , floristry, Ministry of Dance, Ecological
Services, legal profession, child care, teaching,
web-design, and sales – to name but a few of the
experiences our students will experience.
Many thanks to our parent community, local
businesses, students and their own families for
assisting our students to experience such a wide
range of work experience opportunities. Without the
support of all you, our students would not have these
unique opportunities to discover life outside of the
classroom. Special thanks should go to our dedicated
Career’s Team – Ms Maria Gasbarro, Ms Giovanna
Hill and Mr Peter Devine. For months they have been
guiding and assisting our students to make the
right decisions regarding their work experience and
ensuring that all the necessary legal requirements
are adhered to. We hope every one of our Year 10’s
benefited from their week of work.
CHINA – READY FOR TAKE OFF!
This week all families should have received
information about our 2018 China Tour. This is our
second tour, the last being held in 2016 when 26
students and four staff explored this fascinating
country and enjoyed spending time with our Sister
School – Tianjin Muzhai Middle School. From Beijing
to Shanghai by bullet train, plane and coach. Our
first student meeting was held on May 17th at
lunchtime and our first family meeting is being held
on May 22nd at 6.30 in our library. The first tour was
sensational and we expect nothing but a repeat
of this success in 2018. If you have not yet had the
chance to read the itinerary, please do so soon. We
look forward to seeing students and their families on
May 29th, 2017 at 6.30pm.
Mark Jessup
Principal, Reservoir High
Email: jessup.mark.m@edumail.vic.gov.au
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT Reservoir High Newsletter | Term 2, Issue 3 Page 5

The Alpine School
During all of term one, instead of doing a normal term
at school, I went to the Alpine Campus of the School
for Student Leadership program. The program runs
once a term for the entirety of the term, teaching
skills such as teamwork, leadership, self-awareness
and decision making, and is available to all year
nines. During the term I did many rewarding and
unforgettable things, such as multiday hiking, bridge
building, raft building, presentations to primary
school students, and going to nearby towns such
as Omeo and Bright to help run gardens and teach
primary school students.
The school itself is at Dinner Plain, near Mt Hotham,
a small alpine village near the mountain. It snows
during term two and three, and luckily even though
I went during term one and during summer, it still
managed to snow on one day. The area is surrounded
by mountains, Mt Loch and Mt Feathertop, the third
and second highest mountains in Victoria. In fact, I
joined a few other students to climb up to the top of
Feathertop, and the views were amazing.
When it was all over, I came home with new learning.
My experience at The Alpine School has taught me
that a positive attitude is the key to doing well and
that things aren’t always as bad they seem While I
was there I also spent much time working with and
cooperating with others, to achieve common goals
and to learn new lessons. Even though I was the
only one from my school I still had heaps of support
from my peers and from the teachers that taught us
at the school. Overall my time at The Alpine School
was a great opportunity to learn new skills and find
my potential, and one that I would recommend to
anyone who would be willing to take up this once in
a lifetime opportunity. I would like to thank Reservoir
High for giving me the opportunity to go to The
Alpine School.
Above: Connor Koops 9D
THE ALPINE SCHOOL Reservoir High Newsletter | Term 2, Issue 3 Page 6

Lord Of
The Flies
Term one at Reservoir High saw our students meet
the cast of Kinky Boots but, more importantly, two of
our Year 12 students became stars in their own right
on the stage. They performed in the internationally
acclaimed dance production of Lord of the Flies.
Michael Russo and Damian Seddon undertook a
series of lengthy auditions for the production and
as a result were selected to perform at Melbourne’s
State Theatre in the Arts Centre.
Many staff and students saw the show and they were
blown away by the talent of Michael and Damian
who performed in front of packed houses with
professional dancers and also a number of amateur
dancers from schools across the state. Reservoir
High was the only school to have two students
performing in the production.
Media coverage for this production was widespread.
Damian and Michael were featured in The Age
newspaper in a lengthy article about the production
and they were interviewed by Dani Minogue on
The Project. Please see the links below to Reservoir
High’s new FACEBOOK page to see the article and
also the television story.
Above: Michael, Damian and Danni Minogue together…
The Project! Take a look on Thursday.
https://www.facebook.com/ReservoirHigh/
posts/1416939158370247
Below: See Michael and Damian… in a feature article
page 8 and 9.
LORD OF THE FLIES Reservoir High Newsletter | Term 2, Issue 3 Page 7

LORD OF THE FLIES Reservoir High Newsletter | Term 2, Issue 3 Page 8

Matthew Bourne’s Lord of the
Flies offers local schoolboys
a baptism of savagery
Dance has long been associated with tragic
narratives – Swan Lake and the dying swan, Giselle
and her broken heart, the dance of death in The
Rite of Spring – usually mournfully enacted in
pastoral idylls, fairytale settings. Even in the most
contemporary takes of the darkest stories there’s a
sense of familiarity.
But not in the hands of iconoclastic choreographer
Sir Matthew Bourne.
Best known for his career-defining (and West End
and Broadway record-breaking) interpretation of
Swan Lake – an all-male cast, swans that are actual
birds rather than dainty women cursed by an evil
sorcerer, a gay love affair – Bourne has spent two
decades creating cinematic dance works from the
most unexpected of inspirations. He’s interpolated
into dance Edward Scissorhands, a version of Bizet’s
Carmen loosely based on the novel The Postman
Always Rings Twice (The Car Man), reimagined
Cinderella in London during the Blitz and transposed
Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray into the
world of modelling and celebrity.
The Australian premiere of his ground-breaking
adaptation of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies has
a production like no other. Not only has he created
the world’s first dance interpretation of Golding’s
fable of innate human savagery (in which not a
single villain is necessary to convey a sense of evil),
he’s combining professional dancers and untrained
boys and teenagers, many of whom have never
danced before.
Bourne’s Lord of the Flies is produced through
the charitable arm of his production company,
Re:Bourne, which he established to help nurture the
next generation of dancers and choreographers (and,
he says, audiences). Formed in 2008, the company
holds community workshops and dance events,
and, with Lord of The Flies, provides the opportunity
for untrained young dancers to perform alongside
professionals in a full-scale production.
The concept had its genesis in 2011 when Bourne
was approached by the Scottish Arts Council
to create a work to give boys from lower socioeconomic
areas around Glasgow the chance to work
with professionals.
“It was about trying to
source young people who
maybe hadn’t even been
to the theatre before.”
Boys who don’t go to drama school, have no dance
experience, who maybe think dancing is for girls.
Bourne immediately thought of William Golding’s
iconic 1954 novel. He’d read the book as a teenager
but what he most remembers is the Peter Brook film
from 1963.
“The starkness of it,” he says. “It felt very real and
the performances were really natural. I remember it
almost felt like watching a documentary and that’s
why it came to the fore when this idea came up.”
And if anything’s going to attract teenage boys to
dance, it’s surely Lord of the Flies: dark, savage, raw.
Extract from The Age, by Kylie Northover
Read the full article available via the Age Website
Source: The Age (http://bit.ly/2oMC58a)
LORD OF THE FLIES Reservoir High Newsletter | Term 2, Issue 3 Page 9

Junior School Report
Term 2 Week 5 Interim Reports
Term 2 Interim Reports will be available shortly
through Compass and we encourage all parents and
guardians to read the report with your child. If you
are experiencing difficulties accessing your child’s
report, please contact Mrs Tammy Baines on 9466
0900, otherwise students can log in to their compass
portal and bring up the report themselves.
Year 7 & 8 Student of the Month – March
Congratulations to the following students who were
awarded Yr 7 & 8 Student of Month recipients for
March. Thank you to all staff who nominated.
7A Pearl Brookman & Yoedhzer Nidup
7B Brian Lauterbach & Gabrielle Laguerre-Aupaa
7C Harrison Davies & Patrick Brown
7D Amelia Norton, Harry Beeton, Charlotte Carter
7E Marcus Chan, Terry Ngo & Mia Vadala
7F Calie Russell, Calvin La & Samuel Atkinson
8A Jasmeet Dehal & Paria Norouzi
8B Holli- Rose Schipkie & Keely McDonald
8C Seth Dixon & Melonee Hope
8D Sweeney Marshall & Thamilini Thavachelvan
8E Amron Edelbi & Charbel Daoud
Yr 7 & 8 Swimming
All Year 7 & 8 students are currently participating in
their Swimming units at Reservoir Leisure Centre.
Students have been enjoying the sessions which
have focused on stroke technique and water safety.
The unit will finish with students experiencing the
skills and game of water polo. Well done to all the
students who are participating in the program.
Yr 7 Health Play
All Year 7’s recently watched an Anti Bullying play
‘The Hurting Game’ as performed by two wonderful
actors from a professional theatre company. The Year
7’s really enjoyed the play which focused on many
modern day issues facing children and teenagers
in modern society. The play fits in perfectly with
our Respect Ambassador Program (RAP) being
conducted in Health classes during Term 2.
Please contact the Junior school at any time should
you have any concerns, feedback or queries.
Kind regards
Junior School Team
Mr Darryl Forbes – Year 7 Coordinator
Ms Ros Pizzey – Year 8 Coordinator
Mrs Tammy Baines – Office Manager
JUMIOR SCHOOL REPORT Reservoir High Newsletter | Term 2, Issue 3 Page 10

Year 7 Health Play
On Friday the 28th of June, our Year 7 students
were lucky enough to see the immersive and
action packed Health play, “The Hurting Game”,
by Brainstorm Productions. The students were
entranced by the technological style of the
performance and how Samantha and Jimmy
navigated issues like bullying, cyber safety,
harassment, rumours, body image, peer pressure,
resilience, self-esteem, alcohol and positive
relationships. The Year 7 students (and teachers)
filled our Performing Arts Centre with laughter
and discussed their feelings with the cast after the
show. Thank you to Ms. Gray for organising such a
memorable experience.
Kind Regards
Ms. Cathleen Zahra
Outdoor, Physical Education,
Health & English Teacher
“The Year 7
students (and
teachers) filled
our Performing
Arts Centre with
laughter”
JUNIOR SCHOOL REPORT Reservoir High Newsletter | Term 2, Issue 3 Page 11

Middle School Report
We are well and truly entrenched into Term 2 and all
Middle School students should be aiming to finish
the semester strongly in anticipation of achieving the
best possible results for Semester 1.
Our Year 9’s participated in Naplan testing during
week 4 commencing Tuesday May 9 through until
Thursday May 11. All students will receive a timetable
in coming days. The results provide the school with
important data to then enable teachers to cater the
curriculum to best meet students’ needs.
Our Year 10’s headed out for their week of work
experience beginning Monday May 15th. This a
wonderful opportunity to understand work life in a
field of interest.
“All students will
receive a timetable
in coming days. ”
Our Middle School students were shown data
relating to their interim reports, this gave all of us
insight into how students performed in comparison
to the cohort. This data will be presented after each
report cycle throughout the year.
All Middle School students have the opportunity
to participate in our Winter sports program with
AFL, Soccer, Netball, Basketball and Badminton
teams entered.
MIDDLE SCHOOL REPORT Reservoir High Newsletter | Term 2, Issue 3 Page 12

The School Production is also beginning to
take shape and performance dates will be
revealed shortly!
One final request from the Middle School staff
with the colder weather upon us. We ask families
to ensure their children are in the correct uniform.
We do not allow hoodies or other such garments.
The school now has a new and improved jacket, with
extra insulation at the same price as the old jacket
and school scarves can be purchased to keep out
the winter chill.
Any concerns please don’t hesitate to contact one of
the Middle School team.
Tammy Dimarco
Sub School Office Manager
Nick Vass – Year 10
Elaine Guerra – Year 9
“Our year 10’s head out
for their week of work
experience beginning
Monday May 15th”
Important Dates
for Year 10:
Year 10 Exams
June 9 – 15
MIDDLE SCHOOL REPORT Reservoir High Newsletter | Term 2, Issue 3 Page 13

Year 9 Tall Ships Excursion 2017
On Friday April 21 all Year 9 students attended a terrific
excursion to Melbourne Docklands. The students
braved the very wet weather, but fortunately the
heavens were kind to us when we really needed it.
Students experienced a sail on a replica of an original
sailing ship that was important in Melbourne’s founding
history – The Enterprise. They got to steer, hoist sails
and explore the interior of the craft. One brave teacher
even climbed the rigging. Unfortunately, students
needed to be over 18 to do this.
As well as this voyage Year 9’s do a field work
assignment that meets curriculum requirements:
mapping and considering the viability of this part of
the urban experience.
“Students experience
a sail on a replica of
an original sailing ship
that was important in
Melbourne’s founding
history – The Enterprise.”
A large group of students viewed the city from the
Melbourne Star Observation Wheel. This was an
optional extra, which was greatly enjoyed.
It was great that the weather held and wasn’t too hot. It
is a credit to students and our hardworking Humanities
staff that the day was such a success.
P. Cattapan
Humanities Coordinator
MIDDLE SCHOOL REPORT Reservoir High Newsletter | Term 2, Issue 3 Page 14

Senior School Report
Six weeks of Term 2 already over. Before we know it
the word exam will be a common thing heard in the
classrooms for senior students. Even though the start
of Term 2 gave us shortened weeks due to public
holidays, a great deal has happened here at the school
in and out of the classroom. Numerous excursions have
taken place and plenty of assessment tasks have been
completed by the students.
I would like to remind parents the importance of
obtaining a medical certificate if a student is absent.
This is a must if the student has missed a SAC as the
medical certificate will grant them the time they missed
to complete the SAC either on a Tuesday or Thursday
after school. Failure to provide a medical certificate
will result in the student losing that time and if it was
the only time the class is working on the SAC they will
receive 0 for that task. If the student is not meeting the
outcome they will be required to complete the task to
demonstrate their understanding of the outcome it’s
linked to. Students must have an approved absence
rate above 90% to pass any unit 1 or 3 subject. However,
even with approved absences if the student’s in class
attendance rate is too low they risk the teacher not
being able to say they have satisfied the outcomes.
If your son/daughter is wanting to pursue a career in
the Medical, Dentistry or Health Science field they will
need to sit the UMAT (Undergraduate Medicine and
Health Sciences Admission Test) which takes place on
July 26 (which is during Term 3). However, the registration
process for this closes on June 2nd which is 1 week
away. If your child is considering this career path I would
suggest they come and speak to the careers team or
myself for further information.
As we are starting to enter a busy and stressful time
in the senior school, if your child is feeling anxious or
stressed about anything (school or life outside RHS)
please encourage them to come and speak to myself or
any teacher they feel comfortable talking to. It’s perfectly
normal during Term 2 and 3 for the pressure to build
and we want to help the students release it calmly. An
important point about stress is having a balanced life.
Students need to have time to rest and relax and engage
in non-school activities to help ensure they don’t burn out.
Sleeping at least 8 hours a night will really help them and
give their brain time to recharge for the next day. Studying
or doing homework till beyond midnight is not a healthy
pattern and students should switch off around 10pm at
the latest.
Enclosed in this report are pictures of our students doing
well in and out of the classroom.
Kind Regards,
Senior School Team
Lorraine Cross – Office Manager
Nina Rossini – Year 11 Coordinator
Ken Sinderberry – Year 12 Coordinator
SENIOR SCHOOL REPORT Reservoir High Newsletter | Term 2, Issue 3 Page 15

Advance Camp to Barjarg
On the 20th of March, the 2017 advance class went
on an amazing adventure with people who brought
laughter and happiness out of us. We were going on
a 5-day journey of self-discovery and fun. On the day
of our departure, we left with a bang. We stopped
half way at this vintage looking town called Yea.
From there we were put into our groups and started
orienteering. It was a very competitive race between
the groups since this was important in the total score
which would be added up at the end of the camp.
After tiring ourselves, we hopped back on the bus
and continued to drive. There we sang energetically
and soon arrived in Barjarg. From then it began…
during the first day, we had an activity rotation. They
were all about teamwork and getting to know one
another because we were a mixed class. One of
the key moments I remember was bridge building.
It made us feel responsible and excited when we
completed the task.
On the second day we were originally going to do
the bike ride and walk but due to weather conditions
we all went on a walk instead. The walk was pretty
average at the start but later on it started to spit…
then it started to rain! I think half of us still got soaked
even though we wore rain jackets. We kept walking
“The 2017 advance
class went on an
amazing adventure
with the people that
brought laughter and
happiness out of us.”
in the rain until we took shelter and had lunch. After
we had lunch we walked back to the bus, it was
raining for about ten minutes then the sky started to
clear. On the way back we saw a lot of cows! After the
walk we stopped at Mansfield for about two hours to
have lunch. After that we left Mansfield and headed
back to Barjarg. We took showers and headed to the
recreation room. It was probably one of the best parts
of the camp. We played pool, table tennis, fuse ball
and we watched movies!
On Wednesday we went to the lake and participated
in multiple activities. Some examples of the activities
were raft building, being pulled by a speedboat,
relay race, boat race, team puzzles and hoola hoop
MIDDLE SCHOOL REPORT Reservoir High Newsletter | Term 2, Issue 3 Page 16

obstacles! After we had dinner most of had a shower
and started to set up our tents. Finally we went to cook
our dinners on our trangias. Let’s say, the rest is history.
The official bike riding and walking took place on
Thursday. We headed out early in the morning after
waking up worn-out and exhausted after we slept
on cold earth the whole night. Walking with tired
eyes, we made our own breakfast and packed our
own lunch. Then came the 30 minute drive to the
destination in which we began our journey. Separated
yet again the two groups headed off again. The bikers
had an obstacle waiting ahead for them which ended
up in dirt, muddiness and pain. But what a sense of
achievement after our training sessions after school!
On the other hand, the walkers came back nice and
refreshed by the breath taking view that appeared
before them on Golden Mountain. From there we
went up and down slopes and finally reached the bus
where we met the bikers and hour later. When night
came, we were met with a decent dinner. Around 8
we started our trivia which was amusing. This was
followed with the hat competition and red faces.
Finally came the “official” award ceremony where
everyone had a good laugh. Mr Marcus focused on
our challenges at the camp, as well as inside jokes
and gave gifts accordingly. We ended the day with
warm memories and happy thoughts, this also lead
to our good sleep for the last night…
The past 5 days together in the camp made it hard
to leave. We used our morning to take photos and
walk around the area to hopefully never forget this
wonderful opportunity and treasure it for eternity. At
around 11, the tyres of the bus set off and we officially
left Barjarg. Successfully stopping at Yea for lunch
we then arrived at school, helped unpack, and said
our goodbyes and went on our separate paths home…
“Examples of the
activities were raft
building, pulled by
a speedboat, relay
race, boat race, team
puzzles and hoola hoop
obstacles!”
We did several activities with our groups within
the campsite.
Written by Brendon, Cathy, Sunni, Anna, Kirsten
and Jasper (and Mr Marcus)
Mr Marcus driving the speedboat at a gentle pace, enabling
the students behind to have a fun experience.
MIDDLE SCHOOL REPORT Reservoir High Newsletter | Term 2, Issue 3 Page 17

Dance
Last holiday I had the privilege of watching two of my
dance students (Michael Russo and Damian Seddon)
perform at Arts Centre Melbourne in the professional
production, ‘Lord of The Flies’. Both dancers attended
workshops at school and at the Ministry of Dance as
part of the audition process. I would like to take this
opportunity to congratulate them on achieving a place
in the cast and our other two students (Michael Cooper
and Steven Glasby) who made it into the final call back.
This was a unique and very special dance production to
be a part of, a very rare opportunity for an all male cast
of both professional and emerging dancers to perform
together onstage. Both students say it is something they
will never forget and they learnt huge amounts about
dance and performing. I need to thank Outer Urban
Projects who made the workshops (which our school
hosted) possible and gave the boys an opportunity they
would otherwise never have had.
Tehyali Malone, Damian Seddon, Simone Etheve and
graduating students Victoria Canning and Marindi Jarrett
of Reservoir High are part of the creative team for Outer
Urban Projects Major Work, ‘Vessel’, directed by Irine
Vela. Vessel will run from 20th-23rd September, 2017
at the Fairfax Theatre in the Arts Centre Melbourne.
These dancers are working with choreographers Demi
Sorono, Thomas E.S. Kelly and Nebahat Erpolat. All 5
dancers attended rehearsals for Vessel during the school
holidays and are paid for their dance work.
Frances Abou-Ghalioum and Steven Glasby spent 3
days in a Chunky Move Intensive dance class made
free to Outer Urban Projects through their partnership
with Chunky Move. ‘Vessel’ dancers from Reservoir High
also have access to free dance classes at Chunky Move
through the partnership, too.
Outer Urban Projects run free dance classes at our
school and in other venues in the north they run free
tutorials in dance, voice and rap/hip hop as part of their
Zone2 Tutorial Program. Outer Urban Projects provide
pathways for students to get involved and work in
the performing arts industry. For the past 3 years
their partnership with City of Melbourne has created
a unique opportunity for ongoing paid work for
dancers at Reservoir High (R-Fam) through the City of
Melbourne’s public outdoor dance workshops – First
Friday Dance Club.
In March 2017, R-fam were involved in community flash
mob dance project, Fun Run, presented by Arts Centre
Melbourne and All The Queens Men. Outer Urban
Projects employed 20 dancers from Reservoir High and
surrounding schools in a public flash mob performance
involving over 450 participants from 22 schools,
community, cultural and recreational organisations
from across Melbourne. Dancers performed in 3
performances including at the Arts Centre Melbourne,
First Friday Dance Club and Moomba Festival.
“Outer Urban Projects
employed 20 dancers
from Reservoir High and
surrounding schools in a
public flash mob”
Reservoir High dancers (R-Fam) continue to work and
train on Outer Urban Projects in paid gigs and events
with their ‘Urban Events Social Enterprise’. This year
Victoria Canning is doing an accredited Performing
Arts/ Business traineeship with Outer Urban Projects
and their partner Arts Ready.
Our school provides the venue and we facilitate and
promote classes and events but these training and
work opportunities in the performing arts through our
partnership with Outer Urban Projects are priceless.
For more information on Outer Urban Projects visit:
www.facebook.com/outerurbanprojects
For ticket info on Vessel visit (???????)
DRAMA Reservoir High Newsletter | Term 2, Issue 3 Page 18

Diversity and the drama
teacher – Kinky boots
meets Reservoir High
As recently elected president of Drama Victoria, I
was asked to write an article about myself in order
to share my passion for teaching in the field of the
Performing Arts. Like every other hard working
Drama/Theatre Studies teacher in the country, it
takes a tremendous amount of stamina to keep
devising and producing stimulating and engaging
activities and performances so that our students can
thrive as creative individuals. People often ask me
(as did my current pre-service teacher the other day
after watching me navigate through a challenging
Year 8 English/Drama class) where I get ‘all that
energy’ from. My never ending source of enthusiasm
and energy comes from the kids themselves.
Effective, dedicated Drama teachers learn as much
from their students as they do from us. We have the
privilege of seeing them from a different perspective
as we work through their multi layered insecurities,
their boisterousness, their ambiguous attitude towards
self and others, as they engage in exploring the
world and their place in it through the disciplines that
Drama teaching offers them. I have been fortunate
and privileged to teach in a culturally diverse school
for so many years and have learnt to recognize the
protective barriers students put up and they need to
be both respected whilst at the same time addressed
if the creative process is to flow unimpeded. One of
the most important lessons to learn is to know how
far you can go with a student, without causing any
discomfort, to guide them towards their full potential
as intelligent and valued individuals.
Our school principal Mark Jessup, a great supporter
of the Performing Arts and enthusiastic lover of
the theatre, after seeing the show Kinky Boots and
realizing that we shared the same values, managed to
secure 50 free tickets primarily for our students who
would not normally have the chance nor the funds
to go to the theatre. The lead actor was so moved
by our endeavours that he brought an entourage of
actors and backstage crew with him to partake in
the opening ceremony of our Fair Go sports day. Our
students danced and chanted as colourful balloons
were released into the air. The team from Kinky Boots
stayed on to partake in some of the sporting events,
the lead actor winning the race with his team, lunging
with great ease as his long legs strutted across the
field. Endless selfies and discussions later, they left
moved by us and we by them. It was a truly moving
experience that we will all remember for a long time.
Nina Rossini
DRAMA Reservoir High Newsletter | Term 2, Issue 3
Page 19

International Student Report
YEAR 12 STUDENTS COOKING FOR HEALTH
At Reservoir High, staff are continually striving to
engage our students in a variety of activities, to assist
in their learning and also to prepare them for life
beyond their school years.
The Year 12 Health and Human Development course
includes students learning about various diseases
that have seen a huge increase over the past few
years, such as Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
Mellitus. Students then explore the nutrients in food
that can act as protective or risk factors in protecting
against or increasing the risk of disease.
NEW INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
FOR TERM 2, 2017
We are pleased to welcome two new international
students to our Reservoir High community.
Helia Najjaran Tousi has completed intensive English
language studies at Collingwood English Language
School and now joins us in Year 8. Rachel Nguyen
is joining our Year 10 cohort and has just completed
her intensive English language studies at Melbourne
Language Centre.
I would like to especially thank our sub-school
coordinators, teachers, program support aide and our
extremely welcoming RHS students for allowing both
girls to smoothly transition over the past few weeks. It
can be a very difficult time settling into a new school
but your small actions, such as helping a new student
find a classroom or saving a place for them beside
you in class, can make all the difference in making
new students feel welcome and valued.
To assist students in learning each of the nutrients
and their function for health in the body, we cooked
a chicken and vegetable stir-fry in class. As each
ingredient was added, students analysed which
nutrients could be found in the food and what
function that nutrient provided in the body. This
was an easy way to fully engage students and will
hopefully assist them in their SAC revision.
Ms Christine Farrugia
Year 12 Health Teacher
“I’d like to remind
parents the importance
of obtaining a medical
certificate if a student is
absent.”
Thank you to you all,
Ms Farrugia
International Student Coordinator
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT REPORT Reservoir High Newsletter | Term 2, Issue 3 Page 20