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UnReal!

NewsletterEdition 2: August 2012Produced and edited by Bethany SherwillEvery edition of the UnReal Newsletter is going to

have a different type of layout. Some will be very

out there and others will not be as good as some,

but I would appreciate your opinions on each

newsletter.

Shadow Days!

The Shadow Days/Internships that have been

completed within week 4&5.

Liam Mirtschin has an internship atLeopard Fitness.

Tim Allemand has an internship atGuthrie Street Primary with the P.E

teacher.

Daniel Thompson completed his ShadowDay at Computer Tech Support.

Ben Kennedy has an internship at GuthrieStreet with the art teacher.

Luke Schubert has an internship atMatelec.

Ebony Nelson completed a Shadow Day atCaf on Nixon.

Josh Noordam completed a Shadow Dayworking with Glenn Roberts.

Upcoming Shadow Days.

Ebony Nelson at HSM. Bethany Sherwill at the Shepparton

Adviser.

Guest Speaker!

Last Happy Hour we had a guest speaker, Kellie

Smith. Kellie talked about her schooling and her

life and she told us not to give up and that we will

find what and who we want to be, we just need

time. Kellie had difficulty to find what occupation

she wanted to be in. You go through many

different jobs that you hate or dont know till you

find the right one. Moral of the story, you never

know how long it will take you to find out who

you want to be.

Tutoring!

Ben Kennedy is offering to students to assist

them with their work if they are struggling. He is

our own BPUL tutor, along with an ex student

coming to help with tutoring as well.

Commitment and Reliability!

Chocolate Fundraising. Discussion of getting another shed.

Liam Mirtschin at Leopard Fitness

Ebony Nelson at Cafe on Nixon

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Each edition of the Unreal Newsletter will also have a different students narrative. A narrative is their

story, about their school life and how they coped or didnt cope with the school, what schools theyve been

to and how they ended up at BPUL and how is has benefitted them. A big thank you to Jessie McPherson

for letting me put her narrative in this edition.

Jessie McPherson NarrativeWhen I started high school I was really nervous and scared because I didn't know many people and I had no idea

what high school was going to be like. I started at Shepparton High School. I was at Shepparton High School for

a year and a half. In that year and a half that I was there I got involved with the wrong group of people and their

way of life I thought was normal for everyone. I soon found that it wasnt. In year 7 I was a good student and

didnt really have any friends. I was focusing on my work and then I began to make friends and stopped worryingabout my school work or even attending school. I eventually started wagging and then I started smoking because

of the peer pressure. I eventually started taking drugs and not worry about anything. By the start of year 8 I was

getting severely bullied by a group of people until I was getting bashed 3 out of 5 days. This was not helping

with my mental and physical status. I began to

withdraw and not talking to anyone. I dropped out of

school at the end of term one in year 8. I was out of

school for 3 terms. I was not happy with my life

decisions at the time and I decided to go back toschool. I started back at school at the start of year 9.

At McGuire Collage it was different there to what I

was used to and because of that I had to change my

ways and adapt to a different way of life. At McGuire

my little sister Katelyn was there and I am very

protective of her because of our past. This made it

very hard to keep on track because she was getting

bullied and picked on a lot so as any normal sister

would I stood up for her. Because of this I began fighting a lot and my old ways were coming back. I got kicked

out of McGuire at the start of term 2. I went straight to a program called the Hub and tried to go to school there. I

was there for a term till I had a fall out with a few people and I dropped out. I wasnt at school for half a year. Inthis time a lot of stuff happened at home and I turned back to drugs. At the end of the year I had an interview

with Geoff because I was over sitting at home doing nothing. I started here at the start of the term and ever since

then I have completed more work than I ever did in the other 3 schools. I am really happy with how this program

has helped me and is still helping me. While being here I have had so many opportunities and they are still

coming. I am so glad to be a part of this program.

Deep Thinking

(Geoff Allemands thoughts and ponderings)

We dont ever stop learning, do we? It is usually a need, change or difficulty that can cause us to

embrace further learning. This is what has happened in the past few weks of this term. We havefound ourselves with more students (and their parents wanting them) to join the program and

some of our current students struggling with the rigor and pressure of a full time program.

So, we have introduced two new support programs to hopefully meet the needs of thesestudents. These programs are not as intense and time demanding and will allow the students to keep learning with

support but also give them time to work through the things that may be obstacles to their learning.SKILLs Two mornings a week with one session at a fitness centre and the other planning and making meals. The

intention is to orientate students to practical learning and to get to know the students their interests/passion.

Home SKILLs is an option for students who struggle with the full time BPUL program due to social, personal,

family issues that get in the way to their learning. Students work from home for a period of time and their work can

be done online using a Facebook group page and wiki. The tasks/projects will be personalised and involve activitiesat home and in the community. Support will be given for the students at home and an opportunity to gather as a

small group to do an activity.