Lew Family Secondary School
Gandel Campus
245 Burwood Highway (enter via 87 Station Street), Burwood

Campus operating hours:

Monday to Thursday               8.50am – 3.30pm

Friday (Summertime)              8.50am – 3.30pm

(Friday Wintertime)                 8.50am – 2.55pm

Buses leave 10 minutes after the final bell.

The Mount Scopus calendar for the coming two years is accessible on the website by clicking here.

On the day prior to the start of the school year, separate orientation sessions are held for all Year 12 students and for all new students in Year 8 or above. Details are outlined in the year level section. Timetables are issued to students once they commence.

Shortly after school commences, orientation sessions are scheduled in the evening for parents of students in some year levels. This provides the opportunity to meet the teachers and leadership team and to learn about the program for the year. Dates will be advised closer to the time.

New Parents Welcome

First time parents at Mount Scopus in all year levels are invited to our New Parents Dinner scheduled to be held just prior to school commencing. In 2024, this is planned to be held on the evening of Monday 5 February. This allows the opportunity to meet some of the College Leadership Team, as well as other new parents.

Parent communication

Your child’s teachers will contact you shortly after your child commences. Teachers are available to answer any queries about your child throughout the year and are best contacted by email or via a phone call or message.

Students will receive a comprehensive academic report in Terms 2 and 4, and a monitoring report, which has marks rather than comments at the end of Term 1. The parent / teacher meetings are held in Terms 1 and 3.

Progressive reporting throughout the year communicates the schedule of student assessments. Parents can access the results at their leisure via the Parent Lounge (see the Websites, Apps and Portals tab).

What students need to know....

Below summarises some of the starting information; further details are supplied in later pages.

• Blazers (and kippot for boys) are required to be worn at school assemblies, including the Welcome assembly on Day 1.
• Students in Year 8 and above receive their class lists, meet their Mech teachers and are allocated their locker on Day 1.
• Students joining the bus service receive their bus card on or around their first journey.

For students who are not commencing at the start of the school year, there are some differences with the processes.

• Teachers will make contact after your child commences and are available to answer any queries about your child throughout the year and are best contacted by email or via a phone call or message.
• Please note that teachers are not required to teach any topics to new students that have already been taught at Mount Scopus. New students are required to learn content that they may not have already covered when transferring from another school.
• Where relevant, we shall try to determine if some texts and resources are no longer needed prior to parents placing their orders; please contact Enrolments prior to ordering.
• Elective choices must be submitted within requested time frames. Please be aware that current students will take priority; once subjects fill new students can be placed on a waitlist.

Students will receive a comprehensive academic report in Terms 2 and 4, and a monitoring report, which has marks rather than comments at the end of Term 1. The parent / teacher meetings are held in Terms 1 and 3.

Progressive reporting throughout the year communicates the schedule of student assessments. Parents can access the results at their leisure via the Parent Lounge (see the Websites, Apps and Portals tab).

BYOD program

All students from Year 7 onward will be required to have their own device. If purchasing a new device then you will need to select one with a full operating system (Mac OS or Microsoft Windows). Complete information about the program and requirements, as well as technical requisites of the devices, are available below. Please ensure you read it in full before purchasing a device for your child.

2024 Year 7-12 BYOD Requirements

Please also review the list of required apps on the form which should be downloaded to your child's device before they commence school. 

Book supplier

Campion Books is the designated supplier for Mount Scopus Memorial College. Information regarding booklists and resources for all year levels is now available via the link below. Ordering opens on Monday 13 November. Parents new to the College will be contacted with their Parent Lounge credentials during this week.

2024 LFSS Resource Lists And Device Program

There is a lot of information pertaining to this process so you will need to read it carefully and follow the Campion account set up in sequence.

Orders placed before Friday 8 December 2023 include free home delivery.

Books / e-learning resources 

For certain year levels the resources will contain options of eBooks or hard copy books. At the start of the new school year secondary students will be directed how to gain access to their electronic textbooks. 

Unless directed on the booklist, it is a family’s choice whether a hard copy text book is purchased in addition to eBooks.

It is the responsibility of students and parents to ensure that elective subjects have been confirmed prior to purchasing the text resources. 

NB: Students will require their College email address to be able to access and download their e-learning resources.

Year 8 lists

There are two booklists listed for Year 8. One is for Hebrew Bilingual program students only and one is for all other students. This has been designed to remove any confusion about what resources are required for each stream.

Second-hand books

If considering purchasing second-hand through any source, please note any instructions on the booklist about restrictions on buying second-hand items (mainly workbooks) and the eBook requirement, as eBook licenses are generally not resellable.

Second Hand Textbook 'Buy, Swap and Sell' FB page

A Facebook Page for Scopus families to buy, swap and sell second hand secondary school textbooks has just been established. It is called 'Mount Scopus buy, swap and sell books' and a link to the page is below.

Buy, Swap and Sell FB page

It will provide an opportunity to save both trees and money and unclutter your cupboards. 

Standard rules apply:

• Please be honest about the quality of the books - be descriptive and include the book edition
• Please be reasonable about the prices
• Please obey standard sales rules of online sales
• Buyer beware - editions change ALL the time. Please check your purchases carefully.

NB: This FB page is ONLY for school textbooks, NOT uniforms. Please continue to support the Posh Opp Shoppe on Glenhuntly Rd, Elsternwick for second hand uniforms.

Electives

Throughout the secondary school years students are able to nominate electives or subject choices. These choices can only be submitted once a student's enrolment has been confirmed.  

All new students will be sent a link through which their electives need to be submitted at the appropriate time.

To review further information regarding each subject or elective, please review the curriculum handbook by clicking here.

The information relating to school uniforms is available by clicking here.

There are details of which items are compulsory and optional. The Summer and Winter uniforms are permitted to be worn all year round.

Students will also require a sports uniform which includes a sports top, sports shorts, sports jumper and tracksuit pants. The student’s house will be confirmed before they commence however in secondary school the students all wear the same Scopus sports top.

Uniforms can be purchased from Dobson’s at 667 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn or can be ordered online at www.dobsons.com.au.

The Scopus wet weather coat is an optional item and available for purchase directly from the College, via the Sports Office on an ad hoc basis, subject to availability. Announcements are made at school regarding sale dates.

Second-hand uniforms are available for purchase at the Posh Opp Shoppe at 484 Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick with proceeds going towards the JCAS (Jewish Children’s Aid Society) which helps integrate children with disabilities into Jewish day schools.

The JCAS strongly believes that every Jewish child has a right to a Jewish education regardless of their special needs. In addition, and just as importantly, a whole generation of school children are educated to embrace difference and welcome all Jewish children into the community. Mount Scopus College supports the JCAS and benefits from the support of disadvantaged students.

The Posh Opp Shoppe is open during the week which will allow parents to shop without making an appointment.

Mount Scopus operates a private bus network. Families can choose to use the bus on a permanent or casual basis.

• Permanent usage incurs an annual charge, billed alongside the school tuition fees. Students can travel on their standard permanent route OR use the early or late buses as required for school activities.
• Casual users are charged per use (currently $12 per trip) and have access to an online booking system. Casual users are not charged to use the early or late bus to attend an activity run by the College.

All students are required to tap on and tap off the bus for each journey with their bus pass that is provided to them when they start using the bus.

Important: unless you advise otherwise, your child will automatically be booked as a permanent user of the bus and the transport levy charged. To opt out please email Wendy Saffer by Monday 4 December. 

Bus route information

Bus routes, including bus stop and times information are reviewed each year in line with the changes to the distribution of addresses of families at the College using the bus service. The bus stop details will be made available via the bus portal in December, to allow plenty of time for parents and students to familiarise themselves with the location of their stops prior to the commencement of school.

Accessing bus route information

• a notice is issued to parents once the information is available on the portal;
• Click here to access instruction on Boarding the Bus (p1) and creating an account (p2). 
• families will need their child's Student Code to be able to set up a new account; this code is available via Parent Lounge (see the Website, apps and portals tab for further details); 

Tip: On occasion, students may need to use the early or late bus services which have two routes each. To determine the most convenient route / stop to use parents can refer to the map on the portal.

Details and links on how to set up the parent and student accounts will be sent out separately for new students in the coming weeks. 

Winter Friday afternoon drop off times 

On Friday afternoons in Terms 2 and 3 and some other days as advised during the year, drop off times will be approximately 35 minutes earlier than the advised standard drop off stop time in line with the earlier starting time for Shabbat. 

We understand that moving to a new school can be daunting for some students so we aim to meet reasonable requests for new students to be placed with someone who they may know.

Class placements for Year 8 upwards is facilitated in the LFSS and uses observations from the trial visits as well as other information provided.

Students in Year 8 and above receive their class list and timetable on their first day of school.

Hebrew classes are streamed according to level of ability and previous knowledge of the language. If a student’s ability is not aligned with the class they have been placed in then the opportunity exists for them to be moved to an appropriate class.

Maths classes are partially streamed in Years 8 and 9 with Accelerated and Support streams, and the remainder of students being in one of the Mainstream classes. Students in Year 10 are able to select from different Maths options. 

Class lists and family contact details for the year group will be made available to parents in the Parent Lounge once school commences. These lists are only to be used for contacting other families for invitations and the like. They are not to be used in any way for commercial or other purposes. It is up to parents to share their details via the Parent Lounge so if contact details are not visible it means the parent/s have chosen not to share them. 

In the secondary school your child will be involved with various staff for their pastoral care as well as their education.

For pastoral care, your first point of contact is your child's Mechanech/et (homeroom teacher).

Overseeing the year level is the Head of Year who liaises closely with both Student Services and the Deputy Principal, Lew Family Secondary School.

For educational queries, please contact the subject teacher directly. Teachers are available to answer any queries about your child throughout the year and are best contacted by email or via a phone call or message.

Students will receive a comprehensive academic report in Terms 2 and 4,which include the assessment descriptions. A monitoring report, which has marks rather than comments is issued at the end of Term 1. Progressive reporting on your child's assessments is available on the Parent Lounge. 

The parent / teacher meetings are held in Terms 1 and 3. 

One of the hallmarks of a Scopus education is the vast range of extra-curricular programs on offer.

Whilst some take place during the course of the school day, others happen out of hours. To enable these to happen, the College operates two early and late bus routes which are available at no extra cost for both permanent and casual users to attend an activity run by the College.

The types of activities on offer will vary throughout the year, but may include the following:

Before school

• early morning prayers (mandatory for all Year 7 boys for one semester)
• optional girls prayer service and breakfast group
• cross country running
• swimming
• gym
• orchestra rehearsal
• maths boot camp
• enriched Jewish Studies classes

After school

• homework club
• play rehearsal
• musical rehearsal

Performing Arts

Private music tuition

Mount Scopus operates an extensive music program with a range of performance opportunities.

Private instrumental and vocal tuition is available to take place at the College during school hours, or in some cases, after school, pending the teacher's availability. During school hours, students are withdrawn from classes on a rotating basis so they do not continually miss the same class.

Tuition is available in a wide range of instruments, including, but not limited to the following:

• Piano
• Voice
• Violin
• Cello
• Drums
• Flute
• Guitar
• Saxophone

Music scholarships are awarded each year to students in the secondary school, based on ability, which either cover, or contribute to the cost of the music tuition. The scholarship auditions are held on a Sunday in Term 3 each year. Contact the Music department for further details.

College Musical

Every year LFSS stages a major production in the form of the College musical in Term 1. The announcement of the musical takes place around August, and is an event in its own right at the College - click here to view the latest announcement.

Once the College has received all the required place acceptance documents for a student they become eligible to audition for a role in the musical.

If your child will be absent from school parents will need to acknowledge their child’s absences online, as well as to notify the college in advance of any absences.

All student absences need to be acknowledged by parents via Parent Lounge. Where the College hasn’t been pre-notified through Parent Lounge of a child’s absence, the system will generate a notification within Parent Lounge asking for the absence to be acknowledged; this is usually within 10 -15 minutes of the roll being marked. Rolls are marked twice daily, morning and afternoon. If by 11 am, a child’s absence has still not been acknowledged, a subsequent notification will be issued via SMS asking parents to log in to Parent Lounge and acknowledge.

Absence Notifications

Parents can notify the College via Parent Lounge of their child’s absence, either on the day, or for a future date during the current term. Absence notifications can be made at any time, including after hours and on weekends and ideally should be done as soon as possible before the child is due at school.

When notifying the College parents will be asked to advise the type of absence

• Absent From School (where the child will be away for the whole day)
• Late for School (where the child will be at school but is arriving late) or
• Early Departure (where the child will be at school at the usual time but needs to leave early)

Parent will also need to select the reason for their child’s absence and are able to attach supporting documentation eg doctor’s certificates if required.

For compliance purposes all notifications are reviewed by staff before being processed into the attendance system and similar to our current manual system, parents may be contacted if staff have any questions or if more information is needed.

Below please find links to guides on how to use the attendance portal on parent lounge. There is one for accessing on a computer and one for accessing via mobile phones as the screens are slightly different.

Parent Lounge Absence Notifications Instructions

If your child is arriving late to school then they will need to register at the sign-in kiosk in the Secondary Office.

Students are expected to have a minimum attendance rate of 90% across the school year. This means that being absent for more than 18 days in one school year would fall short of this attendance rate.

Participation in a school organised event, such as Ulpan, school camps or optional trips is not considered to be an absence from school. This means that any other absences including participation in external programs or family holidays during school term, along with ad hoc sick days all count as days absent. Where possible, the College discourages parents from organising family holidays during school term.

Teachers are not required or expected to offer catch-up lessons to students who are absent from school for parent excused absences, such as family holidays. The responsibility lies with the student to catch up on the content they have missed.

In the case of an extended illness, parents should contact the Head of Year as early as possible to discuss a study schedule where appropriate. Teachers will try to assist students who have missed classes through illness.

In the case of students taking VCE subjects (Unit 1 & 2 and Unit 3 & 4), VCAA has a minimum requirement of 90% attendance in each subject, therefore students who miss out lessons in one subject to study for another risk jeopardising their VCE studies.

Students who miss classes may be penalised with a detention to make up their attendance rate.

Student Photos

Class and individual student photos are generally taken in Term 1. In 2024 this will take place on Wednesday 14 February. 

All students commencing after that date will be sent by their Mech teacher to Reception to have their individual student photo taken shortly after they commence.

Student Cards

Students are provided with a student card with photo ID that contains credit for photocopying. These are provided to all students in Years 7, 9 and 11. Students entering into Years 8 and 10 will be given their card. 

These are provided for current and new students after the Student Photos have taken place. A temporary card is available from the Secondary Office for senior students if required within the first couple of weeks. 

There is a cost to replace the student card if it is lost.

House

Houses are used in secondary school for some sports activities, as well as House Plays and on occasion for other events. New students are allocated based on balancing student / gender numbers within each year level in each house. Returning students will be placed in their old house, and siblings will be allocated into the same house where possible.

Cafeteria

The Scopus Cafeteria is milchig, under Kosher Australia supervision. 

It offers a range of cold and hot menu options that change seasonally and have alternating daily specials. Dietary requirements, such as gluten and dairy free, are also catered for.

The Caf is open for students attending before school activities, and remains open until the buses depart to allow those remaining for after school activities to purchase a snack.

Nut policy

The College has an ‘Allergy Aware’ policy. Staff and students are strongly encouraged not to bring nut or nut based products onto the College Campus, however this cannot be guaranteed. All anaphylactic students are strongly encouraged to question the ingredients of all foods they eat.

The College cafeteria and camping programs are ‘Nut Free’ as are all special school celebrations/activities catered for by the college.

Illness and medication

For your own child’s benefit, and the well-being of other students and staff please do not send sick children to school. An unwell child will not be able to concentrate or learn effectively, and conversely, risks becoming more unwell and delaying their recovery by not being able to rest.

Medication will only be administered for chronic illnesses, asthma or anaphylaxis. If your child requires other medication then they are not deemed well enough to be attending school.

Medication and applicators for chronic conditions and / or allergies, such as Epi-pens, asthma puffers are required to be kept at the Health Centre. Condition management plans are required as part of the mandatory documentation for students with chronic conditions such as Asthma, Epilepsy or Anaphylaxis.

Fee statements

The initial fee statement and policy is sent out in mid-January. It will detail the amount due for all children in the family enrolled at the College in Prep and above, including tuition fees, security levy and transport levy where appropriate. It will also include any subject specific levies, such as those pertaining to electives or to the Hebrew Bilingual program. 

The statement is for the annual fees payable and will be reissued every quarter, with the amount already paid appearing as a credit. 

A direct debit form is included with the statement.

Fees are payable via Parent Lounge.

Parent involvement

As students grow and progress into secondary school, they are encouraged to be more independent and responsible for their learning. Communication with parents has been outlined above however opportunities remain for parents to be meaningfully involved in events such as careers day, or share their expertise via the College Council which acts as an advisory body to the Principal in the areas of direction, philosophy and policy.

School song

The School Song is sung at all school assemblies. A recording is available by clicking here and the lyrics are outined below. 

We sing with joy and celebrate
We thankfully voice our praise,
Mount Scopus College guides our fate
Throughout our student days.
To grow in knowledge is our goal,
In body, spirit and soul.
From Israel to heed the call
And find ourselves a role
Australians loyal and proud!
As Jews, complete, unbowed!
Prepared to meet life's challenges
And stand out from the crowd.
With knowledge, wisdom, courage, faith,
Bequeathed by those before,
For life's adventure well-prepared,
Our future safe and secure.

LFSS Key Contacts

Once your child commences, the following are the key contact details you may require.

Principal’s Office:                            
Dan Sztrajt                           9834 0005

Deputy Principals:

Deputy Principal, Secondary        

Kate Major                             8888 8503

Deputy Principal, Director of Alter Family School of Jewish Studies and Ivrit

Matti Borowski                      9834 0003

Main Reception:                   9834 0000

For general enquiries at the College
To contact financial and clerical administrative staff
To contact Health Centre

Lew Family Secondary School:     8888 8500

To contact specific heads of faculty
To contact all Secondary staff

To contact Secondary Student Services

To contact VCE Co-ordinator
To contact Heads of Years 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12

Transport Office - email contact preferred transportoffice@scopus.vic.edu.au

Orientation Session - Years 8,9 and 11

On Wednesday 31 January 2024, the morning prior to the official start of the school year, there will be a mandatory orientation for all students new to Mount Scopus entering into Years 8, 9 and 11.

This session will take place between 9:15am and 10.15am during which students will learn more about the Secondary School structure and key personnel, meet their Head of Year, learn how to use the school diary, learn about the Mechanech (home room and pastoral care) program and the layout of the College. They will have the chance to familiarise themselves with the classroom locations and other specific facilities to help ease the transition process. Please note: students must bring their device with them so they can be logged on to the Scopus network, ensuring that it is charged up.

Students can come in smart casual clothing.

This session is for students only so parents may not remain at the College during this time.

Netzigim Program

Students entering into Year 9 have the opportunity to participate in the College’s Netzigim (Representatives) Program at the start of the year. The program provides training and development in general leadership skills and Jewish models of leadership. Graduates of this program will then be involved in developing and leading programs for other students during the course of a term.

Further details will be provided to the students during the first weeks of Year 9.

Extension Jewish Studies 

In Years 9 and 10 students can opt for either the Core Jewish Studies class or there is an extension option to go into the Text class for their Jewish Studies (pending availability at the time  the enrolment is confirmed). This provides students with extra depth in their Jewish learning within the regular class timetable. If your child is interested in this option then please email Matti Borowski on mborowski@scopus.vic.edu.au to register your interest. Although the class is now full for 2024 a waiting list is in place and families will be advised if a space becomes available.

Yorta Yorta B'Yachad - Community service trip

In Year 9 students at Mount Scopus have the opportunity to participate in the Yorta Yorta Beyachad program as part of the Year 9 Achshav Initiative. This program explores the connection between Jewish identity and the Indigenous history of Australia.

The program, run in conjunction with Stand Up, involves a series of interactive workshops running throughout Semester 1 and culminates in a four-day study-tour of Yorta Yorta country on the border of New South Wales and Victoria, where students will visit sacred sites and meet elders.

Click here to view the video of the 2022 program. 

It is optional and has an additional levy. 

Orientation Session

On Wednesday 31 January 2024, the day prior to the official start of the school year, there will be a mandatory orientation for all students new to Mount Scopus entering into Years 8 to 11.

The session for Year 10 students will take place between 1.00pm and 2.00pm on campus during which students will learn more about the Secondary School structure and key personnel, meet their year level Coordinators, learn how to use school systems, learn about the Mechanech (home room and pastoral care) program and the layout of the College. They will have the chance to familiarise themselves with the classroom locations and other specific facilities to help ease the transition process. 

Please note: students must bring their device with them so they can be logged on to the Scopus network, ensuring that it is charged up.

Students can come in smart casual clothing and should bring lunch with them.

This session is for students only so parents may not remain at the College during this time.

Hadracha Program

Students entering into Year 10 have the opportunity to participate in the College’s Hadracha (Leadership) Program at the start of the year. The program provides training and development in general leadership skills. Graduates of this program become the madrichim who run Jewish Studies activities and camps for Primary and Year 7 and 8 students.

The training takes place on Wednesday 31 January 2024 from 9:00am to 12.00pm (prior to the Orientation session) with a camp taking place from Friday 1 to Sunday 3 March 2024. Given that most of the year group participates in this program it would be a wonderful opportunity for new students to integrate into the year level and learn beneficial life skills. The Hadracha program is also a prerequisite for leadership roles in the College, and an advantage for those students seeking such leadership roles as captaincy.  

If you have any questions concerning the program, please contact Rob Miller in the Informal Ed team on 9834 0000 or rmiller@scopus.vic.edu.au.

Extension Jewish Studies 

In Years 9 and 10 students can opt for either the Core Jewish Studies class or there is an extension option to go into the Text class for their Jewish Studies . This provides students with extra depth in their Jewish learning within the regular class timetable. If your child is interested in this option then please email Matti Borowski on mborowski@scopus.vic.edu.au to register your interest. Once the class is full a waiting list will be created and families advised if a space becomes available.

Orientation Session - Years 8,9 and 11

On Wednesday 31 January 2024, the morning prior to the official start of the school year, there will be a mandatory orientation for all students new to Mount Scopus entering into Years 8, 9 and 11.

This session will take place between 9:15am and 10.15am during which students will learn more about the Secondary School structure and key personnel, meet their Head of Year, learn how to use the school diary, learn about the Mechanech (home room and pastoral care) program and the layout of the College. They will have the chance to familiarise themselves with the classroom locations and other specific facilities to help ease the transition process. Please note: students must bring their device with them so they can be logged on to the Scopus network, ensuring that it is charged up.

Students can come in smart casual clothing.

This session is for students only so parents may not remain at the College during this time.

Outreach Program

The Outreach Program participants represent Mount Scopus College and the Jewish community of Melbourne to non-Jewish students from a range of participating schools in Terms 2 and 3, following a number of training sessions in Term 1. Participation in the program benefits students in terms of their own Jewish identity, as well as honing their presentation skills. The program is coordinated by Rabbi Shamir Caplan. Please email Rabbi Shamir on scaplan@scopus.vic.edu.au if you are interested in registering for this program.