Pastoral  

Term 3 has been a busy Term for school events!

Year 9 and 10 students recently embarked on an outdoor education camp at Lake Eildon. The Year 9 students, who camped at the beginning of the week, were blessed with three days of wonderful weather.  The Year 10 students, who camped on Wednesday to Friday, unfortunately were not so lucky. Whilst on camp students engaged in all sorts of different activities, many of which the students had never done before. This included several bush walks, canoeing, raft building, cooking dinners on a Trangia and camping in tents. Students had the opportunity to really disengage from technology and reacquaint themselves with nature and their peers. The students are to be commended on their attitude and engagement with the activities, especially the Year 10 students who did most the activities in the rain. Thank you to all the staff who attended the camp, and who worked tirelessly to make sure the experience was both valuable and enjoyable for students.

Below are some reflections from Year 9 and 10 students about their favourite memories from camp.

Bradley Pollard – Year 9 Student

What I enjoyed most about camp was sleeping in a tent. It was hard at first but we adjusted to it quite quickly. I also enjoyed the walks and cooking dinner with items I had never used before. All in all, camp was quite the experience.

Jeffrey Fili – Year 9 Student

What I enjoyed most about camp was when we were raft building, Irene, Mrs Newman and I fell off the raft into the water. 

Irene Chanel – Year 9 Student

My highlight from camp…. when I fell off the raft.

Sherlyn Antony – Year 10 Student

The Year 10 Camp was a great learning experience for me. It taught me a lot of things. I learned that social connection is more real than online chatting. My friends and I had a great time getting away from phones. I also learned that I should feel blessed to have everyday things that I have now. It taught me so many life lessons and the importance of my friends. Some of the personal highlights were seeing my friends tipping over in the canoe, eating dinner under torchlight, hiking with Miss Kemp, playing Uno in tents and the curry that we cooked by ourselves. I want to thank my teachers who pushed us to do the activities through the course of the camp, and who also did all those activities with us. And finally, we were unable to solve the butterfly riddle, but we will continue to try and think of the answer!

Adharsh Kannan – Year 10 Student

There were many things that stood out for me at camp. The activities were well planned although the weather wasn’t the best. My personal highlights were when I was canoeing with my partner and we sank in the lake. Also, Miss Kemp’s tent flooding was pretty funny. One thing I learned was not to take anything for granted at home because we have access to everything. At Lake Eildon, we didn’t. Also, I made a new friend called Maddie.

Last week was also R U Ok Day Week at the College. Students had the opportunity to engage in several activities to help raise awareness for mental health. Students wrote each other positive affirmations in Homerooms, to let their peers and friends know what is special and loved about them. Students were also encouraged to have open and honest conversations with their friends to help look out for one another. The student leaders organised several whole school activities, such as selling pizza, donuts and lollies, and a staff vs. student’s soccer game at lunchtime, which was a great success. The St John’s staff also engaged in an affirmation’s activity, writing positive notes to one another throughout the week to be delivered and read on R U Ok Day. I thank all staff and students for their engagement with R U Ok Day.

Earlier in the Term, Year 11 students attended the inaugural St John’s Regional College Year 11 Formal at the Grand on Princes. The event was a huge success, with all students in attendance having a great time. Food, music, dancing, and plenty of mirror selfies – what a fun way to spend an evening! Thank you to all the staff who made it possible to run this fantastic event. The Year 11 Formal will be back at St John’s in 2023!

A small group of Year 11 students have also been working hard on the design for next year’s Year 12 Jacket. The final design was voted on by all the Year 11 students, after the committee presented them with several options. The final design is shown below, and Year 11 students can now order the jacket through the website – https://shop.reformclothing.com/join/fk2707. Orders close on Friday the 7th of October. Thankyou and congratulations to the design committee on a Term’s worth of hard work.