Program Coordinator - Teaching & Learning

Exams Year 12 

I would like to congratulate the Year 12 ATAR Students for their superb approach to the Exams taken this term.  While they were apprehensive at first they all conducted themselves extremely well and made solid efforts to complete the challenging assessments in each subject area. I hope this experience gives them confidence in completing the final exams later in the year.

Exams Year 11 

Exams for English, Animals and Plants are scheduled in week 9 and in this week the students will have Exam Day expectations, where they are permitted to opt out of School uniform in order to be as comfortable as possible.  I’m confident that they will proceed through the exams with minimal concern and I hope they achieve the results they have worked hard for.

Year 10 Study Tour

This year Study Tour will take place from the 5th-9th of December staying at DARE Adventure Camp near Dwellingup. Tours will include visits to a number of agricultural and industrial enterprises between Denmark and Dwellingup, including Pemberton, Manjimup, Bunbury, Collie, Harvey and Mandurah.

Plans are still being formulated for these visits and we hope to be able to confirm our itinerary very soon.  Study Tour is for Year 10 Students and offers a fantastic opportunity to visit amazing places as well as spend quality time with class mates and friends.   Last year at the DARE Adventure Camp some students really excelled and pushed their boundaries in many different physical challenges such as climbing and abseiling. 

Details of the Costs involved in Study Tour will be published once the plans are finalised. Some venues and businesses are restricting access due to COVID but we hope to find a great range of thrilling experiences.

Work Experience

Term 2, Week 10 for many of our Year 12 Students means Work Experience.  This is a perfect opportunity to try working in real employment situations. Many students make decisions about their work plans from these experiences.  We will be dropping in to see students and workplaces throughout the week and we are always happy to hear the tales of success in these times.

Term 3

Term 3, for students begins on Tuesday 19th July and we look forward to hearing about students’ involvement on Work Experience and how it all went.  In week 3 the School Ball is on the Friday, I’m sure many students will be looking forward to that event. 

For us, the big event in Term 3 is Open Day.  This year we are planning to open our gates to all comers on Saturday 27th August.  There are no entry fees involved in attending the Open Day but would like you to book a free ticket in order for us to track numbers of visitors.  This information is also important should we need it for COVID tracking.

Free Tickets are available at:

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/open-day-tickets-360226345697

This year our focus of the day is really showcasing what makes us a different, our Farm experiences, Equine and Trades areas will be front and centre, you will really get to see many reasons why our students and staff choose to be here.

After Open Day this year many students are heading for Country Week and Work Experience, so there is a lot going on.  Back here at the College Farm we will be welcoming students and staff from local Primary Schools.  Year 5/6 students will come for a look at what’s happening in many of our farm enterprises.

Plant Production - Fodder Crop

Tucana Oats has been planted for the fodder crop trial being conducted on the College farm. This oat variety is late maturing and suited for grazing, hay and silage production.

The main aim of the trial is to provide Year 11 and 12 Plant Production students with the opportunity to be involved in the establishment and management of an oaten hay/silage crop. The crop will be grazed at least twice before being locked up for hay or silage in spring.

Animal Production - Digestive Systems and AWI Wethers

Earlier in the term Animal Production Students were very involved in investigations into Digestive Systems, they were involved in the theory of different types of systems and practical demonstrations of ruminant digestive systems in the capable hands of Miss Petrie.  Students went on to create digestive system models which will be available to view on Open Day.

The AWI Merino Wether's Competition is the focus from now and Mr Shultz is leading a great program of learning and preparation for the students.  He is demonstrating low stress handling and assisting the sheep and students in getting used to the requirements of the AWI Wethers

Merino wether competitions for school students are run each year in SA, NSW and WA with the aim to educate them about the commercial production of Merino sheep. The initiative provides the students with a memorable ‘hands on’ experience covering a broad range of sheep and wool production skills.  The sessions aim to develop:

• practical, hands-on skills in sheep management
• a better understanding of sheep and wool production as a business
• contact with many aspects of the Merino sheep industry
• a chance to network with industry participants and other students
• an enjoyable experience with Merino sheep and the industry
• a positive perspective on a career with sheep and wool.

Find out more about this competition on the Yarn Podcast:

https://www.wool.com/about-awi/media-resources/the-yarn-podcast/

Equine

We have had a busy term in Equine with all students practicing their jumping in class and in residence time for our first show jumping day that was held on Saturday 18th June. Over the year the students compete in different disciplines to earn points toward the end of year trophy. 

Results were: 

Year 10’s and 12’s have been practicing low stress stock handling on horseback with the Angus cattle, the year 12’s being assessed on movement of a mob.

The students and horses have been enjoying this time out of the arena, putting their skills into action on the farm. 

Year 11’s have continued this term with the Basic care and Daily tasks units, learning about different injuries, treatments and performing daily tasks within the Equine enterprise to keep the place tidy and horses healthy.

English

In General English, Year Twelve students have been creating their multi-media presentations. Students were given the opportunity to select one aspect of College life that they would like to focus on, and instructed to create an informative movie about their chosen topic. Students worked in groups for this assignment, and it has been wonderful to see the level of cooperation, collaboration, and respectful consideration that the students have displayed these past few weeks. Topics that have been reported on include Metal Work, Equine, Dormitory life, the Beef Program, and the Dairy Program. Year Twelve General English students have worked very hard on these presentations, and the quality of their multi-media creations has been very pleasing.

Year Eleven General English students have been working on a unit based on autobiographies. Students have researched and analysed other people’s autobiographies, in both written and filmic versions, and used these to inspire them for their own creations. Features such as using a hook to draw the reader’s attention, writing in past tense and chronological order, and describing emotions and opinions, have been the focus of the Year Eleven autobiographies. They have produced some expressive, descriptive and well-structured autobiographical pieces, and have demonstrated dedication and thoughtfulness throughout this unit.