VCAL

Food Security Network

Over term 1 and 2 the students who are undertaking their VCAL certificate have been involved with a program facilitated by education organization Food Security Network.

This program introduces students to the growing problems of food insecurity and homelessness in Melbourne. While learning about these big issues students also grow edible harvest of veggies for donation to welfare agencies. The students learn a range of skills ranging from the practical i.e. costing of the project, building planter boxes, creating and maintain the vegetable crops and the science of growing vegetables.

At end of the growing season the crop will be harvested and will be offered to organizations such as the Fair Share Kitchen or Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.

Student Views.

In our elective period we have been given the opportunity to do some gardening for a good cause. The first thing we were assigned to do were build the garden beds for the plants. We built 8 garden beds with the materials of timber and hard wood planks. Once the garden beds were made we ordered top of the range soil and filled up the garden beds with it. Once the soil had filled the garden beds it was time to use fertiliser for the soil, we used worm manure.  Before we could plant the seeds we had to put in bamboo sticks to make the holes for it. Once we had planted the seeds we watered them and mixed the fertiliser around put up the nets.

Vincent Pascuzzi, Nicholas Panetta, Campbell James

Over the last ten weeks the Year 11 and 12 VCAL boys have been constructing a vegetable garden to grow food to give to a local refugee centre. The VCAL boys have used their skills over the ten weeks to constructed eight garden beads, the boys used some of the skills we have learnt in class and have put utilised newly taught skills. We have planted a range of green eatable plants and a range of herbs. The end goal is to grow our plants and then donate them to one of our local refuge centre. The boys have already gained so much from constructing our garden like, how to do basic gardening skills, and how do use tools for people who don’t use tools often. 

Mitchell Stent

What we have been doing the past few weeks is create garden beds to plant vegetables and herbs to give away to a charity, to feed the poor. We started to talk about how we would do this and created a plan on where to put the garden beds and the measurements for them. We plotted the area and decided that there is enough room for eight beds with space for people and wheelbarrows to fit in-between the beds. After the measurements were done, the next step was to build the beds with the right sized timber and nail the timber together to form the beds. Next was to fill these beds with soil, smooth any piles down and to put three different types of fertilisers into the soil, then water it. The last steps involved plotting where to arrange the plants in the beds, to do this we made sure each plant had a certain distance between each other, then dig a hole for each plant, making sure the hole was the right depth. After planting each plant, they were watered heavily and nets where placed over each bed for protection.

Riley Campbell.

So far, with the gardening experience we have been really productive with Chris. We started by building the garden beds and measuring out the space provided. So far, we have built the garden beds, put the soil and fertiliser into the beds, planted the vegetables, tied the safety nets over the beds and we are watering the vegetables on a consistent basis. It’s a satisfying feeling to know we are growing these fresh vegetables for people who need them most. I definitely speak for all my class when I say it’s been a learning experience and something I will remember from my high school life.

Noah Beveridge

Personal Development

Here at St Bede’s College we have three streams of the Personal Development Skills Program; Foundation, Intermediate and Senior.  The St Bede’s College Personal Development Skills Program works within the VCAA guidelines and aims to provide the frameworks for all students to help them gain a better understanding of oneself.  Over the course of the year all student’s endeavour to have a greater understanding of themselves Physically, Socially, Emotionally and Economically.  This in turn helps gain the competency required for an overall ‘Competent’ grading in VCAL.

The Personal Development Skills program is a hands on experience with many structured physical activities ranging from the Water Wise Unit which encompasses the Term 1 Swimming, Paddle boarding, Snorkelling and Mentone Life Saving Club Program.  Term 2 Peer Teaching Skills Unit, Self Defence /Awareness Program and Management of Squash Tournaments and Barista Training.

The VCAL students are working hard to gain the necessary skills sets to make the transition from school based education programs to full or part time work easier.

Mr Jackson