News
RISE Year 9 Program
On June 26, the year 9 students participated in excursions that they had designed and organised themselves.
The students engaged in an excursion that meets three criteria that align with the vision of the 2018 Rise Program.
- Discovering what brings them joy as an individual
- Physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing
- Giving back to the community
The students designed and participated in many activities, such as ice-skating, visiting the aquarium, rock climbing, watching a film, visiting St Vincent De Paul, the Food Bank in Yarraville and Youth Projects as well as many other amazing opportunities.
The activity encouraged the development of skills including teamwork, planning and organisational skills. Students had to manage a budget, work in and negotiate with a large team, independent use of the public transport system. Further to this, students often had to make inquiries with different organisations and often their first ideas were not able to eventuate.
A big thank you to the amazing work that Year 9 students did to get these excursions happening - many also faced challenges that they never thought they would.
Emma Commadeur
Year 9 Wellbeing leader
Year 11 VCAL Sensory Quilts for Sunshine Hospital
On 26 June, the Year 11 VCAL class went to visit the GEM Ward at Sunshine Hospital, to deliver quilts they had made for the patients there. The class spent the last six weeks learning about how dementia affects people in the community and ways to help. The students decided to create sensory quilts that can be used to relieve anxiety or distress, which are common emotions for people who are affected by dementia.
The students watched documentaries and films that show the different ways dementia affects people, and also did research about the scientific theories behind sensory quilts. Once they had developed a good understanding of the needs of dementia patients, the students designed 9 squares. Each of the squares used different patterns and textures, and had a lot of different things to play or fiddle with, like buttons or zippers. This helps the patient regulate their emotions and also keeps their minds active, both of which are important parts of dementia care.
The unit manager at Sunshine Hospital, Fay, introduced the students to patients who would receive the quilts. The girls got to have a chat to the people who live at the GEM ward and hear some of their stories. All of the nurses and patients were very appreciative of the time and effort the girls had put into creating these quilts.
A big thank you to Ms. Dishon for driving the bus, and Ms. Spiteri for all of her help in the textiles room.
Tahnee Hales & Grace Gonzalez
Witness King Tides
On Thursday 14 June, 40 students and three teachers; Ms Vranes, Ms Devic and Ms Hawkins, embarked on a journey to where Skeleton Creek meets Altona Bay near Altona Beach to witness the King Tides, a natural phenomenon. Led by Molly Fredle, a Spatial Analyst from Hobson's Bay Council, the students were able to witness and learn more about the effects of climate change. Focusing on current events, the King Tides are a physical embodiment of what is happening now and what can most certainly happen in the future.
After walking down to where the King Tides hits land, the students were able to capture images and later upload them to the Hobson's Bay Sustainability website. During the photography session, many students had anticipated that the King Tides were just a normal occurrence and has little meaning to our future, but that was put on hold when we arrived back at school.
During our afternoon tea with hot chocolates and M&M’s, Molly Fredle explained that the King Tides phenomenon is something that we should surely not regard as normal or think that it has little effect on the future, as in fact that the King Tides is what can destroy our community. She explained how the lining of the Moon, Sun and Earth in the galaxy can impact the height and occurrence of the tides, drawing many students attention towards the question- will it become worse? Molly was able to reassure us by saying what we can do as a community can only benefit the community and ourselves.
This learning experience was definitely an eye-opener for myself and the 39 other students and teachers. With climate change being the biggest issue of the 21st century, I strongly recommend students to participate in this annual event. Not only will you get a free shirt and a walk to the beach, but you also get to learn what is already happening in our world due to climate change, and what we can do as a MSJ community to combat this issue.
By Pooja Chelimela
Science At Work
On Wednesday 6 June and Friday 8 June, the Year 9 students went on a captivating excursion to Scienceworks in Spotswood. The Year 9 students have been learning about electricity this term, which they had the opportunity to explore further during their excursion. The students had the opportunity to roam around independently before experiencing the lightning room. They got to participate in an interactive show that taught us further about static and current electricity, voltage, lightning, electricity in our world and how it works. It was an interesting and enjoyable show filled will laughter and new knowledge. Overall Scienceworks was a wonderful experience in which we were able to further our knowledge by learning about electricity in an interesting way and recapping the memories from when we used to visit Scienceworks as children.
Sara Nicol, Eve Paladino and Kaitlyn Stathakis 9E
Violin Virtuoso
Violin students attended a concert with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra featuring one of the world’s greatest soloists, renowned virtuoso, Anne-Sophie Mutter. Her performance of the Tchaikovsky violin concerto was exhilarating and awe-inspiring! A standing ovation followed by two encores left the students and audience spellbound. For students experiencing their first live encounter with classical music this will be an experience they will never forget.
Nick Tresize
Music Teacher
Student performances
VCE VET Music students performed at Kindred Studios in Yarraville on the Queen’s Birthday weekend. The night showcased the work of both Year 11 and Year 12 students performing in front of their families, friends and teachers. There was something for everyone, from classical to jazz, soloists to rock bands and punk rock to Harry Styles. The students played exceptionally well and are congratulated for their work ethic and courage. External gigs like this one give students a real-life experience of the Music Industry.
Nick Tresize
Music Teacher
An invitation
