Middle School News

MySelf Skateboarding

Doncaster Secondary College was successful in securing 6 x 75 minute Skateboarding workshops for our Year 9 students in their MYSELF classes. This opportunity is provided by School Sport Victoria's Play program, inconjunction with YMCA.

Our students thoroughly enjoyed this experience and the winter weather played nicely! We hope that this experience shows our students that there are many more social and non-competitive sporting options available.  

My Duke of Edinburgh

Abbey McDonald of Year 9 reports on her experiences with the My Duke of Ediburgh program...

We spent the day helping the year 5 students cook, as part of their weekly kitchen and garden program. Each week, we assist them while they cook a meal, which they then eat together before going out to lunch. Today, we cooked an Indian dish, the four different groups making curry, rice, coconut garnish, shortbread biscuits, carrot salad, yoghurt and vanilla tea between them. We were able to help them delegate roles within their groups, as well as assisting them with challenging tasks around the kitchen. Despite being simple recipes, we learn new skills every week as we aid the students in their cooking.  

The school has an amazing kitchen and garden program, growing a large variety of fruit and veg in the garden, then using it all in the kitchen. Stephanie Alexander, Australia’s renowned chef and educator, helped to set up the garden, making Whitehorse Primary School the first school to implement the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program. 

We’ve also been able to experience classroom learning and management of younger students, such as prep children in the last few weeks, where we helped to keep the kids on track with their work, and complete their ‘Reading Life’ booklet. Their booklet consists of photos of them in every year of their life and their favourite book at the time, which involved cutting and pasting images onto their workbook – a very difficult task for prep students.  

What workplace skills have you developed in your Service? 

We’ve developed lots of skills through this program, from remaining patient with students to being supportive in the kitchen. Even while cooking basic dishes, the students often need help, and it has improved our cooking abilities by helping them through the process. 

What have you learnt about yourself through your Service? 

It’s been really beneficial seeing how we respond in challenging situations around the classroom. We’ve learnt that we can be patient with the students and we have the skills necessary to help them, which gives us more confidence in the future. 

Would you encourage others to volunteer? 

We’ve really enjoyed volunteering and would definitely encourage others to do the same. Working with children can be a tiring, but you gain so much by working with them. Whitehorse Primary School is a great primary school, and it’s really nice to work with the teachers and get to know how the school runs. 

Volunteering at Milgate Primary School

The chilly morning didn't dampen the smiles of our Year 9 students volunteering at the Milgate Primary School Athletics Day.

These students were particularly keen to give back to the Milgate PS community as they were once students there themselves! In between raking the long jump sand and handing out place ribbons, our students enjoyed connecting with their primary school peers and confirming that high school life is pretty cool.

During our voluntary service sessions at Milgate Primary school, we learnt many workplace skills; Communication and cooperation between ourselves as a team, patience with the kids at the school, Self-management and independence, conflict resolution with the kids at the school and leadership. It has been a privilege to have a voluntary service where we can help assist teachers in the classroom and also help around the school. During our service we learnt a lot about ourselves; about we became more comfortable and patient with the students at our assigned foundation classes and found ways to teach them at were both fun and educational with enough enthusiasm to keep them working and entertained at the same time. We would definitely encourage others to volunteer as a way of helping the community thrive but also to be challenged and grow in a new environment as it inspires adaptability and independence.

- Jazmine L, Christabel O and Ashlynn W