Term 2 has been such a busy term!

Year 12 are in the midst of their Major Works, Personal Interest Projects and on top of this all all students in our courses will be starting to prepare for their upcoming Trial Examinations. We wish them the very best of luck.

Most of the students have been working diligently to have their projects at the 90% completion stage by the end of term. There are a large variety of projects, and I must congratulate those students who have been working solidly from the beginning of the process. I am confident the students that have been working continuously and abiding to course requirements and time frames will be rewarded with very good HSC results at the end of the year.

Year 12 Timber are busily working on their major projects. With the due date closely approaching Mr Kessler will be offering holiday classes to support our students. The Year 12 Engineering Studies class have been studying the topic of Personal and Public Transport with a focus on bicycles. They have looked at the materials that make up bicycles from inception to the most current, the mechanics that go into bicycles and lots more. The Year 12 Society and Culture class are well into the writing of their Personal Interest Projects and working very diligently on these. The projects must be at 90% completion by the end of Term 2. I will be offering holiday workshops at school in Week 1 of the holidays to support the students complete their projects. The Year 12 Society and Culture class have completed Assessment Task 3 on Popular Culture. They have all done such an amazing job with this task and I am so very proud of their efforts.

Year 12 Software Design & Development and Mrs Hogan have finished their Major Projects, creating a game based off a board or card game. They have successfully used their skills in coding to create some amazing games. All students used the programming language, Python. Well done to all students, now to work and study for the Trial and HSC exams!

Year 12 SDD Major Projects

This term Year 12 Hospitality have been finalising their last Cluster Assessment Tasks - Cluster E and F. In Cluster E the students must document evidence over 12 service periods conducted in a simulated environment which is the classroom and from experiences at Work Placement. The evidence samples may be in the form of photos, videos and the collection of menus and recipes.

For Cluster F the students were required to write a Business Proposal for a Café. They certainly came up with some amazing ideas! This term has been quite busy as the students are trying to collaborate all forms of evidence to support their Cluster Tasks to be deemed competent and receive a full qualification, Certificate II in Hospitality in Food and Beverage. In the practical environment, Year 12 have been using fresh produce from the farm to create industry standard menu items. Some of the meals prepared have been Pumpkin Soup and Potato and Leek Soup.

The Class of 2023 will be the last group to qualify for a Certificate II in Hospitality - Food and Beverage as in 2024 onward the students will be studying for a Certificate III in Catering and Cookery.

Year 12 Retail Services and Mrs Kostalas have just completed their Cluster F Task - Visual Merchandising and are beginning their last Task, Cluster G - Point of Sale and Retail Security.

Year 12 Retail Services Visual

Merchandising Window Displays

The two Year 11 Hospitality classes and Mrs Ofahenguae have been working online with the new qualification. All work is now digital and is found on the Evidence Central website.

Students create an account and can work through the short modules at their own pace. Assessment is completed online through quizzes. The software grades the student's work. All Year 11 Hospitality students across NSW have been using Evidence Central since January 2023.

In the practical environment, Year 11 Hospitality students are making a variety of sandwiches to industry standard and are using their knowledge of hygiene, WHS, food preparation, organisation, customer service skills and culture. The students are enjoying the course and are building their skill set by practising knife skills as well as using different types of equipment with a variety of fresh ingredients and freshly baked bread from Bob & Pete’s. Examples of menu items include Bruschetta, Open Steak Sandwich, Club Sandwich, Chicken Caesar Salad Wrap and Homemade Focaccia.

Year 11 and 12 Hospitality

Year 11 Software Design & Development and Mrs Hogan are currently working on learning new skills in the programming language, Python, and are creating a text-based game. Students are encouraged to discover ways they can make a text-based game fun and exciting while learning the developmental process of designing and programming games.

Year 11 Engineering Studies and Miss Reynen have moved into the specific Core Topics and have started looking at Braking Systems. Focusing on the historical developments, impacts on society and the environment, the materials that make up a brake and the mechanics involved in working brakes.

Year 11 Industrial Technology - Timber and Mr Kessler have been working on their Bed Side Table project with an accompanying portfolio. Students are currently nearing completion of the design process and are documenting their construction steps to finish off their Portfolio. It is wonderful to see the confidence this group is showing and this is due to the hard work they have been demonstrating this year. Mr Kessler has also been involved in constructing an outdoor learning space with Stage 6 students involved in the RIEP Readiness Program at the farm and this has already been put to good use by our classes!

Year 11 IT - Timber Bedside Table

Outdoor Learning Space

The Primary Industries students in both Years 11, 12 and the Stage 5 Agriculture class have been experiencing the challenges of farming. In the last few weeks, we have been blessed with the birth of some very cute baby lambs! A lot of our classes (and teachers!) have visited the farm and had lots of cuddles with the lambs. Our farm is bursting with beautiful produce and out Paddock to Plate program is in full swing!

Our Beautiful Baby Lambs

My Year 11 Society & Culture class have just completed their second assessment task and I must congratulate the students on their fantastic achievement in this task. Their responses were conceptually rich with synthesised and sustained judgements and substantiated with consistent relevant strong examples throughout their writing.

Year 10 Information & Software Technology and Mrs Hogan are currently learning about AI and working on learning new skills in the programming language, Python. They started the unit with combining with Miss Reynen’s iSTEM class to participate in the Day of AI.

Both classes spent the day working together to learn about AI and its social impact on society. All the students had lots of fun, with some student choosing to participate in a competition to win tech equipment for the school. Currently students are working on their next assessment task in creating a chat bot or text-based game suitable for a smart home device.

Day of AI Photos

This term my amazing Stage 5 Hospitality class have been very busy learning how to use the espresso coffee machines! This is the competency in Cluster B. Students have been very enthusiastic to show off their beverage skills in preparing and serving espresso coffee and lots of hot chocolates! This unit will continue over several terms, overlapping with other units as students practice these competencies. The class are also making a variety of different sandwiches for their Cluster C Task – Prepare and Serve Sandwiches.

Stage 5 Hospitality Cluster C

This term Year 9 200hr Food Technology and Mrs Ofahengaue have been working on a unit of work called Food in Australia. In this unit of work the students learn about Bush Tucker and the history of Australian eating habits and the factors that influence our Australian cuisine today.

In the practical environment the students are using traditional and cultural ingredients to create unique dishes. Students are enjoying being exposed to new ingredients they may have not worked with before or taste tested. Examples of menu items that the students have created include Vegemite and Cheese Pull Aparts, Butter Chicken, Lemon Myrtle Cheesecakes, Chocolate Coconut Wattle Seed Slice and Cottage Pie.

Stage 5 Information Technology - Timber have been working on building a wooden toolbox this semester. They have built knowledge around widening and housing joints including Biscuit Joints and Finger Joints. They have used machinery including the Disc Sander, Pedestal Drill, and the Lathe to complete the Toolbox. The students have excelled during this project and are eager to start the next. Well done!

Stage 5 IT Timber Project

The Stage 5 iSTEM class and Miss Reynen have completed their Hydraulics Unit. The students were required to make a working hydraulic machine that had to replicate a real work machine. The class have now moved into their new topic of Water Bottle Rockets program with the influence of NASA. This focuses on the aerodynamics of the rockets and understanding the basics of aeronautical engineering. The students will build their own rocket and then will be launch from the oval early next term.

Stage 5 - iSTEM Hydraulic Machines

The Stage 4 Technology Mandatory Digital Technology classes and Mrs Hogan, Miss Reynen and Mrs McTeigue have been completing coding their games in Scratch and Python. Students showed off their skills they have learnt this year, in creating some amazing and fun games. To end the term Year 7 have been learning to program Edison Robots and Year 8 have been doing Mini Projects varying from coding EV3 robots and making stop motion videos.

8 TEC 5 and Miss Reynen have completed their Engineered Systems Unit for Technology Mandatory. The students completed a working Paper Rollercoaster, and they analysed the forces in motion and how energy works within the system.

This term the Stage 4 Technology Mandatory Food and Agriculture classes have been working on a unit of work called Grow and Thrive. In this unit of work the students learn about the Australian Agricultural industry.

The design brief was to grow their own herbs in a self-watering pot made from recycled materials. Each week the students would visit the farm to monitor the plants growth, visit the market gardens, taste test fresh produce for example rosella flowers, snow peas in the last week, handle chickens and visit the newly born lambs, which they just loved!

In the practical lessons in the kitchen, students made menu items from freshly grown vegetables and herbs from gardens on the farm. Examples of menu items that the students have made include Spaghetti Bolognaise with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil from the farm. San Choy Bow with Pepper Berries, Stuffed Potatoes and Special Fried Rice using shallots from the farm.

Mr Kessler and his Stage 4 classes have been developing their practical skills this term. They have been using necessary tools and machinery to build and construct some fantastic Mantel Clocks. Some of the machines they have been using include the Disc Sander, Pedestal Drill, and Scroll Saw. It is exciting to see how their skills develop with other Technology classes in Semester 2. Great work Stage 4!

Stage 4 Mantel Clocks

These holidays will be invaluable for our Year 12 students to work on perfecting and completing their HSC major projects which are all due for submission in Term 3. Please discuss your projects with your teachers before the holidays about any work that may be needed. Also, please check with your teachers about attending the holiday workshops they are holding. These are designed by the teachers and are invaluable in helping students complete their projects.

On behalf of the TAS/VET Faculty we wish all our students and their families a safe, relaxing and happy holiday.

Caroline McTeigue

Head Teacher TAS/VET

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