Junior School
Term 1 So Far
It has been a whirlwind start for Junior School students of 2020, having now had time to settle in to the routine of Semester 1. There have also been several co-curricular and extracurricular Junior School activities undertaken this year, including: Year 9 excursion to the Knox Innovation Opportunity Sustainability Centre (KIOSC) at Swinburne University of Technology, Clean Up Australia Day excursion, Year 7 orientation camp, sign-ups and auditions for the school production, inter-school sports training, information nights and much more!
Year 7 Camp Rumbug Foster North
The Year 7 students of 2020, headed off to Camp Rumbug (in Foster North) on Wednesday the 26th February, with much excitement and anticipation. The weather was not kind early, with the school bus being buffeted by intense wind and rain, however, once safely at the camp destination, the conditions eased somewhat, and students were immediately on the move. No sooner had the students disembarked from the bus, when the Camp Rumbug group leader – Aidan – set about putting the students through their paces. A brisk 10-minute walk up, down, and through the misty mountain terrain, finally led us to a clearing where students were able to replenish their energy stores for action-packed three days ahead.
Over the duration of the time at Camp Rumbug, the Year 7 students were able to participate in a variety of engaging activities, including canoeing, orienteering, abseiling, and a flying fox over a valley and lake. Students also had their aerobic fitness further tested with an exploratory nature walk into the scenic surrounds of Foster North, which included an awe-inspiring view across to the not-too-distant Wilsons Promontory National Park.
In other activities, students were confronted with group-based, problem-solving activities, requiring team-work and encouragement. Teams collaborated in the navigation of orienteering tasks, and guiding and balancing their way through low ropes courses over muddy swamplands. Many students took particular delight in the aftermath of the recent downpours, which had created a muddy wonderland amongst several of the activities undertaken.
With a focus on having a ‘growth mindset’ at Scoresby Secondary College, there were many stellar examples of resilience demonstrate throughout the camp. Students confronted various fears and challenges, pushing themselves to try and achieve something new. This was particularly evident on activities such as the abseiling wall, with the visible and audible support of the student peers being a testament to our vision as an inclusive and respectful school community.
‘KIOSC’ - Swinburne University of Technology
On Friday 14f February, the Junior School Year 9 Students visited ‘KIOSC’ at Swinburne University of Technology. During this excursion, students investigated some challenges for societies in the near future, including how food technology can be applied to food production and quality, and researching alternative food sources for the needs of rapidly growing populations.
Clean Up Australia Day – Thermo-Fisher Scientific Corporate Day
On Friday 28 February, a selection of Junior School students took part in the Clean Up Australia Corporate Day event in conjunction with Thermo-Fisher Scientific. This was yet another opportunity for our young leaders of the future to engage with members of an innovative and successful business in the local area.
Looking Forward
As we look ahead to the rest of Term 1, we encourage students to continue to use their planners on a daily basis to help organize themselves, record homework and have them signed by parents. We also encourage students to embrace the ‘Growth Mindset’ mentality, so that school challenges can be approached in a positive way, and positive progress and success can be achieved.
In the next newsletter we look forward to reporting on the school Athletics Day (Tuesday 3rd March), the various interschool sports teams happenings, the Year 10 Science ‘Epigenetics’ excursion to KIOSC, and keeping you informed of all the other events for the students in the Junior School.
You are encouraged to get in touch with the Junior School team if you have any questions or concerns.
Junior School Team
Mr Donovan Lawrence - Year 7 Coordinator
Mr Jake Barnett - Year 8 Coordinator
Ms Su-Nhi Kim - Year 9 Coordinator
Ms Emily Phibbs - Head of Junior School