Secondary News
Senior School Happenings
It is hard to believe that we are already in September and nearly at the end of Term 3 – where has the year gone?! I’m not sure about you, but there are a lot of exhausted teachers and students out there who have been working super hard over this second period of remote learning time to keep learning going – well done. If you have done everything you can during this time to make sure you have stayed on track and your learning had continued, well done. I know that the senior teachers have been putting in countless hours to ensure that the required content is covered and accessible and a shout out needs to go to each of them as well.
This whole year has been a massive learning curve for all of us, but we are not done yet. It is nearly time for a break, but just not quite. I urge all senior students to realise that we are not on holidays yet and even when we do get there, these holidays are unfortunately not the time to have a complete switch off from everything – a break, yes absolutely, but we have worked too hard to lose everything that has been going on in the lead up to exams.
Especially for Year 12s, who would normally be looking at finishing a few weeks into term, their work will need to keep ticking over so that they are best placed to tackle their external exams, which are still running and the students will still be expected to really show what they can do. The GAT is the Wednesday (7/10) of the first week back, so Term 4 is going to be busy, whichever angle you look at.
For Year 10s and 11s, exams are still a real possibility, but exactly what these will look like, or in what format they will take is still open and we will make those decisions when we are all (fingers crossed!) back at school next term.
Those students heading into Year 11 next year have all been sent details for selecting their pathway and subject selection for 2021. There is a form that needs to be filled in, in the Home Group Google Classroom. I encourage students to have a chat, read and watch the accompanying information and then send me through what they are thinking of for 2021. Remember that it is not set in stone and things can still be changed – it is just an indication, so we can start planning and ensuring we can do what we need to from our end. I need this information before the end of term, please.
For those students moving into Year 10 next year, you have all received details about the possibility of an accelerated pathway, if you feel you are capable and ready for the challenge. Please have a look at the information and contact me if you are keen to take this pathway.
I hope that everyone can have a break and recharge, when we finally get there. Term 4 is always crazy-busy and this year that will be magnified, when we will hopefully return to school in Week 2.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to make contact with me.
Jennifer Altmann
Head of Senior Pathways
2021 Electives Update
From clogging up your Facebook news feed with my wacky videos through to constant phone calls / messages if you did not meet my deadlines, the process (and me) are done! I just want to say thank you to all students, staff and parents for their contributions and assistance along the way during this hard time of remote learning 2.0. It was very different this year bringing it all online, but from the hard work of the staff at the start to contribute to the online booklet and then to the students and parents for their amazing efforts in watching my videos/tutorials I just want to say THANK YOU!
After all the hard work it is just time for the invoices to come out next week to all families. This will also be the confirmation letter of the choices for the students elective subjects for 2021. It has been a hard year but everyone in the community is showing a lot of resilience and pushing on.
Thank you again and I promise I will stop making you watch my crazy videos!!
Kara Shuttleworth
Electives Coordinator
Year 8 Mathematics Webex Weekly Catchups
Every Friday at 10am the Year 8 Mathematics class gets together for a chat and a game of Kahoots. It’s a general meet to see how students are travelling and to let them socialise. On our Webex catchups there is always a theme and this weeks was dress as your hero. I was El-Zorro and the Josie’s hero was her dad, awww. This won her the weekly prize of a block chocolate. I didn’t have many on my Webex classes to start with, but since chocolate has been involved we’ve has surprisingly good turnouts!!!!
Mr McClure
Year 8 Maths Teacher
Advance
Part of my Advance class’ weekly tasks is to get some exercise, - roughly an hour. I made it optional for students who could to meet me at Henley Park to ride or walk around the lake at 9am on Wednesdays when my class is programmed.
This was done with social distancing measures in place and I did have a few takers. We even managed to find a fire on our ride & I was able to produce some marshmallows to toast. I did ask a student to ‘chuck his marshmallow down while we took a photo & he did it literally & threw it in the fire!
Mr McClure
Advance Teacher
Year 12 Biology
Jackson Dearden, Anthony Boland, Georgia Thompson, Tahlia Cardnell, Imogen Hollis, Danika Hollis, Hayley Grigg and Elyssa Hausler successfully completed a WebEx program from GTAC on how gene cloning is used to manufacture the Hepatitis B vaccine. They also completed an online workshop delivered by Melbourne University.
The students used computer assimilated micropipettes to load the gel for electrophoresis to determine if an antibiotic resistant gene was successfully inserted into a plasmid to transform bacteria.
They also studied the pattern of inheritance in fruit flies. The students this year used the program to watch flies being anaesthetised using carbon dioxide and viewed flies with the interactive program modelling a stereomicroscope to determine their phenotype. They looked at the progeny of the wild type flies and vestigial wing flies over 15 generations to study natural selection.
The students were amongst approximately 50,000 students who used the program delivered by Melbourne University which is normally delivered in the first year genetics laboratory with over 120 other students at the time. There they gained the experience of using university facilities to receive lectures, demonstrations and practical lessons. It was also an excellent chance to use equipment and techniques that are part of their course.
Melbourne University were celebrating delivering the program for twenty years. I worked out Edenhope College has been involved for seventeen years. I didn’t miss the 6 am start nor the 10.30 pm finish or driving the mini bus at night sharing the patched, pot holed roads with the trucks. I missed observing the students navigating the crowed trains, trams, people, lifts and escalators, seeing their expressions as they walked in the laboratory filled with equipment and meeting fellow students dressed in ties and blazers. I loved meeting them at the granite purse to see how they used their free time to lunch and shop or just people watch. Each past student found the long day worthwhile and enjoyable.
The online Melbourne University experiments and GTAC program were excellent, but the students did miss the University, public transport and Melbourne experiences.
Year 12 Chemistry
Elyssa Hausler completed her research project on ascorbic acid in citrus fruits whilst Hayley Grigg was comparing their Vitamin C content.
The students also made soap before remote learning. Earlier in the year Hayley showed soap was the best against inhibiting microbial growth in her Biology investigation project before the research was in the papers.
Elyssa made her soap from olive oil and lard, whilst Hayley experimented with corn oil. The triglycerides contain ester links which hydrolysed with sodium hydroxide. It was used to demonstrate ester reactions. The students tested which lipids where saturated and which where unsaturated on Monday.
Miss Craig
VCE Biology & Chemistry Teacher