Secondary News
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Champions - 2 Years In A Row!
A magnificent effort of eight girls at the Interschool Futsal Competition. They came first in their pool, smashing Dandenong in the last pool match 7-1. In the Grand Final they won 3-1 against very strong Noble Park team. This is their second (in a row) District Champions title as they won last year as well. Congratulations - Well done girls!
Year 8 Science
In Science class, 8A made their own rock formations using crayons.
The class demonstrated how rock formations are created and how they form over time.
Mr Chan & Ms Rentzis
Year 9 Excursion - Phillip Island
Year 9s went to Phillip Island as part of the Ecosystems unit, which explains how living things interact with, and survive within, an environment. Students explored biotic and abiotic factors that affect survival, and investigated the symbiotic relationships plants and animals have with each other. Complex food webs, adaptations, evolution and cycling of matter were also explored.
Despite a long bus ride, students were energetic and engaged with the ranger-led talks. They impressed rangers with their knowledge of matter cycling and interspecies interactions. Teachers were most impressed with the support students offered each other on the day.
Some highlights of the day were catching and looking closely at living macro-invertebrates collected from Fishers Wetland, and feeling the soft fur of a juvenile fur seal.
Year 7 Report
It has been a very quiet term for the year 7 group with all students working well in their classes. There has been some very good results in class and a lot of improved test and assignments from the students.
The Maths and English groups have been working well and it is good to see all the year 7 students reading and discussing novels. I encourage parents to promote and support this as reading is such an important skills for students to develop and helps in life long learning.
I would like to congratulate all the students who were involved in multicultural day and the charity walk. News on these two events will be in the next newsletter.
Can parents please look at reports and discuss them with their children. These are an important piece of information in your child's progress at school.
Mr Antony
Year 8 Report
On Friday 24th of August, our Year 8 students participated in the Independent Thinking module as part of the High Resolves Global Citizenship Program. The module explored the ways in which our minds can be manipulated and the skills needed to challenge unconscious biases and think independently. Students took part in a simulation, played games, and shared their own ideas and experiences.
In the first activity, students worked in small groups on a series of optical illusions to show how what we think we see is not always what we actually see. Our students were then immersed in the fictional world, where they were in lock down in an airport following the detection of a virus. The students represented different groups who had just returned from overseas and had to work out which of those groups had the virus. To do this, they had to interview the other groups, react to social media feeds, and weigh up evidence presented by three ‘experts’ via video.
After it was revealed which group had the virus, the students were introduced to different techniques that were used in the simulation to manipulate their thoughts. The students then took part in another small group activity where they further developed the skills to be able to recognise where others try to manipulate the way they think, feel and act in the real world. At the end of the module, each student was asked to complete their own ‘I resolve to’ card, making a specific commitment to take a global citizenship type action in the following days or weeks.
High Resolves is a not-for-profit, non-religious, non-partisan, educational program that motivates high school students to be purposeful global citizens and to develop the mindsets and skills they need to lead their communities, and the world, to a brighter future. More details can be found at www.highresolves.org.
Ms Rentzis
Year 9 Report
It has been a busy term: sports, State School Spectacular practices, the year 9 primary reading program, V3 course counselling, community leadership painting and building days, excursions and classes. Not long to go and a welcome and well-deserved two-week break will be upon us.
I have been impressed with the maturity that is beginning to take hold amongst our students in year 9. They are busily preparing themselves to begin their VCE studies and it was so impressive seeing them make choices for their futures during course counselling. Early in term four they will find out their courses for next year and as November ends, they will attend their first classes during orientation week.
Especially noteworthy, too, has been the maturity of students as they painted and constructed an outdoor space at the Salvation Army site in Doveton. Their enthusiasm and participation has been exemplary, in addition to the teamwork and respect shown as they worked with volunteers from the Salvos (who had nothing but praise for their efforts). It has been a fun experience. To round off the opportunity, we will travel to the city early next term to learn more about youth homelessness, incorporating the lessons learned into our classroom discussions and activities.
Exciting times are ahead!
Mr Kwong
Year 10 Report
Year 10 students have been involved in a variety of programs and activities this term. Our EAL students have been travelling to the city once every three weeks to participate in a mentoring program facilitated by the ABCN, in partnership with Optus. The purpose of the program is to assist students to develop communication and employment skills that will prepare them for life after school. Students selected for this program have participated in mentoring sessions and have visited key landmarks in the city to gain more knowledge of Australian culture and geography.
It was also fantastic to see so many Year 10 students performing in the Multicultural Day. Congratulations to Cecilia Zhao, Gemma Zhang and Alice Hu for their singing performance, Mark Liu, Eira Wang, Charles Cheng, Cecilia Zhao and Sarah Dayaseela for their insightful speeches, and Daisy Yao and Rawa Khan for their amazing dancing. Many students also proudly represented their cultural backgrounds by wearing traditional clothes, and everyone looked great.
Students are reminded about the upcoming Funfields excursion on the 19th of October. During this event, students will have the opportunity to strengthen their relationships with peers and teachers, while enjoying some time away from school to celebrate their achievements this year. The cost of this event is covered under the 2018 excursion levy. Lunch can be purchased at the venue, or brought from home.
Mr Willis
Year 11 Report
The year 11 students have participated in the Presentation Ball, which took place on 6th September, at the Vogue Ballroom. We had a number of dance rehearsals afterschool with our instructors. Very early in the piece, we realised that these afterschool rehearsal were not enough to learn our dances, and we organised to practise dancing during our lunch times.
Our families and friends supported us immensely, and attended this special event. Though we were quite nervous before the event, the ball was a huge success. One of the highlights was the playing of Lebanese drums by one of the parents, and the whole community joining in to dance to the beat of these ethnic drums. This was an exhausting as well as an exhilarating experience for us. We would like to thank Ms Julia Marziale for supporting us by organising this great event.
We have also celebrated our annual multicultural day on 11th September. It was great to see our year 11 SRC students, Dulara Weerasinghe, Ben Bright, Eftalya Coskun and Alema Isic, take on a leading role in the planning and running of this special assembly. We had a number of participants from our year level. These included Talen Hrant and Meghry Ashnaklian, who shared their Armenian heritage, Simran Kaur, who performed a Bollywood dance and Alex Vu, who participated in a Vietnamese role play. We loved the Lion Dance that began the assembly as well as the Bollywood workshop that encouraged school community participation.
We are finishing our courses for our Unit 3/4 subjects and have started revising in preparation for our upcoming exams. Some of us are finding this time quite stressful, as there is a lot to be done in a short span of time. We are using some of the skills from the Elevate sessions we attended earlier in the year, to work smarter to achieve our goals.
Year 11 Leaders
Year 12 Report
The year 12 girls took part in a self-defence session, run by Steve at Safe International. After running through different scenarios to test student understanding of safety and risk, the group took part in some physical activities, learning ways to defend themselves in difficult situation. Many students volunteered to take part in the demonstrations, showing courage and a willingness to test their strength and nerve. The session was confronting, pushing students to understand risks and how to respond.
Reminders for Year 12:
- VCAL students need to have their sheets signed by the end of this term. Remember that every one of your teachers need to sign, Kylie needs to sign and Ms Hudson or Mr Mulcahy needs to sign. Not long to go now so make sure you are on top of this!
- VCE students MUST see Kylie ASAP. She still has a LONG list of students that have not completed or paid for their VTAC applications. Remember that the cost increases significantly if you miss the first deadline.
- VCE students need to start SEAS applications ASAP. They are due at the end of the first week of Term 4 - that is only a few weeks away now!
- VCE English students need to pay and consent for the English exam revision session. It is the end of the first week of Term 4 and will be a great revision tool as you head into exams.
Ms Hudson.