Teaching and Learning
As we approach the end of Term 1, we would like to extend our congratulations to all staff and students for a fantastic start to 2025. This term has been marked by new beginnings, new friendships, new classes, new teachers and new subjects. We were also delighted to welcome into our college our new cohorts of Year7 and Year 10 students.
Throughout the term, students have engaged in a diverse range of learning experiences, including some students experiencing their first SACs and CATs as well as exploring a variety of elective subjects. Additionally, they participated in NAPLAN and PAT testing demonstrating an affinity for learning.
We commend our students for their hard work and perseverance and encourage everyone to take a well-deserved break over the holidays. We look forward to seeing you refreshed and ready for an exciting Term 2!
Below our Learning Specialists, curriculum leaders and a few Assistant Principals have provided a snapshot of the many wonderful achievements in teaching and learning this term.
Our Teaching and Learning team 2025:
Lauren Turner- Assistant Principal Mathematics/Numeracy
Nicole Marie- Assistant Principal English/Literacy
Anjana Dwivedi- Learning Specialist
Claudia Khoury- Learning Specialist
Jess D'Lima- Learning Specialist
Danielle Ryan- Learning Specialist
Jeeva Suthananthan- Learning Specialist
Rebecca Cook- Science PLC Instructional Leader
Amelia Amuso- Humanities PLC Instructional Leader
Monika Kanwar- Mathematics PLC Instructional Leader
Sushma Devi- English PLC Intructional Leader
See you all in Term 2!
Kind Regards,
Sandale Ambegoda
Assistant Principal- Teaching and Learning
Physical Education
It has been a positive start to Term 1 in Physical Education, all students across each campus have had the opportunity to participate in a range of physical activities that allows students to acquire, apply and evaluate movement skills, concepts and strategies to respond confidently, competently and creatively in various physical activity settings. Our Year 7 and 8 students have explored the skill of striking and fielding by participating in Tee-ball, Rounders, Kickball, Softball and Cricket. Some of our Junior classes have also been participating in class challenges with relay competitions that link back to striking and fielding skills. Winning teams in each class have then raced the classroom teachers and it’s fair to say we have some very talented Junior athletes that dominate over the teachers.
Our Senior school has explored the appreciation of how movement, in all its forms, is central to daily life, functional requirements and active living. Year 10 students have been learning about the history, rules, skills and tactics of team sports. These have included Basketball, Volleyball, Futsal and Netball. It is a requirement that Physical Education classes at Bemin Secondary College have a theory based component that links to each sport and students have been able to express these through skill reflections, written reports, student agency with product differentiation and extended response questioning.
Our Year 10 Game Plan classes have focused on coaching skills and the application of affective feedback to improve movement performance they have also been pre planning coaching lessons that will be delivered in Term 2 for our Junior school. Year 10 Get Fitter Run Faster students have also had an intense first term with Fitness testing and Training program being conducted. These look at different components of training principals and methods to enhance performance.
Physical Education at Year 11 is about exploring how the musculoskeletal and cardiorespiratory systems work together to produce movement. Our VCE students have created a reflective folio to collect primary data from their practical participation sessions and have applied this knowledge using their folios to address how our bones, muscles, heart and lungs work together to produce movement. We will see our Year 11 VCE Physical Education students starting to investigate possible conditions and injuries associated with the musculoskeletal system and recommend and implement strategies to minimise and manage such injuries and conditions.
We would also like to acknowledge the new staff members that have joined the Physical Education team this year; Kate Meynell, Elijah Mills and Luke Zahra. We are delighted to have them help our students achieve success at Bemin Secondary College.
Danielle Ryan
Learning Specialist- Physical Education
Health
Students in Years 7 and 10 have all enjoyed exploring the complexities associated with forming and altering their individual identities in response to changes that take place around them. For example, Year 7 students have explored the impact of transitioning to high school on their identity; they are now high school students, which comes with a host of challenges that students have explored coping strategies for.
Year 10 students have learnt about the dimensions of health and wellbeing and how their identity is connected to their experiences of these dimensions. Year 10s also explored the impact of social norms and stereotypes on identities and how these contribute their own set of challenges. Students enjoyed class debates on scenarios such as this one referencing a female engineer.
Year 8 students explored the Sacred Connections between health, culture and Country. Students expanded their understanding of the dimensions of health and wellbeing from Year 7 Health and explored the way Australian Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander People’s experience these dimensions with a specific focus on the importance of connection to country and the role of elders in community.
Year 11 Health and Human Development students have completed Unit 1 Area of Study 1 - Concepts of Health. Students explored the dimensions of health and wellbeing, perspectives of health, such as youth health and Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander People’s, Factors that impact health and wellbeing. Students learnt how to use data from Australian Institute of Health and Welfare to discuss challenges faced by various population groups in experiencing optimal health and wellbeing. They also explored the importance of the World Health Organisation in the prevention of health issues.
Year 11 students completed their first School Assessed Coursework (SAC) task which was an extended response that required students to incorporate their knowledge with data and sources presented to them to conduct an analysis of the concepts of health and the way health is experienced differently by various population groups. This was a significant achievement for all students as it was their first VCE Health and Human Development SAC. Students respected the SAC rules and expectations and utilised the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills to the best of their ability under VCAA assessment conditions.
The students have now turned their focus onto Unit 1 Area of Study 2 - Youth Health and Wellebing. This topic provides students with the opportunity to tailor their learning specific to a youth health issue of interest to them. Students will complete a comprehensive research task in which they investigate why their chosen topic is an area of health inequality for Australian youth and they will analyse the risk and protective factors as well as health care services, government and community programs and personal coping strategies that could reduce the impact of the issue.
Jessica D’Lima
Learning Specialist - Instructional Leader and Health Leader.
Arts
Within the Arts, the senior classes have been enjoying their brand new art portable classroom. Year 10 students have been busy using clay to create coral reef sculptures. Year 11 Art Making and Exhibiting students have been exploring new artforms and trialing different painting techniques, still life drawing and printmaking.
In Junior years, Year 7s have been exploring landscape artworks using pastels to create large scale pieces. The year 8s have been busy designing ideas for 3D Character letters. Stay tuned to see their finished products next term!
See some images of our Year 11 VCE Art Class exploring new mediums.
Claudia Khoury
Learning Specialist- Arts
Technologies
At Bemin Secondary College, our Food Technology program extends beyond traditional cooking. Our mission is to empower students with the knowledge and skills essential for making informed food choices, cultivating practical cooking skills, and understanding the broader implications of food production and consumption.
In the junior school curriculum, students are introduced to the fundamentals of food preparation, safety, and nutrition. This curriculum effectively combines practical experience with theoretical knowledge, allowing students to develop essential life skills and promote healthy eating habits. Through this, students have prepared a diverse range of recipes, including stuffed potatoes, pasta salad, and apple crumble oat cookies.
As students advance to senior school, their foundational skills are further developed, equipping them with advanced and specialised knowledge in food production, nutrition, and sustainability. Our program places a strong emphasis on fostering critical thinking, creativity, and practical problem-solving abilities related to food.
In Year 10, students have gained an in-depth understanding of nutrition while enhancing their ability to prepare flavourful meals that address nutritional values and dietary requirements. In doing so, they have created dishes such as rice paper rolls, calzones and spaghetti bolognese.
In year 11, students have explored the origins of food and culinary traditions from around the globe, incorporating ancient ingredients into modern dishes. Consequently, they have crafted meals such as Ancient Grain Salad with Grilled Chicken and Halloumi, mozzarella cheese from scratch and Tabbouleh.
Jeeva Suthananthan
Learning Specialist- Technologies
Mathematics
Exciting Growth at Bemin Secondary College!
Bemin Secondary College is expanding! This year, we proudly welcome Year 11 at our Senior Campus and Year 8 at our Junior Campus, marking another exciting step forward in our commitment to excellence in education and our growing school community.
At Year 11, students embark on their VCE journey, with tailored maths courses designed to support their future pathways. We are offering three distinct streams:
- Foundation Mathematics – for students focusing on practical applications.
- General Mathematics – a versatile option for a broad range of studies.
- Mathematical Methods – the most challenging stream, essential for advanced mathematical and scientific fields.
Each stream is carefully aligned with student’s aspirations beyond VCE, ensuring they are well-prepared for their chosen careers. Our approach reflects our belief in inspiration—encouraging students to challenge themselves and pursue their ambitions with confidence.
Meanwhile, Year 10 continues to offer a single mathematics course for all students. However, lessons are differentiated to cater to individual learning needs, ensuring that every student is supported in their journey toward excellence.
At the Junior Campus, our Year 7 and 8 students are developing strong mathematical foundations through engaging and interactive learning experiences. We emphasise respect by fostering an inclusive and supportive environment where students can collaborate, think critically, and grow together.
Across all year levels, our school remains a place where students are inspired to reach their full potential, where a sense of community strengthens learning, and where a commitment to respect and excellence drives success. With these values at the heart of everything we do, Bemin Secondary College continues to empower every student to embrace the future with confidence.
Anjana Diwvedi
Learning Specialist- Mathematics
English
English: A fulfilling first term!
This term has been a fulfilling one for students and teachers of English at Bemin Secondary College and we are proud of the dedication and efforts we have seen from staff and students as we’ve settled into the 2025 school year.
At the junior campus, Our Year 7s reflected on themselves as learners and sharpened their descriptive writing skills through constructing short memoirs with accompanying visual displays, while the Year 8s refined their reading comprehension and writing skills and gained valuable insights into history, morality, and human relationships through studying The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. A highlight this term was the viewing of the film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, which deepened students’ understanding of the novel and provided opportunities to develop empathy and perspective-taking. At the senior campus the Year 10s and Year 11s connected literature to their lives, other texts and the world through personally responding to the novel Brontide, the film Next Goal Wins (Year 10) and the collection Growing Up in Australia (Year 11).
We’re proud to share with you some photos of some Year 7s celebrating their learning below, along with some snippets of various Year 7 writing completed throughout the term. We commend the student writers who contributed their work. Well done everyone on a fantastic first term, and we look forward to growing together in Term 2!
Students celebrating their work and giving feedback to each other:
Samples of student writing:
And there was the unbearable smell of ‘home’; it felt like the end of the world for me. It was leaving the only place that I could be myself, my friends, and the life I was living. This was what pushed me off the edge. My life was going to be thrown into the trash with me inside.
–By Aarya Parmar (from their short memoir)
Hours later that same day, I sat on the warm wooden floor of my house’s lounge room, which was heated from the gentle warmth of the decade-old heater, which has truly stood against the test of time. I sat there, tearing apart the opening of the cardboard Lego box, as layers crumbled, revealing a thick instruction manual and at least ten plastic bags containing colourful bricks.
–By Terry Dang (from their short memoir)
Dear Moonlight,
From the momentI gazed up at your silver glow,Tracing patterns in the midnight sky,I knew one thing was true:
I was mesmerised by you.A light so soft, yet so strong,Guiding lost hearts through the dark,A silent companion to my thoughts.
As a child, I reached for you,Dreaming of floating among the stars.I never feared the night,Because you were always there,Watching, glowing, floating.
And so, I dreamed.
–By Ishita Geddi (a ‘quickwrite’ task based on a precious experience)
Mum had told me there was going to be face painting, I couldn't wait for the soft, silkiness of the paintbrush tango across my skin. Dad had been preparing snacks, his one-of-a-kind, and mum had repeated to me to hurry up. Her voice echoed through the walls like the fish wandering into the unknown.
–By Orlene Rahman (from their short memoir)
I climbed the stairs, my heart a race,
The water slide, a darkened space.
The thunder roared, the waters churned,
I hesitated, my stomach turned.
With a push, I slipped and flew.
Down the tunnel, nothing in view.
Twists and turns, a screaming ride.
A cold, dark rush I could not hide.
At last, I splashed with all my might,
And swore I’d never take that flight!
–By Raidh Farvage (a blackout poem based on their short memoir)
Dear Piano,
The second I saw you,
I knew I wanted you.
The sound of your keys,
The feel of your pedals,
I wanted you to the moon and back.
Six year-old me
Dashed around the shop
Begging, pleading,
To have you
After all,
I knew I wanted you
The second I got home,
I started practising on you.
Four hours a day,
Twenty-eight hours a week,
I kept practicing.
I’m twelve now.
And because of you,
I’m now a great pianist.
Thank you.
Thank you.
–By Chenul Henasinghe (a ‘quickwrite’ task based on a precious object)
Tears flooded down my cheek faster than my heart. In a spur of a moment I found myself at the medical centre. Am I dreaming? Am I gonna make it alive?
–By Raiha Suleman (from their short memoir)
As I sit here, waiting in this old red and white striped car for my arrival at my grandfather's house, I look at the stars, I see the bright shiny stars in the black gloomy night. I wonder, “What’s the worst that can happen?”
–By Jedidiah Araya (from their short memoir)
I am from Barbie dolls,
From a pink room and tons of stuffed animals,
I am from a house with a trampoline and two chickens,
And a garage full of toys,
I am from a capsicum plant my brother always broke,
That grew and grew
From my Mum and Dad,
And from warm, embracing hugs,
I am from not leaving the house if you sneeze,
From butter chicken and naan,
From my grandpa dropping me off to kindy and picking me up,
From my brother and sister being born
I am me.
–By Parneet Litt
The school smelled of happiness and joy. The atmosphere was more positive than usual.
–By Naunidh Singh
The clock was ticking with 30 seconds left
Every player gasping
Every player drenched in sweat and adrenaline
The ball skidded
Desperately between teammates
Then, like a flash
The ball broke free
Rolled towards me
With the flick of my foot
Time slowed
Giving me goosebumps
And then I struck, the ball
Spinning through the air
Everyone shocked
There was silence, then the net rippled
My teammates swarming me,
Vision blurred with disbelief
This moment would live me forever
It was the journey of being a team.
–By Viren Kancharla (a blackout poem based on their memoir)
Nicole Marie
Assistant Principal- English/Literacy