Specialists

Secondary 9/10

Term 2

Digital Tech

In ‘Minecraft Extend’, the 9/10 students were thrilled to turn some of their simple builds into 3D printed objects. They also worked in small teams to plan, build and test a Minecraft world that could be played by others. Students also created a learning portfolio in Google Slides as part of the Google Drive suite. It was a great end to the unit.

Music

Digital music and songwriting have been explored through a number of mediums by all secondary sections. Students have composed music as a class using traditional lyric writing methods, beat making through a DAW (Ableton Live), and experimenting with AI prompting (Suno AI). This has led to some really impressive pieces of music. Secondary classes have also explored DJing and the basic functionality of a Pioneer DJ controller.

PE

Students who chose the Invasion Games elective completed the final part of the program, trialling different game strategies across a range of sporting codes. Students enjoyed participating in soccer, indoor hockey and AFL, where they practised drills and modified games that highlighted the importance of working together as a team.

Selected students also joined the Concord Cross Country team, competing in 3 km events at School Sport Victoria (SSV) Banyule Division and Northern Metro Regional Cross Country Championships. Sixteen students participated in these events, with many progressing to the State Final next term.

Social Competencies

Visual Arts

Secondary 9/10 Visual Arts elective students spent the term working through a detailed drafting process, using trial, error and refinement to develop an artwork for display around the school grounds. They were given access to a wide range of materials and challenged to seek out their own sources of inspiration. While many initially found the open ended task tricky, they rose to the challenge, supporting each other with kind, constructive feedback. It was great to see students grow in confidence and feel proud of their work, hopefully sparking their creativity along the way.

Creative Media

This term, Year 9/10 students have been exploring filmmaking as well as researching roles and careers in TV and film. They have learnt about the jobs people do to make film media accessible and experimented with the skills used in these roles. Students have had the opportunity to learn how camera angles affect how the audience feels and use this knowledge to plan their own scenes using visual storyboards.

Food Tech

Students in the Year 9 to 12 sections have excelled this term. They have made a range of Asian dishes, such as butter chicken, rice paper rolls, special fried rice and pakoras. They also explored European cuisine, including mini quiches, savoury meatballs, broccoli pesto pasta, Cornish pasties and an all time favourite, bangers and mash. Students have worked hard to improve their cutting, grating and kitchen skills, and have made great improvements in their attitude to teamwork

Science

Students in the Secondary 9/10 Science elective, Life on Earth, started the term by learning to use light and digital microscopes to observe plant and animal cells. They were able to choose from a variety of prepared slides and used a template to draw what they could see. The class then moved on to learn about extinction and what causes animals to become endangered. The entire 9/10 section was treated to a Wildlife Xposure incursion, where the presenter, Brandon, shared his animals for students to see, touch and ask questions. These animals included a squirrel glider, bettong, saltwater crocodile, lace monitor, green tree frog and some very large pythons. It was an awesome show and a great opportunity for all 9/10 students.

Outdoor Education

Students have been participating in the Rock Climbing Program at two locations, La Trobe University and Bounce Inc. Throughout the program, students have been building their confidence, trust and independence while challenging themselves on a variety of climbing walls.

It has been fantastic to see students push themselves to climb to the top and step outside of their comfort zones. Students demonstrated great resilience and determination when attempting more challenging climbs, while also encouraging and supporting one another throughout the sessions. Their positive attitude and willingness to keep trying have been a highlight of the program.

Jess Mitchell

Specialist Team Leader

Specialists Secondary 9/10 Term 2