Middle School

Year 5 Camp to Sovereign Hill

Article By Natalie Miller, Year 5 Leader

Last week, our Year 5 students embarked on an exciting camp to Sovereign Hill, designed to consolidate their Humanities learning about the Victorian Gold Rush. Over two days, students had the chance to step back in time and experience life on the goldfields through hands-on activities, immersive storytelling, and role-play.

One of the highlights was the Gold Fever education session, where students joined the ‘rush’ to One Eye Gully. Here, they role-played as miners, gold buyers, and troopers, gaining a deeper understanding of the highs and lows of life on the diggings and the events that led to the Eureka Rebellion in 1854.

In the evening, the students attended the spectacular AURA Sound & Light Show. Moving through the museum at night, they encountered stunning projections that transported them back in time to witness the discovery of gold, hear the Wadawurrung creation story, and relive the dramatic events of the Eureka Rebellion.

Another memorable experience was the Gold Pour demonstration, where the Industrial Blacksmith highlighted the science of gold and its historical significance to Ballarat. This gave students an appreciation of both the value of gold and the methods used to mine it during the 1850s.

The Quartz Mine Tour offered a glimpse into the underground world of early miners. Students explored the Labyrinth of Gold, which revealed the working life of Ballarat’s diggers.

The camp also included hands-on demonstrations. Students watched a confectionery making session and delighted in tasting the sweet results, while the candle-dipping workshop allowed them to try their hand at a colonial craft, taking home a candle they made themselves.

The camp was an enriching, educational, and memorable experience for all. It brought to life the stories, struggles, and triumphs of the Victorian Gold Rush, leaving our students with lasting knowledge and special memories.

Battle of the Houses 2025 – A Celebration of COLOURS!

This year’s Battle of the Houses was a vibrant celebration of creativity, teamwork, and school spirit, centred around the exciting theme of COLOURS. Each house explored the meaning and significance of their assigned colour—examining the emotions it evokes, its presence in society, and how it appears in music, film, and popular culture.

The event began with imaginative and energetic Opening Ceremonies, where each house showcased their colour through engaging performances filled with singing, dancing, and flair. It was a fantastic way to set the tone for the day!

The Lip Sync section highlighted just how often colour features in music—whether in lyrics, messages, or visuals—and students brought this to life with enthusiasm and style.

In the Drama section, students had the opportunity to display their acting talents, creatively weaving the theme of colour into their performances. Audiences were reminded of the many ways colour shapes our experiences and perceptions.

Finally, the day wrapped up with the Dance section—an uplifting and high-energy conclusion featuring dynamic routines and feel-good music that had everyone smiling.

A huge congratulations and thank you to all our House Leaders and Middle School students for your outstanding participation, creativity, and commitment to embracing this year’s theme. You made it a memorable event for all!

Reflection from students:

Friday the 12th of September offered an opportunity for the students in Middle School to display all the work that they have put into creating well-made performances. Based off the themes that were given to each house, each house captain created and made very different performances for each group. The day had many different highlights, such as seeing the teacher's dance, captains seeing the hard work they have put in over the last few months' pay off once the performances they created took to the stage, as well as seeing the joy the students displayed when they heard their placings. The level of performances makes it very difficult to pick a favourite or a best one, but my favourite to watch was the year 5 Pasteur dance, as I worked with those students. To be able to see their improvements each week and then their end performance made it my favourite. Battle of the Houses also offered a great learning experience for the house captains; it allowed us to grow our confidence and learn how to work with many different people. Everyone who helped make this day possible or performed on the day should be proud of their efforts to make the day happen and be successful. - Pasteur House Captain Tilly 

Looking back on this year’s Battle of the Houses, I am proud to say it was not only an enormous success, but also an unforgettable experience for everyone involved. I was incredibly lucky to assist with the Year 6 Drama performance and loved seeing everyone’s acting talents shine throughout the many rehearsals. I was truly impressed by the dedication and teamwork shown by Edison—whether it was creating props, organising costumes, or helping behind the scenes, everyone played a part. The passion and house spirit from the Year 6 students was amazing to witness; they gave it their all and supported each other every step of the way. I’m so proud of what we achieved on stage. No matter the results, everyone who took part should feel like a winner. Battle of the Houses continues to be one of my favourite events of the year, and this year’s experience has made it more memorable than ever. - Edison House Captain, Abby W 

The 2025 annual Middle School Battle of the Houses event, held on Friday, September 12 saw all students demonstrating hard work, dedication, and house pride across all performances. Our houses - Curie, Edison, Newton, and Pasteur brought energy and commitment from beginning to end. Students were involved in multiple rehearsals where they learnt choreographed routines by their house leaders, with their individual talents and abilities shining through. The judges and audience members were entertained by dance, drama, lip-syncing and opening ceremonies. I would like to personally congratulate all the houses and year levels who achieved a first-place victory, as well as all participating students. Thank you to the staff and student leaders for their hard work that make such a big event possible. Next year's Battle of the Houses will have big expectations to live up to, after such a fun and memorable day! - Alana K

Looking back on this year’s Battle of the Houses, I am proud to say it was not only an enormous success, but also an unforgettable experience for everyone involved. I was incredibly lucky to assist with the Year 6 Drama performance and loved seeing everyone’s acting talents shine throughout the many rehearsals. I was truly impressed by the dedication and teamwork shown by Edison—whether it was creating props, organising costumes, or helping behind the scenes, everyone played a part. The passion and house spirit from the Year 6 students was amazing to witness; they gave it their all and supported each other every step of the way. I’m so proud of what we achieved on stage. No matter the results, everyone who took part should feel like a winner. Battle of the Houses continues to be one of my favourite events of the year, and this year’s experience has made it more memorable than ever. - Abby W

Story in Miniature Writing Competition

Article by Andrea Goetz, Head of English

Congratulations to all who participated in the Story in Miniature Writing Competition during Book/English Week.

We are delighted to announce that the winner was Sophie W for her story A Folded Page, Two Jointed Hands, and a Ring Slipping Loose. Entries by Nikita C, Harriet F, and Dayna N were also highly commended. All four pieces have now been entered into the wider VATE Story in Miniature Writing Competition, and we look forward to seeing how they fare at the next stage.