Secondary

Mr Chris Graham

Assistant Principal (Secondary)

Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you. - St Augustine of Hippo

The story of Superman that we all know would not work in 2024.

While many superheroes have been recently featured in films and television shows in a kind of superhero renaissance, one has been quietly missed; Superman. While there were some Superman remakes in the 1990s (which are now 30 years old), he has been quietly toned down in the current resurgence of superheroes. The only exception is the Henry Cavill films (however they didn’t have the phone box) and a small cameo in the Lego movies. There are some structural reasons why his traditional story would not work in 2024.

1. If there was a man who regularly used a phone box to change, leaving a pile of clothes and walking out in tight-fitting Lycra, then it’s likely that a well-meaning parent would quietly let the authorities know and there’s a good chance he would be investigated.
2.  Further to the point above, phone boxes are in continual decline. I struggle to remember the last time I actually saw and/or used a phone box. In the past, phone boxes were in many places and in all suburbs; now, older ones are only found in selected places, and Telstra isn’t making any new boxes. 

Interestingly, there is a remake of the Superman films due for release in 2025, but I’m wondering how they will overcome the phone box issue. This is going to require some critical and creative thinking and a potential change to the tradition story we all know. Sometimes persisting with older ways of thinking and doing can be impacted by the current changing realities of life, which can lead to a type of decline.

This is also true of schooling. This year we have introduced a number of new initiatives to address our current realities. All of these initiatives have been introduced with the explicit intention of increasing our students capacities. Here are some of the initiatives

1. AIMS. Its is hoped that this has increased the communication and transparency between the school and the students home.
2. Dunhelen Exams. As announced late last year, students in Years 7-9 will be introduced to exams at the end of 2024. This will be coupled with explicit teaching designed to help students achieve greater results on their exams; to take the heaviness associated with the word exam and show students that they are easily able to do them. 
3. A Learners Toolkit (https://alearnerstoolkit.com.au/). This our consistent study skills that will be taught across the College. This will help students be prepared for their exams.

These are not the only new initiatives, however, these are the ones that will likely have the biggest impact on learning and assessment. They are also the ones that parents need to know about. If you have any further questions about the above initiatives, please do not hesitate to contact me and I’ll happily discuss them in more detail. 

Year 10 Melbourne Holocaust Museum Excursions:

On Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st March, our Year 10 Students visited the Melbourne Holocaust Museum in Elsternwick as part of their study on World War Two and the Holocaust. Upon arriving at the museum, students were provided with some background information on the Holocaust by the volunteers. They were then split into groups and completed a guided tour of the exhibition, which contained artefacts from the Holocaust, many of which had been donated from survivors’ families. Students were then given the opportunity to listen to a Holocaust survivor. One was named Sarah Saaroni, a 98-year-old woman, who still swam every morning, sculpted, wrote a memoir and had been awarded an Order of Australia for promoting tolerance and diversity. Students asked her some very intelligent and insightful questions about her life and advice for the future. She said that it was important to live in peace and kindness, and promoted that, whilst we cannot love everyone, hate and ignorance towards one another can be incredibly damaging. It was a deeply moving and educational experience. 

Mrs Gabriella Raponi

Head of Humanities

Ms Merjam Mujkanovic

Deputy Head of Secondary (Middle School Culture)

As we near the end of a bustling term in our Middle School, it has been incredible to witness the remarkable growth and engagement of our Year 7, 8 and 9 students. They have been gradually settling into their academic routines, building new friendships and actively participating in various school activities. House events, such as the ‘Basketball Shoot Off’ and special incursions, like Year 8 Medieval Day, have been instrumental in fostering teamwork and enabling students to expand their social circles at the onset of the school year. 

Welcome Wednesdays

'Welcome Wednesdays’ have been particularly successful in facilitating the integration of our Year 7 students into the Secondary school environment. Led by our Director of Wellbeing – Ms Natalia Smith and Head of Year 7 – Ms Abigail Bose, these events offer a platform for students to socialise at lunch time, participate in engaging activities, and broaden their friendship groups. The recent ‘Welcome Wednesdays’ event entailed a dodgeball tournament, where we witnessed enthusiastic participation from both Year 7 and Year 12 students, demonstrating exemplary sportsmanship and camaraderie across the secondary school community. We thank the Year 12 students – Alvaro, Christian, Adam B, Adam S, Royce, Nasim, Josef, and Mustapha, for fostering a welcoming atmosphere filled with friendly competition and laughter.

Term 1 Holidays

As we approach the Term 1 holidays, we encourage Middle School students to unwind and spend quality time with friend and family.  

Wishing everyone a restful and rejuvenating break.

Year 8 Medieval Day

Throughout this term, our Year 8 Students have been learning about the Middle Ages, focusing specifically on medieval Europe, as part of their history studies in Humanities. To deepen their understanding, they participated in the Medieval Day Incursion on Tuesday, 12th March. Each class learnt about traditional music and dance, the different types of arms and armour used during battle, the type of costumes worn and everyday life, the art of chivalry, as well as participating in classic medieval games, such as a Kubb match. As part of the experience, some students got to try on different costumes, hold various pieces of armour, and listen to songs from the time. Many of them also became quite competitive whilst playing the medieval games, despite only having just learnt how to play them. Our Year 8s also represented the College with such pride, behaving optimally on the day, and showing a genuine commitment to enhance their learning beyond the regular confines of the classroom. 

Mrs Gabriella Raponi

Head of Humanities

Mrs Jenny Lilley

Head of Faculty - Vocational Major

The Year 11 and 12 students, as part of their VCE Vocational Major studies, have committed themselves to supporting the Interschool Sport program that runs every Friday. The students support the teachers and staff by helping to organise the Grade 5/6 students, keep accurate goal scoring and assist in any way needed. Students support the Food Studies Faculty by working with the teachers and technicians. Recently, the students also supported the Cross-Country carnival, working with the team to make sure the day was run smoothly.