ICT/Technology Updates

Cyber Security Session Newport Library

Altona College was invited to send two students to the 2024 Business Workshop - Cyber Security session at Newport Library run by Technology and Cyber Security company, Codux.

Two of the ICT Leaders, Izak Schurmann and Ryan Mitchell attended the session and learned about cyber security best practice strategies to reduce the chance of being hacked and held to ransom. This session linked in with their studies in Applied Computing. Thank you to Ryan and Izak for attending and representing the college.

Technology Week

ICT Leaders recently ran a range of ICT workshops during lunch to engage students from years 7-10 in technology at the school.

They created short pop quizzes for homeroom each day with fierce competition to win the week! Well done to 7E taking home first place.

Sessions at lunch included Spheros, online chess and Switch games.

Thank you to the ICT leaders for planning and running this week.

Tech Career Connections

On Friday 30th August, Year 10 and 11 Applied Computing students attended the Tech Career Connections Day at Wyndham Tech School.

Students had the opportunity to interact with professionals working in tech roles and explore various career pathways in technology. They engaged in tech-driven activities and direct conversations with tech experts from a variety of different companies, including Amazon Web Services.

Thanks to the students who attended an excellent day.

Snow Trip

A select group of students had the opportunity to experience Mt Buller last week. They had a great time receiving lessons from the professionals and were fortunate to catch the last of the snow season!

Year 9 Bread Art Design

Year 9 Food Technologies students were given the assessment task of designing bread art using the design solution process. Below are some samples:

Year 8 Art

Year 8's are in the process of making and refining their papier-mâché masks. The students spent the term researching and exploring cultural masks from around the world, experimenting with personal ideas based on their research and creating a mask that represents their interests. Well done Year 8s on some really interesting and creative designs!

Altona College VCE News

VCE Unit 3-4 Practice Exams and VCAA exams

A Compass push was sent out earlier this term providing students and their families with important information about the upcoming Unit 3-4 Practice Exams, along with the schedule. Be sure to check out the notification as to why these practice exams are so vital. The schedule is provided below for your reference. In the event your child is unable to attend the practice exams, please contact the Year 11-12 Coordinators as soon as possible.

Students are reminded to arrive at least 15 minutes before their scheduled practice exam start time, with all of the required equipment needed in a clear plastic pencil case or zip-lock bag and a clear water bottle.

These practice exams will provide valuable preparation for the end of year VCAA examinations, starting with the English and EAL exam on Tuesday October 29th. Students will be provided with further information about their VCAA exams in the coming week.

VCE Exam Revision Lectures

In the September/October school holidays, there are a range of FREE and paid VCE lectures for different subject areas. It is strongly recommended for students completing Unit 3-4 subjects to attend at least one lecture.

Here is some information from ACED on different lectures available and the link to register.

Below is the schedule for Skyline Hatch who are running FREE online lectures. Click this link to register.

TSSM has a September holiday program that you can check out via this link.

Access Education will have some revision lectures coming up. Check out this link for information.

ATAR Notes will also have some FREE lectures. Check out this link to register.

Students can do a google search for other organisations running exam lectures, or speak with their subject teacher for ideas.

Connect Education Workshops

Over the course of Term 3, we were pleased to run additional workshops for students completing Unit 3-4 subjects. Students were able to purchase course guides for their subjects, which have been a fantastic additional resource with great notes on each area of study, as well as guided responses to exam questions. This was further enhanced through the workshops run by recent graduates from the subject area, providing extensive insight into how to tackle questions and important tips and tricks in relation to teacher selected key knowledge areas. We hope the students got a lot out of the workshops.

Year 11 Elevate Workshop - Time Management

Towards the end of Term 3, year 11 students took part in another Elevate workshop based on students' own time management and how to beat procrastination.

The workshop covers:

Development of routines to balance study and lifestyle
Working smart by completing high value work
Utilising study groups to leverage time
Techniques for overcoming procrastination

What was the most important thing you learned today?

“The ‘4 reasons for procrastination’, because all reasons are things I struggle with” - Indy

“Time management and the importance of controlling procrastination: - Esmeralda

“Two areas of study such as zone of demand, and zone of marks: - Jaadid

“To make a physical timetable instead of a mental one: - Darcy

How would you rate the overall program?

“10/10 - would recommend as it was very helpful” - Ashley

“I liked how other peoples experiences were shared” - Nadia

“I enjoyed the tips presented by Sophie, and it was great to have relatable stories - Ryan

“This program has been extremely helpful in determining ways to manage time effectively and in groups” - Jonah

Altona College Senior Olympics

As the Nation watched on and supported our Aussie Olympians in Paris, there was some serious competition happening at Altona College with our own Senior Olympics! Students in years 11 and 12 assigned themselves into groups and were allocated a country to represent. We had a superb Opening Ceremony with all of the countries proudly represented by the students, and then The Games kicked off! The Senior Olympics was a great opportunity for students to show off their artistic skills in the rhythmic gymnastics, along with their intellect in the Olympic trivia rounds. We had some interesting paper plane throws, and heated competition in volleyball, basketball and cornhole. Let’s not forget the bat and ball race that surely challenged some students' hand-eye coordination skills. Students were awarded medals for their wins and they sure wore them with pride.

Well done to everyone that participated and also a big shout out to our teacher and student judges and referees.

Altona College Senior Olympics Committee - Kristen Polglaze & Laura Newton

Road to Zero - Vocational Major

Students in Year 11 and 12 participated in a Road to Zero excursion through Melbourne Museum that specialises in road safety of young people. Students explored the Road to Zero centre where they were able to utilise VR headsets to experience driving conditions, the impact that safety features can have on injury as well as exploring multiple quizzes and surveys.

After they finished exploring these areas they moved to the learning space where they split into groups to create their own road safety ads to target young people on the roads. Students were provided with short clips and backing sounds in which they could stitch together to create their short 30 second to one minute video. Furthermore, students were asked to make an additional resource to accompany their ad, in which students selected to create a range of billboards that could further highlight their selected issue.

Gaga Pit - In Construction - Vocational Major

Students in Units 3&4 undertaking Personal Development Skills and Work Related Skills are tasked to brainstorm, plan, implement and reflect on a major project of their choosing. As Altona College works towards providing more student options for positive engagement at break times, the Vocational Major students are currently underway in building the new Gaga Pit which will be accessible to all students.

Students have been working hard both in the design process, as well as the practical components to ensure its construction is completed by the end of the term.

Maths and Stats Day

Dom and Cindy from Melbourne University Maths and Stats department visited today, showing Year 9, 10 & 11 students how machines work with binary numbers.

Science News

Science is excited to unveil a new promotional banner designed by our very talented Year 10 student, Melodi Spear! A huge thank you to Melodi for her fantastic artwork. The banner will feature at our upcoming fundraising BBQ next term, along with various other school events. We appreciate Melodi’s creativity and support in showcasing science at our school!

Earth Science

Earth Science students researched, designed, constructed, and tested their buildings to determine which were the most earthquake-resistant. The students were asked to consider questions like; Have you completed enough research? What is the design of your building? What features will you test? How will you go about constructing it.

Key Dates