Secondary News
Dear Families,
Term 4 is well and truly underway and there are many exciting events occurring within our College community.
On Wednesday 1st November the Year 7 - 10 students participated in Wellbeing Day. The students were involved in a variety of activities that engaged them in thinking about their mental health and self-care. We were excited to welcome guest speakers from the Pat Cronin Foundation, Victoria Police and Project Mega Self. The students had fun participating in the inflatable Ninja Warrior Course. Thank you to Miss Entwistle and Ms Roberts for organising the day and to the PTFA for providing lunch, drinks and treats.
The Year 7 and 8 students enjoyed participating in German Day on Thursday 9th November. They were involved in a range of activities that immersed them in German culture. These activities included party games, cooking, scavenger hunt, making a mask and watching a movie about German culture. Thank you to Mr Njuho and Ms Kroeger for organising this wonderful experience for the students.
Year 7 2024 Orientation Day was held on Thursday 16th November. We were excited to welcome the current Year 6 students and new students coming to Lakeside into the Middle School. They spent the morning in their Homerooms with their new Homeroom teacher and classmates, participating in fun activities that allowed them to get to know each other. The students participated in a variety of activities for the rest of the day including Art, Music, Science and Sport. A BBQ lunch was provided and enjoyed by all. They all had a wonderful day and are excited to come back next year to begin their Secondary schooling.
On Thursday 9th of November the Year 10 Law and Order class and Year 11 Legal Studies and Business Management classes ventured off to the Melbourne Magistrates Court to witness some court cases that support their learning focus this term. Students enjoyed the practical and real-life examples this event provided which allowed them to further deepen their understanding and knowledge of the legal system. Thanks must go to Ms Eugenie Oule for organising the event, and Ms Michelle Roberts and Mr Darren Moyle for accompanying the students on the day to run this program.
College staff, Year 12 students and their families enjoyed the Year 12 Valedictory evening on Thursday 16th of November at the Cranbourne Golf Club, to celebrate our Year 12 students having finished their final VCE exams. It was a wonderful evening enjoyed by all.
We have no doubt our Year 12s will have performed well and as they eagerly await their results and pending ATARs, we trust they will find comfort and patience in the long holiday break and we look forward to celebrating their success in the new year. We would like to formally thank Mrs Nina Matar for her tireless efforts and dedication in organising this event.
Week 7 also hosted our Senior exams, with Year 10 and 11 students completing the last of their 2023 academic assessments. We wish all our students the very best for their exams and trust they have prepared well. Senior staff and students will then shift focus to the 2024 academic school year as we commence our Headstart program in weeks 8 and 9. Our headstart program is an exciting time for our Year 10 and 11 students to prepare for the 2024 school year and for our Year 10’s it officially starts their VCE journey.
A note to families wishing to purchase any second-hand VCE textbooks, please have your child ask their teachers as we have many students selling or donating their textbooks.
Please note the dates for the following important events coming up this term:
- Monday 20th November- Current Years 10 & 11 commence Headstart
- Tuesday 21st November- Year 7 Parent Information evening (for 2024 entry) 6-7pm
- Monday 27th November - Yr 12 2024 English/Literature excursion (Headstart)
- Thursday 30th November- Thanksgiving Service 1:30 pm Cultural Centre
- Friday 1st December- Last day of term for current Year 10 & 11 students
- Friday 1st December- Arts Festival
- Thursday 7th December- Gumbuya World Excursion - Years 7, 8 and 9
- Friday 8th December- Last day of term for all students and Semester 2 reports released
Yours sincerely,
Mrs Joanne Rothwell Mrs Amanda Trewin
Head of Middle School Head of Senior School
Wellbeing Day
Wellbeing day provided students with an engaging mental health break from their usual learning where they engaged with a range of guest speakers and organisations. Students were presented with knowledge to improve areas of their wellbeing from the following presentations and/or activities;
- Dr Hannah Macdougall - an elite Para athlete, dual Paralympian and Bronze Medallist, presenting on areas such as Inclusion, and who also has completed a PhD in Wellbeing.
- Pat Cronin - An organisation that provides education, strategies and resources to empower young people so that together we can stop violence and end the coward punch. The focus on strategies for managing anger, assessing risks and consequences, whilst also looking at ‘how to respond to social violence’.
- The Victorian Police – discussed personal safety (i.e. cyber safety for Year 7 and 8’s and party safety for Year 9 and 10’s), including the rights and responsibilities we all have for ourselves and one another.
- Teachers provided pastoral care sessions throughout the day for students to consolidate information discussed and to spend some quality time reflecting on the importance of promoting students’ mental health and wellbeing.
- Students also engaged in physical activity such as an inflatable Ninja Warrior course and a walk around the lake with their homerooms. The promotion of physical activity also promotes mental health and wellbeing.
German Day
Guten Tag!
On Thursday 9th the German faculty had the opportunity of giving the Year 7 and 8 German students a taste of the German culture. The students experienced this through a series of activities which were run from period 2 to the end of the school day. Students participated in the following activities:
- Decorating of Kekshäuschen: Decorating biscuits with lollies and icing sugar. This is a popular German sweet that is commonly enjoyed at Christmas (Weihnacthen).
- Participating in cultural games which were ran by Frau Kroeger.
- Mask making: Students learned about the Karneval in Deutschland. There is no Karneval without costumes. That was the perfect reason for the students to make colourful masks which they got to keep at the end.
- Scavenger hunt: Students enjoyed exploring the school grounds to find clues which were required to answer questions on the scavenger hunt.
Students also watched a series of short videos which depicted the German culture. The videos ranged from the ever so popular film, Dinner for One to School in Germany and even to how to how to make Gummibarchen! Or gummy bears.
The German day was a very memorable day that will remain in the memories of our German student.
Our thanks for the successful event go to the students who participated wholeheartedly and to the teachers who supervised the activities.
Special thanks go to Mrs Kohinga and Mrs Robinson for all their work helping the students with the Kekse.