Secondary School
Year 9/10 Agriculture
The Year 9 & 10 students have been working on our dam area, getting it ready for a new planting to improve the biodiversity of this area. They also had a great time with our new batch of chickens.
Ezra Dixon drone photos
Ezra is in the Year 9 & 10 Agriculture class, and he brought his drone to class. He obtained these wonderful photos of our Agriculture program, including beautiful shots looking over Port Phillip Bay. Well done, Ezra.
Year 7 Science
In Year 7 Science, students have been learning about the States of Matter. Students have explored how substances change from one state to another. As part of this, they added different substances to water to see whether this would change the boiling point of water. This was a great chance for them to hone their laboratory skills and also their report writing skills.
Year 10 Industry
The amazingly patient and talented Mr Justin Mason worked with the Year 10 VM students to begin construction on our lizard day spa, located in the Agriculture zone on the North Campus. Students were able to learn a wide range of construction skills during this project.
Year 12 Chemistry
In Year 12 Chemistry, we have a lot of fun. We had the privilege of hosting Mrs Hadlow, who taught us Electrolysis, which is a complex reaction that involves using electricity to make it happen. The cool application of these sorts of reactions is batteries, both chargeable and rechargeable, like the ones you find in your phone or laptop. Our Year 11s have also been working hard on their molecule drawing skills.
The Year 12 students are also attending the University of Melbourne to learn about and use some of the techniques and instruments for identifying different components of molecules. We also enjoyed exploring the grounds and the Chemistry building, which is covered in history and insight. What a fun time we have in Chemistry!
La Trobe University Physiology Lab
On Wednesday, 10th June, Year 12 PE students attended an excursion to La Trobe University to utilise their Exercise Physiology laboratory facility. Students spent the day at La Trobe’s Sports Stadium participating in two separate sessions.
Session one focused on the “Biomechanical Principles” laboratory, which introduces students to two common biomechanical principles. Firstly, the velocity summation of body segments, and secondly, the speed-accuracy trade-off that exists within movement. Using video cameras and motion analysis software (Kinovea), students investigated how these principles affect technique during an AFL kick and a basketball free-throw.
Session two was “Exercise Physiology”, which explored the characteristics of the three energy systems during exercise and directly linked it to various key concepts studied in Unit 3, utilising specialty lab equipment.
SIS Theatre Sports Championship
I’ve been looking forward to this year's Theatre Sports Championship since my first one last year. It's been a lot of fun getting to work with other people, coming up with ideas on the spot, and seeing where our scenes end up. I've become more confident in just committing to the bit, which makes the scene so much funnier. One of my favourite parts has been the supportive atmosphere, the chance to have a laugh while developing new skills, and, of course, the hilarious group costumes.
I was also really proud of both Senior teams tying for fourth place in the championship. More than the result itself, I loved being part of such an awesome team. My teammates were always encouraging, willing to build on each other's ideas, and made every performance enjoyable.
I'd also like to thank Miss Partridge for giving us the opportunity to be involved in Theatre Sports and for letting us boo her when she gave bad scores throughout the day. This year's championship was great, I can't wait for next year!
Bre Oliver
Student
VM Year 9 Taster Session
Our Year 11 VM students ran a session talking to the Year 9s about our applied learning program. They explained how VM works and described each subject they’re studying in Year 11. They also ran workshops and played outdoor games with the students. A huge well done goes to Mel Morris, who coordinated a bracelet-making session as part of this program.
Year 8 Science
In Year 8 Science, students are working through a unit on Body Systems. They have started by focusing on plant body systems and have been learning about transpiration. They carried out an experiment to investigate what factors affect transpiration in celery. Some students investigated the impact of different humidity levels, while others considered the impact of different levels of light. Students planned the finer points of these experiments themselves.
Year 9 Science
As part of their studies on acids and bases, students made acid-base indicators from blueberries, beetroot and red cabbage. The red cabbage made the best indicator, which changed to different colours with weak and strong acids and bases.
Year 10 Veggie People
This week, as part of the overarching “Genetics” topic, the Year 10 students put together their own veggie people, using their knowledge of dominant and recessive traits. Filling in a report on these veggie people, they needed to utilise their understanding of Punnett squares and also show that they could tell the difference between genotypes and phenotypes. The completed people then took on pride of place in the Science block. The completed reports went home with the students.
Village Baxter Newsletter
Our Year 11 & 12 VM visits made the Village Baxter Newsletter, and our students have made a wonderful impression on the residents. A huge thank you goes to Mrs Megan Penwarden and Mr James Siede for coordinating these visits.
