EDUCATION
Year 11 Media
The final outcome of Unit 1 for Media is ‘Australian Stories’. The year 11s have studied a range of Australian media productions from ‘Bluey’, to the sci-fi 2016 TV show ‘Cleverman’, to Tracey Moffat’s photography, in particular ‘Something More’.
The culmination of this outcome is that the students have to create their own photographic representation of Australia. To this end, they went on a walking excursion of the local area: Grasstree park, Bunnings, the skate park, residential streets, Woolworths, and the netball, soccer, and footy grounds.
Students had to plan the representation of Australia they wanted to create and go out and get their shots. In the coming weeks, they will move through the Media Production Process to edit, print, and mount their photos.
A highlight was stopping at Woolies to buy a chocolate mud cake – quintessential Australiana!
Kate Griffin – Year 11 Media Teacher
Year 10 Literature
Year 10 Literature students have spent the last 7 weeks reading, performing, and studying Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’. After reading the entire play aloud – in Shakespearean English – the students analysed the motifs and ideas around ambition and power. The class then watched Australian director, Justin Kurzel’s 2015 adaptation of the play.
They spent weeks comparing scenes, dialogue, and characters, developing an argument to answer: Is Kurzel’s film an accurate adaptation of Shakespeare’s play?
Students orally presented their opinion in response to the question, using scenes from the film and quotes from the play, to convince their audience.
The extremely high quality of the presentations is a testament to their critical thinking skills and preparation.
Later in term, the class will be travelling to the Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne to be in the audience of a performance of ‘Macbeth’ and then partake in a workshop with the actors.
Year 11 VET Sport & Rec
Our Year 11 VET Sport and Recreation students have recently completed the ‘Respond to Emergency Situations’ unit.
They’ve learned some really important skills like first aid and how to stay calm and act quickly in emergencies. It’s awesome to see them gaining confidence to handle real-life situations — great job, everyone!
Year 10 Outdoor Environmental Studies
The Year 10 Outdoor and Environmental Studies students have been busy getting stuck into some great hands-on activities.
They’ve been working in the school garden, preparing the soil and getting everything ready to plant winter veggies.
Out at Deep Creek Reserve, they also had a go at orienteering, using compasses and bearings to complete a fun scavenger hunt. It’s been a great way for them to build their outdoor skills and spend some time in nature.
Year 9 Outdoor Education Activities
The Year 9’s have had a cracker of a semester and have been stepping out of their comfort zones to either try new activities or lead others.
Students have navigated the Anglesea heathland on Mountain bikes, snorkelled at Queenscliff, climbed at ‘The Rock’ and surfed down at Torquay main beach. Most importantly, our Year 9 students have developed a sense of ecological responsibility through their time in the outdoors.
Our students are gearing up for a few more excursions to test their personal resilience and teamwork skills.
Year 11 Media Excursion to the National Wool Museum
On the 4th June our year 11 media students were guided through the multi award winning exhibition ‘On the Land’.
On the Land: Our Story Retold is about the past, present and future of Australian wool. It is about people and places and the history of the land.
The students experienced stories, traditional language, and art with the Wadawurrung Country exhibit, created by Wadawurrung woman Corrina Eccles, elder Bryon Powell with contributions from Wadawurrung artist Deanne Gilson. Alongside the Wadawurrung exhibition were photographs, machines, and interactive sections that showcased this history of Australian wool in the Jilang/Geelong region.
This excursion forms a part of their ‘Australian Stories’ outcome for Unit 1, where they analyse different representations of Australia. They are now moving into creating their own photographic representations of Australia – more to come on that soon!
The exhibition was incredible and the students highly recommend it! More information can be found here: https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/nwm/about/wool/article/item/8ceea9b9bb9d0fe.aspx
VCE Literature + Year 9 Music Performance
VCE Literature students are studying African American playwright Suzan-Lori Parks’ play “Father Comes Home From The Wars”. The play is set at the end of the American Civil War and the Parks using blues music to connect the story to her African roots and modern-day society. Parks not only wrote the play but wrote a handful of songs to be played throughout the story.
Surf Coast’s wonderful music teacher Judy McLaren brought her year 9s in to the VCE Literature classroom to watch her perform the songs of the play. It was an excellent performance, one that contextualised the songs for the VCE class and proved to the year 9s just how good our music teachers are.
Snorkeling at Port Phillip Bay
Our students recently had the incredible opportunity to explore the rich marine environment of Pope’s Eye as part of an excursion with Sea All Dolphin Swims.
Snorkeling in the heart of Port Phillip Bay, students encountered a vibrant underwater world teeming with fish, seals, and seabirds, all while developing their understanding of marine ecosystems and conservation.
