Middle School News

Year 7 to 9

Term 4 is underway! Students and staff have had time to adapt to new body clocks after a term break and the change to day light savings coinciding with a return to school. Not ideal for many including myself but with the College value of resilience in mind I’m happy to report a fairly smooth start to the term.

 

The big-ticket item in the first week was a full board of Values Assemblies. It was pleasing to be able to start the term on such a positive note with assemblies for each Middle School year level taking place in the PAC. Honourable mentions go to our Middle School leaders for their assistance and Carl Williams who organised the Year 7 strings band to perform prior to their assembly. Values award recipients are listed below:

Value Awards Term 3 2024

CURIOSITY 

7L Marcus 

7N Hana 

8L Priscilla 

9C Adam 

9C Ethan 

9C Mazen 

9J Dhyey Jigneshkumar 

 

EXCELLENCE 

7F Ved 

7I Joshua 

8C Theo 

8H Divit 

9C Alyssa 

 

FAIRNESS

7D Kelly 

8G Ammaar 

8G Aisha 

8G Eugene 

9I Rhylan 

 

RESPECT 

7E Yubi 

8H Meera 

8N Aiden 

8N Klaus 

9F Marcus 

 

RESILIENCE 

7I Aadya 

8D Ming 

8E Naomi 

9B Artin 

 

TEAMWORK 

7L Adabelle 

8L Alyssa 

9D Hilary 

 

CARE AND COMPASSION

7H Ryan 

8F Bilal 

9F Barbod 

 

End of the year arrangements have been posted on Compass Newsfeed. Please access this Newsfeed post so you are familiar with the information regarding end of the year activities and the Advance program. This will ensure your child doesn’t miss out on participating in an activity that they would really like to be involved in.  

Justin Bond

Head of Middle School

Year 8 EAL Slam Poetry Unit

The poems below were written and presented to the class by the students in English. They have translated them into their first language to sit next to the English version.

Different path

 

Two ways, Two lanes 

Everyone goes left 

But I go right

Parallel to each other but never touch

Similar looks but different future

They howled at me, but I never looked back…

Because they ought to make me the same 

The same as everyone 

Same mindset 

Same choice 

Same looks 

But I stood firm to my word and began to observe…

Observe the ways and words that I began to remember my own experience..

So youthful and easy to manipulate

Fooled by media and people’s voices 

I start to change...

I start to hide ...

Too focused on fitting in that I start to lose myself 

A busy mind that pulls me away from who I really am 

I seek comfort in other people’s words and not from my own opinion 

I start to break like a shattering glass

So many lost pieces 

Slowly, I click back into reality

I shut the voices 

and listen to my own heart…

different but not perfect 

not perfect but determined… 

determined to be myself and collect the lost pieces

even if I hear whispers…

so many things tried to stop me 

even from the things and people I least expected the most… 

the ones closest to my heart, hated my change… 

so many lost friends and memories 

but nothing is more rewarding that the joy that came after…

travel with your mind to a different place and breath the fresh and different air….

That isn’t polluted by people’s sour words, actions, and manipulations. 

People who are too coward to show a face in today’s real world. 

But revive the dead, breaking, and desperate soul inside of you…

And start a new mission of reviving our human value and characteristics...

That has been lost for decades... 

 

By Priscilla 8L

 

 

طريق مختلف

 

طريقتين، حارتين 

الكل رايح شمال 

لكن أنا رايح يمين 

متوازين مع بعض لكن عمرهم ما بيتلامسوا 

شكلهم مشابه لكن مستقبلهم مختلف 

….هم عاويين عليّ، لكن أنا عمري ما بصيت ورا 

لأنهم عايزين يخلووني زيهم 

زي الكل 

نفس العقلية 

نفس الاختيار 

نفس الشكل 

….لكن أنا وقفت ثابت على كلمتي وبدأت ألاحظ 

….ألاحظ الطرق والكلمات اللي بدأت أفتكر تجربتي الخاصة 

صغير في السن وسهل التلاعب بيه 

مخدوع بالإعلام وأصوات الناس 

…بدأت أغير 

…بدأت أختفي 

مركز جدًا على إني أنسجم لدرجة أني بدأت أفقد نفسي 

عقل مشغول بيبعدني عن اللي أنا فعلاً عليه 

بدور على الراحة في كلام الناس ومش من رأيي الشخصي 

بدأت أتكسر زي زجاج متكسر 

قطع كتير ضايعة 

ببطء، برجع للواقع 

بقفل الأصوات 

….وأسمع قلبي 

مختلف لكن مش مثالي 

….مش مثالي لكن مصمم

مصمم إني أكون نفسي وأجمع القطع الضايعة 

….حتى لو سمعت همسات 

كتير من الحاجات حاولت توقفني 

….حتى من الحاجات والناس اللي ما كنتش متوقع منهم أكتر

….الأقرب لقلبي، كرهوا التغيير بتاعي 

كتير من الأصدقاء والذكريات الضايعة 

لكن مفيش حاجة أجمل من الفرح اللي جاي بعد 

….سافر بعقلك لمكان مختلف وتنفس هوا جديد ومختلف

….اللي مش ملوث بكلام الناس المر، وأفعالهم، وتلاعباتهم 

ناس جبانة جدًا إنهم يظهروا في وجه العالم الحقيقي النهارده 

….لكن أحيي الروح الميتة، المكسورة، واليائسة جواك

 

How It Used to Be

 

Oh, look at how it used to be, 

A friendship of two in harmony, 

In trust and love, they would confide. 

 

Oh, look at how it used to be, 

Look at the strong friendship that was said to endure,

Back when the future was so bright. 

 

Oh, look at how it used to be, 

Look at the two souls in unity, 

Holding each other when one would fall, 

Standing strong through it all. 

 

Then came that day, a cruel surprise, 

When loving words were veiled behind lies, 

Rumours like daggers, sharp and cold. 

Stabbing deeply into her heart. 

 

She spoke of secrets behind curtains, 

Spreading fabrications to everyone, 

Trust that was once so tight, 

Was now cracked and broken, out of sight. 

 

Their relationship became a storm, 

A hurricane of harsh, hurting words, 

Turned their hearts into battlegrounds. 

 

In the storm’s rage, their logics faded, 

Minds fazed; eyes blinded, 

In the tempest, all was blown away. 

 

**pause

 

I want to return to how it used to be, 

I yearn for the joy and the simplicity, 

Now all I have are bittersweet memories.

 

With desperate pleads and cries,

You told me, “sure I’ll try”, 

But once again you lied. 

 

You’re drifting away, away from your heart, 

Taking trust with you, tearing us apart, 

It is a cruel and painful fight, 

All alone in the cold, dark night. 

 

Do you know? 

You’re gone forever, body and soul, 

You took my comfort, my trust and my faith

Leaving behind an empty space. 

 

Now I sit here, tears still flowing, 

Wishing again and again for you and me, 

To go back to how it used to be. 

 

 

By Meagan 8K

遙遠的那段時光

 

看! 看看那遙遠的時光 ,

看看那兩人的友誼和諧又和睦, 

看她們在信任和愛中的互相傾訴。

 

 看! 看看遙遠的時光,

看看聽說是堅不可摧的友誼,

那時的未來是那麼的光明。

 

 看!看看遙遠的時光,

看看那兩個靈魂的相处,

跌倒時會互相扶持, 

百折不屈地度過一切困難。

 

那一天的到來,

是一個殘酷的驚喜,一個殘忍的事實,

愛的話語被謊言掩蓋, 

謠言像匕首,鋒利冰冷,

深深地刺進她的心裡。 

 

她躲在面具下肆意又張狂,

向所有人散播著流言蜚語,

曾經如此緊密的信任,

 裂開了、破碎了,看不見了。

 

 

她們的关系成了一場風暴,

台风卷起刺耳、傷人的話語,

讓她們的心變成了戰場。

 

在暴風雨的肆虐中,她們的邏輯消失了,

 心神迷茫了; 眼睛看不清了, 

暴風雨中,一切都被吹散了。

 

 **暫停 

我想回到那段遙遠的時光,

我嚮往當時的快樂與簡單,

現在我只剩下苦樂參半的回憶。

 

用著絕望的哀求, 

你告訴我,“好,我會嘗試”, 

但你又一次說謊了。 

 

你漸行漸遠,遠離你的心,

帶著我的信任,把我們分開。

這是一場殘酷痛苦的戰鬥,

一人獨自在寒冷的夜裡顫抖。

 

 你知道嗎? 你的靈魂永遠消失了, 

你帶走了我的心靈、我的信任、我的信仰,

留下一片空地便冷漠離去。

 

現在我坐在這裡,

淚水仍在流, 

一次又一次的希望你和我,

可以回到遙遠的那段時光。

 

 

Courtyard Tales 2024

Pre-Orders for the 50th Anniversary edition of Courtyard Tales are now open on Compass. Please go to the event on Compass to purchase: https://edsc-vic.compass.education/Organise/Activities/Events/

Student Lunches

Just a reminder to parents that we are unable to deliver lunches to students during school time.  It is the student’s responsibility to come and collect their lunch if it has been dropped off at Reception. Hot food is not suitable to be left at Reception.

 

PLEASE NOTE: Take-away food is not allowed at the College during school hours.  Under no circumstances are students to be ordering take-away food to be delivered to the College.

Student Compass ID/Library/PTV  Cards

Please remind all students that they must carry their Student Compass ID/Library/PTV  Cards with them at all times.

 

ALL students must sign in with their card at the Middle School Office when they are arriving late and sign out at the General Office when they are leaving early for any reason. 

 

The cards are also used for any student photocopying that is done at school. The EDSC Student Compass ID/Library card can be used as ID for student PTV (Public Transport Victoria) travel. They are required to carry this card as student identification while travelling on public transport.

 

If a student loses their card, parents/guardians are able to re-order a replacement card via the Compass parent portal.