9-12 Community News
Students in the 9-12 Community have moved smoothly into Term 2 and have continued to embrace all that the school can offer.
Opportunities to explore careers and vocational pathways are a significant focus of the Term 2 programs for all students in the 9-12 Community.
As this edition of the newsletter goes to print, the Year 12s are currently in Melbourne, attending the Victorian Careers Expo. This is a valuable opportunity for the students to explore their many career and study pathways as they look to life beyond school.
The Year 11s have a similar opportunity to explore potential careers and pathways when they venture to Melbourne for the Victorian Careers Show on 19 May.
In the coming weeks, Year 9 and 10 students will also be involved in Careers and Vocational excursions, attending Careers Expos in Bendigo and Shepparton, respectively.
All of these events link perfectly with the Senior Secondary Pathways and Subject Selection information session which will be held in the Brigidine Centre on Wednesday 22 May. All Year 8, 9 and 10 students and families/caregivers are invited to attend this session, where the various pathways- VCE, VCEVM, VET and subjects- 9/10 Electives and VCE subjects, and the subject selection process will be outlined. Students and parents/caregivers will have the opportunity to meet and speak with our Learning Leaders across all subject areas and VET providers from across the district.
Last year’s event was a great success, with over 200 9-12 Community members in attendance. We encourage all students and families to attend this event to take advantage of the opportunity to discuss pathways and subjects as they enter the 2025 subject selection phase.
For those beginning their journey into Years 10 and 11, there are a number of pathways for students to consider. To assist students and parents, the following links Pages - VCE and VCE Vocational Major and
Where To Now? 2024 provide information from VCAA about the different VCE pathways that are available.
Year 9 students can also look forward to Week 7, when they head to Camp Jungai, at Rubicon, for camp. Details and permission forms will be shared with families in the coming weeks.
Next week we have Subject Teacher Conversations on Thursday. These provide an opportunity for students, families and teachers to meet to discuss the academic progress of students. We encourage all families to take up this opportunity to engage in these important conversations with TAs and subject teachers as we work together to support the students in the 9-12 Community.
Michelle Downie Brad Downie
9-12 Community Leader 9-12 Community Leader
Wellbeing and Community Student Learning and Professional Practice
VCE VM Term 2 Community Engagement
This term, the Year 11/12 VCE VM students are focusing on our local community, and what being an ‘active citizen’ means to them. Part of the VCE VM program encourages students to move their learning outside the traditional classroom setting and explore what it means to be involved members of the wider community through engaging with organisations, businesses and local partnerships to identify challenges and create innovative solutions as a team.
Undertaking two vastly different projects as part of their Literacy outcomes, the VCE VM students have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to work with two vital organisations within the Campaspe community; Headspace Echuca and Vivid Kyabram.
With Headspace Echuca, the students are involved in researching, planning and recording their own Mental Health Podcast Episodes on 'Anxiety and Depression'. Within this project, students have met with industry experts Jayden Howe, Kirby Weldon and Liam Brett to discuss how anxiety and depression impact young people in our society, and to formulate their podcast questions in preparation for their filming day on 14 May. Once recorded, these podcast episodes will be available for young people across Australia, allowing our VCE VM students the opportunity to create a valuable resource that will provide continued support and guidance long after they graduate from St Augustine’s.
Our second, and largest project for the term, is our work with Vivid Kyabram. This project, run with the support of Youth Take Over Loddon Campaspe (YTO), is a 9-week program where students have been tasked with supporting Vivid Kyabram in extending their community outreach. Students are encouraged to take full responsibility for the project, and are off to a great start, coming up with the name: Vivid: Engage, Embrace, Empower, Educate!
Students will meet with Vivid clientele and employees to explore the needs of such an organisation and decide how best to involve the wider Kyabram community. As part of the community engagement element, students will be surveying the Kyabram community and representing their project and Vivid on local radio and in the Ky Free Press. Students will then undertake their collaborative projects, creating some promotional material for Vivid that will be presented at our Launch at the end of the 9 weeks. With the support of Deb Rogerson from YTO, students will learn all about the importance of disability inclusion in society, the role of community organisations such as Vivid, and the many career opportunities that fit within the community service industry.
Here is what some of the students have had to say so far:
Oliver: My goal is to focus on helping Vivid solve their community awareness.
Shanikka: My goal is to help create and advertise a podcast to pass on awareness about depression and anxiety.
Braith: My goal is to represent Vivid and Headspace.
Lily: My goal is to create activities that will engage the clients at Vivid and make them feel like they are a part of the community.
Stay tuned to hear from the students as they continue to work through their community projects.
Mrs Bianca Moore and Mr Peter Fawcett
VCE VM & VPC - School Projects & Community Work
For the remainder of the year, the College newsletter will feature one of our Year 11/12 VCE VM and Year 10 VPC students in action. This may be updates on school projects or from their Thursday Work Placements.
Students can’t gain practical experience without the support of our local business partners providing work experience opportunities. If you see one of our articles and know the mentioned business, please let them know we are recognising their valuable contribution.
Name: Lara B
Year Level: 12
Work Placement: Kyabram Club as a Kitchen assistant
Lara’s Interests: Cooking, art, caring for animals and friends.
Career Outlook: To gain further experience in both the hospitality and animal care industries. Not sure which path I will take at the moment; both seem very exciting.
Life Moto: Keep Calm & Carry On!
** Photos of Lara preparing a Caesar Salad
