Middle School 

Yr. 9 URBNSURF Experience 

On Thursday 28 October all three classes of Year 9 Recreational Sport students for 2022 headed out on a surfing excursion – a long drive away near Melbourne airport, and nowhere near the actual waves of a coastal beach. 

We went to URBNSURF, which creates mechanically perfect, ocean-like waves in an authentic, safe, and controlled environment, catering to all ages and abilities. The weather on the day was one of constant rain, however luckily when in the water, this did not matter at all and did not dampen any of the students’ experience. 

We started off with a quick lesson on land (and inside out of the rain) about how to catch the waves and how to stay safe in the water, followed by over an hour catching waves. When out in the water, all students were able to catch waves, with some taking naturally to standing up while others were happy to just scoot to the edge on their stomachs. 

From the sides we witnessed the students having a genuinely good time, and also saw a noticeable improvement in their surfing from when they started. When leaving the water, the students spoke about how much fun they had, with one saying it was “the best excursion we’ve ever been on.” 

A great way to cap off the year of recreational sport and an experience we hope many more Wheelers Hill students will have the opportunity of participating in in the future.

Max Ellis 

Health and PE Domain Leader  

Year 8 BE YOUR BEST DAY- Donation Drive 

Last Friday Year 8 students participated in a range of presentations and workshops acknowledging our best as 21st Century young people. College Principal, Ms. Brisbane, addressed the students on becoming better citizens, making positive choices, to be your best in all aspects of one’s life. Middle School Leader, Mr. Woods, conducted an informative “On Line Cyber Security” session and students shared their thoughts and feedback to improve their learning for when they start Year 9 in 2023. 

We invited Elise Stevens and Natalie Dymond to tell us about their registered charity

 called The Generosity Collective, which is based in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Our Year 8 students learnt about their organisation, the agencies they help and how we could make an impact by mindfully donating our quality used clothing and new items. 

Their charity collects lightly used and brand-new clothing and creates specialised “Generosity Crisis Packs” for people facing hardship in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. They support individuals who may be fleeing domestic violence, in crisis accommodation, those who may be accessing residential and psychiatric support services, young mothers and baby programs, youth homelessness and children in out-of-home care.   

They create individualised Generosity Crisis Packs which contain clothing and essential items for those in need, then deliver them directly to their partner agencies, for them to distribute to their clients. 

They help bridge the gap between agencies and services currently provided. In doing so, they free up the agency’s valuable time, while supporting a circular economy, and most importantly they create dignity and hopefully a little brightness in someone’s life. 

So, to make a difference we have set up a Donation Drive for all Year 8 students to bring in new packs of socks, packs of underwear, or new t-shirts and we will deliver the filled tubs to The Generosity Collective.  

Our drive will continue till Friday 4th November.  

For more details about their charity visit their website at  www.thegenerositycollective.org.au  and follow their Facebook and Instagram pages @thegenerositycollectiveinc 

By supporting The Generosity Collective it presents a powerful social justice opportunity for our students as they become aware and engaged in a community project outside the school gates and become more mindful of the differing needs of our immediate community. 

Thank you to the Year 8 Home Group Teachers: Mr. Razaai, Mrs. Rainsford, Mr. Chan, Mr. Ellis, Miss Ning, Mrs. Kasiotis and Mrs. Vogiatzo for their support of all our Year 8 students' Donation Drive and for being our BEST. 

Miss Wilson, 

Year 8 Co-ordinator