9-12 Community News
As we come to the end of Week 7, students in the 9-12 Community continue to be very busy, both in and beyond the classroom.
Year 10 Partnership Work Experience
The Year 10 Work Experience program continues to be a valuable exercise for students to gain insights into the industry and the workplace which they have chosen. It provides students with the opportunity to:
- develop employability skills
- explore possible career options
- understand employer expectations, and
- increase their self-understanding, maturity, independence and self-confidence.
The Year 10 Partnership Group have participated in work placements this week. All 12 students found placements in the local area (Kyabram, Tatura, Merrigum and Echuca). Many of these students are also completing a Work Placement each Thursday with the same employers, and have looked forward to further showcasing their skills this week in the hope of impressing employers and possibly gaining an apprenticeship in the near future.
The industries, while mostly trade oriented, have been diverse and included electrical, construction, automotive, engineering, steel fabrication, welding, dairy, hydroponics and veterinary. It will be interesting to hear the experience of each student when they return to school next week. Hopefully there will be big smiles with the knowledge that each has gained valuable experience in their chosen industry.
Year 10B and 10C students are reminded to finalise their work experience placements as soon as possible as they will be completing their placements in September (12-16th) and October (17-21st) respectively.
#NOTEVENONCE
One of the challenges in today’s world, for schools and parents, is staying abreast with the latest issues and trends in the Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) space. It changes constantly and the latest Vaping wave amongst young people is a perfect example of confusing misinformation.
To support our students to learn and understand the significant health implications of partaking in the use of AOD and Vaping, we have organised a seminar day for all students from Year 7-12.
NotEvenOnce Projects have been supporting Australian Schools since 2015 and, to date, have delivered information sessions to over 80,242 students. The program outcomes have been evaluated by Western Sydney University and shown to positively impact the Cognitive and Affective Domains (How young people think and act) in this space.
These presentations will be held on Monday 5th September in the Auditorium. The presentation will be age and stage specific with the content being tailor made and relevant to each level.
Periods 1 & 2: Years 11 and 12
Periods 5 & 6: Years 9 and 10
#NotEvenOnce: For Years 9 and 10 students
Content focuses on:
- Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) use and the issues and the impact on the natural environment and climate change.
- AOD use and the issues of social justice and responsibility in both the local and global community.
- That global citizenship is about ensuring justice for the marginalised and vulnerable on the planet, particularly the poor and children and understanding of what drug use does to those key demographics.
- Continues to focus on resiliency from a community perspective.
#NotEvenOnce: For Years 11 and 12 students
Content focuses on:
- Heads UP’ for students getting ready to step into the ‘unregulated’ world (outside school).
- Looks more closely at resiliency issues and decision making, including potential psycho-social ‘anchors’.
- Challenges the thinking of students to develop logical and evidence based frameworks for decision making around AOD issues in often complex, yet ill-conceived peer and boundary-less environments.
- Builds on resiliency issues addressed in previous seminars.
In the evening we will be hosting an on-line event for the College Community.
Vaping Information and Q&A Webinar for parents and caregivers with Tanya Cavanagh, CEO at NotEvenOnce Projects.
This online event will be on Monday 5th September at 7.30pm.
The webinar is open to all members in the community and is free of charge.
Please keep an eye out for further details on our social media pages and OPEROO.
As the year progresses, there are a number of ‘landmarks’ that we have ‘ticked off’ or continue to work towards.
Last Friday saw the Years 7-12 students taking inspiration from the exploits of our Commonwealth Games athletes, attempting to run, jump and throw faster, higher and stronger (further), as they competed for their House in the 7-12 Athletics. The weather leading up to the day was anything but conducive to athletics but, despite a track and infield that would be best described as ‘heavy’, the students enjoyed a day in the sun.
The PE staff, led by Michael Hill and our trainee, Zane Sutton, did a magnificent job to be able to ensure that the day went ahead. Our Year 12s reflected the spirit of fun and participation in their costumes and willingness to participate in their final College sports day and the students from 7-12 competed and supported each other in the best spirits. Congratulations to Augustine House who were the overall winners.
Well done to all for your participation and sportsmanship in the way in which you competed.
On Monday, our Year 12s accompanied our Foundation students to Mass. This provided another opportunity for our students to come together and get to know each other. Our Year 12s are fabulous role models to the youngest members of our College Community.
VCE and VCAL students continue with their coursework and assessments and many are looking ahead to the end of their secondary studies. Years 11 and 12 students will undertake the General Achievement Test (GAT) on September 7th. This test is an integral part of the assessment process for senior students and marks the beginning of the final stages of the VCE for our Year 12 students. Units 3/4 Final Examinations commence on 26th October; the next few weeks will be an important time for students to consolidate and refine their knowledge across all of their subjects.
Years 11 and 12 students are reminded of the opportunity to investigate the variety of post-secondary study/career options that are available to them through the many university and college ‘open days’ that are currently underway. Information about these days/dates can be found on the VCE/VCAL Noticeboard https://sites.google.com/sakyabram.vic.edu.au/vcevcal-updates-2020/home
In addition, this site also has information about Career and Scholarship opportunities for students. We encourage senior students to investigate these opportunities and speak to Mrs Anderson for further support around career discussions.
The Subject Teacher Interviews that were held yesterday provided an excellent opportunity for students, families and teachers to continue building the partnerships that work to support student achievement. Thank you to all families who were able to attend these interviews.
Students are reminded that in line with the College’s Sun Smart policy, hats are nowexpected to be worn when students are outside during recess and lunch times and during outdoor class activities.
Michelle Downie Brad Downie
9-12 Community Leader 9-12 Community Leader
Wellbeing & Community Student Learning and Professional Practice