A/Head of Studies

Fodder Crop 

Express and Tucana oats have been planted for the fodder crop trial being conducted on the College farm. Both of these oat varieties are late maturing and suited for grazing, hay and silage production. The main aim of the trial is to provide Year 11 and 12 Plant Production students with the opportunity to be involved in the establishment and management of an oaten hay/silage crop. The trial involves partnerships with a number of industry representatives including various seed companies, Stirling to Coast Farmers, CSBP and agronomist, Brent Pritchard.

The 4.5 hectare paddock has just been striped grazed for 8 days using 9 heifers and 26 cows with calves. Students learn about the growth stages of the crop and Brent Pritchard outlined the grazing of crops and future fertiliser recommendations based on the recent plant analysis results.  The plan is to now fertilise the crop and maybe graze 1 or 2 more times before locking up for hay or silage in spring. 

Tree Planting

Year 11 Plant Production students have been busy planting various trees and shrubs on the East River Road realignment project. This has been a long-term partnership with Mark Parre who works for the Shire of Denmark, rehabilitating sites within the local area including the coastal foreshores and disused gravel pits.  Over the last two terms students have collected various seeds from the coastal areas near Ocean Beach, propagated seedlings and completed other nursery work.  Now with the recent rain we are replanting the old realigned road side. 

It is good to see students actively involved in their local community and I would like to thank the Shire of Denmark for their on-going support of the College.

Apple Cider - New initiative

As students were not on site during the wine vintage, a trial of making apple cider is underway. Our Plant Production Systems students will use similar principles as wine making - through to bottling their product. A small trial of Lilly Pilly is also underway.

Head phones

Students will be required to supply their own head phones in the class area as we are unable to safely sanitise the currently supplied head phones in the computer rooms.  We have on-going cleaning of the class areas including the sanitisation of the classrooms and computer rooms during recess and lunch breaks. 

Semester 1 Exams and Tests

A number of tests and assignments have been completed or will be finalised this week, so hopefully students have made an extra effort to revise for these tests and to complete final assessment tasks to a high standard. 

Please continue to encourage your child to revise for these major assessments.  The mid-year exams are also a great opportunity to prepare for the end of year final exams and can have a major impact on their final grade.  However, most of these exam marks will not be included in Semester 1 reports due to the lateness of the exams.

I would like to acknowledge the extra work and effort the staff have put in over the last few months and I hope they get a chance to have a break over this holiday period.

Finally, thanks to the parents and guardians for your ongoing support and have an enjoyable holiday break.  With the reports coming out it is a good opportunity for students to reflect on their progress. 

Happy Holidays. 😊