Chang Reflection
Mareen Abba (C1) - Chang
Moving to a new country from Iraq presented extra challenges for me. Starting a new life and learning a new language were the most difficult things that I have experienced in my life. On 4th of October 2016, I started my first day at CRC Sydenham with my friend Amani. We were completely lost. I can’t really describe how bad we felt when we were trying to speak in English with teachers and students. It was even harder for us to understand what they were saying, as they were talking so fast. Each time I heard students talking fast in English, I would stare at Amani and say ‘when are we going to be like them?’ I remember when we got home we started crying and we said, ‘we don’t want to do this anymore’, as we were struggling in each subject we had. We almost lost confidence in ourselves, but the best thing that happened to us was the support that we got from the teachers. Through this support we decided to study and work hard, teachers trusted in us more than we did ourselves. Thank you to all the teachers and friends who supported us. Without this, I would not have proudly become the Homegroup Leader of Chang 1.
Orientation Reflection
On the 4th of December, the Year 11 Class of 2018 commenced their Transition week at CRC Sydenham. The day started off with an assembly where we were welcomed into the Sydenham community, each Federation School presented a gift to symbolise what they bring to the College. We were also presented with our Cluster badges, mine being Chang. After the assembly, each Cluster had a meeting with their respective Co-ordinators. In this meeting, we went through the expectations of us as Senior school students and as members of an adult learning environment. We were introduced to our cluster patron and values and were called upon to actively participate in a range of the opportunities on offer at the College. We then returned to our homerooms where we were told how to connect to the college internet, learnt how to use Simon and played 'getting to know you activities'. Over the next three days, we commenced our Year 11 classes.
We were quickly introduced into the VCE curriculum. The teachers were all very helpful in assimilating us into VCE style learning. On the last day of the transition week, we had cluster sports. Our first activity was to commence work on our crosses. These crosses are to be decorated with symbols relevant to our lives and will be presented to us on graduation. We then played charades using play dough, a member of each home group was given an object to make with play dough and the rest of the class had to guess. We then went on to a water relay in which each homeroom had to use a sponge to transfer as much water from the centre bucket and other homerooms’ buckets as possible, naturally, this included a sponge being squeezed over my head. Our next game was a memory test, as a team, we had to memorise a collage based on CRC Sydenham, but only one of us could see the Collage at a time. The final activity was trivia, in which all clusters competed together. The questions ranged from movie knowledge to random facts to having to identify songs and music videos.
Jake Krohn – Year 11 Chang Student Leader.
Transition Week
On Monday the 4th of December, the newly graduated Year 10’s started their transition into CRC Sydenham. Though both feeling anxious and excited, the students were put into their newly formed clusters as they walk into the opening ceremony. Here the students receive their cluster badges and started to get a deeper understanding of the community they will be surrounded by for the next two years. After the ceremony, students were guided to their new homerooms where multiple activities were conducted to help students put new names to new faces. We hope to form an everlasting bond with our Cluster friends.
From Tuesday to Thursday, students were put into their new classes where they meet their new classmates as well as their new teachers. Though it was only the transition week, loads of work was given to students to complete by the end of the upcoming holidays. As the students started to adapt to the new campus, the anxiousness had left while the concentration had begun to kick in.
Finally, the last day of the transition week arrived. Students were told to wear their cluster colours prior to this day to show their cluster spirit. This whole day was devoted to activities which would enhance their spirit and bring together classmates for the following years. At the start of the day, classmates had started on their crosses which will be a project lasting them the whole senior high school lifetime. After the first break, cluster activities had begun with the homerooms going head to head in activities to bring together the separate teams. These activities had emphasised teamwork, participation and spirit through play. Towards the end of the chaotic week, the whole cohort was brought together one last time for their first competition. Through an uproar of competitiveness, each cluster had given their best in an attempt to win and put them ahead in winning the O'Reilly shield. Through the competitiveness and gathering of the new Year 11s, the transition week comes to an end with the students starting to prepare for what’s to come the following year.
Aaron Li – Year 11 Change Sports Leader.
