Head of Middle Years

Year 8 Camp

It was very exciting to have been part of the Year 8 Camp to Grantville, as well as the Year 9 Rite Journey Commitment excursion to the You Yangs. Both experiences provided students with opportunities to extend their comfort zones and experience something new. 

As mentioned previously, the Year 8 students attended camp at the Grantville Lodge, near Phillip Island. Activities and challenges included the ‘leap of faith’, canoeing, giant swing, a team-building course, as well as hopping into the cool waters at Smith Beach to surf. Night activities enabled students to strengthen friendships and also participate in a Drama/ Talent Show’. The camp was enjoyed by all students and staff and will provide opportunities for fond reflections and laughs. Thank you to Ms Morel and her team for their hard work and commitment to making this event possible. 

Rite Journey

The Year 9 students were challenged during their experience at the You Yangs and participated in activities including mountain bike riding, orienteering, and hiking. For those that have never been to the You Yangs, it is well known for its array of Mountain biking tracks, and soon after arrival, a group of students had the opportunity to explore the tracks with the assistance of a local mountain biking company. For many of the students, this was their first experience of riding a mountain bike along the various tracks, which required them to navigate the uneven- grounds, jumps, and obstacles. Another group of students needed to work together and communicate to commit to moving loaded hiking packs, tyres, and large volumes of water up hills and along tracks. Although a physical challenge, the students should be proud of the way that they checked in on peers and worked together as a group, to complete the challenge. The last group began exploring the You Yangs, whilst orienteering themselves around the area. Using a compass to find certain locations following a map and coordination points, they set off in small teams to find as many points as they could within a time limit. Overall, the experience was thoroughly enjoyable, insightful, and successful! 

Student Learning

Store it, Wear it, Display it. 

In Design, Year 8 students have come to the end of their trimester unit. They have spent the last 13 weeks exploring emerging technologies and have learned to use computer aided design programmes and the laser cutter, to produce a product that can store something, can be worn, or displays information. 

Year 7 students are currently developing their ideas for their creative kinetics project, using lego and card. This term they have learned how to use computer aided design prorgammes and how to solder an electronic circuit. 

Wynspeak Public Speaking Competition

On Tuesday 17 May, Good News Lutheran College had 4 students represent the school in Round 6 of the Wynspeak Public Speaking Competition: Shiloh C (7SN) Aarav M (7HP) Inara F (10BG) and Anisha A (10RW). The competition involves students from 40 schools in the Wyndham and surrounding areas and requires students to present a five-minute prepared speech and a two-minute impromptu speech on a short-notice topic. The evening was hosted by former Wynspeak winner and GNLC alumni, Mirene. We would like to commend all 4 students for the excellent way that they represented the College and, extend our congratulations to Aarav M who was the winner of both the prepared speech and the short notice speech for the Junior (Year 7 – 9) section. Aarav will now be representing GNLC in the final of the Wynspeak competition on 1 June, joined by fellow Year 7 student Shalom S B, who was the winner of Heat 1 earlier this term. We wish both students every success, as they prepare to compete in the final next month.  

Parenting Tips

Knowing where to lay the firm boundaries and when to relax can be a very daunting task for parents. Understanding when to be relaxed, and your expectations can be challenging, particularly as you aim to provide your child the opportunity to develop independent decision-making. Then comes the complexity of finding the balance between being a parent and learning to be your child’s friend. In this short, but interesting article, this complex issue begins to be unpacked. Enjoy the read!

https://www.verywellfamily.com/should-you-be-friends-with-your-kids-5119877