In and around the classroom

Indigenous Artwork Project

Lucy Bridge, one of our Year 10 Koorie students has started work on a piece of Aboriginal artwork for our college. The intent of the art is to visible show the inclusive environment at Homestead. 

Last week, Lucy and Danijel met for a design meeting where they created a mood board of ideas which show significance to the traditional owners of the land on which we work and learn. These are the Boonwurrung People. It will also symbolise the values of Homestead and the pathways that a school like ours offers to our students. 

The final piece is expected to be approximately 2m x 1.5m and will hang in the reception for all who walk past to admire.

In working on this project, we also collaborated with our amazing Koorie support team from the region. Judy Dalton-Walsh (Aunty Judy)-Koorie Education Support Officer and Ben Moodie-Koorie Education Co-ordinator visited the college. This team supports Koorie students across the region, including those at our college.

This team, along with support from Willy Pepper of the Boonwurrung Foundation have also help us develop our Homestead Acknowledgement of Country which is used at Assemblies and will be on a plaque upon entry to the college.

A message from Aunty Judy:

Koonyaba yeerram nyoorra woorreeyn Homestead Community,

My name is Judith Dalton-Walsh, I am the Koorie Engagement Support Officer that has been allocated to Homestead Senior.

I am a Waddawurrung woman and have been working with the Department of Education and Training for 23 years.

If you are a parent of ATSI children please feel free to discuss any matter with myself, my best contact is 0457549762.

VCAL Updates

Intermediate (Year 11) VCAL are building a garden bed which reflects all of our learning. In VCAL we do fundraisers to make money for the garden bed.

We have learnt how to send emails for permission from the principal to show our progress in the environment. We have been cleaning rubbish near the school while working on our environmental unit. Filling checklists for environment related things within the school. We are also taught to build as a team, make a plan together and learn to build using tools and materials. We drilled the holes, mixed concrete and sprayed lines based on our plan. This garden bed is heavily related to real life building and projects. Since we are also learning about inputs, outputs and the transformation stage.

-Kirtiq Hamja and Sean Pienko (Intermediate VCAL)

ADF Long Tan and Future Innovators Awards

Homestead established a partnership with the Australian Defence Force in 2020 to offer the ADF Long Tan and Future Innovators Awards to our students. 

The ADF Long Tan Youth Leadership and Teamwork Awards recognises students in Years 10 and 12 who demonstrate leadership and teamwork within both the school and the broader local community. At the same time, they recognise those who display strong

 values, such as doing one’s best, respect for others and “mateship”, characteristics that are integral to Australian society. The Australian Defence Force (ADF) Future Innovators Award has been designed to recognise recipients’ science and mathematics abilities while highlighting the value the Navy, Army and Air Force place on STEM skills and STEM career opportunities within Defence. The awards are a means to formally recognise those students in Years 10 and 12 who have demonstrated motivation and innovation in the areas of STEM within their school, and who display strong personal ethical values, such as doing one’s best. 

The awards carry a $250 prize at Year 10 and $550 for Year 12, per award. Winners will be announced at the end of year awards assembly. 

We congratulate the following students for applying or being nominated for these awards:

Outdoor Ed - Anglesea Surfing Trip

On Friday the 5th of August, Outdoor Ed students trekked to Anglesea for a surfing excursion. The drive was long but scenic as we spotted cows, sheep and llamas on the way.

When we arrived at the Anglesea Surf beach, we met up with the instructors who spoke to us about the activities for the day and handed us our wetsuits and surfboards. We split up into three groups and instructors took us through a demonstration of how to get on the board and what to look out for to ensure we were safe.

We practiced on the sand before heading into the water. Once we were ready, we dipped our feet into the water and set out into the ocean. Whilst plenty of us fell and got hit by the waves, all of us got back and managed to catch a wave. We were even greeted by a rainbow and friendly local dogs who watched us surf.

We moved closer to the cliff due to the rips that were forming. The waves were pretty strong but a number of us managed to stand up and look like pros. 

Overall staff and students had a great time surfing on the coast. Well done to all of the students who attended, you represented the college well, took every challenge in your stride and ensured you and your peers had an enjoyable experience.

In addition to the photos below, please watch the short video of the surfing experience. 

-Wayne Abrahams, Lachlan Mallia and Emeline Hanna