Year 9 News

The week beginning November 11th, saw the culmination of the Year 9’s Term 3 and 4 Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) program with our annual year 9 city experience excursion. This year, as part of the Year 9 SEL program, students have been learning about what it takes to create an empathetic and caring community where everyone feels as though they are welcome and have a place.

We began in Term 3 with the Pay It Forward project. This project that looks at how one student can have a lasting and positive impact on a whole community, through one simple act of kindness and empathy. During this stage of the SEL program, students were tasked with thinking about groups within our communities that could benefit from empathy, kindness, and compassion.

Students researched different vulnerable groups within society, ranging from sick children, children in foster care, the elderly, the RSPCA, and the homeless. Then they developed presentations which saw them talking in depth to their classmates about each group and how young people, and others, could go about supporting them. Ideas of support were many and varied. They included donating time to visit elderly people in retirement homes or care accommodation so they could talk to them and listen to their stories, to having sausage sizzles and barbecues to raise money for organisations which rely on donations from the public.

All their hard work came to a stunning conclusion this week when our Year 9s participated in the city experience program.  This excursion allows students to experience some of what Melbourne has to offer and creates an opportunity for them to better understand and learn about the homelessness that can plague many people from all walks of life.

Our students were able to engage respectfully with the Salvation Army as they undertook education around homelessness. They were shown that positive change can arise simply through a greater understanding of the causes that lead to homelessness.  Students learned that this situation can stem from any number of issues outside of a person’s control, and that often times, the only way to effectively make positive change is through developing greater care and compassion towards our fellow human beings.

Students also had guided tours of the Chinese Australia History Museum, where they discovered the impact Chinese immigrants have had on Australia over the years through the sharing of their culture and traditions. The collection also showcases the impact of European settlement and immigration on Australia's Indigenous people and their cultures.

The highlight for many was time spent at Monopoly Dreams in Melbourne Central. Students helped Mr Monopoly catch a thief, they restored electricity and water to a city and spent some time in jail for various infractions such as flipping the monopoly board or rolling three doubles in a row.  The exhibition also displays the various different monopoly boards that have been available through the long, storied history of the game. Students also spent time visiting the Royal Botanic Gardens and the iconic Hosier Lane.

During their visit to the city students interacted with their form teachers and educational support staff, strengthening their relationships. They were incredibly respectful to all members of the community that they encountered, ensuring that everyone was made to feel welcome in the spaces they occupied, and were curious to learn more.

We look forward to what 2025 brings for our students as they transition into Year 10!