The TAS/VET Faculty have been very busy this term and our Year 12 classes have been working on their major projects during Term 1.

The 12 ITT class have been working with Mr Kessler on their projects. Our fantastic students have had a positive start to the year constructing their Major Project with an accompanying portfolio. With only 14 weeks to go, it is exciting times ahead for this small group of students with some brilliant ideas coming to life. With hard work and dedication, we are expecting some great results!

Year 12 ITT Major Project

The Year 12 Society and Culture class are in the process of conducting and finalising their various primary research methods for their Personal Interest Projects and will be starting to write their Central Material from the beginning of Term 2.

There are some fantastic topics and I am confident that the students will continue to produce some excellent work. The 12SDD class and Mrs Hogan have completed the first part of their Major Project, the designing and planning to create a program based on a board game for a specific group in Python. The next stage will be the implementation of the code to create an executable file.

Miss Reynen and Year 12 Engineering Studies have been focusing on Civil Structures and concentrating on bridges. As part of their assessment task, they had to design and build their own bridges to complete a destructive test to create an Engineering report. Some bridges held over 70kgs of sand!

Year 12 Engineering Studies Bridges

and Destructive Tests

Year 12 Hospitality and Mrs Ofahengaue are working through Evidence Central and are in the process of completing their tasks.

Year 12 Retail have been busy this term completing their Cluster Task E - Receive and Handle Stock. For part of this task the students went to the front office to help them receive an order and check the invoices against their electronic ordering system. The students also helped conduct part of a stocktake in the library, using a scanner. All Retail Services students have now completed the Cluster E Task and have been working on their Cluster F Task - Visual Merchandising. To gain competency in the Cluster F Task, all students must complete three visual merchandising displays. Some recent windows include their beautiful Easter window and a Valentines Day window.

Year 12 Retail Services Easter Display

I must commend our Year 11 classes on the way they have approached their work in Term 1. Our Year 11 classes have settled into their senior years very well. The two Year 11 Society and Culture classes have produced outstanding assessment tasks and Mrs Mitchell, Mrs Hogan and I are very proud of their efforts.

Mr Kessler’s Year 11 ITT have also been working very well and this term they have been learning about safety in the workshop and learning how to use the power tools correctly.

The students have just completed their first assessment task which includes a drawer for their desk that they will build during Terms 2 and 3 of this year. Students have undergone experience in constructing box pin and dovetail joints for their drawer to broaden their knowledge and skills in preparation for Year 12.

Year 11 ITT Drawer Construction showing box pin and dovetail joints

Software Engineering is a new course for Year 11 this year. Mrs Hogan and the Year 11 Software Engineering students have started the course learning about programming fundamentals and developing software using the programming language Python. For their first assessment task the students created either a text based or simple GUI adventure game and presented a folio that documents the programming practice they undertook to achieve their first project.

Miss Reynen’s Year 11 Engineering Studies class have had an excellent start to their Stage 6 course and have embraced the rigour of Engineering Studies focusing on the fundamentals of Engineering.

The Year 11 Primary Industries students have made an enthusiastic start to their Certificate II in Agriculture. They have collaborated well, overseeing the egg business, managing the heifers and planting new vegetable gardens.

They have begun their tractor safety training and most students have used the tractor to slash paddocks. The Year 12 students have been busy constructing a fence to divide two large paddocks. They have also been learning propagation methods such as cuttings, grafting and sowing various seeds for a winter crop.

Primary Industries at the farm

The two Year 11 Hospitality classes are working so well. They are working very collaboratively as teams and they are producing some outstanding work as well as having a lot of fun!

They are currently working their way through Cycle 1 on Evidence Central. Evidence Central is an online format of learning and is now a statewide way of delivering the course. They have been learning new skills and each week the students have progressed with more involved practical lessons as the term has progressed.

Stage 5 Computing Technology and Mrs Hogan have been learning how to create games in the programming language Python. They will demonstrate this knowledge and skill in their first assessment task where they are designing a text-based game. Mrs. Hogan is excited about playing the various games the students will create.

The 200-hour Year 9 Computing Technology class and Mrs Hogan have been learning the skills in Data Analysis and the many different features in Microsoft Excel. For their first assessment task they are to collect data for a specific purpose and create a spreadsheet to analyse and sort the data in a professional format using the skills they have learnt.

The students in Stage 5 ITT have started to build their Dart Board Cabinet for 100-hour Timber. The students have used a range of new tools and machinery including the Router Table to broaden their knowledge in the practical environment. The students have gone above and beyond to start the term with some exciting designs developing which will be used to engrave onto their doors.

Stage 5 ITT Dartboard Frame

Stage 5 Hospitality and Mrs Friend are really enjoying their course and they are all working extremely well as a team in the kitchen, they are developing their skills each week and I can see many future chefs in the making! The students are all embracing this VET course and they are particularly enjoying the practical component.

Miss Reynen and her Stage 5 STEM class have been having a lot of fun in their lessons. STEM has continued to be a very popular elective choice in TAS. Miss Reynen and the class have been working on various activities this term.

The Egg Drop Challenge is designed to test our students understanding of crumple zones and deceleration forces. A raw egg is fixed in a device of their own design and construction and dropped from 4 metres onto a concrete surface. Those that succeeded in preventing the egg from breaking used designs developed by NASA to land the Spirit Rover on Mars, a tetrahedron with balloons.

This was such an amazing effort by the students!

Stage 5 STEM Egg Drop!

The class have also been working on a STEM Olympiad this term and this involves a range of different activities based around the principles of Science, Technology and Engineering. The students work in teams and each activity is worth different points, the aim is for the students to experience a range of different activities and to reach a target of 55 points!

Stage 5 STEM Olympiad!

Our junior classes are all buzzing!! Our Year 7 and 8 classes are also totally immersed in their learning, it is an absolute delight to visit the classes and see so much learning and fun being had by both the students and the teachers. The design briefs are varied and depend on what strand of Stage 4 Technology Mandatory is being studied. These range from some delicious food products, Agriculture at the farm, wood projects, Textiles and Digital Technology where the students learn about Scratch and Software Design with Block Based Coding with Scratch and App Lab and then they will be creating a game as part of their project.

The Year 8 Digital Technologies classes have been learning about Software Design, their project will be extending their skills in block-based coding. Both Year 7 & 8 Digital Technology classes have also been learning the fundamentals on good design.

Mr Kessler and his Stage 4 classes have had a positive start to the year in Timber Technology. This semester they will be building and completing a Mantel Clock to display in their home. Students have been using a range of tools and machinery to sharpen their skills practically in the workshop.

Stage 4 Mantel Clocks

The Year 7 classes currently studying the Food & Agriculture strand have been having a lot of fun at the farm. The classes are planting produce to use in their practical lessons in the kitchen. They have been experiencing a real Paddock to Plate Program! The students have been learning how to plant crops, learn about soil health and how to care and bath the chickens! In their practical lessons in the kitchen, they have made a variety of tasty food products including Pizzas, Pasta, French Toast, Chocolate Easter Nests and Anzac Biscuits!

Mrs Friend has been busy organising recipes for Term 2 and we have some amazing recipes that our Stage 4 classes will be making. These recipes will build upon the skills the students have already mastered in the kitchen during Term 1!

Year 7 Technology Mandatory

in action at the farm!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the teachers in the TAS/VET Faculty for their hard work and dedication this term and for providing our students with such wonderful learning experiences. This term we have welcomed a new member of staff, Mrs Kassie Friend. Mrs Friend brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience. We are all looking forward to a totally amazing Term 2 and on behalf of the TAS/VET Faculty I would like to wish our students and their families a safe and relaxing holiday.

Mrs Caroline McTeigue

Head Teacher TAS/VET

Star Struck 2024