Technologies News
Digital Technologies
When you think of how a product or service is designed it normally doesn’t just happen by magic. There is a consistent and methodological approach that can be taken to understand a problem, generate ideas, consider answers, prototype and iterate over possible solutions, and test those solutions. A framework for this process is ‘design thinking’ and that’s what our Year Eight Digital Technologies students have commenced exploring this semester. We have started by looking at a simple problem: how to create a kitchen utensil, namely a scone cutter, using design thinking, computer aided design (CAD) and modelling, paired with 3D printing in the Learning Hub.
I look forward to sharing our students’ progress on this adventure. The image below shows the creative endeavours of one of our students George, who designed and 3D printed a model rocket.
Year Ten Digital Technologies
This year, I am fortunate enough to be teaching the Certificate II in Applied Digital Technology. The group is eager to start pulling apart and reassembling personal computers: a task that we will complete later this term. However, they have commenced work on understanding how to use ICT tools for effective communication in business settings. A crucial skill in a modern world full of emails and instant messages. I look forward to sharing more updates and photos later this term.
Mr Kieran Bailey | Head of IT and Innovation
Hospitality
Year Seven
The Baudin students burst into Hospitality full of enthusiasm, eager questions, and a real appetite for learning as they explore knife skills, safe kitchen practices, and fun ways to minimise food waste. Already creating colourful fruit skewers, French toast, and taco salads, they’re off to an exciting start and can’t wait to see what they cook up next!
Year Eight
The Year Eights launched into the term with fantastic enthusiasm—following kitchen procedures, supporting one another, and diving into learning about seasonal foods, sustainability, and the importance of including all five food groups in their food choices. From French toast with marinated strawberries to colourful veggie fritters, leftover‑veg fried rice (complete with hilarious chopstick attempts!), homemade yoghurt, and lemon cakes, they’ve already shown impressive creativity.
Year Nine
Students explored a range of traditional home food‑preservation techniques, making their own raspberry jam, designing legally compliant food labels, and mastering light, fluffy scones with the etiquette of a Devonshire Tea. They finished by hosting invited staff, serving fresh scones, their homemade jam, whipped cream, and perfectly brewed tea—an impressive and successful start to the term by these wonderful Year Nine’s.
Year Ten
Students began the term with a visit to our Sustainable Production garden, where they explored seasonal produce and harvested green beans and chives for later use. They used our thriving rhubarb crop and seasonal strawberries to make a fragrant cordial. Using fresh beetroot, sweet corn, zucchini, and eggs from our chickens, they prepared a range of preserved products and created devilled eggs with beetroot‑pickled whites. After a bush‑tucker sensory session, students crafted personalised strawberry and bush‑tucker jams, smoked butter, and damper, presenting their creations beautifully on grazing boards to share with invited staff—an impressive start to the term.
Certificate II Hospitality
Year Eleven
Our students began the term by exploring the essential legal and hygiene practices required to prevent food‑borne illnesses, including identifying hazards, reporting health concerns, and maintaining strict hand‑washing and contamination‑prevention procedures. They’ve now moved into their first practical unit, looking sharp in their chef uniforms as they learn professional knife skills and prepare ingredients to industry standards. Their creativity shone through as they presented beautifully garnished sandwiches featuring fresh herbs and edible flowers from our own kitchen garden—an excellent start to the course!
Year Twelve
It was fantastic to welcome back this enthusiastic group of students, whose energy has been contagious from day one. After exploring social and cultural diversity in hospitality, they’ve been busy creating a variety of fresh salads using produce from our kitchen garden and have begun mastering the art of espresso making—quickly discovering just how intricate it can be. We were all proud of their polished front‑of‑house service at the recent P&F Welcome Sundowner, where their professionalism and warm customer interactions earned glowing feedback from parents—what a promising start to the year!
Mrs Teresa McAllister | Head of Technologies/Teacher
Sustainable Production
The Year Seven Mokare students have enthusiastically planted and mulched an awesome vegetable garden, they will notice a huge difference when they return from camp. They also harvested one litre of climbing bean seed for the Albany seed bank.
The Year Eight Sustainable Garden class has been hard at work revitalising our garden beds; clearing weeds, refreshing the mulch, and dividing the space into organised planting sections. After researching what grows best this season, students have begun planting both seeds and seedlings, working collaboratively in teams to bring their plans to life. It has been fantastic to see their teamwork, initiative, and enthusiasm out in the garden!
Jackson has taken on the task of replanting and caring for the herb and edible flower garden outside of Hospitality, he has even done some cooking to quality control the herbs.
Ms Diane Thomas | Teacher
Design and Technology - Woodwork
Our Design and Technology students across Years Seven to Eleven have had a busy and productive start in the workshop, developing both practical skills and strong design thinking. From creating keepsake boxes and folding picnic tables to constructing dartboard cabinets and designing upholstered footstools, students are progressing through the full design process; planning, sketching, researching, and bringing their ideas to life. It has been fantastic to see such high levels of engagement, independence and pride in their work as they build confidence using a range of hand tools, machinery and CAD software.
Mr Brodie Sarre | Design and Technology – Woodwork Teacher
Our Year Seven Design and Technology students have made a fantastic start on their keepsake boxes. So far, they have been busy marking out, cutting and assembling their projects using a range of hand tools, including tenon saws, hammers, marking gauges and tri-squares, along with basic machinery such as the disc sander. It’s been wonderful to see such high levels of engagement, enthusiasm and pride in their work as their boxes begin to take shape.
Our Year Nine Design and Technology students are currently designing and constructing their own folding picnic tables which will be perfect for camping trips or beach days. Students have customised their designs by deciding how many wine holders to include and planning personalised engravings for the tabletops. They have been confidently using a range of workshop machinery and have shown great engagement and enthusiasm as their projects progress.
Our Year Ten Design and Technology students are currently designing and constructing their own dartboard cabinets. Students have been developing designs before bringing them to life in the workshop, using a range of machinery and hand tools to ensure accuracy and quality finishes. It has been fantastic to see their independence, problem-solving skills and pride in their work as their cabinets begin to take shape.
Our Year Eleven Design and Technology students have been busy developing their design portfolios in preparation for creating their own upholstered footstools. Using Fusion 360, students have been building their CAD skills in the theory room while refining concept sketches, orthogonal drawings, and conducting material and fabric research. It has been great to see them deepen their understanding of the full design process and preparing to bring their individual projects to life.
Mr Kane Smith | Design and Technology Teacher