In and around the classroom

VCE VM Community Project 

To help our Year 7-9 Saltwater students have a few more things to play with, our VCE VM students considered what they can do within their curriculum. The project they chose this term was related to their numeracy (shape and measurement) and what they came up with was designing and painting down ball squares on the concrete. The have done a stellar job, we are very proud of their community mindset and quality of work. We know the younger Saltwater students are also very appreciative. 

Well done Year 12 VCE VM class.

-Callan McDonald (Numeracy Teacher)

Year 10 Food Technology

In food studies term one, we covered many functional and applicable topics. Starting at the basics before we start cooking, our study on safety and hygiene was one of the most important subjects. We explored microbial, physical and chemical contamination and explored the hazards of allergens and intolerances.

But when cooking, we need to be accurate, and that’s what our next topic covers; equipment and measurement of food. We looked at the different pots, pans and utensils and understood why it’s important to measure correctly to create the best meal you can! A recipe that needed accurate measurements was Gnocchi, the skills we gained were used extensively.

Now that you know what to use and why we use them, we move onto the next subject; food preparation. In this study, we gain an understanding of how to use the equipment and share a clean workspace with our peers.

With all of this in mind, we apply this information to the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating to evaluate our meals and understand what we are really putting into our diet. We learn about superfoods, macronutrients and how to balance the six essential nutrients; carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins, fats, proteins and water to acquire a skill in healthy eating. We made Chicken and Thai Basil Stir-fry with Noodles, this is a perfect example that we evaluated using the AGTHE and recorded our responses on a table.

But now we wonder, what happens to the food after eating it? Well, here we learn about nutrition and the digestive system! We obtain an understanding of the organs responsible for digesting the food we eat and how the nutrients are absorbed in the body.

The food we make has ingredients that have their own properties. How does cake batter turn from a liquid to a solid in the oven? Coagulation! We learn all about the functional properties of food. Now, to make Eggs Benedict, do we use a pot, a pan, or a completely different method of cooking? For the eggs we use a moist method; poaching. These methods were explored in our study of cooking techniques and food preservation.

We are looking forward to the new recipes and experiences in the future!

-Varena and Teju (Year 10 Food Studies Students)