Senior Secondary

Year 10 Discovering Country

Discovering Country is our Western District Indigenous Studies Camp. This year it was held from Saturday 9 – Friday 15 September. We see this camp as a journey of discovery, with the desire and purpose to listen to Indigenous people, to learn, to respect and to tread lightly on the land. In order to do this we spent time in Jardwadjali and Dhab Wurrung country, staying in Dunkeld in Gariwerd (Grampians) and in Gundjitmara Country, staying in Portland.

For the first half of the camp we stayed in Dunkeld. As well as plenty of time for walks and various activities at the campsite, we were privileged to spend one full day with Jardwadjali Elder, Aunty Nerissa. She took us to various significant sites, including Bundjil’s shelter. She explained the importance of these sites and the Dreaming connected to the sites. 

The second half of the camp was based in Portland, in Gundjitmara Country. We spent a day exploring the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, which includes Budj Bim National Park, Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre, Lake Condah wetlands and more. This landscape has one of the world’s oldest aquaculture systems. We were so excited to have Gundjitmara guide, Braydon Saunders, again this year, after being so impressed with the tour last year. 

We also spent time reflecting on some of the negative impacts of the colonisation of this area, Portland being the first Victorian settlement. This included the conflict between whalers and local Gunditjmara people involving a massacre that occurred in the 1830s at the Convincing Ground.  

On our final day, we come home via the Great Ocean Road. 

Natalie Thomas

Secondary Teacher

Camp was an interesting experience looking at indigenous agriculture such as bush burning and eel hunting and also understanding community and family. Overall this was a great opportunity to learn and have fun. One of the highlights was an activity called the giant swing, and was a terrifyingly-excitingly-scream-inducing experience (Ms Thomas also went on the swing).

Hepsi Ranjit

Our Year 10 camp of 2023 was centred around Indigenous culture and land, we met Aboriginal landowners who took us on tours of the Grampians and sacred lands. As well as the learning experience part of camp, the camp gave us all the opportunity to mix with different friendship groups who we wouldn’t usually hang out with. Overall, camp was an exciting experience that I and many others thoroughly enjoyed.

Jasmine Brookes

I thought camp was really enjoyable. The bus trip was probably my favourite part of camp. I loved that everyone got along and that different friendship groups were friends during camp. I enjoyed the archery we did at the first campsite and learning about eels with Braydon on the Budj Bim tour. I loved the trivia night we had at the second campsite.

Ellia Hilton

My favourite activity from camp was the Budj Bim tour with Braydon Saunders. I was challenged on camp when we did the hut-building activity because we had to make sure that the hut was large enough to fit all of us while also being stable and waterproof. I was able to help Josiah by walking with him to different places around the camp for certain activities.

Nick Osborne

My highlight from camp was making new friends as well as growing deeper in my friendships with my older friends. I was challenged to be open and listen to the indigenous people, the stories that were shared were complicated as well as had deeper levels of understanding that could be had. Some of my favourite places that we went to were Budj Bim. We had an incredible tour guide and he was very interactive and really helped me understand what went on in the indigenous peoples' past.

Noah Pirie

One of my highlights from Year 10 Discovery Camp was the activities such as flying foxes, giant swings and the best of all which was archery. This was because I was learning new things while also enjoying time with my friends. At the beginning of the camp, I had low expectations and was not as excited, however near the end of the camp I realised that this camp brought a lot of enjoyment and was an experience that led me to become closer with my year level in a week.

Irin Khuk Zawn

VCAL Excursion Week

At the end of Term 3 we were able to enjoy a whole week of student led excursions! It was a highlight for me as a teacher, as I got to sit back and watch the students experience the highs and the lows of organising outings. This included the fun brainstorming at the beginning of the project, dealing with dramas such as attempting to get students on the same train travelling towards the city, and learning how to change plans at the last minute when something unexpected occurs! 

All of the 3 excursions were enjoyable and had elements that went really well. They also had some challenges and learning experiences for the students. 

The first excursion had a focus on food and included a trip to the local shops to purchase ingredients to make home made pizzas. 

The second excursion was to the city where students experienced a range of various art, and for the third excursion students upcycled clothes from local op shops. 

Thanks especially to Michelle Gates for having us in her workshop and teaching us all something new!

Nicky Joiner

VCAL Coordinator

Year 12 PE VO2 Max Incursion

On Monday 11 September the Year 12 PE class had the privilege of a visit from METs Performance Consulting. The students were able to participate in and witness two laboratory fitness tests – the VO2 max test, completed by Zoe Duke, and the 30 second Wingate test, completed by Jack Snelling.  

The VO2 max test is an extremely accurate test of aerobic power that is often used by elite athletes and sporting organisations. It involves the athlete using a bike, treadmill or rowing machine to incrementally increase their intensity until they reach exhaustion and the maximum amount of oxygen that the athlete can take in, transport and use is measured. Zoe completed this test on behalf of the class on a bike and achieved a strong result of 46.3 ml/kg/min. This excellent result classifies her as ‘Superior’, which is the highest range for her age category. 

Jack also had an excellent result generating a peak power output of 884 watts in the Wingate test. 

Throughout the testing students were asked questions to link their understanding of the Unit 3 & 4 PE content to the practical experience of these lab tests. It was a very beneficial experience in helping students gain a deeper and more hands-on understanding of the PE content.

Emma Tresidder

VCE Coordinator