General News
On Friday, March 7th, 22 students from the Clyde North and Cranbourne campuses attended a French Film Festival excursion as part of Australia’s premier French cultural event. The festival highlights the best of contemporary French cinema, including action, romance, comedy, thrillers, children's films, animation, and documentaries.
Here is a testimonial from Year 10 student, Anjali Pal about her experience of the excursion.
“Friday, 7th March, marked the day the Year 10 & 11 French classes experienced their first outing to the Alliance Française French Film Festival for 2025. We took the bus from St Peter's College to South Yarra, and after a 1-hour trip, we arrived at The Como Centre, a shopping complex where we were welcomed into the Palace Cinema Como and watched The Count of Monte-Cristo - a classic tale of revenge and justice, it followed Edmond Dantès, who seeks revenge to those who falsely accused him of treason and his journey of wronging everyone and becoming the mysterious and wealthy Count of Monte Cristo.
Honestly speaking, I found myself on the edge of my seat for the majority of the movie, leaving me seeking answers. While it was a lengthy movie of 3 hours, fortunately enough, I remained intrigued and wondered what was happening in each scene and what was yet to come. I enjoyed how the movie explored the combination of different but opposite themes; for instance, the idea of revenge, justice, and betrayal on one side and love, forgiveness, and compassion on the other, really unfolds the morals of the story and the meaning it is trying to convey to the audience watching.
After, our class were permitted to explore the mall and have some lunch at restaurants of our choice. As we ended our day, we made our final stop at the French cafe, the Laurent Bakery, where we were offered a croissant and a beverage of our choice. It was the perfect something to conclude our Friday experience at the Alliance Française French Film Festival.
Miss Jennifer Phanjoo
Languages Coach CLN Campus
Year 7 Students at Taiko Incursion
On March 26th, our Year 7 Japanese students had the opportunity to experience Taiko drumming. The incursion was led by Kiyomi Sensei from EZ Japanese, who introduced students to the rhythm, energy, and traditions behind this iconic Japanese art form.
From the moment the sticks hit the drums, the room was filled with booming beats and enthusiastic energy. Students not only learned how to hold and play the drumsticks properly but also got to try out different drumming techniques. To top it all off, Kiyomi Sensei wowed everyone with an impressive Taiko performance!
Here’s what some of our students said about the experience:
"The incursion was a really fun experience! Apart from learning how to drum, it was even more enjoyable to do it with the whole class. Getting to be a part of that was such a blast! I found the whole experience thrilling and would love to do it again." – Kayla Monleon
"It was amazing to learn something so traditional in Japanese culture! We discovered different techniques, like how to hold the drumsticks and position ourselves to create the best sound. I’d definitely love to try this again in the future!" – Vivian Cheung
A big thank you to Kiyomi Sensei for bringing the energy of Taiko to our school!
Mr Jacky Wong
Languages Coach - Cranbourne Campus
Year 9 XSPAND Cup - CLN Campus
Throughout the term, the Year 9 XSPAND core groups have competed in the first round of the XSPAND Cup, a term-long competition where Year 9 students can score points for showing the ROCKS; Respect, Organisation, Collaboration, Kindness and Safety, alongside other positive behaviours. Students have been earning points for working effectively with their peers, organising their workbooks and doing random acts of kindness. The competition has been tight, with all core groups striving to earn the prize of a pizza lunch.
The XSPAND program focuses on developing transferable skills such as collaboration, creativity and problem-solving, so it was only right that students put these to the test in a last-chance-points XSPAND Games session. Students had to write a persuasive essay, create a graphic novel, complete a series of puzzles, solve a forensic case and perform a Gospel story all in one hour. It was wonderful to be joined by special guest judges, Mrs Banda and Mr Brannan, who scored the final Gospel performances.
Ultimately, 9G held the lead, with an incredible term of demonstrating the ROCKS and consistent scoring in the XSPAND Games to secure the overall win.
The good news is, Term 2 offers another core group the opportunity to win the Cup!
Portia Subotsch
Year 9 Learning Leader - Clyde North Campus