Year 9 News

As we move further through the term, it has been fantastic to see students continuing to engage positively with their learning and school community. Across the college, students have been challenging themselves, building confidence, and taking part in a wide range of opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom.

There has been a strong focus on creating supportive learning environments where students feel encouraged to collaborate, be creative, and strive for personal growth. Staff have enjoyed celebrating student successes, resilience, and the positive relationships that continue to strengthen throughout the year.

Below is a snapshot of some of the wonderful learning and activities currently happening around the classrooms.

Morrisby Testing

Over the last couple of weeks, all Year 9s completed the Morrisby Profiling, a career assessment tool that helps students understand their strengths, interests, aptitudes, and personal preferences. Students engaged with the online platform, covering areas including Verbal, Numeracy, Problem Solving, Mechanical Reasoning, and Aptitudes.

Morrisby provides evidence-based guidance to support informed decisions about future study, training, and employment pathways as students progress into their senior years of education. We encourage Parents/Guardian’s to talk with their child and review the report when available. Students will have the opportunity to participate in an interview with a Morrisby Consultant to explain results and highlight career options that align with their abilities and aspirations.

We’re finishing Morrisby testing this week and this has given us to narrow down on which career we would love to look into later. The Morrisby testing had helped me massively with thinking outside the box and thinking about career that didn’t cross my mind. This has given many students ideas on careers and will help students make decisions on future studies and employment pathways.  - Charlie T (9D)

Around the Classrooms

Outdoor Education

Over the past few weeks in Outdoor Education, we have been developing our understanding of navigation, teamwork, and outdoor adventure planning through a combination of theory and practical experiences. Students have learned how to read and interpret maps, identify key features such as symbols, scale, and contour lines, and use directional language to navigate effectively. A practical highlight was the Blind Navigation Rescue Mission, where students worked in teams to guide a blindfolded partner through a course using only clear verbal instructions and compass directions. This activity strengthened communication, trust, leadership, and teamwork skills while reinforcing navigation concepts.

Students also participated in an excursion to the beautiful Tarra-Bulga National Park, where they applied their navigation knowledge in a real-world outdoor environment. During the excursion, students completed their navigation learning task by using maps, landmarks, and directional skills to navigate through the park while working collaboratively with their peers. In addition, students have begun exploring the planning required for outdoor adventures, including equipment selection, risk management, sustainability, and Leave No Trace principles. These experiences have helped students develop confidence, resilience, problem-solving skills, and a greater appreciation for safe and responsible participation in the outdoors.

Maths 

This term, Year 9 students have been learning about linear relations and developing their graphing skills. Students learned how to plot and read coordinates on the Cartesian plane, calculate the gradient of a line, sketch graphs using the gradient and y-intercept, and use tables of values to draw linear graphs. They also explored how linear relations can be represented in different forms and how graphs can be used to describe real-world situations.

Students have demonstrated increasing confidence in interpreting and creating linear graphs, determining gradients, and finding x- and y-intercepts from linear equations. Some students also extended their learning by investigating the distance between two points using Pythagoras' Theorem.

I learned how to calculate the gradient of a line, sketch graphs using the gradient and y-intercept, and use tables of values to draw graphs. I can now use tables of values to sketch graphs confidently. I also found it interesting to calculate the distance between two points using Pythagoras' Theorem. - Christopher (9C)

Student Leadership Camp

Our student leaders have had an incredible experience attending the Student Leadership Camp in Don Valley. Throughout the camp, students have been developing their leadership skills, building connections with peers, and challenging themselves through a range of engaging activities and workshops. It has been wonderful to see their confidence and teamwork continue to grow throughout the experience.

Attached is a thoughtful poem written by one of our students, reflecting on their time at camp and the experiences they shared.

Contact Details 

If you have any concerns regarding Year 9 students, please don’t hesitate to contact me at (03) 5165 0600 - option 2 or Jeff.Derkacs@education.vic.gov.au 

Jeff Derkacs

Year 9 Team Leader