Preston Life

Celebration Day 

by Tiffany Diep, Cohort 2031, Gecko House and Aadya Sood, Cohort 2030, Acacia House 

The Year 7s did all types of activities for Celebration Day. We walked to the Preston Market and got some delicious food. We also got to experience some of the subjects we can do in Year 8, like food tech and engineering. In food tech we made pizza and we got to pick the toppings ourselves. Some students and teachers helped bake them. 

Our Cohort 2030 embarked on a thrilling scavenger hunt around Preston complete with clues, helpful Year 10s and an exciting puzzle to solve at the end! Students were arranged into small groups and given unparalleled independence to solve a dozen different clues that led them to iconic locations all over Preston. Half of the students completed their scavenger hunt in the morning, and half in the afternoon to prevent the undeniable chaos that would otherwise occur! 

The clues featured whimsical pictures and Dr Seuss-style rhymes, with the backs of each clue forming a picture of our year’s namesake - Leonardo Da Vinci! Well done to all involved. It was a fantastic change of pace and we thank all our teachers and Year 10s for working so hard to make this happen! 

Leadership Day 

by Oliva Paktitis, Cohort 2029, Tawny House 

On August 3, Cohort 2029 participated and rotated through a range of fun and intriguing activities as part of our Leadership and Development Day. The day was designed to build management and initiative skills, as well as grow our collaborative and communicative abilities. Throughout the day, teachers hosted exciting activities for their class that were aimed at improving a specific skill or ability. 

Our Grit and Problem-Solving activity was a building block challenge, where teams were challenged to build a referenced structure around a peer in hopes to win. Team Building and House of Cards was just as fun; students were tasked to build the tallest tower possible using a simple deck of cards!  In our Communication and Leadership lesson, we learnt the importance of clear and efficient communication by taking part in an exhilarating human obstacle course.  Reducing Cognitive Load was all about learning how to manage our time and homework in and out of school, as well as learn useful email writing skills. 

All activities ultimately led to the most exciting activity planned, Wheelchair Basketball! Students got to learn how to move around in wheelchairs, bounce and pass basketballs, and have the most fun playing with their peers.  

Thank you to Miss Van Eeden and our Year 9 team for organising things, our teachers who hosted activities for their classes, and the two representatives from Wheelchair Victoria who took their time to come and share their amazing wheelchair basketball skills with our cohort! 

Adventures with Preston Mob 

by Dajarra Currie, Cohort 2029, Gecko House 

Preston Mob did many exciting things this term. Toward the start, a select few students embarked on an excursion with a Year 11 VCE class. Together we explored the city, looked at the Koorie heritage trust building and overall had a lot of fun. Then, after months of planning, Preston Mob got the privilege of versing Thornbury High in a friendly basketball match. Everyone had a fun time, and at the end of the day Preston Mob ended up proudly taking home the win, the final score being 33-31. 

In week 8, Preston Mob went on another excursion yet again to Dardi Munwurro, where we reconnected with members of the community and took part in a smoking ceremony. Closing out the term, we had a select number of students revising and improving the school's curriculum surrounding Aboriginal history and how it is incorporated in our day to day learning. 

This term was a very fun and productive one for Preston Mob, and we have even more exciting things planned for Term 4! 

Rainbow Alliance goes purple 

by Henry Goodman, Cohort 2029 Acacia House and Darcy Hooda, Cohort 2029 Gecko House  

The Rainbow Alliance celebrated Wear It Purple Day on 28 August by inviting all students to wear purple accessories and tops with their uniform. The day is about standing up and supporting LGBTQIA+ youth and this year’s theme was colours of courage. It was fantastic to see all the people showing support with all their purple clothing!

During lunchtime we hosted quite a few activities in C04, including: pronoun/pride flag badge making, a colours of courage themed paper chain, a makeup and nail polish station, and a dance party. 

Alongside these there was also a special session during session three that students could sign up for that featured many of the same activities as well as a community sing along, where we all learnt part of the song True Colours.

Overall, it was a very successful day of pride and support. 

VM students build a bridge with locals

by Madeleine Poihipi, Cohort 2027

Recently, the VM students had the opportunity to visit Bridge Darebin, a local community organisation that supports people experiencing homelessness and social isolation by providing meals, activities and a welcoming place to connect with others.

During our visit, we helped with the weekly Laneway Lunch program by serving and preparing lunch and dessert, working in the community garden, collecting gold coin donations for the raffle, running the Bingo and chatting with participants. 

We also ran a creative art activity where participants painted a small canvas of a food that was meaningful to them. This led to some great conversations about culture, memories and favourite meals, and everyone got to take home their artwork.

The day was a really rewarding experience. It gave us the chance to give back to the community while building our confidence, communication, and teamwork skills. Meeting so many different people and hearing their stories reminded us how important kindness and community support are, and it was an experience we will remember for a long time.