Technologies News
Hospitality Electives
Year Seven
Our Mokare students have enthusiastically embraced Hospitality this term, working well as a team and following kitchen procedures to keep everyone safe.
Students have developed valuable food preparation and cookery skills that they can use at home, while also learning the importance of reducing food waste, choosing fresh ingredients where possible, and limiting ultra-processed foods in their everyday diets.
Most importantly, the students have enjoyed their time in the kitchen. Their enthusiasm and willingness to participate made each lesson a positive experience, and it was wonderful to see them look forward to Hospitality each week.
Year Eight
Following their introduction to the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and the five food groups, students were challenged to design and create their own healthy breakfasts that met these nutritional guidelines.
In the lead-up to this task, students developed food presentation skills, learning how to create eye-catching dishes through the use of colour, height, texture and balanced flavour combinations. They then put these skills into practice by preparing, plating and photographing their breakfast creations.
One of the highlights of the lesson was the opportunity to dress the part in our chef uniforms, which added to the fun and excitement of the experience.
It has been a fantastic term in the kitchen with this class. Their creativity, enthusiasm and willingness to always do their best have made every lesson enjoyable. I am incredibly proud of their efforts and the wonderful dishes they have produced. Well done, everyone!
Year Nine
This term students explored the six essential nutrients and discovered how ultra-processed foods can impact nutritional intake. Through a comparison of frozen supermarket pizzas, takeaway pizzas and homemade alternatives, students were surprised by the nutritional differences between each option.
Students then took on a design challenge to create a high-fibre pizza dough, experimenting with recipes before developing nutritious toppings and producing their own pizzas to meet a design brief.
In the second half of the term, students investigated why our bodies need the six nutrients and explored simple, nourishing meals that can be prepared quickly and economically at home. They also extended their food presentation skills, learning how effective plating can enhance a dish.
It has been wonderful to see this group develop their knowledge and practical skills throughout the term, and I look forward to working with them again next term.
Year Ten
Throughout the term, our Year Ten Hospitality students have taken on the exciting challenge of designing original recipes to meet the design briefs for the annual Flavour Forecast Student Recipe Challenge, run by McCormick Foods.
The competition required students to develop innovative recipe concepts and refine them through an extensive process of testing, evaluation and improvement. Many lessons were spent trialling ideas, making adjustments, practising culinary techniques, and developing plating methods that would best showcase their dishes.
A particular highlight was a visit from Chef Silas from Pepper & Salt Restaurant in Denmark, who shared valuable industry insights and demonstrated professional tips and techniques for food presentation and plating. Students also benefited from a session with our very own Mrs Renae O'Donnell, who provided expert advice on food photography, including camera angles, lighting and composition, to help students capture the best possible images of their creations.
As part of the competition requirements, students submitted a professionally photographed image of their final dish, accompanied by a written entry explaining their concept and design process. These submissions have now been sent to Melbourne for judging, with results expected in November.
Regardless of the final outcome, every student should be incredibly proud of their efforts. The dedication, creativity, resilience and commitment demonstrated throughout this project have been outstanding. In my eyes, they are all winners, and I congratulate the entire class on producing such high-quality entries and embracing this challenge with enthusiasm and professionalism.
Certificate II Hospitality
Year Eleven
At the beginning of the term, our Year Eleven Hospitality students completed a series of assessment recipes designed to showcase their cookery skills in preparing and presenting a range of appetiser dishes. Students produced some impressive plates of food, demonstrating industry-standard presentation techniques and growing confidence in the kitchen. It has been particularly rewarding to see the significant improvement students have made throughout the year in their food safety and hygiene practices.
During the final weeks of term, students turned their attention to the exciting world of mocktails. They were introduced to the specialised equipment used in beverage preparation, explored flavour profiles, and learned a variety of techniques for creating professional-quality mocktails.
In preparation for the Year Eleven Mocktail Party in Term Four, students were challenged to design their own unique mocktails. This process involved several weeks of experimentation, tasting sessions and sharing creations with classmates for constructive feedback. Through this collaborative approach, students refined their recipes and developed a deeper understanding of flavour balance, presentation and customer appeal.
The result is an exciting and diverse range of mocktail creations featuring different styles, glassware and garnishes, all of which will be showcased at the Mocktail Party next term. Students have embraced the challenge with enthusiasm and creativity and, most importantly, have had a great deal of fun throughout the process.
Year Twelve
This term, our Year Twelve Hospitality students undertook a comprehensive research project that challenged them to plan an upmarket function using local catering businesses and event hire companies. The task required students to access and evaluate current industry information, compile a detailed written proposal, and present recommendations for suppliers, products and services that would meet the requirements of a professional event. Students then showcased their findings through professional presentations supported by well-designed PowerPoint slides.
This authentic, real-world assessment provided valuable experience in event planning and management, developing skills that will serve students well in both their future studies and workplace environments.
Alongside their assessment work, students continued to provide a weekly espresso coffee service for staff, demonstrating exceptional barista skills and outstanding customer service. Just when staff thought coffee service had concluded for the term, students surprised their regular customers the following week with an unexpected coffee delivery. This thoughtful initiative required students to recall each customer's usual order and deliver it to the correct location, showcasing not only their technical skills but also their attention to detail and commitment to customer satisfaction.
The feedback from staff was overwhelmingly positive, with many commenting that the surprise coffee delivery truly made their day.
As students finalise their assessments for the Certificate II in Hospitality qualification, they can take great pride in the outstanding front-of-house skills they have developed. Their professionalism, teamwork, communication and customer service skills have equipped them with highly sought-after employability skills that will serve them well in the hospitality industry and beyond.
This class has been a pleasure to work with throughout the year. They operate like a well-oiled machine, consistently supporting one another to achieve excellent outcomes. They will be sorely missed, and we wish them every success as they take the next step in their hospitality journey.
Technologies Showcase
The Kingfisher Fair and Open Day provided an excellent opportunity for the Technologies Learning Area to showcase student achievement through the annual Technologies Showcase. Located in the Pratten Centre foyer, the display was one of the busiest attractions of the day, with many visitors impressed by the quality and diversity of student work on display.
I am incredibly proud of our Technologies teachers, who dedicated many hours to creating an engaging showcase of projects, products and learning from across the year.
A highlight was our cross-curricular project, which brought together students from several Technologies subjects. Sustainable Production students grew produce in the School garden, Hospitality students dehydrated the ingredients and developed a cheese and scone mix and a vegetarian soup mix, while also designing packaging and food labels. Woodwork students created display boxes for the products, and Digital Technology students designed and laser-cut custom scone cutters. The final products attracted so much interest that visitors asked whether they were available for purchase.
Our Year Twelve Certificate II Hospitality students were also kept busy throughout the day, serving hundreds of espresso coffees and proudly demonstrating their professional barista skills.
The showcase was a wonderful celebration of student creativity, collaboration and practical learning, highlighting the outstanding opportunities available within Technologies at Great Southern Grammar.
Mrs Teresa McAllister | Head of Technologies/Teacher
Sustainable Production
Year Seven
We have had a big few weeks preparing for the Kingfisher Fair and Open Day. I was very proud of the produce we were able to display and of the students who contributed to this. Thank you to all the families who came and checked out our display on the day as well.
Our Year Seven Baudin garden continues to grow vigorously. Some students have learned that it is better to get on top of the weeds early, as an infestation can grow very rapidly in spring. I love that the garden teaches us so many simple lessons that apply to other areas of our lives.
Year Nine
The Year Nine students have been busy maintaining their gardens, with the promise of a huge crop of carrots of different varieties. They should really see a big difference when they return in the first week of next term.
Ms Diane Thomas | Teacher - Sustainable Production Coordinator
Design and Technology
Our Design and Technology students across Years Seven to Eleven have been busy developing their workshop skills and completing projects they can be proud of.
Year Seven
Year Seven students have completed their keepsake boxes, adding personalised designs as the final touch. It has been wonderful to see the variety of ideas students have brought to their work.
Year Eight
Year Eight students have completed their lolly dispensers and are finishing their trinket boxes by fitting the hinges and latches and applying oil. They have also started making birdhouses, giving them another opportunity to build their measuring, cutting and assembly skills.
Year Nine
Year Nine students have completed their folding picnic tables and have begun making weave-board couch-side tables. They have been learning how to laminate contrasting timbers to create their tabletops and have gained plenty of experience working with the bandsaw.
Year Ten
Year Ten students are continuing to develop their Community Furniture Project, working together to create pieces for areas around the School. Meanwhile, Year Eleven students are continuing work on their individual projects, putting their growing design and practical skills into practice.
Year Eleven
The Kingfisher Fair and Open Day was a lovely opportunity to showcase the work students have been creating in Design & Technology. I was very proud to see their projects on display and to share their efforts with the school community.
Mr Kane Smith | Design and Technology Teacher
Digital Technologies
Year Ten Applied Digital Technologies
Students studying our Certificate II in Applied Digital Technologies have been rocketing through a range of practical units this term. We have explored sustainability in the workplace and how to effectively monitor the use of resources such as energy or paper and looked at effective project management strategies.
There have also been lots of opportunities for hands-on learning, with students working through how to troubleshoot and solve computer hardware and software problems when you only have a tiny bit of information. Students have also considered how to work within a budget when purchasing equipment and the processes that someone in the IT industry would need to follow when procuring and deploying hardware.
Year Eight Digital Technologies
This term Digital Technologies has been incredibly productive, with students wrapping up their computer-aided design (CAD) projects, creating articulated toys and collectibles. We used design thinking principles to plan and support our design work in TinkerCAD or Fusion, with students then preparing their files to be 3D printed.
We’ve now been exploring data analysis using spreadsheet software, answering questions on demographics and housing affordability in Albany. From this analysis, students then considered appropriate and ethical use of artificial intelligence to provide additional detail and context to the discussion and their analysis.
Year Eight Digital Product Design and Innovation
Our group of problem finders have been working through two projects this term – one to design an app or website solution and the other to design a 3D printed object that solves a common frustration.
App design solutions ranged from local dialect training platform, through to an app that supports music theory learning, and a website that helps surf-lifesaving coaches develop training plans.
Our 3D printed objects have involved understanding 3D printing technology and then developing an object in CAD that addresses a frustration with solutions including fishing hook threaders, a desk mounted drink bottle holder and a self-draining toothbrush cup.
Mr Kieran Bailey | Digital Technologies Teacher and Head of IT and Innovation
Digital Technology
The Year Seven classes have been working really hard to complete their computer science modules within their Minecraft coding work. One of the biggest discoveries has been the realisation that computers only do exactly what they are told to do; a realisation that we have been building towards accepting all year.
As part of this, some students realised that jumping straight into coding usually creates more problems than it solves. We need to plan, build sequences and model our predictions before we run the program.
Each week, students have a mission to complete. For example, they might design the code for a burger, including all the layers and ingredients they would like between two buns. In reality, this is similar to designing a multi-storey structure.
Students moved beyond simple instructions and began using loops and functions to automate tasks. Rather than writing every step individually (that is, layer by layer), they learned how to reuse and repeat sections of code efficiently. Eventually, we had automated building tasks and design control that would not have been possible if completed manually.
Next term, we will build on this learning through a creative design project, with the aim of implementing the coding principles covered in the unit.
Mr Kyal Rose | Digital Technologies Teacher / Gifted and Talented Coordinator