Year 9

The Year 9 Canowindra Cup — Let the Games Begin! 

Article by Ashley Sheldrick, Year Level Leader

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup recently captivating audiences around the globe, and the Commonwealth Games currently underway in Glasgow, Year 9 has taken inspiration from the world's biggest sporting stage to launch something very much our own - the Year 9 Canowindra Cup. 

Much like the World Cup and Commonwealth Games, the Canowindra Cup will bring together class groups to compete across a range of physical and non-physical challenges throughout the term. Students will face off class vs class events and may even get the chance to take on staff. There will be awards, celebrations, and plenty of camaraderie along the way. Students will choose from a wide array of events to participate in; Basketball, Athletics, Soccer, Chess, Table Tennis, Pickleball and our very own art portrait competition called Canowindra's Young Archie Prize. It is an opportunity for students to showcase their talents and contribute positively to their Home Group community. 

To kick things off, each Home Group has been tasked with designing their very own class flag. At every World Cup and Commonwealth Games, flags are far more than decoration; they are symbols of identity, pride, and belonging, carried at opening ceremonies, flown during medal presentations, and draped over the shoulders of champions. Our students have taken this seriously, with each person designing a flag that they feel best represents their class. One design per Home Group has been selected and is currently being painted onto a 1m x 2m piece of material, to be hung proudly in the classroom for the rest of the year. 

We look forward to sharing more about the Canowindra Cup as the year unfolds, watch this space! 

Model Solar Vehicle Challenge 

Article by Lisa Newton, Modal Solar Vehicle, Science and Maths Teacher 

Students are nearing the completion of the construction phase of their Model Solar project. They have applied the engineering design process by refining their hull designs, constructing and modifying stern tubes to minimise friction, and evaluating how these design changes improve the efficiency of their boats. 

Students are now wiring and soldering their solar panels in preparation for connecting them to the motor. The final stage of the project will involve testing and evaluating their designs under different weather conditions. We are hoping for some sunny Monday afternoons so students can trial their boats and investigate how configuring the solar panels in series or parallel affects performance under varying light conditions. 

Career Development at Year 9 

Article by Josette Mercieca, Head of Year 9

Careers Program Update 

With subject selection for next year underway, it seems a good time to explain our careers development program. 

Careers counselling begins in the second half of Year 9. We know many families expect this to happen before subject selection, but there are no prerequisite Year 10 subjects for choosing Year 11 subjects, so the timing works well. Any subject choices made by our Year 9 students for their Year 10 2027 program will not close off any pathways. 

Last term, students prepared for and attended the Careers Expo on 23 June, identifying stalls of interest and questions to ask. This was reinforced through lessons comparing student interests with our range of electives, along with an assembly and It's a Wrap lessons covering the "how-to" of subject selection. 

There are several more opportunities to explore career pathways this term: 

• 17 September: Girls will hear from representatives working in fields where women are typically underrepresented, such as business, IT and engineering. Boys will take part in “Arrive and Thrive”, a program focused on career management, self-development and mindset — consistently rated highly by students in past years. 

• Ongoing: Our careers counsellors will run short lunchtime sessions at the Year 9 Campus, focusing particularly on next year's work experience opportunities. 

• Term 4: Students will complete the Morrisby Profile, a career development tool which helps them identify their strengths, interests and learning styles and guides their future subject, career and study choices. This is followed by individual family interviews with a careers practitioner to discuss results in Term 1, 2027 and will explore Year 11 subject choices. 

Each fortnight, the College Careers Team publishes a newsletter providing students and parents with the most up-to-date career information, events and opportunities.  

Please access via the following link.