Junior School Update

Assistant Principals' Update

Brooke Roy (7&8) and Matthew Bodley (9)

What a beautiful end to Term 3 for our Junior School students.

Our Music with Mitch Tambo eventwas a real highlight for our 7s - 9s as they shared a session of story telling and music with one of Australia's leading First Nations artists. Our Junior School students really took the opportunity to ask Mitch insightful questions about his culture and journey into the music industry and connected with significant elements of his story.

Our Western Port Mob then hosted a Transition event which saw 80 Primary School First Nations students join us from our feeder Primary Schools, Foundation to Grade 6. This was a great chance to work with the younger mob in our community and embrace these students as they too enjoyed the opportunity to connect with Mitch.

We also now have the privilege of announcing that Xavier Mclaurin will be stepping in as Assistant Principal for Years 7 & 8 as Brooke heads off on Maternity Leave. Thank you to all of the Year 7s and 8s who have suggested such interesting potential baby names, I look forward to sharing exciting news soon!

Tiegan Whitby will also be stepping up into Xavier's Leading Teacher role at Year 8 and we congratulate Tiegan in taking on this awesome opportunity! These changes will take place from day one of Term 4. The Junior School continues to be in great hands.

Thank you again to our parents/carers for your proactive and positive partnerships with our year levels teams and please reach out to us (Matt & Xavier now!) throughout Term 4.

Have a great break,

Brooke Roy (7/8) & Matt Bodley (9)

Year 7 Update

Lucy Anderson and Tiegan Whitby

This has been both a busy and exciting Term for our Year 7 students. The term began with our students participating in the Point and be Proud Program run by the St Kilda Football Club. The session was designed to enlighten our students about the enduring impact of racism on individual health and overall mental wellbeing. 

We then headed out to Willum Warrian to take part in a cultural immersion program. Our Year 7s went on a tour and learned about first nations and indigenous culture.

In the middle of the term, we were lucky to have the Reach Foundation come in and speak with our students. This workshop provided a safe and nurturing environment where our young learners could candidly share their stories, expand their comfort zones, foster a sense of belonging and cultivate resilience. Its primary goal was to empower our Year 7 students to discover their authentic selves, nurture self-confident and bolster their self-efficacy. 

The term ended with our Spring Break activities. On Wellbeing Wednesday, Mitch Tambo performed for us. He performed several of his number 1 songs and shared in insight into his journey with our students. We then had active wellbeing, Project Rockit and Minute to Win It. 

Perhaps the highlight of Term 3 was our excursions on Fun Friday where students got the choice to go to the Werribee Zoo, IMAX, Melbourne Museum or the MCG. It was a fantastic opportunity to venture outside of the classroom and to celebrate the successes they have had in what was a busy term! The Physical Education space has been busy this Term for our Year 7 students. During their Sport Education classes, they had the opportunity to hone their skills in touch footy, futsal, boxing and archery. They even got to fire arrows at our very own Western Port Secondary College Viking, a real highlight for everyone involved!

Year 8 Update

Xavier Mclaurin and Jade Kairys

Another brilliant term from our Year 8s and we couldn't be prouder of their efforts as they head into the final push at the end of the year.

Our year 8 STEM stars continued building on their Forensic Science Knowledge and Skills with a visit to the KIOSC (Knox Innovation Opportunity & Sustainability Centre) situated at Swinburne University. Students became Forensic Investigators for the day, responsible for solving a real life Forensic Criminal Case with evidence and suspects. Students were introduced to forensic analysis techniques used out in the field and in labs to help them identify the suspect and construct a strong Forensic and Legal case against them. Analysing fingerprint, soil and blood samples collected from the crime scene, students had an engaging day being immersed in the field of forensic science.

We equally had a great Spring Break alongside the Year 7 cohort as we took part in a range of activities for Wellbeing Wednesday and then the big highlight, Fun Friday. We now look to Term 4 and completing all of our learning requirements ready to graduate Year 8 and move on into Year 9!

Year 9 Update

Rachael White and Georgia Pulling

In Year 9 we are welcoming the warmer spring weather and longer days! As we come to the end of Term 3, we are excited to share some excellent highlights from the past few months. 

Our Year 9 students have continued to excel in their subjects, showing dedication and a thirst for learning! Their hard work and efforts can be seen in the amazing examples and work demonstrated in a variety of subjects. 

In Year 9 Science, it was great to see students engage in Carbon Snakes experiments and Health Incursion. 

“Harry the Paramedic came to visit students to understand body systems and how all the parts of the body work together. The students learnt how to measure blood pressure and measure oxygen. We also got to try using the ambulance and pushed each other into the back” – Lexi Bidgood

“In chemistry, we learnt how to make Carbon Snakes, when the sugar and baking soda in the experiment combusts, they chemically changed into water vapour, sodium carbonate and carbon dioxide. The pressure created by the carbon dioxide pushes the sodium carbonate out, which creates the black carbon snake” – Abbie Kraulis

The Leisure and Rec students had an excellent excursion to Bayside Rock-climbing. The students engaged in rock climbing and cave crawling and an opportunity to realise their potential by risk taking, leadership, communication, trust building, problem solving and coaching. 

Students are set to enjoy an engaging Term 4 with some exciting upcoming events. We are starting off the term with our Morrisby Unpack Interviews on Friday 6th and 12th October, for careers and pathways. For students who are considering a VCE Pathway, we have the ACU Explore Your Futures Day on Friday 17th November. Students will engage in a variety of workshops at the university and learn about paramedicine, health, sport and fitness, law and enjoy a free pizza lunch! An opt-in Year 9 Excursion to Moonlit Sanctuary is scheduled for Tuesday 21st November.  We are excited to see our Year 9s finish up their last term in the Junior School as they head off into Senior School with the Year 9 into 10 Jumpstart kicking off from Monday 27th November. 

We hope you all have a wonderful school holidays and are back and ready for Term 4!