VCE News

Start of 2022

Our VCE cohort has started the year in emphatic fashion! The Year 11 and Year 12 students have wasted no time in making the most of being back at school for face to face classes. Never before has the Senior Centre been so full of students after school each day seeking help and feedback from teachers and dedicating their own time to improve their work. We would encourage students to work with their parents and guardians to assist them inputting together a timetable which allows them to balance their school commitments with their social life and extracurricular activities. Balance is key to success at VCE level. To this end, it has been amazing to see so many VCE students participating in our House Cup Events, including the annual Swimming Carnival and Pi Day festivities, as well as our time honoured Year 12 Staff vs Student events! Staff are certainly looking forward to seeing more participation from our Senior School students at these events for the remainder of the year! We wish all of our VCE students well for the rest of the year! We can’t wait to see what amazing things you achieve!

Year 12 Study Camp 

The Year 12 cohort began the year in emphatic fashion, with the annual Study Camp held at Federation University in Berwick. The focus of the camp was to provide students with a range of strategies to deal with the year ahead, including study tips, wellbeing advice as well as to develop connections with both their teachers and peers in their final year at the College. Students were able to experience university life first hand by participating in lectures and tutorials run by the university professors in subjects including Nursing, Psychology, Criminology and Business Management, as well as by living in the student dorms on site atthe university campus. There was also plenty of downtime for students to create long-lasting bonds with their peers, as well as to focus on their physical and mental health. We thank the staff from Federation University for hosting us, as well as Ms Adams, Mr Carlton and Mr Hemsley for facilitating the event.

Aspire Higher Launch 

On Tuesday 15th March, the school launched the Aspire Higher Program for 2022. The program is the extension of the Ten Plus Club, and aims to extend our VCE cohort in order to achieve their best over their final two years at the College. We were very lucky to have both Carys Waetford and Alicia Greenbury from our all-conquering Class of 2020 on site for the launch. Both Carys and Alicia shared their experiences of VCE and university life to our Aspire Higher team, providing them with invaluable insights into how to maximise their results over the coming years. We thank them both for giving up their time to speak to our students, and look forward towel coming back other alumni over the coming months to work with our team! The next events pencilled in for Aspire Higher students include campus visits to both the University of Melbourne and Monash University. More information regarding these excursions will be released over the coming weeks!

International Women’s Day Forum 

Earlier this term, McClelland College was privileged enough to be invited to the International Women’s Day Forum hosted by State Member Sonya Kilkenny. A delegation from the College comprised of House Captains Meg Bown and Madi Barnett attended the event, which focused on the challenges women face in the workforce and how students can break the bias surrounding gender stereotypes. The guest speaker on the day was the inspirational Felicity Topp, Chief Executive of Peninsula Health, who stirred the audience with her tales of adversity and achieving against the odds. We sincerely thank Ms Kilkenny for the invitation, and look forward to potentially hosting next year’s forum here at McClelland!

University Excursions 

Over the course of the year, we will be organising a number of excursions to a range of tertiary institutions in order to provide students with the opportunity to get a feel for the different universities we are lucky to call our own in Melbourne. Earlier this term, Ms Andrews and Ms Murphy took a group of Year 11 and 12 students to RMIT University in the city, where the McClelland team was taken on a guided tour of the campus and introduced to the wide range of courses on offer.

Next term, there will be excursions booked for both Melbourne and Monash Universities. Interested students are encouraged to speak to Mr Hemsley for more details!

VCE Biology Excursion 

During first term, Year 11 Biology students attended an excursion at the Gene Technology Access Centre (GTAC) in Parkville. To enhance their understanding of cell structure and function, the students worked alongside GTAC Science Mentors to use research grade compound and fluorescene microscopes. Staff were very impressed with the students' efforts and the amazing images they produced!

Extinction Incursion 

On Wednesday 16th March, McClelland College hosted both Complete Works Theatre Company and the EAL students from Geaneagles College for a performance of their Year 12English / EAL text Extinction authored by distinguished Australian playwright Hannie Rayson. The cast of four covered all of the essentials of the play, as well as providing an insight into their characters motivations and actions throughout during the intermission. The Q & A sessions at the end of the performance was also a highlight, with students able to interrogate the actors in terms of their own professional opinions regarding the message of the playwright and moral of the story. This text, and a thorough understand of the themes and characters, is pivotal for both the Year 12 English and EAL students, as one third of their end of year exam is dedicated to the task.

Staff vs Student Events – Pictionary / Water Polo

The annual Year 12 Staff vs Student events have begun in full force this year, with scores currently tied at one all. Students took an early lead in Pictionary, despite the artistic flair of both Ms Lindemann and Ms Ghersetti-Sikos. However, some inspired guesses from both Claire O’Connor and Ezra Horne got the students over the line in the sudden death elimination. The water polo was, as always, hotly anticipated. The Class of 2022 thought they had a chance with the retirement of key forward Mr Hackett from the squad. This belief was reinforced after early goals from School Captain Rohan Pettigrove and lively forward Jackie Redfern-Hosking saw the students take the lead. Despite the sheer weight of numbers for the students, as well as the midfield domination of Phoenix Brennan, the combination of the indomitable presence of Mr Wright up forward, Mr Lojanica in goals, and the energy of Mr Knight and Ms Bucher saw the staff win in a thriller!