Victorian High Ability Program

High Ability Programs at Koonung Secondary College

High-ability student focused programs have run steadily through 2022 with great success. At Koonung Secondary College we have had 75 Year 7/8 students participate in the Education Department’s initiative the Victorian High-Ability Program (VHAP). VHAP Students participated in 1 hourly sessions in either Mathematics or English subject areas. At the end of the 10-week virtual course, Koonung students participated in a whole day Masterclass with students East Doncaster Secondary College. The Masterclass sessions were a fantastic opportunity to meet likeminded peers and expand our ideas and application of Maths and English.

In Term 3 the Victorian Challenge & Enrichment Series (VCES) offered students opportunities to develop language writing skills through the ‘Writing for The Screen’ workshop run by the Australian Centre for Moving Image. This session was delivered to a range of students across Year 8 and 9 classes and gave them a sound structure for writing scripts and discussing potential narrative ideas based on prompts.

October saw the highly engaging entrepreneurship VCES session called ‘Challenge in a Cup’ run by the Victorian Commercial Teachers Association (VCTA). Students were given an 100% biodegradable and edible cup as an entry to the days challenge. They cups were quite tasty and proved a great impetuous for the entrepreneurial contest ahead. After workshopping ideas and practising pitches students presented their solutions to reducing plastic waste to other schools and educators from the VCTA in hope of becoming the days winner. All students had innovative ideas and exceptional pitches but one team stood out and were recognised as the day’s winners! Congratulations to Ellie and Izzy for their excellent idea and pitch.

A group of Year 9 students participated in the ‘Global Youth Forum’ for 3 days in November, run by University of Melbourne and the Asian Education Foundation, they met online with students in other countries like China, India and Vietnam. Students also video conferenced with a range of local schools like Melbourne High, Haileybury, Ruyton, Upwey High School and Viewbank Secondary Colleges. Below is a summary of the days from the students.

Well done to all. Next year will see the VHAP and VCES initiatives continue and many great opportunities in which to participate.

The Victorian Young Leaders Youth Forum is an engaging and supportive course that was organised by the University of Melbourne, aiming to enhance leadership and collaboration skills in students, while allowing them to gain a perspective on the culture of schools located in different countries. During the confines of the event that spans three days, students learn about global citizenship, stepping out of their comfort zones, globalisation, identity, and much more. The program also offers several guest speakers as well as many opportunities to converse with students in Asian and other Victorian schools via online meetings on Zoom.

A class favourite activity in particular is the one where they chat with the students from the Asian international schools. It is an interesting and entertaining procedure to shine light and explore the distinctiveness of the world’s culture while online. All in all, the seminar is a versatile system that investigates the psychology of minds and the diversity within Australia and beyond.

Derek Liau, 9D

Amy McLellan

Learning Specialist High-ability Practice Leader Visual Arts/Technology Teacher