9-12 Community News
As we come to the end of July, we find ourselves experiencing typical winter days; a mix of frosty mornings and sunny or rainy days. And, our students have been enjoying a range of winter activities.
Last week, the VCE Outdoor and Environmental Studies class made their way to Falls Creek for an introduction to alpine environments. Taking the opportunity to engage in alpine and downhill skiing, the students learnt about the human impact upon the alpine environment and learned about strategies to minimise this impact. Staying at the Howman’s Gap facility, the Unit 4 students spent a night camping in the snowfields as they experienced every facet of the alpine environment. The students and staff enjoyed perfect conditions and came home tired but happy after some fantastic days on the slopes.
Thank you to the staff, Mrs Darling, Ms Clarke, Mr McIntyre and Mr Kersten, who accompanied the students and to Mrs McIntosh, who coordinated the trip.
Over the last few weeks we have also had students competing in a range of inter-school sports competitions, including boys and girls netball and football. All of our students have competed well and enjoyed their participation in the competitions.
Being engaged in sport and connecting with the natural environment is something which helps our students develop their fitness and positive self-image as they challenge themselves on a number of levels. Another way in which the school helps students to develop a positive self-image is to help our students to understand the world in which they live, their place in it and the ways in which they see themselves and others. Last week, as part of our Religious Education, Health and Personal Development curriculums, the Year 10 students participated in a reflective and thought provoking seminar - ‘Your Choicez’ - on understanding and developing respectful relationships. Led by engaging and insightful presenters, the students joined in discussions on topics such as respectful relationships, love and dealing with the pressures that the world places upon young people.
As we continue through Term 3, our Year 12 students are beginning to look towards the end of the year and considering their plans for the future. For those who are considering tertiary study, the Tertiary Information Service excursion provided insights into the many tertiary institutions and pathways available to students. We encourage all senior students to investigate the many tertiary institutions and career pathways that are available. Over the last two years, universities and colleges have adapted to the challenges presented by the pandemic by creating ‘virtual’ Open Days. However, this year they are once again opening their doors for prospective students to visit on campus, as well as continuing their online presentations. Through the next few months, many universities will be holding Open Days. The link below provides the dates and times for a range of Open Days at the different institutions across Victoria.
We encourage all of our students in Years 11 and 12 to consider attending these days to explore the many opportunities that they have available to them beyond secondary school.
Year 11 students have also been looking to next year, with the students meeting with our Careers Practitioner, Cath Anderson, to finalise their 2023 subject selections.
Year 10 students completed their initial subject and pathways selections at the end of Term 2. From these initial selections, the College will develop the subject and pathway offerings for 2023. Students and parents will also have the opportunity to meet with Mrs Anderson to finalise subject and pathway selections later in the year.
The Years 9/10 Food Technology students have been cooking up a storm. This week they designed and created their own ‘dessert pancake stacks’. It was great to see the students get creative and include some fruit to offset the sweet treats they made.
Michelle Downie Brad Downie
9-12 Community Leader 9-12 Community Leader
Wellbeing & Community Student Learning and Professional Practice
Parents Guide to Open Days
With the beginning of ‘Open Days’ season for tertiary institutions, we bring to the attention of parents of Years 11 and 12 students this excellent article from The Parents Website. https://theparentswebsite.com.au/how-to-make-the-most-of-uni-open-days-2/
This article gives some excellent tips and information for parents of Years 11 and 12 students to help them navigate their way through the Open Days that various universities and colleges will be running in 2022.
VCE Outdoor and Environmental Studies Alpine Experience
The VCE Outdoor and Environmental Studies students’ Units 2 and 4 participated in a 4-day experience within the Falls Creek Resort and Alpine National Park.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Year 10 students did cross country skiing. While waiting for our cross-country ski lesson we went outside and had a snowball fight. During our lessons we learnt different skills such as how to snow plough and how to walk up an incline with skis on. By the end of the first day, we had all fallen over many times but were all a lot more confident going into our second day. On Wednesday we crossed over the dam wall and out into the back country of the Alpine National Park.
On Tuesday and Wednesday the Year 11 students also did cross country skiing, however we camped in the snow on Tuesday night. We were all a little nervous about this experience but found it to be very fun and the view on Wednesday morning from our tents was magnificent.
In the evenings back at the lodge, we reflected on our day as a group and individually and made small goals for us to work on the following days. We answered questions in our workbooks and made links between our theory content and practical experiences so that we can draw on these when completing our SACs and OATs.
On Thursday and Friday, both groups did downhill skiing and had to navigate how to use the chairlifts. A lot of us got taken out by the ski lifts but we all ended up on top of the mountain eventually. In our downhill lesson we learnt how to do S bend turns. We practised on ‘mouse trap’ with the instructors then the teachers took us on green runs. Our first run down Panorama took a very long time. Some of us ran into fences and some of us were assisted by six year olds. It was safe to say that we were relieved when we got to the bottom of the run safe and sound. On Friday afternoon we returned our gear and made the long journey back to school.
We would like to thank the patience, organisation and knowledge of Mrs Darling, Mr Kersten, Mr McIntire, and Miss Clarke who dedicated their time and were all so approachable and encouraging over the duration of the trip. Mrs McIntosh also did a lot of planning for the camp behind the scenes to make our experience so memorable.
Written by Bella Isaac (Year10) and Tess Laidlaw (Year 11)
Our teachers enjoyed the perfect conditions while students were in their ski lesson.
