In and around the classroom

Book Week

Book Week is an Australian institution, but one which is often associated with primary schools; cute kiddies in even cuter costumes, parades, communal reading and picture books. But Book Week isn’t just for adorable preppies as our amazing students and staff demonstrated both during the week and on the culmination of the excitement, Dress Up Day. 

Through the week we had lunch time activities such as make your own bookmarks, a board games session, the 3rd annual Book Week Trivia Kahoot competition which was capably won by Year 11 students, Rebecca J, Gracie N and Eden R, and of course, a student vs teacher debate on the contentious topic of “books are better than movies” (the students won arguing that yes, books ARE better than movies).

What is undebatable however is that the Dress Up Day was easily the highlight of the week. We had incredible student and staff participation with costumes ranging from the terrifying Maleficient and Pennywise to the adorable Paddington Bear and Very Hungry Caterpillar. We had citizens of Thneedville visit us, as well as a sneaky Where’s Wally needing to be found. The costumes were a wonderful demonstration of the worlds reading can take us to and the delight imagination can engender.

Ultimately, Book Week and its Dress Up Day was a huge success and we can’t wait to see next year’s costumes on parade!

Year 12 Assembly (End of Term 3)

The final push in the lead-up to exams! 

Recently our year 12 cohort had an assembly to end their schooling journey strongly!

The assembly focused on ‘Unpacking VCE Data’ and looking at a variety of study scores across a range of domains from previous students at Homestead in 2022 and 2023. From this students gained a clear understanding of how their coursework scores combined with their exams scores will create their Study Score and ATAR. Students were provided with information on useful tips on how they could still improve from now until their VCAA exams to maximise their success. This included effective study and exam preparation and encouragement to attend our ‘Year 12 Only Study Club’ on Wednesdays afterschool. The study club provides our year 12 (and VCE ACCESS students) with dedicated time and space to meet with peers and their teachers, engage in private study and undertake practice exams in a structured environment.

Additionally, our year 12’s had the privilege of hearing from our HSSC 2023 Dux: Callum Boyd. Callum spoke to the students about the importance of their preparation for exams and making the most of their time at school studying with peers and reviewing their work and practice exams with teachers. Callum spoke to the cohort about life after year 12  decisions he has made along the way to find his  passion in his studies: Aerospace Engineering. 

We are committed to working with our students to ensure they have the right information and access to support for their learning during such a stressful time in their academic program in the hope that they can then go on to their desired pathways post secondary education.

Good luck to our year 12’s as they prepare for their examinations!

-Tim Harris

Year 12 Student Manager

Latrobe University Excursion

As part of the Pathways program, our Year 11 cohort set out to Latrobe University to see what uni life is like. The excursion was a great success, students came back to the school buzzing with excitement and ready for a presentation by the pathways team.

Trung Luu Academic Awards

The Trung Luu MP Academic Awards recognise and celebrate academic excellence in schools in the west. Trung Luu himself came to the school and into the classrooms to present the winners their awards. This year, we have had 4 of our students receive awards, which is an incredible outcome. Congratulations to the following recipients. 

Year 11 Inspiration Award: Manasvi Donthumalla.

Year 11 Academic Excellence Award: George Menouchos

Year 12 Inspiration Award: Howard Chang

Year 12 Academic Excellence Award: Lachlan Dai

Wear it Purple Day

Each year at Homestead we have celebrated Wear it Purple Day. Wear it Purple Day aims to foster supportive, safe, empowering and inclusive environments for young people who are a part of the LGTBIQA+ community, including allies.

The day consisted of colouring pages, nail painting and hand painting! Students and staff were encouraged to wear a splash of purple with their uniform. Students even were provided with pride flag badges and wrist bands.

At Homestead, we strive on creating an inclusive and supportive environment for all students and families in our community. We are proud of our culture on inclusivity, will continue to show our support, and provide a safe environment for all LGBTIQA+ members and allies. If you have any suggestions on events you would like to see in the future, please see Ana, Beth or Emma.

A reminder that the Rainbow Group also runs on Mondays at lunchtime on Level 1 near the Student Engagement and Wellbeing Office. We hope to you see you there!

Science Week @ HSSC

Science Week was a fantastic opportunity for our students to dive into the world of science with hands-on activities, experiments, and learning experiences. The theme this year was "Species Survival: More than Just Sustainability". This emphasised the importance of protecting biodiversity and ensuring the survival of various species beyond just maintaining sustainability.  Members of the science team ran a series of events throughout the week highlighting different science streams.

Our Psychology team’s activity: Animal Point of View Scavenger Hunt had students exploring how different species interact with their environment. Congratulations to the winners - Lily Sims (Year 10), Tyson Lam (Year 11), Aryan Dilman (Year 11)

The Chemistry team’s activity: "Drop the Base" titration experiment had students participate in a classic chemistry activity where they determined the concentration of an acid or a base by slowly adding a titrant of known concentration until the reaction reaches its endpoint. 

This experiment helps students understand concepts like molarity, neutralisation, and pH indicators. Congratulations to the winners - Mahlaqa Shah (Year 10), Sarah Nugent (Year10) and Aleisha Nugent (Year 10)

One of the most popular events was that of the Tower Challenge where students had to build a structure to support a drink bottle using only paper and sticky tape. There were many unique designs and some creative engineers amongst the teams participating.

Congratulations to the winning team - Eren Sahinbas (Year 11), Rory Hopkins (Year 11) and Layla Rickman (Year 11)Finally, Congratulations to the winner of the Species Survival Colouring Competition - Mahlaqa Shah (Year 10) The theme for National Science Week 2025 is ‘Decoding the Universe – Exploring the unknown with nature’s hidden language.’ We look forward to hosting a range of activities and experiments for students to engage in the world of science.

-Tim Harris

Science Domain leader