Around the Campuses
China Cultural Tour and Sister School Visit
From 10–23 September 2025, twenty students from Years 8 to 10 and four teachers — Mr. On, Mr. Morris, Ms. Fisicaro and Ms. Emirler — set off on an amazing two-week adventure across China to explore its culture, history and school life.
The trip began in Beijing, where our group spent three days discovering famous landmarks like the Forbidden City, Great Wall, and Beijing Hutong with our tour guide, Lisa. Students even visited a local family in the Hutong to learn what everyday life in Beijing is like. Next stop was Nanjing, where we met our guide Alina and explored the Nanjing City Walls, Laomendong, and Confucius Temple, before enjoying the craziness of the night market.
From there, we travelled to Yangzhou to visit our sister school — The High School Affiliated to Yangzhou University. We were warmly welcomed by Principal Lu and took part in a gift exchange, an art and cultural event, and activities with local students that helped us make lasting friendships. The final part of our journey took us to Shanghai with our guide Yanny. We explored AP Plaza and Nanjing Road, took a night cruise along the Bund, and finished the trip with a fun-filled day at Shanghai Disneyland before flying home to Melbourne.
The trip was an unforgettable experience for both teachers and students. It required many of the students to make a leap of faith to the unknown, however speaking for the teachers, we will always be appreciative of the students' resilience and unique personalities that added so much to the trip.
I would also like to thank Anita Stanley, Elaine Hazim and Wendy Fan from the Jiangsu-Victoria International Education Centre (JVEC) for all their support and organisation to make this trip happen.
Mr. On
Tour Leader
Below is a reflection from Elisa Notario, who was selected to represent the Victorian student body by presenting a speech in Chinese at the official welcome event in Nanjing in front of an audience which included the Victorian Premier! Well done Elisa!
The China trip was truly a once in a lifetime experience that I’ll never forget. Immersing ourselves in such a beautiful culture across various landmarks like the Great Wall, Forbidden City, museums and gardens taught me so much about China's history. Every day was packed with events and I found myself enjoying every bit of it! Whether it was navigating through Shanghai's bustling streets to try all the delicious delicacies like hotpot and Peking duck, the completely different culture felt like a whole new world.
But what made the trip truly special was the bonds I created with the people from our school and especially the sister school. It was so nice seeing my Chinese buddies again as well as meeting new ones who welcomed us with open arms - connecting with them even pushed me to practise my Chinese speaking skills.
During the trip, I had the amazing opportunity to speak at the Victorian Sister School Welcome Event in Nanjing. Representing the Victorian schools in front of all the students, directors and even Jacinta Allan in itself was an incredible honour. But also delivering it in Chinese really reflected the significance of this program. I couldn't be more glad to have had this opportunity that pushed me out my comfort zone. Overall, all these beautiful memories I made and lessons I learnt will definitely be treasured. I hope I can visit again in the future!
Elisa Notario
Year 10
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Year 9 Enrichment Excursions
Over the last three terms, Year 9 students have had the opportunity to participate in a variety of immersive experiences across the city, as part of their Enrichment Program.
Students explored the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC), where they engaged in water-based activities, including swimming in the wave pool, running across giant inflatables and jumping off a diving board. They also participated in a variety of sports such as basketball, squash and table tennis.
A visit to Hardrock Climbing Centre meant that students needed to work collaboratively to reach new heights. Rock Climbing was a great activity for students to build their self-confidence, trust and social skills.
At O’Brien Icehouse, students were provided with the unique opportunity to learn how to ice skate in a fun, safe, and supportive environment. For many students, it was their first time on the ice, and there was a mix of nervous anticipation and excitement as they laced up their skates. The experience fostered not only physical skills like balance, coordination and agility, but also important personal qualities such as resilience, patience and teamwork.
During each excursion, students were provided with a tour of some significant landmarks within the CBD, in preparation for their Amazing Race in Term 4. Students also had the freedom to independently explore Melbourne Central for some shopping and a bite to eat. Students demonstrated great maturity and responsibility in sticking to meeting times and catching public transport.
Overall, each excursion was a huge success. Students left with new skills, stronger friendships and lasting memories.
Mrs Mercadante
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RUOK? Day
During Term 3 in Week 8, our school community came together to celebrate R U OK? Day, a meaningful reminder to check in and care for one another. Students and teachers took photos together throughout the day, sharing smiles and positive messages across the campus. Through gold coin donations, our community also raised funds to support the R U OK? organisation. Year 12 VCE VM students also prepared and delivered lessons to our Year 7 students about how to recognise when someone may need help and how to support them. Together, we celebrated the simple power of asking, “Are you OK?”
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Sports Update
Congratulations to all the students who represented VUSC at the Western Region Athletics Day recently! Their effort and sportsmanship were outstanding, and we’re so proud of their fantastic achievements.
These students below placed top 3 in the Western Region:
Olivia S - 1st place discus and javelin
Lam N - 1st place 200m
Xander C - 2nd place high jump
Jay G - 2nd place triple jump
Lockyer - 3rd place shot put
Additionally, Olivia and Lam went on to the State Track and Field Championships where Olivia achieved 2nd Place in Discus – 32.56M & 3rd place in Javelin 33.29M, and Lam Nguyen achieved 6th place in the 200M – 59.33! Congratulations Olivia and Lam for aspiring to achieve!
Volleyball Update
Last term, our Intermediate Boys & Girls Volleyball sides received a once in a lifetime opportunity to compete in a trial match against State Champions, Ivanhoe Grammar School.
The aim of this event was to reward our students for all the hard work they had done to make the Western Regional Finals Series and come close to making it in the State Championships.
These students displayed our core values at VUSC and highlighted the work that can be done at such an amazing government school. Week in, week out, these kids come to Skill Training and Strength & Conditioning sessions to improve themselves as high-achieving students both in and outside the classroom.
With a constant evaluation of grades and attendance, we pride ourselves at VUSC to support students to succeed both academically and in extra-curricular programs.
A further congratulations to Xander Cuera (left) for being selected for the U/14 Victorian Blue team who won the Silver Medal at the Australian Youth Volleyball Championship in Perth recently! Well done Xander!
Rugby League Academy
Last term, our Year 7/8 Girls went all the way through the inter-school North-West competition to make the State Championships and Grand Final.
With battles going back and forth, the girls fought hard and came away Runners Up. This is a fantastic result for our team, considering this is the first year for the Girls Academy Side with weekly Skills and Strength & Conditioning sessions. The success in these girls both in the classroom and on the field has been amazing!
We are very excited for what the future holds for our Girls program and would like to continue to provide more opportunities for girls to get picked up in representative pathways whilst also achieving success academically.
And finally, congratulations to these students for being selected for various squads recently:
Students who represented their country in the Harmony Cup/ state competitions:
U/14 Boys Samoa Victorian Team
Carter Ashton
JT (Faale) Paisa
Phillip Pulemagafa
Aitulagi Amiatu
U/14 Girls Samoa Victorian Team
Memphisallic Nau
U/16 Tonga Victorian Team
Emeli Valu
Savannah Malaesilia
(Winner of the whole U16 Girls Comp)
U/16 Samoa Victorian Team
Lasela Anitelea
Olivia Saumalu
U/16 Victorian Multi Team
Cassidee Tawhai
U/16 Victorian Fiji Team
David Manuelemalagaoma
U/16 Australian Team
Ben Tare
U/18 Tonga Victorian Team
Villiami Anau
Students who have made the storm representative pathways sides:
U17 Harold Matthews Storm
Ofa Benjavani Nau
Connor Pendergast
U17 Lisa Fiaola Storm
Lasela Anitelea
Olivia Saumalu
Margaret Mika
U19 S.G Ball Storm
Shalom Tyrell Tupou
Well done to all of these sports and rugby league students for modelling our school values and being great ambassadors of our College!
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Congratulations Year 12 VCE Drama students
Well done to the Year 12 VCE Drama students who recently completed their originally created solo performances as part of their Year 12 exams!
The performances were held at the Phoenix Youth Centre in Footscray and all the students did a brilliant job. Congratulations to our Drama students on a fantastic year!
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Year 9 Legal Studies - Mock Trial
This term the Year 9 Deep Learning Legal Studies students had the opportunity to act out a mock trial in the classroom! Here are some student reflections of their experience:
The Harry Potter mock trial was a valuable and enriching learning experience. Our class experienced the roles and responsibilities of court personnel such as the judge, prosecution and defence team, tipstaff, witnesses and jury. We learnt different skills that went alongside our roles, from maintaining order in a courtroom, ensuring that the trial runs smoothly, to making decisions based on evidence presented. This experience not only allowed us to deepen our understanding of courtroom procedures and legal reasoning but also allowed for creativity and structure that made the activity particularly engaging. Overall, the mock trail was an enlightening, deeply insightful and confidence building experience that strengthened our teamwork skills and ability to think in a structured setting, like a courtroom.
Jessica Dang
The Harry Potter mock trial was a memorable and exciting educational experience. We went into the magical world of law and justice, stepping into the shoes of different roles in the courtroom, such as the judges, prosecution team, defence team, jurors and witnesses. Rather than figuring out how a courtroom operates in unrealistic movies, actually stepping into the shoes of the legal team allowed us to have a realistic perspective of how cases work. We presented evidence, such as Professor Quirrell’s ashes, questioning witnesses, and made sure the courtroom stayed in order. My favourite part was yelling out “objection!” to truly understand the heat of the case. It was overall eye-opening to see how logic, creativity and teamwork all came together in an organised yet dynamic setting. This mock trial didn’t just teach us out legal processes firsthand, but it allowed us to make learning about law feel truly magical.
Aashka Parmar
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Chess Club - all welcome!
The VUSC Chess Club at the Junior Campus is a welcoming community for both beginners and experienced players to practice, compete and enjoy the game of chess. The club runs every Tuesday and Thursday during lunchtime — a perfect opportunity for students to relax, have fun with friends, and form new connections.
The club began with just two students — myself from 8A and Benny from 8B. We met at the after-school Homework Club, discovered our shared passion for chess, and thought, why not start a club? After some planning, we were able to secure a room and teacher supervision to make it official.
Throughout Term 3, we gained several members and held regular meetings featuring presentations to help everyone strengthen their chess fundamentals. This term, we’re aiming even higher — with friendly tournaments and fun chess puzzles to challenge and inspire all members. If you would like to learn more, come along to C2 on Tuesday or Thursday at lunchtime or please reach out to Ms Patane or Ms Cho.
Ken Le 8A
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Breakfast Club - All students welcome!
Come along for some toast, milk, fruit and snacks!
Junior Campus Tuesdays and Thursdays
8:15—8:55am in Room A4
Senior Campus Wednesdays and Fridays
8:15am—8:45am in the Building B kitchen
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Lunchtime Games - All welcome!
Junior Campus
Board games every Tuesday and Thursday in Room C01
Senior Campus
Console games every Friday in Room D11
Board games every Wednesday and Thursday in D15
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