Secondary School News
HAMPER FOR HOPE 2024
This term, the VCE Personal Development Skills class explored what food insecurity is within the community and the effects that this can have both on an individual or family.
As part of their Unit 2 Community Project, students partnered with The Salvation Army to fundraise enough items to fill 25 Hampers for Hope.
Each hamper contains various long-life goods that have been collected through donations and have been organised into bags for families. With the help of the Altona College community, these bags were collected on Tuesday and will be handed out to individuals and families in need this holiday period.
We hope to continue our ongoing partnership with The Salvation Army into 2024.
Year 9 Bunnings Excursion
Last week we were extremely lucky to have Altona Bunnings Warehouse host an activities workshop with six of our Year 9 students.
Blake, Ewan, Findlay, Mason, Robin and Zack spent three mornings at Bunnings accompanied by Mr. Villani (and Trent) where they engaged in various activities including a full tour of the Bunnings site.
Maria from Bunnings also organised for our students to build a couple of dog kennels which have been donated to a local Pet Shelter "Sally's Cat & Kitten Rescue Inc".
Our team of students also had the opportunity to assemble a few flat packs and even be part of putting together a pack of timber to fill a customer order.
All students were completely immersed in the activities and were upstanding and respectful advocates for Altona College. All students were completely immersed in the activities and were upstanding and respectful advocates for Altona College.
Secondary School Immunisation catch-ups
Secondary school immunisations are provided to students to reduce their risk of contracting preventable diseases and some cancers. Health advice regarding immunisations recommends students receive the following:
Year 7
· Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine (one dose)
· Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (one dose).
Year 10
· Meningococcal A, C, W, Y vaccine (one dose).
There are a number of students in years 7 to 12 who may have missed these important vaccines. This puts students at an increased risk of illness.
If your child missed out on their school-based vaccinations, please speak to your GP or local council immunisation service about how they can catch up.
To check if your child is due for any vaccines, refer to their immunisation history statement on the Australian Immunisation Register, using your MyGov account. If your child is aged over 14, they may need to access their immunisation history statement themselves, through their own MyGov account or the Medicare mobile app.
New HPV vaccination resources to assist young people with disability
Young people with disability should have the same access to preventive healthcare and immunisations as everyone else. Vaccinations can be stressful, and there are sometimes unique barriers for people with disability.
Cancer Council Victoria, in consultation with Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Scope Australia, has developed 3 resources to improve the vaccination experience for young people with disability and their parents and carers:
Help your child with disability get the HPV vaccine (fact sheet)
Supporting your child with a disability with vaccination (videos)
Preparing for school vaccinations (social story).