Teaching and Learning
ECSC teaching staff began this term celebrating the hard work that went into our college-wide Inquiry Cycle. Focusing on providing our students with varied and equal opportunities to respond within the classroom, our staff trialled different methods to call upon students to show their understanding.
The rational behind this inquiry project:
• To increase student on-task behaviour
• Increase academic/learning outcomes
• Increase positive to corrective feedback opportunities
• Makes learning visible
• Allows for differentiated responses
It is always exciting to see teachers share in and celebrate the work of their colleagues, and as life long learners, we also continue to strive to develop classrooms that are actively engaging for all students. What’s more, it was a joy to have our SRC representatives join us at multiple points during the process, to share what they are seeing in their classrooms, and the growth that they would like to see in the future.
Our Professional Learning Communities will now work individually to continue to build staff and student capacity across key focus areas, supporting our students to develop the essential skills required for all stages of their learning - with a sense of shared responsibility towards the literacy and numeracy goals of the college.
PISA
I would like to say a big THANK YOU to our selected group of students who represented the college, and Australia, in the recent PISA test. PISA is the world's largest international student assessment, involving around half a million 15 year-old students from nearly 100 countries.
Each school that participates plays a part in representing the strengths of the education that we provide here in Australia in comparison to other countries around the world. The online tests involved assessed how well students could apply their knowledge and skills to real-world situations using their skills of analysis, reasoning, communication and problem solving.
While our students will not receive an individual result, their hard work will go towards Australia’s international ranking.
Year 7 and 8 Book Week
In week 5, we celebrated Book Week with our Year 7 and 8 students. Book Week is a time to highlight the importance of reading and literacy skills. This year’s theme was ‘Book an Adventure’ so we had a strong focus on the Adventure genre and many of our activities linked to this theme. The run-down of activities can be found below. It was great to see students and teachers engaging with these tasks and getting excited about reading!
How can parents and carers help encourage reading at home?
Intervention
2025 NAPLAN results have now been released to families and schools. We will continue to use this data to work with students on an individual or group basis to further support their needs. This will happen both in class and, where needed, out of class. As always, teachers will continue to differentiate learning across subject areas to target teach students, with individualised intervention occurring where necessary. Families will be notified when or if their child requires withdrawn intervention and what this will look like for them.
Below are some helpful tips for reading and understanding your child’s results.
If you have any questions or concerns relating to your child’s levels or with understanding NAPLAN results, please feel free to contact the College.
Interschool Sports
Term 3 has been jam packed with a variety of teams travelling for our divisional and regional competitions.
On Friday 15th August, a team of 47 students qualified for the Divisional Athletics Competition at Meadowglen Athletics Stadium. All students were well behaved and displayed all the values that we uphold at Edgars Creek Secondary College.
The following students have qualified for the Regional Athletics Competition on the 10th of September. Here are some amazing first place performances and results on the day:
- 1st - Skyla P - 100m sprint (13.98 secs)
- 1st - Keziah I - Shot Put (6.71m)
- 1st - Tyler T - Javelin (28.9m)
- 1st - Jasman M - Long Jump (5.4m) & Triple Jump (11.6m)
- 1st - Yusif A - 1500m (6:01.12 mins)
- 1st - Rehan A - 1500m (5:38.02 mins)
- 1st - 14Yr M 4x100m Relay (53.54 secs)
Here are some photos from the Year 7 Girls Basketball Interschool Sport competition. The girls played very well, walking away with 1 win and 2 losses for the day. Great effort girls!
Here are some photos from the Year 8 Basketball Interschool Sport competition. Despite the hard efforts from the boys, they unfortunately lost both their games. The girls had a great day, winning 3 out of 4 games!
As we move into the tail end of Term 3, we have an exciting line-up of sporting events to look forward to. Here's a quick overview of what's coming up:
Regional Year 7 Boys Soccer – 29th August
Our talented Year 7 boys are gearing up for the Regional Soccer competition. After strong performances in the earlier rounds, the team is ready to take on the best teams in the northern region. Let’s show our support and wish them luck as they represent our school with pride.
Regional Year 7 Boys Cricket – 14th October
Following on from soccer, the cricket squad will step up to the crease in mid-October. The boys have been training hard and are eager to make an impact on the regional stage.
House Athletics Day – Tuesday 28th October
Carrying on from the excitement from last year, the House Athletics Carnival is one of the most anticipated events of the year, promising a full day of fun, competition, and school spirit. Students will be able to compete in a range of track and field events to earn points for their house. It’s a day not to be missed!
Food Technology
Serving Up Success on Opening Night
A dedicated group of our Year 11 students played a pivotal role in the success of the opening night of our school production, The Addams Family. Selected for their enthusiasm and commitment, these students collaborated closely with our Food Technology team to prepare and serve a tasty pre-show meal. Their efforts not only showcased their culinary skills but also contributed to a warm and welcoming atmosphere for the cast and crew. The delicious food was met with enthusiastic appreciation, setting a positive tone for the evening's performance and highlighting the students' ability to contribute meaningfully to school events.
Semester 2 marked the start of our new Food Technology classes. For many of our Year 8s, this was their first time in the kitchen. Students have been enthusiastically participating in classes and making some tasty treats. This week they made jam drop biscuits. Meanwhile, our new Year 9 classes have been travelling around the world through their cooking, and this week, made Philly Cheesesteak which was a big hit!
Visual Art
It has been an exciting time across all year levels in the Visual Arts.
Our Year 11 Art Making and Exhibiting students have been busy exploring Melbourne’s vibrant art scene. Earlier this year, they visited Top Arts and Arc One Gallery, where they viewed an inspiring collection of contemporary works. In term 3, they have also visited the Heide Museum of Modern Art to experience the Man Ray and Max Dupain exhibition, gaining deeper insight into modernist photography and its cultural significance.
Meanwhile, our junior students have been equally engaged in their own creative explorations. Year 7s have been experimenting with clay spoons, building coral reef sculptures, and learning traditional techniques through Jomon pottery. Year 8s are developing Tim Burton–inspired self-portraits while also studying the colourful works of Indigenous artist Jimmy Pike.
This Semester has also seen the successful beginning of Years 9 and 10 Visual Arts electives, offering students opportunities to pursue their passions across photography, ceramics, creative streaks, visual communication and design, and media.
Across the school, students are showing imagination, curiosity, and skill, making 2025 a truly inspiring year in the Arts.
English
On Tuesday 12th of August our Year 10 students were visited by The Flying Bookworm Theatre Company to experience a production of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Students have been studying the play in English classes since the start of the term, and the production was used to help to consolidate the learning that has been occurring. As a play, it is important that students can read Macbeth but can also see how it looks in its original play form. The company performed key scenes in both Shakespearean English and in a modern translation, got students to take part in the performance through the stage directions and witches chants, and allowed students to ask questions at the end, like "what do you think Shakespeare considered to be a good man?" and "what responsibilities did a thane have?"
Performing Arts
Following the huge success of our school production The Addams Family, the Performing Arts classrooms are buzzing with energy and creativity! Students have been diving into the world of the musical, analysing key moments and recreating scenes in practical workshops. They’ve also explored research tasks to deepen their understanding of characterisation and performance skills, blending both theory and practice. With the beginning of a new semester, our students are embracing fresh challenges and enjoying the chance to extend their creativity on stage.
Mathematics
In Year 10 Maths, students have been using geometric shapes to create 3D designs of networks. This hands-on task was highly beneficial in allowing students to explore the key aspects of networks and apply their knowledge to application problems. This activity is one of many used across the curriculum in years 7-10 to develop student understanding of mathematical concepts. Our year 7 intervention program is also currently being run and is a great success for both students and teachers as students develop their numeracy skills. This will form a solid foundation for their future learning.
Humanities
Year 11 Geography
We went to the CBD and Skydeck to explore tourism in Melbourne. From the Skydeck, students drew maps of the city, identifying key tourist attractions and features of the natural and human environment.
Year 11 Politics
For their Unit 2: Area of Study 1 focus, Issues for Australia’s Democracy, Year 11 Students participated in a protest to show their desire for change around the school. The purpose of this activity was for students to engage with the democratic process and highlight the effectiveness and impact of social movements.
Year 8 Humanities
Our Year 8 students have been studying landscapes and landforms. Students have created maps and visual representations of rain forests and Uluru.
Science
Year 11 Psychology
Our Year 11 Psychology students took their learning beyond the classroom with an exciting visit to the Melbourne Zoo! They took part in a program to deepen their understanding of Social Cognition, all in preparation for their upcoming SAC. A fantastic day of hands-on learning, with plenty of time to explore the animals too!
Year 11 Chemistry
Our Year 11 Chemistry students put their practical skills to the test with a titration experiment! Using a sodium hydroxide solution, they determined the concentration of hydrochloric acid. The neutralisation reaction was complete when the phenolphthalein indicator changed from colourless to pink.
