Junior School News 

Year 7 Community Day

The Year 7 Community Day was a celebration of connection, courage and community spirit. Held at Sk8house, the day brought together students and staff for a roller-skating adventure that tested persistence and teamwork in the most joyful way. 

For many students, stepping onto the rink was a challenge, some for the first time, others still finding their balance. But what stood out was the determination and encouragement shared across the year level. Falls turned into laughter, wobbles into confidence and every lap around the rink became a symbol of growth. Teachers skated alongside students, offering support, sharing smiles and sometimes even joining in the tumbles and showing that learning and resilience go hand in hand. 

In addition to skating, students participated in a range of RUOK Day activities, designed to promote mental wellbeing and strengthen peer connections. These activities encouraged open conversations, kindness and checking in with one another, reinforcing the message that every student matters and that support is always close by. 

Beyond the rink and the classroom, the day was about strengthening the bonds that make Year 7 such a vibrant and supportive community. 7C took this spirit even further by rallying behind one of their favourite Education Support staff member Mr H.  With banners, cheers and boundless energy, they attended his local footy grand final, celebrating his win with pride and enthusiasm. Their support was a powerful reminder of how community extends beyond the school gates. 

Whether it was skating side-by-side, sharing a meaningful conversation, or cheering from the side lines, the Year 7 Community Day was a testament to what can be achieved when students and staff come together. It was more than just a day out, it was a moment of persistence and shared joy that will be remembered long after the wheels stop rolling. 

NAPLAN Outstanding Growth 

During Term 3, 34 Year 9 students were recognised for achieving NAPLAN outstanding growth. The NAPLAN Outstanding Growth certificates recognise Year 9 students who achieved high growth and an increase in proficiency level.  To qualify, a student must achieve a high relative growth level, meaning their score is in the top 25% of students with similar test results in Year 7. They must also go up at least one Proficiency level, for example from Developing in Year 7 to Strong in Year 9.  

It is important to celebrate students who have made substantial gains in their growth, indicating a positive shift in their learning over time. Celebrating students who have made substantial gains in student growth show just how powerful persistence and effort can be. By focusing on improvement as well as achievement, we encourage every student to see that their hard work leads to success and continued confidence in their learning. 

Year 9 Term 3 Review 

Our Year 9 students have had a busy and exciting Term exploring their future pathways and building essential life skills. As part of the Pathways Unit, students stepped into the world of work by exploring a range of career options. Students created their own resumes and developed important skills for adulthood, including budgeting, buying a car and even planning to buy a house. These hands-on learning activities helped students see how classroom knowledge connects with real-life decisions. During their Morrisby Profiling students identified the skills and abilities they could bring to a job. They found out about what jobs match their abilities, interests and personality and the subjects they will need for those jobs. After completing the online profiling, students received a Morrisby Profile Report and had a meeting with a trained Career Practitioner to help them with their subject selection. 

In English, students studied the powerful documentary Sherpa, which is about the Sherpa people of Nepal and their vital role in guiding climbers on Mount Everest. Students were encouraged to think about responsibility, respect for local cultures and the true cost of extreme adventure tourism. Students explored some of the Sherpa culture and their spiritual relationship with Mt Everest, as well as the heavy work and risks they take in making multiple ascents to take equipment and supplies up the mountain and make the climb possible for foreign climbers. Students applied persuasive language techniques to create a creative persuasive response that encouraged audiences to think critically about issues presented in the documentary. 

In Health Education, students continued their learning about Respectful Relationships, exploring concepts of consent, communication and healthy boundaries. These lessons encourage students to develop positive and respectful interactions with others, building strong foundations for their future relationships. 

Term 3 Learning for Life Experiences - staff and student reflections 

In week 2 our Year 9 students ventured to the city in order to find the answer to a rich question they had come up with in class over the week. In their small groups they investigated their rich question related to Melbourne’s people, places, economy or lifestyle with questions varying from where you can find the cheapest eats to the best street art or best free experience in Melbourne. Overall, it was a fun day and it was great to see students problem-solving skills, teamwork skills and navigation skills developing.  

Abby 9F 

In week 7, Year 9 students set out into Docklands to compete in an Amazing Race style challenge and a visit to O'Brien Icehouse. For the Amazing Race, students completed tasks like filming a Channel 7 News Report, deciphering riddles and sketching the Bolte Bridge. During their time ice-skating, students received a 10 minute lesson on the ice and then had free reign to skate around to show off their new skills. 

 Students demonstrated important transferrable skills throughout the day, building on the ones that we have been discussing before and after each Year 9 experience this year. Students demonstrated persistence, communication skills, teamwork and time management among other things. We saw the competitive spirit come out in a lot of our students and it was fantastic to see such talent on the ice, even with our beginners!  

 Overall, the day was a success and our winners of the Amazing Race will receive their hot chip lunch in the last week of Term. As it was our last city trip for the year, it was great to end it with a positive experience for all students.  

Ms O’Brien 

Year 9 Coordinator

Smoothie Week Success! 

As a circuit breaker to the Term, all Year 9 students participated in our very popular Smoothie Week activities. In groups, students created their own “smoothie business,” designing unique recipes and selecting from a range of fruits. They could choose to make their smoothies dairy free, high protein, vegan, low GI, low sugar or even brain boosting. Once blended, students shared their creations with others to gather feedback and then worked together to prepare a pitch to advertise their smoothie to the class. 

The panel of teachers judging the smoothie businesses were extremely impressed with the creativity, teamwork and presentation skills on display and would happily support many of these smoothie businesses if they were real! Smoothie Week was a fun, hands-on way to break up the Term on a positive note, with plenty of laughter, taste-testing and learning along the way.