YEAR 9-10 SCHOOL NEWS
Mt Buller Snow Trip – Trip 1
From Tuesday 4th to Friday 7th August, Year 10 and 11 students from Western Heights College enjoyed an exciting and memorable snow trip to Mt Buller. Students had the opportunity to experience the alpine environment while developing their skiing and snowboarding skills, with many embracing the challenge of trying something new and stepping outside their comfort zones.
One of the highlights of the trip was the way students worked together as a cohort, especially when hooking/unhooking the trailer + when snow chains had to be put on the buses. They supported one another, encouraged their peers and demonstrated a fantastic sense of teamwork throughout the four days. Their behaviour was excellent, with students consistently showing respect for staff, their peers and others on the slopes.
It was fantastic to see students enjoying the experience, building confidence and creating lasting memories together. Staff were extremely proud of the way the group represented Western Heights College, demonstrating maturity, enthusiasm and a positive attitude throughout the trip.
Well done to everyone involved!
Mr Parker
Year 10 work Experience
At the end of last term, Year 10 students embarked on a week of Work Experience to get a taste of life beyond school. Students were tasked with finding their own placement, and reflected on the experience in mentor this week.
What did a day on the job look like?
Evan (Manifold Heights PS) – Learning to help teach PE, setting up drills
Mo (Legal Transcripts) – Editing audio’s from different cases and transcripts
Nate (Spice Business) – Made spice products, organised supplies, cleaning
Talulah (Immigration Law Officer) – Filling out immigration forms
Ava (Storyhouse) – I worked with the 4-5 year old class the entire week. I would work with the children, helping them with things like their breakfast and lunch, reminding them to wash their hands, and things of the sort. I would play with the children both inside and outside and during quiet time on the mat for the children, I would help clean the room.
What was your favourite part of the week?
Keppler (Primary School) – Reading and helping out the children learning to read
Mo (Legal Transcripts) – Watching trials about interesting issues
Zoe (Lara Gym) – Meeting new people
What new skills or knowledge did you get from the week?
Cassidy (NDT Electrical) – How to install a light
Elshaddie (AAC QLD) – Leadership and teaching as an officer
Angeela (Waitress) – Communicating, serving, hospitality
Gemma (Glazing) – How to cork, how to install shower screens, and that I never want to be a tradie
Why would you recommend work experience for Year 10 students?
Paige (Kindergarten) – It helps you figure out what you want to do or don’t
Keppler (Primary School) – Because it’s fun
Hayley (Primary School) – Work Experience is a great opportunity for Year 10 students to get a feel for a career they are interested in
Ava (Storyhouse) – I would recommend work experience because it helped me figure out if I wanted to pursue a career in this industry and also helped develop my skills for future employment opportunities.
Year 9 Science Fair
On August 18, the Science Department held the first Science Fair for our Year 9 students. The afternoon showcased the projects students had been working on over the past three weeks and provided a valuable enrichment component to the Year 9 Science program.
Students learnt about the Scientific Method and were encouraged to pursue a research investigation based on an area of interest to them. They designed their own experiments, analysed their data and prepared presentations to share their findings.
Prizes were awarded based on votes from teachers.
Congratulations to our winners:
Rhyder, Summah and Montana (9D) – Fizz Factor
Sophie and Olivia (9A) – Music to the Heart
Raf and Gianluca (9B) – Plasma Cannon
Finley, Tahlia and Indi (9H) – Beats to Heart Beats
Andy and Jack (9F) – Water Filter
Congratulations to all students who presented a project at the Science Fair. A big thank you also goes to all our Year 9 Science teachers for their hard work and dedication in mentoring and supporting students throughout their projects.
It was wonderful to see our students take ownership of their learning, engage in scientific investigation and share their ideas with the wider school community.
Biolab Incursion Year 10 Exercise Science
On Monday, Year 10 Exercise Science students undertook a lab experiment into the accuracy and validity of wearable heart rate devices and compared them to Heart Rate monitors with chest straps. Students worked in teams at different intensities and monitored the accuracy of these wearable devices and discovered that although it is a multi-billion dollar industry, the results showed large discrepancies between the devices and the real heart rate, particularly at higher intensities. Students represented the college fantastically well and were highly engaged. Very few students will be requesting a Fitbit or Garmin for Christmas as a result of there observations and hopefully some can see the opportunities in the field of sports science.
Falk Davis
(Year 10 Exercise Science Teacher)
HPE Year 9
Year 9 students have had the chance to use the new Gym for their Net and Wall Sports Unit. This has been very exciting to get to use this great space. Students have developed their skills in Badminton and will also take part in Pickleball later this term.
