Around the Campuses

Igniting Ambitions Aspirations Day

The Igniting Ambitions Aspiration Day on Friday 7th August at the Bowery Theatre was an empowering educational event for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students which featured hands-on STEM activities, university engagement and mentorship. The purpose of the event was to inspire secondary school ATSI students to build confidence, connect with culture and explore future career and education pathways.

Teiah-Jasmine Wink from 7H reflected on the day:

On 7th August three students went to the Bowery Theatre to experience a day related to STEM for students from Indigenous backgrounds. There were so many cool things that we did including music. We made a song using technology and learnt how music links to Science.

We then learnt how to fly a drone and we were lucky to have a large oval to use. The challenge was to fly the drone through some hoops. We learnt how to make fake wounds and Ms Wooles sent a photo to Mr Basant who thought it was real and had a panic attack!! We learnt how to power small racing cars using small nitrous oxide canisters. They were really fast and some of them came apart due to the speed. We had pizza for lunch and at the end of the day there were some lucky prizes. I was fortunate enough to win the major prize – a skateboard.

Thank you Mr Basant for organising the day and Ms Wooles and Ms Hamit for coming along and participating.

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Year 10 Deep Learning Legal Studies

In August, Acting Senior Sergeant Jimmy Hogben, a police prosecutor with the Broadmeadows Prosecutions Unit (who is also the parent of current and past VUSC students) visited our Year 10 Deep Learning Legal Studies class!

In a very interactive presentation, the Acting Senior Sergeant engaged the students by discussing with them the role of a police prosecutor, some of the cases he had been involved in, the challenges of dealing with accused people and victims, and what motivated him to become a police prosecutor. The students really enjoyed the opportunity to see a practical side to the legal concepts that they have learned about in class.

Zack Dado (10J) said that this experience had really enthused him about the possibility of taking up a career in the law, possibly as a barrister, while Drina Dimaano (10I) said that this was one of the most interesting and informative incursions she had attended during her time at VUSC. Next term, the students will be visiting the Sunshine Magistrates' Court where they will speak with a Magistrate and see police prosecutors in action.

Thanks to Mr Anderson for organising these awesome opportunities for our students!

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Sports and Rugby League Update

The school community is really proud of the efforts of all the students across the College who competed in several interschool sports competition this term! Well done on being amazing ambassadors of our College and displaying our values of Aspire to Achieve, Strengthen the Community, and Respect Ourselves and Others!

The Year 7 Girls Basketball team came first in their pool and progressed to the semi-final, while the Year 8 Girls Basketball team won their pool and their semi-final, making it to the grand final, only narrowly losing to Gilson College. The Intermediate Girls Basketball team also won all their pool games, and progressed to the semi-final which was won by Springside West SC. We commend these students for their fantastic efforts and sportsmanship, well done girls!

Well done to both the Year 7 and Year 8 Boys Table Tennis teams who won their pool and progressed to the semi final, and the Intermediate boys table tennis team who won all their pool games and their semi-final, progressing to the grand final which was won by Southern Cross Grammar. All teams showed great sportsmanship and awesome efforts on the day.

Term 3 has been an exciting period for our Junior Rugby League Academy. With three squads winning the State Finals 9s Competition in Term 2, the same three squads have now qualified for the State Finals for the 13vs13 Competition. These squads include our 14s & 16s Girls and our 14s Boys. Well done to these students, awesome effort!

With our students training year-round, it is great to see many of our teams reap the rewards from all the early morning/late afternoon training sessions. A huge thanks to our school families for getting their children to these sessions, we appreciate your support!

We look forward to seeing how all the students compete in Week 10 of this term for the 13vs13 State Finals. Good luck to all the teams!

On Wednesday 9th September, our Year 9 Boys Volleyball Team went to Eagles Stadium to compete in the Volleyball Victoria School Cup One Day Tournament. This is the first time ever that VUSC has participated in any event like this and it was an exciting opportunity for us to connect with other schools who share the same passion and interest in Volleyball. The students represented the school with such respect and great sportsmanship towards their opponents. There were a total of 9 schools that participated within the Western Region of Victoria, and the results are:

VUSC (2 sets) defeated Altona SC (0 Sets)

VUSC (2 Sets) defeatedSaltwater P - 9 College (0 Sets)

VUSC (2 Sets) defeated North Geelong SC (0 Sets)

VUSC (2 Sets) defeated Heathdale Christian College (0 Sets)

Finals:

VUSC (2 Sets) defeatedBemin Secondary College (0 Sets)

VUSC DID NOT drop a single set against their opponents and have been crowned the champions of the Volleyball Victoria School Cup One Day Tournament!

A huge congratulations to the boys and special thanks to Mr Eugenio and Miss Adam for their coaching, encouragement, driving and support!

A huge congratulations also to the following students who competed in the Keilor Division Athletics Competition on Friday 4th September:

Junior Campus

Jay Gurung - 1st Place in Triple Jump, 2nd Place in Long Jump, 2nd Place in 200m

Ella Harris - 3rd in the 1500m

Misha Ahmadi - 3rd Place in 200m

Lam Nguyen - 3rd Place in 200m

Senior Campus

Olivia Saumalu - 1st Place in Javelin, Discus and Relay

Leanne Ng - 1st Place in High Jump and Relay

Noor Saini - 1st Place in 400m and Relay

Kakala Osborne - 1st Place in 100m and Relay, 2nd Place in 200m

Oryn Waters - 2nd Place in Triple Jump and Discus

Eti Taliauli - 1st Place in Discus, 2nd Place in Shotput

U18-20 Boys Relay - 3rd Place

Well done to all these students on their fantastic efforts and results!

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Jiangsu Undergraduate Students Visit

On Wednesday 5th August, we were delighted to welcome a group of 40 high-achieving undergraduate students from Jiangsu, China to visit VUSC. Most of these students are scholarship recipients with outstanding academic achievements.

During their visit, they facilitated engaging cultural activities and shared their experiences with our students through conversations about developments in science and technology, university life, and future study pathways in China. Our students were highly engaged and valued the opportunity to learn from and connect with these inspiring university students.

A special thank you to our Principals’ team and Mrs Stanley for their ongoing support in making this valuable cultural and educational exchange possible. Also thank you to our front office and maintenance staff to arrange rooms and facilities for our visitors.

Reflections from both VUSC students and the undergraduate students:

Sara Gathya 8F

The student teachers were helpful (with the Chinese knot making) but just a little confusing when explaining (the procedures).

Huy (Bao) Mai 8F

The Chinese cultural activities’ session with the student teachers from China was great. I leant about the games they used to play in ancient China like throwing arrows in a pot to win a prize. Overall, it was a fun experience.

He Xintong, Jiang Hao, Xu Shaohan and Zheng Yiru from China

During the lesson, we introduced Jiangsu Province and highlighted its development in science and technology. We also participated in a conversation session and communicated with the students in Chinese about their school life, hobbies, and daily experiences. We were impressed by how actively the students participated in the class. Although Chinese is not their first language, many of them were willing to speak, ask questions and express their ideas. Their confidence and curiosity made the classroom atmosphere relaxed and engaging.

The teachers at VUSC also left a strong impression on us, including the Chinese language team Mr Ding, Ms Wang, Ms Cho and Ms Jiang. They were friendly, patient and supportive throughout our teaching lesson. We felt that the teachers respected students’ individual differences and encouraged them to communicate rather than worry too much about making mistakes. This created a positive environment for language learning.

Our overall impression of the school was very positive. The school had a welcoming atmosphere, and the relationship between teachers and students was open and respectful.

Hua Xinglan from China

We had the chance to share Chinese culture through a Chinese knot-making lesson. Before the lesson, I was a little nervous. However, after seeing the students and the Chinese-themed artworks around the school, I began to feel a sense of familiarity.

The students were highly attentive and interested in what we introduced. When I saw their curious and bright eyes, I felt really happy and wanted to do my best to give them a meaningful learning experience. During the hands-on session, each member of our team worked with a small group of students and guided them step by step. Although we sometimes faced a language barrier, we all enjoyed the process of learning, communicating, and making progress together, especially when the students successfully completed their first Chinese knot.

Shen Zhiyi from China

The students first learned about the traditional Chinese games Pitch-pot (Touhu) and Shuttlecock kicking. When I taught them the Chinese words for the games, I was surprised by how quickly they understood. It is clear they already have a solid foundation in Chinese language and culture.

The students were bright, cheerful, and highly engaged. They cheered, laughed, and encouraged one another throughout the activities. Some picked up the game skills quickly and even started friendly competitions. The classroom was filled with laughter and excitement.

Nam Tran and Alleyena Taliaoa 8J

I think that the undergraduate students who came in and taught us cultural/traditional activities were not only nice but also patient. They took their time to teach us tricky skills like learning how to tie a Chinese knot and also had excellent encouragement to us during our games outdoors and indoors.

Ella Vuong 8F

I think the cultural activities helped us gain insight and understand Chinese culture more. The undergraduate students were also good at providing instructions and explanations.

A special thank you to the VUSC Chinese Language team - Ms Wang, Ms Cho, Ms Jiang and Mr Ding - for their amazing support and assistance during the visit.

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Wear It Purple Day

On Friday 28th August, VUSC celebrated Wear It Purple Day!

Wear It Purple Day is celebrated to support and empower LGBTQIA+ young people, reminding them that they are seen, valued and have the right to be proud of who they are. By wearing purple, communities take a stand against bullying and discrimination, and promote inclusion, respect and acceptance. Students were invited to wear purple accessories (such as ribbons, jewellery, makeup and shoelaces) to acknowledge the day.

At the Junior Campus there were lunchtime activities including music in the courtyard, a photo booth and “beads-on-shoelaces.” At the Senior Campus, staff and students celebrated with a small lunch get together, and a visit from a special guest, Jacob T from Brimbank Council. Jacob is a former VUSC student and currently works at Brimbank in the role of Youth Support and Inclusion Officer, with the portfolio of LGBTQIA+ Youth Services and Community Strengthening & Inclusion.

Thank you to Jocelyn our Secondary School Nurse, and VUSC staff and students for organising the day.

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VYLC Cultural Immersion Day

VUSC are back-to-back Amazing Race Champions!

On Friday 28th August, ten of our Year 9 students joined more than 100 students from 12 other Victorian government schools for the Cultural Immersion Excursion as part of the Victorian Young Leaders to China program. One of the activities was the Amazing Race, and our students managed to take out the title again this year!

It was a great result, but even more impressive was the way our students worked together throughout the race. They supported each other, competed fairly, and everyone did their best to contribute to the team.

It was great to see their teamwork, positive attitude and respect for others throughout the day. They really showed what VUSC students are all about and represented our school extremely well.

A big thank you also to Mr Ding and Ms Cho, who seemed to do almost as much running as the students! Their encouragement and support (and all the running around the city!) was very much appreciated. Well done to everyone involved!

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VUSC Students on Excursion to VUSC

On Friday 28 August, our iCAN students based at VUSC’s Brimbank Campus had the opportunity to visit the new Brimbank Tech School at Victoria University’s Sunshine Campus (the other VUSC)!

Brimbank Tech School is a STEM Centre of Excellence for local secondary school students and offers STEM programs and innovation for secondary schools, industry partners and community members across Brimbank. The excursion took our students into a future that is approaching at breakneck speed.

Our students were welcomed at the centre’s entrance by one of their teachers as well as a humanoid robot who led us toward the room where most of the action was to take place.

On that short journey we passed a room containing many banks of 3-D printers that had been programmed to build a multiplicity of ‘Lego-like’ components for their operational model train-set that filled another whole room of the centre.

During the excursion, students recorded the podcast content they had prepared in class in the editing and mixing rooms, and used the centre’s professional software programs to mix sound effects and create music for insertion into the podcast’s “intro” and “outro” (i.e. ending).

In their subsequent evaluation of the excursion, our students and staff made the following comments:

I enjoyed playing with the robotic dogs. (Tama)
I really appreciated the dancing robot. (Giselle)
I was excited by all the fascinating technology there. (Dom)
I enjoyed making music. (Dante)
I was able to create the “choo-choo” sound of a steam train. (Mr Donnelly)
The centre staff who helped facilitated the day were friendly, engaging and knowledgeable. (Ms Willie)

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Chess Club - all welcome!

The VUSC Chess Club at the Junior Campus is a welcoming place for both beginners and experienced players to practise and enjoy the game of chess. Students in the club are friendly and supportive, and are always happy to help anyone who is new to the game. The club runs every Tuesday and Thursday at lunchtime in A3, providing a great opportunity for students to relax, challenge their thinking, and connect with friends. If you already know how to play chess, come along and challenge others. If you are interested in learning or looking for a new hobby, the Chess Club is a great place to start. Everyone is welcome!