Year 9 City Excursion

At what age did you first start using public transport or go into Melbourne’s CBD?

In Week 5, with preparation and guidance, our Year 9 students met at various train stations across the local network and navigated their own way into the city for an excursion day. This experience becomes foundational to our upcoming City Camp as students familiarise themselves with the layout of the Hoddle Grid, how trams and trains operate, and where iconic landmarks are located. Students work and travel in groups, providing opportunities to improve communication and interpersonal skills as they plan and negotiate with each other.

The first part of our day was to visit the Eureka Tower Observation Deck. With an incredibly unique perspective from the 89th floor, our Year 9s completed mapping exercises and peered out over the cities layout and landmarks. 

In Term 1 of the Year 9 Journey Program we are looking at ‘Stories that Shape us’. Students have been discovering and investigating Cultural Narratives that are all around us and that influence our perspective of the world. These Narratives ultimately play a large role in shaping our view of ourselves and where we find our own value and ideas of success or a ‘good life’. 

The second half of our city excursion comprised of students heading out to two pre-planned locations to conduct observations for their group project. Depending on which Cultural Narrative underpins each groups topic, they selected relevant and appropriate locations to visit and note down the visible, audible, intentional and implicit stories that are being told through the various aspects of their surroundings. Each group also conducted surveys of the general public whilst out on location to collect data to analyse about their groups topic.

Our Year 9s were very impressive during the whole day. They communicated with teachers and each other well and whilst we know some of them will lose their sense of direction at some point, or underestimate how long it may take to get to a check-in with their teachers, overall it was a big success and a wonderful day to spark excitement for our City Camp.

Tim Eddy

Year 9 Coordinator, Deputy Head of Secondary & Secondary Teacher