Year 8 & 9
Assistant Principal's Report
As we head towards the much-needed winter school holidays I’d like to take the opportunity to celebrate some of our student and community successes and thank some of the Middle Years staff that have been working exceptionally well in our College.
Firstly, I wanted to acknowledge the efforts of a couple of year 9 students who have been participating in Operation Newstart. This is a program that is designed to re-engage young people. School can be challenging for many and with the complexities of what some young people experience outside of school these programs can be hugely beneficial. Well done to these students who pushed themselves out of their comfort zones and reaped the rewards of this innovative, hands on program.
Another re-engagement program that we ran successfully this term was ‘Blue Edge’. This is a program run in conjunction with the police and is somewhat a spin off from the old ‘Blue Light Discos’ of old. In Blue Edge a group of 15 young people come together twice a week for exercise, breakfast then a leadership workshop. A lot of personal growth comes from these activities and students that perhaps don’t always thrive in the classroom get to develop and show their skills in a way more meaningful to them. The program wrapped up yesterday with an excursion to Lady Northcote Adventure Camp. Well done to all involved.
A year 9 wellbeing day was recently held in which our students got to participate in a range of physical and thought-provoking workshops. All the girls were invited to go on a 45 minute bike ride through some of Werribee’s finest recreation paths down along the river. There were fun activities such as Giant Basketball, Boxing and Yoga, as well as a workshop with an Olympiad (with medals) and an anti-violence presentation from the Pat Cronin foundation. The students really enjoyed this range of activities, and so did I despite falling off my bike before we’d even left the school. A big thank you to Dan Robinson the Year 9 Coordinator for organising this along with the assistance from Amelia Coster and Rebecca Sandlant.
We trust you will get to spend some time relaxing with your children over the holidays they have earned it. Take care.
Megan Taylor - Assistant Principal Years 8 - 9
Year Level Leader's Report Year 8
The Year 8s have had a wonderful start to Semester 2 which commenced on 11th of June and are finishing up term two in style with preparations for Night at the museum where a huge number of students will able to show off their creative skills based on what they have learned in Humanities this year. It is a great way to finish the term. Night at the museum runs from 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm on Tuesday the 25th. All parents, carers and family members are welcome to attend.
The Semester one exams commenced on Wednesday the 5th of June and concluded on Thursday the 6th June. The effort and determination which students showed in the lead up and during exams was exceptional.
A big thank you to Jaymen Barker once again for taking the cross-country athletes out to Keilor on 20th of June. From year 8: Jobe Bennett, Keegan Gaundan and Kody Johnson represented our school well and placed in the middle of the 90 runners.
On the 19th of June a drama incursion by Gibber Education, called Smashed, which explained the risks of alcohol and other risky behaviours was presented to the year 8 cohort. This theatre-based lesson on alcohol and the danger of underage drinking is aligned to the Health & Physical Education curriculum and an excellent addition to our school’s wellbeing program. The show went of with a bang and the cringe factor was high. It was great to see the cohort call out and recognise unwanted non-consensual behaviour.
On Thursday 27th June, our Year 8 soccer boys will play in the regional finals at City Vista Sports Field, Fraser Rise. We wish them all the best. A very big thank you to Sensei Bosevski who is running a fantastic Football Development Program and, in its debut year, has seen 3 out of 6 teams make it through to regionals.
I’d like to thank the year 8 team for supporting the cohort. They are a dedicated bunch of teachers who strive to assist their students in every way. A very big thank you to Mr. Slater who will be acting Year Level Leader for the first two weeks of Term Three while I am on leave.
We look forward to supporting you child/children throughout their time at Wyndham Central College. Have a happy and safe holiday.
Allan Nilsen - Year 8 Year Level Leader
andreas.nilsen@education.vic.gov.au
Year Level Leader's Report Year 9
What a Term it has been! Exams are over and the holidays are near.
The year 9s safely navigated their seven exams in Week 8 and have hit the ground running at the beginning of Semester Two.
Our student led assemblies have continued. 9F and Mr Vevers took charge of Week 6’s assembly that highlighted each student and was filled with quizzes and questions. 9B took centre stage in Week 9 with their director tutor teacher Mrs Vlahos. Their tutor group challenge was a fun game of Marco Polo. 9A and Mr Kodikara finished the term off with a wonderful assembly filled with games and laughter. Their tutor group challenge was an oldie, but a goodie in musical chairs. Tutor Teachers, Mr Robson and myself were then asked to play a round of musical chairs. It is safe to say the students loved watching us fight it out over plastic chairs.
Over the course of the term we have continued to recognise the hard work, persistence and leadership of our students through our “Student of the Week”. Well done to the following students:
Week 5 - Abul Leek 9D - for actively seeking feedback to improve her work across multiple subjects and assisting others.
Week 6 - Kiyona Witono 9A - for consistently being nominated this term for always working hard, seeking feedback to improve her work and using notes to complete summaries.
Week 7 - Nan Gong 9E - for consistently producing outstanding work in all subjects.
Week 8 – Esther Vahamulwa 9E - for maintaining high standards throughout the year and always being polite and ready to learn.
Week 9 - Tristan Guilleno 9S - for leadership, superb results and dedication in creating the tutor page.
Well done again to our students of the week, keep up the great work!
Throughout this year we have been running a competition between each of the tutor groups. Points are awarded to tutor groups based on attendance, student of the week nominations and weekly competition and games held in assembly. Last terms winners was 9S who came from behind to win in the last week of Term 1. This term’s race for the title of “Tutor Challenge Champions” has been tight with a four way race between 9B, 9E, 9F and 9S. The points stand as follows, but does not include points awarded in week 10:
It is still anyones race! We will conclude Term Two with a celebration assembly next Friday where we will recognise the hard work of our wonderful students and crown this term’s tutor challenge champions.
Our Year 9s thoroughly enjoyed our first wellbeing day for 2024. The girls enjoyed the Mind, Body Pedal program facilitated by the Bicycle Network. This program was a day of bike riding, talks about self-esteem and peer pressure, a yoga session and had a special guest speaker - Olympian, Emily Petricola. The boys enjoyed the Happy, Healthy, Active program which consisted of sessions in self defence, boxing, inflatable basketball and a talk by the Pat Cronin Foundation. Both programs’ objectives were to empower and inspire our young people to become more active. Many of our students left feeling inspired, others even learning new skills.
Term Two has been a busy but fulfilling term for the students. It has been wonderful to watch as they continue to learn and work together.
Amelia Coster - Acting Year 9 Year Level Leader