Year 9 and 10
A peek into Year 9 and 10 activities this term
It has been a very busy term for Middle School students, with a number of activities, experiences, and events.
As the term draws to a close, it's important to note that with a new semester comes new opportunities to grow. Students in Year 9 and 10 are now beginning new electives, and this will help shape some of their choices for Year 10 and 11 course selection.
Year 9s undertook a subject fair in the last week of school. This allowed students to talk with Instructional Leaders about Year 10 subject options. Staff and students worked together to explore what students are to expect in terms of curriculum and assessments, work experience, and key dates for 2025.
Year 9s are also preparing themselves for an extremely exciting Term 3. The Naarm Experience Excursions Programs is an essential element for the development of our students. Experiencing city life and day-to-day commutes to the city allows students to learn the importance of independent transport opportunities, while also being engaged in activities and cultural observations in and around Melbourne City. In preparation for this experience, students met with the local youth policing unit from Sunbury Station, who went through some key areas of focus that students need to be aware of before engaging in the activity.
The work experience program continues to be very successful for our students, with a high number of Year 10 students sourcing placements in the local community and further afield. Employers spoke highly of the students' efforts, engagement, and willingness to learn. Congratulations to all who made the most of this opportunity and the learning that came with it.
Year 10s have begun the process of selecting their senior years' subjects, with discussions on pathways, further education opportunities, and 3 year planning beginning in Connect classes in the last week of term; students were introduced to subject options and what this may look like for their 2025 experience.
On Wednesday 26th June, Year 10 students were introduced to course selection and the VCE/ VCE VM options available at Sunbury College. Following the success of the evening, students will now begin the process of selecting the pathway option they wish to choose for 2025 and career planning. Sunbury College prides itself on discussing and planning future options for senior students and strives to ensure each student positively engages in course counselling and planning before entering their final years of schooling.
Students now have the opportunity to book an appointment on Thursday 18th July with a career counsellor or sub school leader to help develop their final subject selection plans. No Year 10 classes will run on this day so families and students can book in to meet with staff who are uniquely placed to have pathway discussions.
The Middle School team are very excited for what Term 3 has to bring and the different experiences our students will be engaging in.
Have a happy and safe break.
Ms. Beardmore, Ms. Fitzgerald & Ms. Polonidis.
Highlights from the term
Tradesfit-women’s in Trades Careers Expo
On Wednesday, 30 year 9 and 10 female students attended the Tradesfit Women in Trades Career Expo. It was great to see our students exploring and learning about all the career pathways in trade.
Mr Pritchard
Careers and Pathways Leader
Year 9 Growing Beyond Earth Project
The "Growing Beyond Earth" project has just finished its first nine-week trial, focusing on growing dwarf green kale in a space-like environment. During this time, students carefully tracked growth details like plant height, leaf count, and overall health, while also studying how different conditions affected the plants.
At the end of the trial, the students created a scientific poster to share their findings. This poster shows the best conditions for growing dwarf green kale and highlights some of the challenges of farming in space. This project not only provided useful data for future space farming for NASA but also helped students develop important research skills.
Moving forward, the data from this trial will help improve our methods for growing food in space, forming a solid base for future research and innovation in this field.
Trial 2 will begin in Term 3 of 2024.
Miss Nikita Cosoleto
