The Purpose Project

Emily Gosbell - Careers Practitioner

It is with great excitement that I introduce The Purpose Project, a new initiative for our Year 10 students. The Purpose Project will provide students with both time and space to understand more about themselves and who God made them to be, and to think through and explore their place in the world.

The Purpose Project will be a project-based learning experience that will take students out of their comfort zones and encourage them to engage with the world. All Year 10 students will be working on the project during their CELLS (Careers, Equip, Learning and Life Skills) classes. We will support each student as they develop broad skills to navigate the world, solve problems and take responsibility. Students will have the opportunity to plan an experience where they can focus on something they want to learn more about and come to understand.

During CELLS classes in Term 2, we will commence working with students using the model below to help them to think about their purpose and place in the world.

Students will complete a stock take on what they know in these areas and may discover there are spheres they don't yet know much about. This will help inform their decision on where to focus their Purpose Project.

The Purpose Project will take place over five days towards the end of Term 2.

Here is an overview of the five days:

Day 1: We launch the project at school and give students a variety of opportunities to explore and investigate future options.

Days 2-4: Students create a proposal (subject to approval) for how they will use these days to explore a future opportunity – students may or may not be required to be on campus. Students will have a variety of options such as the following:

Work experience - a three-day placement sourced by the student and completed offsite.
Virtual work experience and skill development opportunities
Interviewing people working in organisations or roles of interest and documenting their findings
Creating a podcast to include an interview with people about their experiences in their area of work
Creating short video clips about an occupation or industry, promoting the necessary skills to work in that area
Volunteering for an organisation.

Day 5: We will all be back on campus and there will be opportunities for further skill development. The project will finish with reflection activities.

Research tells us that young people who are thinking and planning their future are more motivated in their studies and life in general. We are excited to see what students are keen to explore during the Purpose Project when they are given time and space to take control of their learning.

Please pray for this time and for our students as they start to press into exploring their place in the world.

House Swimming Carnival

Georgia Bonda and Nathaniel Reichman, Secondary Sports Captains

The 2024 House swimming carnival was an amazing day filled with House spirit, encouragement, and excitement across each of the four Houses. Chants were awesome, with each House expressing themselves passionately, using both old and new chants and Taylor Swift songs for inspiration. The students raised the bar this year with their enthusiastic and energetic chants. Each House was required to use props to bolster their enthusiasm. Highlights during the day included Bluey, Bananas in Pyjamas and Shrek. 

Throughout the busy day, an astounding eight records were broken, a huge achievement for the following students: 

Female Yr 8 Breaststroke - Charisse Chan  37.73s

Female Yr 9 Freestyle - Vangie Lau 31.34s 

Female Yr 9 Backstroke - Vangie Lau 36.51s 

Female Yr 9 Butterfly - Vangie Lau 38.80s 

Female Open Freestyle – Zoe Willis 31.82s

Female Open Butterfly - Zoe Willis 34.62s 

Male Open Freestyle - Thomas Greenwood 26.52s 

Male Open Breaststroke - Thomas Greenwood 32.34s 

Once again, the encouragement and sense of community among the students was astonishing. So many students hopped in the pool and gave it their absolute best.

As always, the results of the carnival were highly anticipated by each of the Houses, with Cooper taking out the win for the third year in a row: 

4. Flynn 612 pts 

3. Cuthbert 675 pts 

2. Burrows 716 pts 

1. Cooper 923 pts 

Overall, the day was a great success, with perfect weather and amazing contributions from everyone. We look forward to seeing who takes home the trophy next year! 

VCE Surf Camp

Kylie Thorpe - PE teacher and Head of Cooper House

Last week 42 eager VCE PE students boarded the buses to head off on a surfing adventure for a few days. The students participated in three two-hour surf lessons over the course of the camp and by the end of our time together, all the students were carving up the waves!

We indulged in a coastal walk/rock scrabble where we arrived at the most spectacular beach side classroom to learn about musculoskeletal injuries in surfing. We enjoyed an amazing star show each night, where as a community we gazed at God’s marvellous creation.

The students are to be congratulated on the way they conducted themselves throughout the camp. All the external providers we interacted with were effusive about how wonderful (and polite!) our students are. As a staff we were very thankful for their willingness to contribute to cooking, setting up and packing down campsites and their general care of our community. What a blessing it was to have this time together.

Surf Camp Student Reflections:

PE surf camp was an amazing experience. We had lots of fun learning to surf, building friendships, and putting what we learned in class into practice. We had great weather which was perfect for learning to surf. There were lots of opportunities to become closer as a community through going to the beach and enjoying meals together. We made memories that will last a lifetime and we are so grateful for all the hard work the teachers put into making this camp a reality.  

I had such a blast on camp! It was so much fun, and we enjoyed some valuable time surfing and hanging out together. The stories from Mr Southwell and the time we spent exploring was so engaging. The sessions were the ideal length and even though the surf conditions weren't perfect we still had a great time in the swell.

Networks

'Act justly, love kindness, and walk humbly with God'

Issue 3 · 14 Mar 2024

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