Secondary Life
Year 7 Zoo Excursion
Leanne Benson - Year 7 Coordinator
On Friday 17 May the Year 7 students embarked on an exciting excursion to the Melbourne Zoo. This trip was a fantastic opportunity to reinforce our learning about classification and ecosystems. Our adventure included observing a variety of incredible animals within God’s Kingdom.
Among the highlights was an adorable baby elephant, the ever-curious meerkats, the majestic roaring lions (although they do sleep a lot!), and the elegantly tall giraffes.
Throughout the day, we explored diverse habitats and investigated animal features with the help of the Zoo educators. These sessions provided valuable insights into how these features enhance each animal’s survival in their natural environments.
The excursion was not only educational but immensely enjoyable. We had the chance to apply our critical thinking and observational skills in a real-world setting, as well as attend informative Zookeeper talks and explore exhibits dedicated to the conservation efforts to help these animals thrive.
Fortunately, the rain held off until we were all (almost!) on the buses. The day was a wonderful opportunity for students and staff alike to learn about God’s unique and complex Kingdom.
Year 9 Mountain Biking Camp
Adam Mack - Head of Outdoor Education
Throughout Term 2 our Year 9 Outdoor Ed students have been developing their mountain biking skills on the bike tracks around Warrandyte South and Candlebark Mountain. Last week we finished the unit with a two-night camp at Blores Hill Mountain Bike Park, at Lake Glenmaggie in Gippsland.
Students worked well as a community to set up their camp, prepare and cook their own food and by helping to maintain their bikes. They were able to demonstrate leadership through navigating the various bike trails and making decisions that enabled the group to ride well together throughout the day.
The students enjoyed the challenge of applying learned skills from their classes and from their day trip to the fun, flowing trails at Blores Hill. We had beautiful sunny weather providing us with perfect riding conditions and a strong incentive to leave our tents each morning and try more challenging obstacles such as riding through rock gardens and down steep rock faces.
It was wonderful to see students improve their skill level and confidence throughout the camp!
Victorian All-Schools Road Relay Championships
Emily Townend - Head of Health and PE
Chris Turner - Secondary Sport Coordinator
As a PE and Sport Department, we love to hear when our students use their sporting gifts to glorify God, and we are immensely proud of the students who competed last Saturday in the Victorian All-Schools Road Relay Championships. We extend a big thank you to the parents and families of these students for enabling these students to shine on the weekend. Thanks to Laura McLennan for providing us with the details and photos of this successful event.
On a beautiful Saturday morning at Princess Park, two teams represented DCC in the All-Schools 3km Road Relay: a competitive and challenging event! Our school was represented in the Men’s Under 16 and Girls' Under 14 events, with schools across the State competing in this event.
The Men’s Under 16 team comprised Alfie Onley (Year 9), Jem Englezos (Year 8), Hamish McLennan (Year 9) and Lewis McLennan (Year 8). The team faced tough competition (of 45 teams!) yet rallied together to put in a fantastic performance to finish 6th place. What an excellent achievement!
The Girls' Under 14 team included Annabelle Messer (Year 6), Brienna Coffey (Year 7), Claire Cox (Year 7) and Talise Botha (Year 7). The girls showcased exceptionally precise transitions and fantastic running skills to finish 15th out of 29 teams.
We are incredibly proud of all the students who represented DCC over the weekend. It was fantastic to hear that their determination and sportsmanship shone as they competed to the best of their abilities, and their efforts demonstrated the spirit of our community here at DCC.
Congratulations to all the students involved, and a special thanks to Laura McLennan, other parents and families for their support.
