The focus in May for all year levels in the 9-12 Community has been upon investigating the many career opportunities and pathways that are open to students. From Year 9 to Year 12, our students have attended a variety of career expos.

In Week 3, the Year 12 students travelled to the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, where they had the opportunity to speak to, and learn from, a variety of exhibitors from tertiary institutes and training providers and representatives from a range of industry, career and vocational pathways. This was a wonderful opportunity for the students to sharpen their focus upon their career and study goals as they look to the end of their secondary schooling.

Week 4 saw the Year 9 students travel to Shepparton for the Careers Day Out exhibition, where they began their first steps towards considering the many, and varied, opportunities and pathways that await them over the next stages of their education.

Last week, Year 11 students attended the ‘Victorian Careers Expo’ at the Melbourne Showgrounds. Among many exhibits, a highlight of this year’s Expo was the Australian Defence Forces display, which gave students insights into the many career and study opportunities on offer in the defence forces. The students also took the opportunity to explore a wide variety of other career and study options while also attending seminars on tips for their Unit 3 & 4 subject studies. It was very pleasing to see how engaged the students were in looking towards their future pathways.

Rounding out the Careers program for the term, this week the Year 10s travelled to Bendigo for the ‘Tomorrow Bound Careers Expo’. As they turned their minds to the possibilities of their senior secondary years, the group took great interest in the career information and guidance provided by the many universities, training providers and employer group exhibitors.

The focus upon pathways and careers for our Year 9-11 students links well with the subject selection process which was outlined at our Senior Secondary Pathways information session that took place on Wednesday. It was gratifying to see so many of our 9-12 Community in attendance, taking the opportunity to speak with VCE subject teachers and the region’s VET and TAFE providers in preparation for the 2025 subject selections. We encourage students to take the opportunity to talk with teachers over the next two weeks about the 9/10 Elective subjects and VCE, VCEVM & VET subjects that will be available for students to consider for 2025.

Students in Years 8, 9 and 10 will be provided with links and passwords to log in to the Subject Selection Web Preferences site to complete their subject selections. Students should ensure that they have submitted their subject selections by 7 June. The “Where To Now? 2024” link below is a valuable resource for current Year 9 and 10 students as they consider their pathways as they enter the final years of their secondary studies.

Where To Now? 2024

Michelle Downie Brad Downie

9-12 Community Leader 9-12 Community Leader

Wellbeing and Community Student Learning and Professional Practice

VCEVM is out and about!

Over the course of the last few weeks, the VCEVM students have been busy engaging with a range of different community members as they embarked on their Vivid and Headspace projects. Read all about our experiences from two Year 12 students below!

On Friday the 10th, we started our Vivid Program with a Welcome BBQ. We went to the Kyabram Hub and spent the morning with clients from Echuca and Kyabram, playing games and chatting, having the opportunity to learn about some things they enjoy. We then enjoyed lunch with them, bonding over a sausage sizzle. Vivid was a great opportunity to learn about disabled people in our community and the way they spend their days. It was a great experience for us all to see and learn about. It gave us insight into some things that the Kyabram Hub was missing, and things we could help them promote through our program.

On Monday the 13th, we got on a bus and headed over to Echuca to learn about the way the Vivid Organisation ran in a town a little bigger than our own. We started at the Vivid Hub in Echuca and met some of the people who access this service. We were given a tour by Sue Green, and saw all the activities the clients engage in and how they get support. We had the chance to spend some time with them in their activities, breaking into groups and making jewellery, repairing bikes or just enjoying a chat and some craft. It was a very exciting experience and it was a very nice time meeting everyone. Then, we headed over to the work site and enjoyed ‘smoko’ with the Vivid crew, who were nice enough to give us some of their lunchtimes to chat about the amazing things they offer the Echuca community. This gave us some good ideas for what we could help with in Kyabram. We ended the day by visiting the Vivid Main Office, and listening to a few people talk about their role in the organisation of Vivid. We heard from finance, HR and marketing and we even had another conversation with the CEO. We are looking forward to putting all that we learnt into practice over the next few weeks.

Max C

Headspace Experience

Our day on Tuesday the 14th started with a bus ride to Echuca. Tucked away in the heart of town, the big green Headspace building welcomed us with open arms, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere that put us at ease. The friendly faces of everyone at Headspace took away our nerves at the idea of recording live, and we were ready to learn how to create a memorable podcast around Depression and Anxiety. We’d spent a few lessons working on our podcast questions, and learning about Depression and Anxiety, so now it was time to put the finishing touches on our hard work.

Led by the knowledgeable leaders at Headspace, Ralph and Jayden, we moved from nervous students to confident radio broadcasters. Through guided discussions and workshops, we spent the morning learning the dos and don’ts of being on air. We learnt about terms like “dead air”, and the different hand signals radio hosts use when broadcasting live.

Armed with recording equipment after lunch break, we embarked on the exciting task of working in our groups, to create three separate podcasts. We had a group who interviewed Liam and had a discussion about Depression. The second group interviewed Kirby and explored Anxiety. Lastly, we had our peer conversation group, who took the time to talk about Anxiety and Depression and how it impacts young people. Our time at Headspace was more than just a trip, it was a transformative experience that left a lasting impression on all of us. We left feeling inspired and empowered, with a renewed sense of empathy and understanding for those navigating the challenges of anxiety and depression. We hope that our podcasts help other young people who are struggling in their time of need.

Stay tuned for how you can listen to our podcasts when they are released!

Nate O

Monday the 20th of May was a very exciting day for three lucky VCEVM students. Isaiah, Lara and Lily headed off with Peter Fawcett and Narelle Pigatto to Echuca to be a part of EMFM 104.7’s special St Augustine’s radio program. The students had a bit to prepare before the big day, needing to write a short spiel about their hard work with their Kyabram Vivid Project, as well as narrow down their top 5 favourite songs that they would get to play on their 17-minute segment.

Here’s what they had to say about the experience:

Monday was an exhilarating experience as I had the chance to record a segment for EMFM 104.7 radio in Echuca. Stepping into the studio, I was filled with a mix of excitement and nervousness. The studio team was very supportive and made the whole process feel comfortable. Once we started recording, I found my rhythm and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was a great opportunity to share my love of music with the community, and I'm looking forward to hearing the segment when it airs.

Lily M

It was good, I enjoyed it a lot. It was something different that I enjoyed and I learnt a lot from it and they showed me how they properly do things. I had to record myself introducing songs and had to say a paragraph on Vivid and what they have to offer, also what they do with their clients.

Isaiah S

On the 20th of May, I and two other students went to Echuca to do a radio segment by picking 5 songs of our choice and talking about them on the radio. For me, I had a blast with getting to know and to use the equipment. We are going again on the 27th of May to do the same thing, and I can't wait!

Lara B

These three students will have one more opportunity to be on the local radio before another group of students takes on the challenge for another round!

Keep your ears peeled for the tunes of Lara, Lily and Isaiah!

Mrs Bianca Moore and Mr Peter Fawcett.

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