In and around the classroom

Year 10 and 11 Awards Assemblies

Today we held our Year 10 and 11 award ceremonies today to celebrate their achievements across the Semester. This marks the end of formal classes for the year.

The two main categories for these awards included our Most Improved and Highest Achieving per subject.

Other awards given out included the ADF Long Tan Award for Youth and Team Leadership which went to Jamie Green, the ADF Future Innovators

Award for STEM and the University of Melbourne’s Mathematics and Statistics awards which both went to Mahlaqa Shah. Our 2025 College Captains, House Leaders, Head of Student Voice and Diversity Leader were all announced to the student

Body today. For our community we are pleased to announce that:

• College Captains – Kemi Ilori and Manasvi Donthumalla
• Head of Gillard – Shreevidya Patel
• Head of Harcourt – Jyothsna Alisetty
• Head of Darwin – Lucinda Tabart
• Head of Bunjil – Batikan Elyazar
• Head of Student Voice – Klowie Fowler
• Head of Diversity and Inclusion – Celestine Nolasco

Our Student Voice positions will be filled in 2025.

We congratulate all.

VCE VM Community Project

The Yr11 VCE VM class completed their Outcome 3-a Community Engagement Project. 

The students cooked meals and sold them to staff on two seperate weeks. The menu included everything from Lasagna, to Kebabs, Stir Fry, Tacos, Wings and Burgers. They were an absolute hit and the students did a fantastic job! Well done Yr11 VM!

Western Melbourne Region Athletics

On Wednesday the 9th of October, Homestead sent students to the Western Metropolitan Region Athletics. This event was held at the Mooney Valley Athletics Track and saw many schools from the region competing. Our students all went out there and did exactly what a Homesteader does. They all represented Homestead in an amazing way, participated to the best of their abilities and showcased incredible sportsmanship on the day. We are extremely proud of each of the students that attended.

Out of the 7 students that attended, 5 were in Year 12. This was the last Athletics/ Inter-school Sport event that they were part of. From the College and myself, it has been a pleasure watching you grow, not only into athletes, but to the people you are today.

Year 10 Health Expo

This semester the Year 10 Health and Human Development Class presented their Health projects to the eager staff after school. This was an incredible experience for both the staff and students. The students clearly put a lot of effort into their projects and it showed with excellent engagement from teachers. Some of the topics covered included Heart Health, Cyber Safety, Healthy Drinking, Physical Health and more. Well done Year 10 HHD on an excellent expo.

-Year 10 HHD class

Year 10 Outdoor Ed Surfing Excursion

On Tuesday, the Year 10 Outdoor Ed class went down to Ocean Grove for a surfing lesson. The class had a lot of fun trying to ride the waves and some were even pretty successful! It was great to see the enthusiasm and participation from everyone involved and the class were very supportive of each other. This was an amazing opportunity that I look forward to doing again with future Outdoor Ed classes.

Year 11 Psychology - Melbourne Zoo Excursion

On Tuesday 12th November, Year 11 Psychology Students had the opportunity to explore the many wonders of the Melbourne Zoo, all in the name of ethical psychological

 research. 

Students arrived at the Melbourne Zoo to a greeting by the education officers, who took students through an engaging workshop on managing behaviours of zoo animals in an ethical manner. 

Students applied their understanding of psychological concepts such as, typical and atypical behaviour, to discuss how to ensure an optimal state of both physical and psychological well-being of all zoo animals when creating habitats and enclosures.

Students were presented with ethical dilemmas to dissect, such as how to engage the community in important animal conservation work of the zoo, whilst protecting the psychological wellbeing of all zoo animals, from Stick Insects right through to Orangutans. 

Next on the program was an application of research methods principles that students have covered in both Units 1& 2 Psychology this year. 

The Elephant and Orangutan enclosures became the fieldwork locations of choice for the budding Homestead psychologists, whereby they collected both qualitative and quantitative data on the behaviour of their chosen animal. Students first created a hypothesis, identified the independent and dependent variables of their study and considered any extraneous variables they may encounter when conducting their fieldwork research. 

By this stage, all the hard work and learning was complete, and after a much needed lunch break, students explored the zoo enclosures at their leisure before it was time to head back to Homestead and rest everyone’s tired feet! The Snow Leopards, Butterfly House and Giraffe enclosure were all high on the popularity list of students. 

Thank you to the students who all displayed the College values on the day and demonstrated to the wider community, what it means to be a ‘Homesteader’. 

Aimée Thorpe, Aimee Underwood & Alison Boxer

Year 11 Psychology Team

Food Studies

This week in the food room, our Year 10 and Year 11 students tackled two creative and tasty challenges that showcased their culinary skills, sustainability savvy, and budget-friendly smarts! 

Year 10’s MasterChef Challenge: Pizza with a Purpose! 

Year 10 took on the MasterChef Challenge with a focus on sustainability and reducing food waste. Their mission? Turn a basic frozen pizza into a whole new dish! The students transformed the humble pizza into creative, mouthwatering inventions that were both delicious and eco-friendly. From combining toppings in unusual ways to using the pizza as the base for all-new dishes, the students truly thought outside the (pizza) box. 

Congratulations to Linara  Rajapakshage who won the challenge! 

Year 11’s Final Test. Healthy Meals on a Budget 

Over in Year 11, students faced a more challenging assignment: design a quick, healthy meal under $10 that’s also low in cholesterol. The task pushed students to think not just about flavour but about nutrition, portion sizes, and affordability—a true test of their culinary skills! The results were impressive, proving that delicious, heart-healthy meals don’t have to break the bank. Here are a few of the standout dishes

World Teacher's Day-Thank you to our School Council Parents

On October 25, we celebrated world teachers day. This is but one day, where we celebrate the year long hard work of teachers across the country. Our teachers certainly felt the love and appreciation after they were treated to beautiful gifts and kind words from our wonderful school council parents. A heartfelt thanks to Ella Bagynska, Rochelle Rehmet, Jamy Sims and our council president, Danielle Rowe for putting on this special event. 

The staff were also treated to their new staff jackets. The staff here are like family and we refer to each other as Homesteads, the collective of wonderful professionals who work hard each day to provide the best possible learning experience for our amazing students. 

Principal's Art Award 2024

Following on from the Annual Art and Technology Showcase held at the beginning of Term 4, I have the pleasure and responsibility of choosing one piece of artwork as the winner of the Principals Art Award. This piece is displayed at the front of the school for the year ahead, until the tough decision is upon me again. 

This year, Lily-Rose Kieger has been award the prize for her piece named "Floral Erasure".