Digital Tech

A few years ago the Secondary 11/12 Digital Design students created a book about Concord School called ‘Our School’, and our 2025 students decided to update it. We have been busy taking photos, interviewing students about what they like about school and designing the pages of a new book. The students will also put their design work into a website learning portfolio so they can share their designs with others. Look out for the new ‘Our School’ book in the library - it will be available next term!

Music

Students in the music elective have been focused on beat making using Ableton Live software. Many hard electro beats were composed, before students tried their hands at DJing with cross fades, live loops, echo transitions and beat matching. Students have also jammed on instruments to keep their more traditional instrumental skills honed.

PE

Students that chose the Net and Wall Sports elective completed the final part of the unit, which included practising their volleyball and badminton skills. Students enjoyed testing themselves against their peers in modified and competitive games, demonstrating different motor skills while under pressure.

Students from Year 7-12 also participated in School Sport Victoria Cross Country events this term. Each Monday, many of these students trained during their lunch break, which helped increase their capacity to run for extended periods of time. Congratulations to all students involved in this program. We look forward to seeing some of these students compete at the State final on 24th July.

Social Competencies

In Term 2, the Secondary 11/12 Social Competency program focused on personal safety, with an emphasis on Drug Education. Students explored both legal and illegal substances commonly referred to as 'recreational drugs'. They investigated the potential negative effects these substances can have on the body, as well as the legal implications of drug use, including the consequences of breaking the law.

A key area of focus was understanding the reasons why individuals may choose to use or avoid recreational drugs, particularly the impact of peer pressure on decision-making. Students engaged in a range of learning activities to consolidate their understanding, including drawings, sorting tasks, group discussions, and role-playing strategies for saying ‘no’ in relevant scenarios. They also identified trusted adults and support services, such as helplines, they can turn to if they ever feel unsafe or uncertain.

Additionally, students examined key aspects of Cyber Safety. This included the importance of privacy settings on digital devices and a deeper understanding of what constitutes cyberbullying. Students explored how to report inappropriate or harmful content, the legal responsibilities involved, and how to be an upstander rather than a bystander. They also researched the apps they commonly use and investigated the built-in features available for blocking users, reporting cyberbullying, and responding appropriately to online issues.

Visual Arts

This term, students explored independent concepts through art, invoking imagination and creative thinking. They experimented with both familiar and new design techniques to create unique works, supported in bringing their ideas to life. Through trial and error, students worked on paintings, drawings, sculptures, and collages. Completed works included independent sewing, on paper and card paintings, paper mache, canvas pieces.

Food Technologies

Semester One has been very enjoyable for students and staff in Food Technology. We have chopped, diced, cubed, shredded, sliced, whipped and coated various foods. The students have enjoyed making healthy takeaway options and have a clear understanding of the benefits of home cooked as opposed to store bought foods. Some favourite recipes are Chicken Nuggets, Meatballs in Napoli sauce, Fried Rice and Quiche. Looking forward to making Cupcake Brownies to celebrate a great semester!

Science

Throughout the term, Secondary 11/12 students in the ‘Mythbusters’ elective have continued to participate in a variety of research, planning and practical tasks. Students worked in pairs and small groups to set up and conduct teacher directed and student chosen experiments. These activities included; No two fingerprints are the same, Does the shape of a paper plane affect how it flies? Can you put a straw through a potato? Can you make raisins sink and float in a liquid? Can you make a ziplock bag explode? And, Can you colour flowers without painting them? Students had lots of fun working together to make these investigations come to life.

Outdoor Education

Students have been participating in the Rock Climbing program at two different locations which were La Trobe University and Bounce Inc. They have been actively working together as a team to build their confidence and trust. The students really pushed themselves and climbed to the top of the walls. It was great to see all students encouraging each other and showing resilience when attempting the more challenging walls.

Drivers Education

Students in the Secondary 11/12 Drivers Education elective have been focussing on what it means to be an empathetic young road user.

Topics covered so far this Term include common road safety issues, driver distractions like mobile phones and navigating the VicRoads website.

Students have watched videos, engaged with interactive websites, completed worksheets, participated in role plays around decision making when driving or preparing to drive.

Students have been regularly practising their Learners Permit Test and Hazard Perception Test online with some outstanding results, keep up the hard work!

Secondary 11/12

Issue 2 · 02 Jul 2025

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