Senior Secondary News
From the Head of Senior Secondary
I would like to applaud our Senior Secondary students for their diligent application to their studies during the examination periods. VCAA examinations continue for our Year 12 students, and last week Years 10 and 11 students experienced their end of year exams. Teachers have commented on their application both during their exams and in their study periods. Well done students!
Year 9 students visit the Senior Secondary College for Orientation
Last Friday, Year 9 students paid a visit to the Senior Secondary campus of the College for familiarisation with the expectations of Senior Secondary students and to have a tour of the campus. Students asked many questions as they visited classrooms, N Block, Arts and Science buildings and the Trades Skills Centre. Year 9 students were very excited about starting their Head Start program for their accelerated pathway this week.
Sharyn Hadlow
Head of Senior Secondary School
VCE Head Start
Students have started Head Start well and there is some great learning happening in every classroom. This opportunity to start Unit 1 and Unit 3 now, and do some holiday homework, sets up the VCE classes well for a reasonably paced 2021 year.
It is important that students complete homework over this time and into the holidays as well. VCE students should expect an average of two-three hours of homework or study per night.
Chris Alley
VCE Coordinator
The Tea Garden
The front of the Trades Skills Centre on the North side really needed an appropriate garden, so earlier in the year, the VET Agriculture class relocated the citrus trees, that weren’t enjoying the cool southerly aspect, there to establish the new Tea Garden.
They then planted a row of traditional tea plants (Camillia sinensis), some spearmint, lemon balm, and a few lemon verbena bushes, so that in future years we can pick our own school grown teas for the TSC café.
Perhaps next year we can add some chamomile, lemongrass and ginger, or even some locally grown coffee (we do have a few Coffee plants in the igloo)!
David Goschnick
Agriculture Teacher
VCE Maths Methods and Physics
As I mark exams and watch students prepare for them, and as I ask my new students questions, I notice time and time again how important foundational concepts and skills really are.
As a Senior Secondary teacher, I am usually with students who have already completed over ten years of schooling. So much more can be accomplished in VCE when basic numeracy and literacy is sound, and where students have already grasped important concepts in maths and science. So this is an encouragement and a big thank you to all those parents and teachers who have helped in instilling these over the last decade.
Chris Alley
How wonderful that the God of all Creation who has created seasons, sequences, patterns and time has enabled our Year 11 students to transition into the next season of their studies in Mathematics. I pray that their awe of God will grow as they discover more about the order that He has created in our world through the medium of Mathematics. This week we began our first module of work in our Head Start program, ,Data Analysis, an excellent topic to discover patterns that He has put in place in His creation of both our natural world and in His creation of us as human beings.
Shirley Patterson
Secondary Mathematics Teacher
VCE Psychology
The intrepid, imperturbable, invincible, incredible Units 3&4 Psychology students completed their external examination last Thursday, and there were many relieved faces as they headed home to prepare for their remaining exams. A fresh “batch” of Unit 1 Psychology students have now commenced their 2021 course, and in their first class they were greatly relieved to discover that trephination (look it up!) and phrenology are no longer used as methods for researching brain function. Exploring God’s creation through science certainly gives a thorough and meaningful understanding of who He is and how wonderful is His purpose for humanity.
Catherine Cloherty
Secondary Science Teacher
School-wide Free Dress Day & Donations for our Christmas Hamper Drive!
As a VCAL cohort we are running a Christmas Hamper Drive! Together we aim to collect non-perishable goods and Christmas-themed items to spread love this Christmas season. We hope that people who are less fortunate than us can benefit from these shared goods and also enjoy their Christmas. We organised a Free Dress Day on Thursday 19 November.
Instead of a gold coin donation, we requested non-perishable goods, Christmas-themed items or other items to bless people in our community who need our love.
These items included canned food, pasta/rice, sanitary items, toiletries, Christmas decor (tinsel, baubles, candy canes, mince pies etc.), and any other non-perishable items.
We collected these items during Home Group on Thursday 19 November and will have a basket in reception for further drop off of items.
We enjoyed seeing everyone in free dress with items ready to help those who need it - thanks!
Olivia Williams
VCAL Coordinator
Final Weeks in Year 10 Science
This year has gone by very quickly, with manyof our Year 10 Science classes taking place on Zoom. With the return of our students came the time - finally - to carry out practical experiments in Chemistry.
Part of their learning centred around the two types of chemical bonds. This week, we were looking at covalent bonding. To give the students the full visual experience, Mrs Hadlow kindly lent us her VCE Chemistry molecular modelling kits. The students loved creating a range of bonds between elements and found this hands-on learning much easier to memorise.
Ulli Austermann
Secondary Science Teacher