DSC Cross Country 2020

Report by Ashley O’Callaghan and Jack Trewella

On Thursday, 19 March, Doncaster Secondary College hosted its annual House Cross Country Carnival.

While it has been a testing time for the college community, it was fantastic to see such a large number of students demonstrate the Doncaster spirit and compete to the best of their ability.

The students ran around a new course on the college grounds, which was a refreshing experience for everyone involved on the day. This was also well received as students were provided with a small relief from the hills that Ruffey Lake would usually offer.

The cross country event provided a great opportunity for members of the college to come together as one, in celebrating and supporting one another. Congratulations to all who competed, the eventual winners and age groups champions!

Age Group Champions

Under 13 Boys – Mikael E-A (7D)

Under 13 Girls – Lucy R (7B)

Under 14 Boys – Christian F (8I)

Under 14 Girls – Livinia A (8B)

Under 15 Boys – Ivan L (10A)

Under 15 Girls – Scout P (9E)

Under 16 Boys – Peter A (10B)

Under 16 Girls – Alicia F (10F)

Under 17 Boys – James I-P (11B)

Under 17 Girls – Emma M (11I)

Under 20 Boys – Harry L (12A)

Under 20 Girls – Ruby G (11G)

Geography Cake Competition

Winners Ashlee A (7K) and Bailey R (7K) with their creation, "Under the Sea Holding the World" and Sarah P (7K) with her entry, "Big Ben".

Our planet is an amazing place and students at Doncaster have taken the challenge to create cakes based on something related to geography. This week students worked as individuals or teams to create an array of incredible cakes that reflected the many facets of the world in which we live.

Some students such as Raul D-S (7G) created a cake showing the map of our world, while Georgia M (7G) and Amelia W's (7G) cakes displayed the many different landscapes that exist on our planet. Amy M (7A), Chrissy M (7C) and Evan S (7G) worked separately but created cakes that displayed the unique Australian landscape.

Others looked for inspiration from the power of these landscapes by creating volcanoes. Well done to Charlotte K (8D) and a team that consisted of Abby H (7J), Sarah C (7E), Lauren S (7E) and Abbey M (7E) for their entries, and to Lucas T (7G) and Will P (7G) who created a new land.

Some other students turned their cake-making skills to show the human side of our planet. For example, Paul S (7E) created a cake called “A taste of Egypt", while Joven R (7K) looked at the issue of pollution in our river systems. We also had a sea-theme, geographic skills including orientation, and a wonderful Big Ben cake.

Congratulations to the competition winners Ashlee A (7K) and Bailey R (7K) with their creation, "Under the Sea Holding the World" and Sarah P (7K) with her entry, "Big Ben".

Well done to all students for their efforts, creativity and displaying their school spirit.

- Janelle Farley, Geography, History and Humanities Teacher

Please scroll through our cake gallery below!

SRC: An Important Message to Students about COVID-19

2020 has been a pretty long year already and we're only halfway through March. We've all been thinking and talking a lot about coronavirus (COVID-19) this week as the stories and advice coming from media and the Government get more intense and urgent. We wanted to share some thoughts, advice and updates to keep you in the loop.

Schools, learning and VCE

The Department of Education and Training (DET) and Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) are working hard to make sure students will be able to keep learning if it becomes necessary for our school to close. VCAA have already said they intend to be as flexible as possible when making considerations for this year's VCE students. We understand VCE is a stressful time even without the added tension this year has brought, so if you have any specific concerns feel free to reach out to our lovely wellbeing team.

Getting sick

It's important to know that people are going to get ill, whether that be from COVID-19 or even just the common cold.

Despite the contagious nature of the virus, for most people it isn't going to be much more serious than the flu. Particularly for young, healthy people, getting COVID-19 is not a huge risk; it's more likely to impact the elderly, people with weaker immune systems, smokers or those with prior lung-conditions. We encourage you to consider the health of these people during this time. Use this time to remain compassionate and have others in your thoughts. It is recommended that you take precautions seriously (such as washing your hands THOROUGHLY and avoiding touching your face). Take care to avoid passing it on to people who are more vulnerable to severe symptoms.

I'm feeling overwhelmed

That's okay! It's a pretty overwhelming time. Keep doing things that are good for your general and mental health. If you take medication (for any reason), keep doing that. Make sure you get some sunlight and fresh air. Talk to your family and friends, reach out to them or the wellbeing team if you're feeling overwhelmed. Also check on people who might not feel like they're able to reach out. Go offline. It's important to stay alert but not alarmed: turn off your news push notifications and check in on reliable sources.

You can use this link if you need: https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert

If you're still feeling really overwhelmed, reach out beyond your usual networks. Kids Helpline and Headspace both offer phone and online chat options:

https://headspace.org.au/young-people/how-to-cope-with-stress-related-to-covid-19/

What about the economy?

There’s been some pretty alarming conversations about the economy going on out there too. That's a scary thing to hear, but k

News from STEAM Club!

This fortnight in STEAM has been a busy one. Unfortunately the Grand Prix was cancelled and so we missed out on the exciting opportunity to see STEAM in action but we have been continuing STEAM Club.

This week we made film canister rockets which was a massive success. We have also been learning how to 3D print in readiness for the Print A Car Challenge, a competition where we make and 3D print a car to race against other schools.

If this is something that interests you, please come along to STEAM Club every Tuesday in G6 or see myself or Ms Purches for more details.

- Betty Zois – STEAM Student Leader

College Newsletter

Working Together, Learning Together

Issue 44 · 20 Mar 2020

In this issue