From the College Vice Captains

Term 1 is nearly over already and what a fast term it has been. From the Year 12 Formal to senior school sport, Term 1 has been pretty busy for the senior school with the ever increasing demands that are expected of us. By now the Year 7s and new students from all year levels have been able to become settled into school and explore new clubs and events of their interests, such as the Art Club and the swimming carnival, provided and organised by an array of amazing teachers and dedicated school leaders.

 

There has been a lot going on at the college. The Year 7s have been to their camp and by all accounts, they had a fantastic time. They made new friends and stepped out of their comfort zones while getting a little dirty from all the fun they had. 

 

The college also had its swimming carnival and you could not have asked for a more perfect day for swimming. The sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky. It was amazing to see a lot of students participate in the events (backstroke, freestyle, breaststroke and butterfly). A few students in particular even broke some of the college’s swimming records. It was fantastic to see displays of sportsmanship, as many of the students dressed up in their house colours and showed moral support for their houses.

 

 

The Year 12 executive committee have been busy planning and organising the Year 12 Formal over the past weeks and it went off without a hitch. It was held at the beautiful venue, Merrimu Receptions and it was fantastic to see everyone letting their hair down and breaking down on the dance floor. It was a great chance for the students to destress and enjoy this night. The dance floor was busy from the entree to the desert. Everyone had arrived looking their very best with the guys looking very sharp in their suits, the girls looking very beautiful in their dresses and the girls in their suits looking just as fantastic. The food that was served on the night was very delicious and top notch. It was amazing to see some of the teachers getting on the dance floor and Mr Osi taking home the best dancer - teacher award. 

 

We cannot thank Merrimu enough for hosting the event. Afterwards, quite a few of the teachers have said that the Formal was one of the best that they had been to. They were all impressed by all the planning and organising that the executive committee did in getting everything ready for the Year 12 Formal so that it would run smoothly and flawlessly.  We feel that the Formal has brought our year level even closer together as we experience our last year of high school.

 

 

As Term 1 draws to a close, the workload for the Year 12s is starting to pick up and the cohort can probably all agree that 2021 is going to be a physically and mentally challenging year for us. No matter how much homework and study you have to do, make sure you find time to relax and do something you enjoy (playing basketball, soccer, video games or hanging out with friends). 

 

It is important to create a balance between studying and relaxation. This little advice applies to all students as the year can be challenging in many different ways. Importantly, always remember that support can be found in your fellow Year 12 students, teachers, the wellbeing staff and the school captains who are happy and willing to support you through this year. Only by supporting each other, can we get through the challenges together.

 

Recently the French classes from Years 10 to 12 went to participate in the French Film Festival that is organised every year by the Alliance Français in order to view the biographical wartime drama, De Gaulle. The film delved into the history of the historical figure, Charles De Gaulle, who was an integral part of France’s history concerning World War 2. “C’était bon journée” (translation; it was a good day) and allowed the French students to embrace the culture while learning more about the history of France. 

 

As it was International Francophonie day on the 20th March there was an array of activities that focused on embracing the wonders of French culture, within the classroom and outside of the classroom such as at the French themed breakfast club.

 

The breakfast club was a fantastic initiative that was organised by Ms Lawson. It provides students with a full stomach before starting their day at school and welcomes any and all students each Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning in the wellbeing garden. There was a wonderful initiative by Ms Kaur and the language department on spicing up the breakfast club during Harmony week. 

 

They decided to involve the different cultures in our school, so on Monday they had a Japanese breakfast serving some delicious miso soup and traditional rice balls, on Wednesday they had a French breakfast which entailed a delicious arrangement of French pastries and on Friday they had another delicious assortment of an Indian breakfast.  It was a fantastic initiative to show other students what different cultures have for breakfast before they go to school. The students that attended thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

 

 

Harmony week was a big success thanks to the organisation by the SRC and other school leaders such as the inclusion leaders. It was amazing to see quite a few students dressed up in cultural traditional clothes and embracing their different cultural backgrounds. 

 

A little sneak peak at the SRC shows that they have been busy this term with participating in the organisation of Harmony week, a leadership training session and breakfast club initiatives. Keep up the fantastic work guys.

 

Early this term, the VCE Year 12 geography class went on a fieldwork excursion to Docklands and the Melbourne CBD. Their purpose was to gather primary data on how the land use is currently being utilised, so they could complete their fieldwork reports. They all had a fantastic time and learned a lot.

 

The college has lunchtime sport back up and running again - semester 1 sport being Netball. There are eight mixed teams who will play in four rounds in term 1 and 2. It is amazing to see the students supporting and cheering each other on in the gym at the lunchtime matches, regardless of year level. We cannot wait to see who will be crowned champions of Netball for 2021. Best of luck to all the teams. 

 

Upcoming is the cross country and it will be amazing to see all the students come and participate in this event, and contribute in order to help their respective houses get in the lead of the overall house points.

 

It has been amazing to see all the students enjoying Term 1 and making up for the lost time and it has been wonderful seeing so many of the school leaders stepping up in their roles by creating these events and initiatives. After a well deserved relaxing break, there will be many more opportunities for students to participate in the following weeks of Term 2. 

 

On behalf of the School Captains, we would like to wish everyone a relaxing holiday and a fantastic rest of the year.

 

Alexander Leathley & Alannah De Jesus

College Vice Captains