Middle School
Middle School Presentation Night
Tuesday, 19 November was a special night where the incredible achievements of many of the Middle School students were celebrated.
As a college we are grateful to all of the families who attended for their continued support and for helping make the night such a success.
Throughout the evening, students were recognised for their achievements in the following categories:
- Academic Excellence
- Personal Achievement
- Sports
- Performing Arts
- Growth - Literacy
- Growth – Numeracy
- Service
Thank you to all special guests who attended the night, including the Honourable Matthew Guy (Member of Parliament) and Mr Phil Rock (Kiwanis Organisation).
Congratulations to all of the award recipients especially the students who received the special awards for 2019.
These students are:
Year 7 Merit: Stephanie G (7I) & Patrick M (7E)
Year 8 Merit: Chloe B (8K) & Berry E (8F)
Year 9 Merit: Elina J (9E) & Zane M (9J)
Kiwanis Award: Mae-Rose B (9C)
Doncaster Secondary College Values Award: Peter B (8D)
Jim Mitrakas Award: Alexya C (7J)
Carly Sayer
Middle School Leader
Halogen Young Leaders Day - Student Reflection
Pictured from left: Jess, Dylan, Emily, Sarah, Sophie, Dana and Jaimie.
By Dana H (8E)
On Monday, 11 November, seven students from years 8-11 attended the Halogen Young Leaders Day at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The day aimed to inspire the young leaders within our school to take action and step-up to become true leaders.
Four guest speakers came and spoke to the students including netball legend Bianca Chatfield, who told the story of her netball career, her appearance on The Block, and how she was demoted after playing at the top level but kept on working hard.
Renowned journalist and news reporter Erin Molan told her story of persistence and determination through 88 rejection letters before making it in the television industry, and then having to overcome threatening comments and harassment because she was a woman reporting sports.
Another speaker was John Coutis, a man born with a severe disability leaving him with no legs, and who despite being told he wouldn’t live a day, surpassed all expectations. He overcame extreme bullying and taught the audience to not take life for granted because there is always someone worse off.
Sean Purcell also spoke at the event. He had a second chance at life after being told that there was a high chance he wouldn’t wake up from a coma and if he did, he would have no brain function at all. He miraculously woke up with perfect brain function and improved his life by teaching us the value of life, hard work, finding your purpose and reaching your full potential.
The hosts of the day, DJ Raf and Jade, made the day engaging with music, games and quizzes.
Overall, the day was a great opportunity and a very inspirational learning experience for those who attended.
DiSCovery Wellness Walk -
Our Furry Friend Joins In!
Over the course of this year, four lucky DiSCovery groups have enjoyed the company of our school dog, Ziggy, for their Wellness Walk.
For the first 10-15 minutes of each lesson, 9A, 9B, 9E and 9J have braved (almost) all conditions to take the opportunity to reflect on the week that's been.
This has been a great way for students to mingle across the year level and for their teachers to have meaningful conversations in a more relaxed environment.
Morgan Gardiner
Student Voice and Agency Leader
Year 8 Leadership Camp-
Bogong High Plains
On Monday, 11 November, 24 Year 8 students were selected to attend a five-day sustainability and leadership camp in the Bogong High Plains. Accompanied by Ms Cass Blake and Mr Darcy Price, the Doncaster students were joined by 20 students from Ashwood Secondary College. Here are some student reflections about their amazing experience.
Tate N (8I):
Last week 24 students and two staff members went up to the Bogong High Plains Leadership Camp at the Bogong Outdoor School. We attended this camp with students from Ashwood Secondary College. We made many friends, but this camp was not only good for making friends. It was also a great way to open our eyes to the world around us and learn about sustainability.
Our program focused on how to be a great leader and how to work well in a team. One of the priorities was to make sure your team feels safe and comfortable. The great thing about our program was that everyone got the chance to lead a group and show the awesome leadership skills they had learnt. Some of the activities included rock climbing, abseiling, rogaining (navigating) and a campout in the snow. The campout was brilliant. It was my first time ever camping and I loved it. I think the part everyone enjoyed most was the snow. It snowed through the whole night, reaching -6 degrees. It was definitely the best way for me to experience snow for the first time.
Our rogaining activity was tough, but it was a great way to work in our teams and get to know people. Using a compass to find our way around the huge Alpine National Park was challenging but also rewarding. I recommend every Year 8 next year to go for this camp. It is an awesome way to make friends and to improve on all your skills!
Nick J (8E):
A core goal of the Outdoor School is to promote sustainability in our community. We learnt so much about what is going on in the world and how we can contribute to helping. At the camp we made sustainability pledges. These were a promise to implement a sustainability practice into our normal day-to-day life at home.
Below are some sustainability pledges:
Nick J (8E): "I pledge to save water that could otherwise be used as fresh drinking water”.
To complete this pledge, I will not waste water by using unnecessary amounts when cleaning dishes. I will also only water plants when it is required and I will reduce my time in the shower. Some of the challenges will be helping out in the garden when the weather heats up and also standing in the shower waiting for the water to get warm. I think I will successfully complete this pledge because I am passionate about not wasting any more water than necessary, because some people don’t even have access to clean water.
Aidin L (8E): “I pledge to have a 'nude' lunchbox”.
A nude lunchbox is a lunchbox free of plastic and other materials that can harm the planet. To successfully complete this pledge, I will need to get a better quality lunchbox to store my food. I will ask my mum to not use plastic, such as Gladwrap when making my sandwich. I will also try to find package-free snacks. I think the biggest challenge is finding tasty package-free snacks, and preparing them every morning.
Jasmine M (8C): “I pledge to eat everything on my plate”.
To successfully complete this pledge, I will need to eat all the food on my plate, bowl and in my lunchbox for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is important to make sure you don’t waste food. I can do this by not overeating before a meal, not putting too much food on my plate and making something that I enjoy and know I will eat.
Nat D (8C): "I pledge to have a meat-free Monday each week”.
To successfully complete this pledge, I need to ensure that I avoid any meat products in my meals on Mondays. I think this will be challenging because my dad loves meat, so we usually have it every night. I think that I will be able to do this myself, however I think my family meals will be the hardest.
Kate C (8E): “I pledge to put a jumper on before I turn the heater on”.
To successfully complete this pledge I will only turn the heater on if I am still cold after putting a jumper on. Because we are coming into summer, I will also try to reverse it by taking off layers before turning on the A/C. I think this may be challenging as my family uses a lot of heating and cooling at home, however I will try to change this.
Victorian Young Leaders to China - Jen's Travel Diary
As part of the Victorian Young Leaders to China program, Jen Shean F (9D) is currently travelling throughout Beijing and Shanghai for a month of discovery and learning. The program allows students to take part in various cultural excursions along with daily Chinese classes. Here's the latest report from Jen!
Time in Beijing has been pretty amazing. Different culture lectures were held; they could be boring but there were always fun parts for people to explore. The itinerary covers tourist attractions including the Summer Palace, The Great Wall and the Forbidden City. These are all places I have seen on the internet but not in real life. Seeing them, along with the many local tourists, made me appreciate their cultural significance.
I’ve been gaining more confidence these days and have stepped out of my comfort zone. I’m getting more used to putting my hand up in class, and volunteering to do things I wasn’t comfortable with before.
The highlight of the week was setting up our project for Hanban. We constructed a performance which everyone participated in. It turned out really well and we had fun. I played a significant role translating for the Chinese audience, which was something out of my normal comfort zone.
The experience on the bullet train was very good - much better than being on an aeroplane. The seats on the train were very comfortable and I slept for most of the trip. My friend Emily told me we were traveling at 350 km/hr.
My first impression of Shanghai is that it is very different to Beijing. The temperature is higher than in Beijing, which is a disaster for me because I dislike hot weather. The days in Shanghai so far are pretty casual. The schedule is not as busy, and I prefer the food we are provided with.
Enjoy the rest of the program, Jen. Safe travels!
Year 9 Surface Design
- Amazing Dioramas!
Our Year 9 Surface Design students recently took part in an exciting project creating dioramas. Laylah T (9H) shares her reflection on this fun experience!
In the Year 9 Surface Design class, we recently created insect dioramas, and were each allocated different insects and had to use our imagination to create our masterpiece.
During the planning process, we had to get creative, sketch and colour two ideas/designs for our insect. We also had to create a 'mood board' of all our ideas.
Each student had a unique design and came up with something amazing. Students used a wide range of materials such as dirt, sticks, rocks, flowers, leaves, branches and paint. Some of the insects that we used were centipedes, spiders, rats, cockroaches, caterpillars and dragonflies.
In my diorama, I was able to get creative with the centipede. Some of the materials that I used were branches, leaves, rocks, dirt and paint.
I stood up my diorama with metal wires stuck to the back.
This task was fun and got everyone thinking about different ideas. It also helped students learn to work with what they have, even if they found it difficult.