VUSC News

Around the Campuses

Volleyball Division Winners!

This week the Year 7 and 8 boys and girls played in the Keilor Division volleyball interschool sports finals.  The Year 7 boys just missed out by two points to make it to the finals, resulting in 2 wins and 1 loss. However, the Year 8 boys on the other hand have done it again and remain undefeated throughout the Keilor Division! The Year 7 and 8 girls teams also won their division and will also proceed to the next round in Geelong! Congratulations to all these students on being great ambassadors of our College, and demonstrating our values of Aspire to Achieve and Respect Ourselves and Others - a fantastic effort!

 

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Monash University Street Law Program

In the second last week of Term 2, past VUSC student Timothy Ly and fellow Monash University law students Creo Sanghaya and Mac Konstantinou gave a presentation on consumer protection and employment law to one of our Year 11 Legal Studies classes.

 

This presentation was part of the Monash Street Law program, which is intended to educate high school students about their legal rights in areas of law that are likely to be most relevant to them in their day-to-day lives. Our students really enjoyed the presentation and participated enthusiastically in the learning activities. Timothy is in the final years of his law degree at Monash University and is looking forward to working as a lawyer in the near future.

 

Mr Anderson

Legal Studies Teacher

 

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Year 9 Legal Studies Mock Trial

Last term the Year 9 Legal Studies class participated in a mock trial. The trial was based on the murder of Professor Quirrell. After the proceedings the jury got to decide whether Harry Potter was innocent or guilty of second-degree murder. Everyone had a role in the trial and performed really well. The roles included the judge, prosecutors, defence, witnesses, tipstaff and the jury. It was a valuable experience which reinforced our understandings of the court process and the role of each person in the Australian courtroom, which we had been learning about for the past semester. It was something we all looked forward to after all our exams and assessments and was a fun way to end the topic. Some people got really into character which provoked some laughter in the courtroom. It was a good opportunity to present our understanding and hard work from the semester to principals, teachers and students from the neighbouring classes. Overall, it was a great trial that my peers and I enjoyed immensely. 

Isabel Williams (9H)

 

Our year 9 Deep Learning Economics and Legal studies class participated in a mock trial as part of our legal studies unit, which simulated a real courtroom experience. It was a highly educating and enlightening exercise that gave us a chance to examine the dynamics of a criminal case and obtain useful knowledge of the legal system. We took on a variety of roles in the courtroom, including those of prosecutors, judges, witnesses, and jurors, and actively engaged in the mock trial, which made learning not only interesting, but extremely fun. Overall, the Mock trial gave us a fascinating and immersive experience that helped us learn about the legal system's complexities and was an amazing way to end Legal Studies.

Rihanna Saleh (9H)

 

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Brimbank Young Researchers Program

Students in 9H have been fortunate to participate in the Brimbank Young Researcher's Program again this year. 

 

VUSC’s continued involvement in this program has enabled our Y9 Deep Learning classes to begin developing advanced qualitative research skills to inform their understanding of the issues impacting young people locally, nationally and globally. Students work in small groups to research a key issue, gather data and make recommendations on the issue. Swinburne University research academics facilitate the research requirements and work closely with our students over four sessions. 

 

In Term 4, each group will present their project to Brimbank Councillors and Mayor, as well as the school leadership team, enhancing student voice and agency in our local community and school context. This program assists in developing students’ problem-solving, critical and creative thinking skills that will put them in good stead for VCE and tertiary studies.

 

Currently, 9H students are collecting data to inform their chosen issue. Data collection involves selecting interviewees from all ages, recording audio and transcribing each interview. Some issues students are researching are:

  • The impacts of vaping on young people
  • First generation young migrant experience in schools
  • Youth crime and impact local communities
  • The potential impacts of artificial intelligence on young people’s learning
  • Youth mental health issues and impact on young people’s learning

Here is a link to the program https://brimbankyouth.com/programs/young-researchers-in-schools/

 

Keep an eye out for an article about this program at VUSC in the Brimbank Star Weekly!

 

Ms Navera

English/EAL & Inquiry Teacher

 

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Year 9 Careers Expo

The Year 9 Careers Expo was a great experience for students to learn about different pathways they can take as they prepare to move into their senior years of schooling. The students showcased the work from their career portfolios that they developed during Term 2, and also had the opportunity to meet with and learn about various career options from external providers, including AGA (apprenticeship network), Foresite Training and Victoria University.

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Hackathon Project

At VUSC, our Year 9 Pasifika cohort of students engaged in two Hackathon workshops on Tuesday 23 May and Tuesday 30 May. They were facilitated by young staff from Endeavour Youth Australia and Youth Junction Inc, as part of the Brimbank Empowering Communities Project - a collaboration between organisations in Brimbank (Council, Victoria University, WEstjustice, etc), and state-wide (Police, Department of Education, Western Bulldogs) who have come together to address justice and safety issues in the Brimbank area. 

 

At the beginning of their first session, students were taught about advocacy. Working in groups, they then addressed questions related to their experience: 

  • what are the local problems that affect you? 
  • what are the ‘drivers’ of those problems? 
  • who is impacted?
  • why has the problem occurred? and 
  • what changes are needed to address it?

From the multiplicity of issues raised, this session determined that the four most significant problems were Gang Violence, Drug Use, Social Media/Bullying, and a Sense of Belonging. A week later their second session followed a four-step process:

  1. Creating a precise Problem Statement for each of the four problems above
  2. Brainstorming solutions to that problem
  3. Each student then chose a solution that they wanted to focus on and then unpacked it within their group; and finally
  4. Pitching their Problem Solution to the whole group for a final vote.

In this final stage, the selected project was ‘Creating a Sense of Belonging’ through Youth Workshops, Community Events, Harmony Week and Cultural Days. Once that choice was made, all the students worked together to add their ideas to further develop the ‘winning’ project.  

 

There will be further facilitated meetings to help the students implement their Sense of Belonging project, not only at VUSC but also in the wider Brimbank Community.

 

Well done to these students for being great ambassadors of our College and strengthening our community!

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Lunchtime Activities

Lunchtime activities are happening at both campuses throughout the week - including sports, board games and more!

 

Students can speak to their Coordinator for more details. 

 

 

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