News from Frankston High School

AROUND OUR SCHOOL

Casual Dress Day

On Tuesday 23 May we held our Term 2 Casual Dress Day, with all proceeds going to Dementia Australia. This is a charity which is a source of trusted information, education and services for an estimated 400,000 Australians living with Dementia and the almost 1.5 million people involved in their care. 

During the day we had a Bake sale, Dodgeball, and a Brain Teaser Kahoot. Thank you to everyone who donated, bought something from the Bake sale, or took part in the lunchtime activities.

 

Casual Dress Day was a huge success and we are very proud to have raised $1825.35 for Dementia Australia. Thanks again for everyone who donated and helped out, and making this day successful.  

Ruby Knowles

Year 12 SLC

Former Student | Guest Speaker

On Thursday 18 May, Sicili Mule (Class of 2022) came in to speak to our current Year 12 Visual Communication and Design students and our Middle School Industrial Designers. 

 

After finishing Year 12 last year top of her VCD class, Sicili has gone on to accept a full Scholarship at RMIT for Engineering-Mechanical (Honours)/ Industrial Design (Honours) and is loving every moment of her course so far. She hopes to keep coming to Franskton High School to inspire and support our future designers. 

Mr Adam Martin

Visual Communication Teacher

 

Year 9 Japanese Incursion

Earlier this month, Year 9 Japanese students were treated to a 60-minute performance investigating aspects of Japanese culture through interactive comedy. The show included games and level-appropriate Japanese language. It is hoped that this fun presentation helped to deepen student’s interest in Japan and the Japanese culture and provide a platform for students to apply Japanese in a 'real-life' context. Thank you to Ms Seona Black for arranging this event.

Ms Tonia Hast

Japanese Teacher

Middle School Teenagers and the Law Victoria Police Incursion

 

"On Monday 22 May our Middle School Teenagers and the Law students were lucky to have Senior Constable Aaron Lord and Leading Senior Constable Neil Prosser from the Somerville Proactive Policing Unit visit our classes and present an educational talk.
 
Aaron and Neil shared a lot of interesting information with us about their equipment and a day in the life of what a police officer would do. At the end, they allowed students to ask any questions they had about being a police officer which was a once-in-a lifetime opportunity. We thank both of them for coming to speak with us and sharing their experiences"  Kade Saxon, Year 9

 

"It was interesting to hear about the qualifications required to become a Police Officer and the kind of disposition you need to succeed in the role. One fascinating thing we learned was about the training simulations they do – they are required to update their shooting training on a regular basis and they do drills with targets and people holding knives to sharpen their reflexes" – Sully Bryant, Year 10

Year 10 Challenge Accepted – ‘Exam Ready!’

On Tuesday 23 May the Year 10 students participated in ‘Challenge Accepted: Exam Ready’ session dedicated to preparing students for upcoming exams. The students found the session highly beneficial. 

 

“We started by covering the logistics of the exams: dates, times, how to prepare and equipment needed. Some of our peers also talked to us about strategies they use to prepare for assessments. Then we participated in an exam-focused workshop of their choice – each one had a different focus. Workshop 1 was for getting organised for exams, Workshop 2 was for managing exam stress, and Workshop 3 was for exam tips and tricks. I thought that having a say in what workshop I wanted to do was great because it meant it was catered to my needs. I picked Workshop 3 which went through lots of different study methods, together with tips for answering exam questions. We also explored how students are all different and need to find how they study best (e.g: flashcards vs mind maps). Before this session, I was feeling lots of stress and pressure about exams, however now I am feeling much more confident and relaxed. We all felt that the Challenge Accepted program prepared us well and made us feel less overwhelmed by the upcoming exams”. Emily Hallam – Year 10

Peer Support Program

"Over the past five weeks, we have been strengthening our leadership skills, through both our Peer Support sessions and meetings. There has been an enormous amount of improvement since the beginning of the program, with several groups and individuals building upon their collaboration, public speaking, and time-management abilities. We have learnt how to direct and coordinate classes, to ensure we are providing the best possible experience for the Year 7 cohort. Not only have we developed our own knowledge and capabilities, but the Year 7 classes have learnt about the importance of resilience, as well as how they can apply it to everyday challenges. I have especially enjoyed watching the Year 7 students participate in the activities and get to know each other, as well as become more resilient and knowledgeable students every week. Each and every group has begun to make meaningful connections with both the Year 7 students and other Peer Support Leaders, as well as the outstanding teachers who have supported us each step of the way.
It is amazing to see such progression every week, as all of the groups grow and improve their leadership strategies. We are all incredibly excited for future sessions and look forward to taking the next step in our Peer Support journeys.
Eve Kierzowski, Year 9, Peer Support Leader

The Natural Philosophy Science Symposium

On Friday 26 May the Science and Humanities faculties hosted the inaugural Frankston High School Science Symposium. 

 

Throughout Term 2, Year 11 Philosophy classes have been studying epistemology (the philosophical study of knowledge). As part of this unit, students explore a range of questions relating to science and how it helps us better understand the world, including:

  • What is the scientific method? What are its strengths, uses and limitations?
  • Does Science provide us with an objective account of the world?
  • What links are there between the practise of Science and Philosophy? 

An expert panel of some of Frankston High School's finest scientific minds discussed their views on these and related questions as part of a broader project to assist students in developing their own considered responses, and to raise the profile of Science in our school community.

The event was well-subscribed, with over 120 staff and students (Years 8-12) in attendance, and feedback across the board has been glowing.

 

"It was so interesting to learn more about the relation between Philosophy and Science, including the similarities and differences between the two. I feel like they are things that don’t really get discussed so much (outside of VCE Philosophy at least!), and hearing the viewpoints from teachers on both a scientific level as a whole, and the ones that were specific to each of their areas of expertise, was incredibly valuable. And, of course, the food and company was absolutely awesome too!" Eliza Patston, Year 9

Many thanks everyone who helped to make make this event a success, including our panellists:

  • Mr Jack Barbour and Mr Heath Booth (Biology), 
  • Ms Jasmine Rabinov and Mr Tom Whipp (Psychology), 
  • Ms Victoria Stewart (Chemistry) and
  • Mr Aaron Elias (Physics)
Ms Rabinov, Mr Booth, Mr Whipp, Mr Christie, Ms Stewart, Mr Barbour, Mr Elias
Ms Rabinov, Mr Booth, Mr Whipp, Mr Christie, Ms Stewart, Mr Barbour, Mr Elias

Thank you in particular to Head of Science Mrs Ebonie Burley for her enthusiastic support of this event from the very beginning, to Mrs Stav Smaragdiou for her exceptional organisation of the catering on the day as well as for her assistance with a range of logistics in the lead-up, and of course to Ms Annie Griffin for organising her VCE Media students to film the event.

 

The video recording of the Symposium is currently being edited. In the meantime, Frankston High School community members interested in learning more about the ideas covered both at the event and throughout the Year 11 study more broadly may find the following resources useful:

Mr Jon Christie

VCE Philosophy Teacher