Senior School News
Year 11 Psychology :
Brain dissection
In recent weeks, students in all three Yr 11 Psychology classes have been studying the structure and function of the brain. Students were then lucky enough to be involved in a Sheep’s Brain Dissection, whereby they got a chance to enjoy “hands-on” learning. Students were able to locate and enjoy seeing the different structures of the brain.
Year 11 Biology Excursion to Flinders
The Yr11 Biology students had a great day carrying out transects of the intertidal zone at a rock platform at Flinders beach. It was a beautiful sunny day and the students were engrossed in analysing the variety and numbers of organisms that were living in the 6 quadrats that they measured. They saw and had to identify anemones, limpets, chitons, tube worms, periwinkles, sea stars, various crabs, algae and seaweed types.
The students then had to complete their SAC in class and this allowed them to apply their knowledge t to a practical setting.
Ms Woodroffe.
Year 10 Great Expectations Mentoring Program
On Monday the 19th of March, the Year 10 Great Expectations Mentoring Program was launched with a light breakfast in the performing arts centre. Twenty-five young men and their parents attended the event where the key elements of the program were explained.
Assistant Principal, Adam Slater and Senior School Leader, Leigh O’Brien presented the benefits of mentoring from their own experiences. Both provided some valuable insights into achieving goals, persevering through challenges and pursuing excellence.
The program is designed to enhance the learning of students within the college. Studies looking into Boys in Education show that the most significant way to increase participation, academic results and to benefit girls in education is to promote achievement in boys that have the ability to achieve good academic results. The valuing of these boys that are often flying “below the radar” has a significant positive knock on effect to the achievements of the rest of the cohort.
The students have already attended an interview and completed a self-evaluation of their performance at school so far. Each young man identified goals, where they needed more guidance and aims for their future. All have participated in a mature and honest manner.
The students will be mentored by volunteer staff mentors on a regular basis, be given opportunities to engage in tailor-made learning events and a team building training camp. This is the first experience of its kind for our students, our staff Mentors and the Well Being Team. We will be working hard to make it a great success.
LAMADA
Over the last Christmas school holidays I was selected to participate in a three day residential LAMADA camp at Monash University. LAMADA stands for Learning and Making in Art, Design and Architecture and this opportunity was made possible by our college partnership with Schools Access Monash.
The program consisted of workshops, activities and experiences with like-minded students with a passion for the creative arts. We were all accommodated at Monash College and each day we were transported to the Monash University Caulfield campus to undertake a range of workshop activities.
In one workshop my group had to design a ‘mutated’ animal which would be suited to a specified environment. Our group was assigned ‘mountains’ and as a group we brainstormed animals who could live in this environment so we designed an animal that would best be suited to survive in these conditions. The catch was that we were then told that we had to actually make our animal with an assortment of materials as a costume to wear ourselves.
My favourite workshop was on the final day where we were asked to draw two diagrams and then asked to incorporate these two diagrams into one diagram and ‘draw’ into onto a wall by using duct tape.
The LAMADA camp was designed to develop our artistic potential and help us think about future careers in the fields of art, design and architecture. The experience presented me with a wonderful opportunity to develop as an artist and strengthened my connectedness with university and progressing to tertiary study in the future.
Hailey Fisher, VCE Year 12 student.
2018 Access Monash Mentoring
At lunchtime on Monday, 26 March twenty-nine VCE Year 12 and 11 students attended a meet and greet session to be formally introduced to their Monash University student mentors. After a brief talk from Access Monash Program Coordinator, Abir Musa, the mentors and mentees broke out across the Senior School Centre to have one-on-one conversations.
There was a wonderful atmosphere in the centre watching the animated and excited conversations. Our student mentees have been carefully matched with student mentors who are studying degrees aligned with the future pathways of our mentee. Mentors will visit their student mentees at the college each fortnight throughout this year working with their mentees in a range of activities including developing effective study skills, researching future tertiary pathways and personal development workshops.
Student Jessica Du with her Monash mentor
Sir John Monash Community Leaders Scholarship
Congratulations to Patterson River Secondary College former student Alisha Fulton who was awarded a $4,000 Sir John Monash Community Leaders Scholarship at a prestigious awards ceremony Monash University last week.
Alisha received the scholarship for meeting the selection criteria of achieving an 85.00+ ATAR and demonstrating of a commitment to making a difference to others through leadership and community involvement. Away from her tertiary studies in the first year of a 4-year Degree in Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Global Studies Alisha actively volunteers her free time as a SAM student mentor and volunteering at the Australian Animal Protection Society.