Senior Secondary

VCAL Victorian Electoral Commission Incursion

The Year 12 VCAL students recently engaged in a session with the Victorian Electoral Commission. Here you can see the students doing some practical activities, including a mock election, in order to prepare themselves for voting (most Year 12s will have the chance later this year!). The session helped students understand the history of voting in Australia, including the last successful referendum in 1967 which gave Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders the right to be counted in the population. 

Voting can be a daunting task when it is your first time. It was a fantastic experience to actually have a go of filling out a ballot form, and understanding how preferential voting works. We also weaved in a literacy task we had recently done in order to create 'parties' that were voted for.

The encouragement to the VCAL students was that young people have a voice, and can get involved in making positive change. We want to see our students grow into people of integrity, who care for their communities and are able to have respectful conversations. This session with VEC was informative and empowering, and as a teacher I am very grateful for the time they were able to spend with us. 

Nicky Joiner

VCAL Coordinator

Year 11 Legal Studies Police Guest Speaker

I found the police visit amazing, as I was able to gain a better understanding of what being a police officer is like, as I am interested in joining the police force. 

Constable Luke Schroder brought a display of police equipment and tools, such as handcuffs, a radio, a duty belt and body armour, which allowed us to have a hands-on experience, giving us a glimpse into the practical aspects of police work. He also brought a blue gun, which is a replica firearm for training purposes; this allowed us to gain a better understanding of how heavy firearms can be. It was interesting to find out that domestic violence calls have a lot of paperwork associated with them. It was amazing to see my friends and myself be placed in cuffs and feel how uncomfortable they were. The visit enabled us to gain a deeper understanding of law enforcement practices and debunked misconceptions we might have had. 

Chris Nash

MECS Legal Studies Student

Taking Care of Business

What do strawberry jam, chocolate brownies and denim key rings have in common?

They are all products being homemade by the Year 11 Business class, for the upcoming MECS Father’s Day Stall on Thursday 31 August. 

To prepare for this event, the Business students have conducted focus groups with primary aged children to understand their target market, learned how to prepare a business plan to ascertain how many products they will have to sell to make a profit, and have pitched their business ideas to a ‘Shark Tank’ to refine their marketing and ethical strategies. We are very grateful for the panel, comprising of Loey Riches, Grace Sketcher, Rob Lichtendonk and Jocey Bouma, for taking the time to share words of wisdom, encouragement, and expertise to the class.

If you’re stuck for a Father’s Day gift this year, why don’t you come down to the Understorey and support the Business class.

Sharon Payze & Shannon Jenkins

Year 11 Business Management Teachers

Year 12 PE HIIT Excursion

On Monday 31 July the Unit 3 & 4 Physical Education class visited Genesis gym in Lilydale for a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) training session using stationary bikes. 

This formed part of the students’ Unit 4 studies on how to implement an effective training program. Students participate in a range of training methods in a series of practical classes and complete a reflective folio on their experiences. The HIIT session at Genesis gym involved students completing a conditioning phase of 10 reps of 1 minute high intensity intervals at around 90% max HR, followed by 1 minute active recovery. The session was hard work, but a lot of fun. 

A big thanks to Beaux Glenn, the Manager of Genesis gym, for running such a great session for the PE class.  

Emma Tresidder

VCE Coordinator