Secondary News

Honours Awards

Our stick insects are breeding!

The leafy stick insects in S1 have certainly grown up; they are starting to lay eggs!

Leafy stick insects don’t usually live longer than 18 months. We were a little concerned at the start of the year when we hadn’t seen any eggs, as they are now 12 months old. It looks like being in close quarters over the summer break helped them get to know each other enough to start breeding. The males were separated and all insects were grouped into travel enclosures of one male to at least one female. So far we have seen three eggs carefully placed on the back shelves of the enclosure.

The wait isn’t over yet, though. Leafy stick insect eggs can take up to a year to hatch!

Biology

Our Unit 1 Biology students have started the year with plenty of hands-on activities. So far, they have investigated cell size, diffusion of solutes and osmosis.

Here you can see plenty of smiles as students investigate the diffusion of iodine through dialysis tubing. The iodine solution looks dark yellow, but when iodine crosses a semi-permeable barrier, with starch on the other side, you can see a colour change in starch from white to dark purple. It is a great way to see how only some molecules are small enough to pass through the tiny pores in the dialysis tubing.

Practical investigations are a great way to allow students to visualise the concepts they cover in theory classes, as well as work on their fine motor skills and patience with those tricky tasks. The students have found the activities to be a big help in their understanding of concepts. Of course, it is also a lot of fun!

Next week students will be making a scaled up cell!

Ms Wright - Science Teacher

9B Science

9B students, set out to investigate the structure of the atom. They have learnt that the nucleus is very small and most of the atom is made of empty space. Students tested this hypothesis by shooting corn kernels aiming for the nucleus of a model atom. This proved a difficult task as indeed scientists before them had already recorded. Students understood just how small the nucleus must be for their kernels to be constantly going through without hitting the target nucleus. How amazing and powerful is an atom and yet most of it is empty space! Hands on confirmation, by our very own 9B. Well done everyone. 

Mrs Christopher - Science Teacher

We have had a great start to the sporting year at Carwatha! It has been fantastic seeing our students get involved in a number of sporting opportunities offered at Carwatha.

Senior Interschool Sport Division Tennis

Six students represented our College at the Greater Dandenong Division Tennis Playoffs, on Thursday 21st February. Both of our girls and boys teams won all of their matches and were recognised as the Division Champions. A big thank you to Ms Erin Carter attending the event and coaching our students.

Senior Interschool Sport Division Volleyball

On Thursday 21st February, Mr Chris Pieta accompanied the members of both the senior boys and girls Volleyball teams. Students have given up many lunchtimes to train and improve their skills, which has contributed to their fantastic Division results. The boys had some tough competition and close games, finishing third overall in their pool. Our girls team proved to be too good to beat, leaving them undefeated and the Division champions. A big thankyou to Mr Pieta who has dedicated many hours towards coaching and working with our senior Volleyball teams. Good luck to the girls who are through to the Southern Region Finals, held on May 13th at Dandenong Basketball Stadium.

College Swimming Carnival

On Tuesday 26th February, Year 5 – 12 students attended the College Swimming Carnival, at Noble Park Aquatic Centre. Students proudly wore their house colours and showcased their house spirit, cheering for their house members. Students participated in a variety of competitive and novelty events, and had access to the huge waterslide. A highlight of the day was a staff v students freestyle relay competition with the teachers taking the win. The house points and overall swimming house champion will be announcement at an upcoming College assembly. Students who have made the Division swimming team will be notified in writing.

Amanda Thomas, Sports Coordinator

It has been a good start for all the Year 7 students this year. They have turned up in their new uniform and are looking fantastic. Students have settled in well and the teachers and I look forward to working closely with them to ensure we get to know the students  well and support them in building positive relationships with each other. This can only benefit all of the students as it will allow for a very individualised and personal learning environment.

I have enjoyed meeting all the students, talking to them, finding out about their holidays and family life as well as challenging them to set goals and to work hard in all their classes. I have told them, they are the future of the school and I want them to embrace this and challenge themselves to achieve wonderful things.

  I have challenged the Year 7 students to step out of their comfort zone and try new things, to be not afraid of making mistakes and to learn from these mistakes. I am sure we will have our ups and down over this year and the years to come, but it is an exciting time for Carwatha College and I am ready to help the Year 7 cohort excel.

There are a few things coming up and information will be sent home soon.

• Year 7 excursion day, we will be going out for the day to challenge ourselves and do some activities
• Parent information night, where some teachers and myself can introduce ourselves, we will also have a BBQ and sometime where parents can ask questions.
• The year 7s will be given the opportunity to apply for Form captains.
• A hike at Lysterfield lake and get to know you day.
• A junior school Service Learning project, where year 7,8,9 will all be encouraged to raise money for a charity of the student’s choice.
• Parent teacher interviews.

We ask all parents / guardians to please ensure that their student comes to school in full school uniform including blazer, tie and proper school shoes. Please also ensure they have all their equipment and they are organised. A number of students still do not have work book and pens for all their subjects. If any parents or students are having troubles with Compass please contact the office or come and see me.

A reminder too  that the excursion levy  is due.  Again, if you are having trouble with this or are unsure, please contact the office or me.

It has been a pleasure getting to know your students and I am thoroughly looking forward to the remainder of the year.

Mr Antony - Year 7 Coordinator

As I am brand new to Carwatha I would like to introduce myself as Year 8 co-ordinator for 2019, my name is Mr  Mitch Hammond and it is a pleasure to be year 8 co-ordinator this year.

So far, the students and school have been very accommodating and have made my transition into a new school extremely easy and for that, I would like to thank all the students at Carwatha but especially the year 8s.

We have had a busy start to the year; we have had our year 8 positive relationships day, which went extremely well. The students got to continue to build on their friendships within the cohort and talked about what they liked about themselves and those around them, which was amazing to see.

We also had the senior school swimming sports day, which I believe everybody enjoyed. I would like to congratulate Sam N, Sam I, Dagi, Andrey and Immanuela for all competing in multiple events on the day.

Later on, this term there will be an excursion to Clip and Cave in Nunawading so it is important that all students have paid their excursion levy so that they can come along on the day. The students that have been wearing their blazers to school are looking terrific and it’s also great to see our attendance improving overall as a cohort.

Need to know

• Please make sure that we arrive on time to class
• Bring all equipment to class
• Pay our excursion Levy
• Wear full school uniform
• If you are absent please ring the school to inform us why you are absent

I am looking forward to a great year at Carwatha and cannot wait to see what is in store for the rest of 2019.

Mr Hammond - Year 8 Coordinator

Welcome back Year 9s!!

I’d  like to take this opportunity to welcome back the  Year 9 students and their families to Carwatha College for 2019.  I’m also thrilled to be given the opportunity to continue coordinating this wonderful group of students.   

It has been great to see all our Year 9 students settling in well and having a very positive start to the school year.  The standard of behaviour has been excellent both in lessons and around the school, with many teachers commenting on the good progress being made by students, even at this early stage. It has been particularly encouraging to see how supportive the students have been not only of each other but of the new students that have started at Carwatha. 

Students also look very smart in their uniforms and are proving to be a credit to themselves, to you and to Carwatha College.  To help students this year, I strongly recommend that you check that your child’s uniform, books, planner and equipment are clearly labelled with their name.  It’s also important that students have all the equipment they need to successful.

To help students with their studies, a quiet place at home to complete their homework/ home study would be an advantage.  To support this process, I encourage parents to check the planner on a regular basis to ensure that tasks are being recorded and completed. It’s important to keep the lines of communication open so we can work together to ensure your child has a successful 2019.

I would like to congratulate the following students for being recognised at the  High achievers Awards assembly:

Nolwen Albert

Asha De La Haye

Sarah Dib

Ramona Ghandour

MacKenzie Ho

Norah Hoang

Rory Johnstone

Hena Kuljuh

Ro Mon Lay

Davy Lim

Kiyana Matin

Jiaking Tu

Aliah Zimah

Congratulations to all these students and hope to see many more names from the Year 9 students in the future.

Well done to Ramona Ghandour and Clare Jacobe for singing the national anthem at the school assembly.

Thanks also go out to Tim Timoteo, Robert Riquelme and Luke Robinson who cooked the BBQ for the Year 8 students, when the students participated in the Positive Relationships Day

 If you have any concerns about your son or daughter’s progress please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Mrs Rentzis - Year 9 Coordinator

The year has started well with Yr. 10 settling down into the demands of their Unit 1 classes. They have had guidance from their V3 peers, who have been helping them to feel at home and get to grips with the new expectations. 

Recently, the Yr. 12 leaders ran an exciting orientation event for the V1 students. It started after lunch with some fun games like three-legged races, Kahootz quizzes and blind-folded bean bag searches. The Kahootz questions included questions on all the new abbreviations that Yr. 10 have to grapple with. And I defy you to quickly decode the following: VCE, VCAA, ATAR, VCAL, and VET.

The Yr. 12s had organised it carefully, and kept the 10s well entertained.

After that, we made our way down to the sports ovals for a game of bubble soccer. If you haven’t heard of bubble soccer before, just imagine a field of enormous inflatable balloons with tiny match-stick legs sticking out their bottom, scurrying around, one half trying to play soccer and the other half trying to knock each other over. Needless to say, it was hilarious.

I can’t help but feel that I, as coordinator, was perhaps unduly over-targeted during that game. I seemed to spend most of my time being bounced about by laughing V3 students. Mr. Mulchahy met a similar fate. It was all in good humour.

After we picked ourselves up, the Yr. 10s and 12s shared pizza and soft drinks in the V3 centre.

It was a great event and, on behalf of all V1 students, I thank the Yr. 12 leaders for their great work. You have made the Yr. 10s feel right at home in V3.

Mr Quinn -  Year Level Coordinator

Our year level has settled back into school really well. We feel that we have matured as we have gone up to the second year of the V3 program. Most of us are taking on two year 12 subjects, which has put a lot of pressure on us.  We are focusing on attending everyday as it has a huge impact on our education because we learn effectively and efficiently by attending school every day.

This should help us achieve the best possible results academically. Also, to help us improve, we have had the privilege to attend ‘Study Skills’ sessions. These sessions run by Elevate Education have helped us understand how to study smarter rather than harder in order to improve our VCE results.

Carwatha College opens up many leadership opportunities for their students. Students nominated and promoted themselves to be part  of SRC this year. The elections have been held and we are eagerly waiting to know the successful candidates.

We have also applied to be Year 11 Leaders. The opportunities provided by our school help students to build confidence and acquire many other leadership skills that will help in the future.

Angela Fourie

Being a year 11 international student who has come from China, I am still trying to overcome the language barrier and integrate with local students. This is my second-year  at Carwatha College. Although there are many challenges to face, everything is getting better.

I am really enjoying the subjects I am studying, and am not using the translator as much, which tells me that my English skills are improving. I am also not translating in my head all the time. Sometimes, I am able to think in English which is another indicator of my success with language.

Joy Yang

I have been very fortunate to take part in the ‘Dare to Dream’ workshop that was organised for VCAL and Business Management students. This interactive workshop was highly engaging and beneficial in understanding how businesses work. II understood how difficult it would be to run a business.

I understood the reality of being a CEO- the amount of pressure you are constantly facing, the difficulty of motivating your staff and the stress of meeting your business objectives. Moreover, being new to the school, this workshop provided me with the opportunity to meet my peers, work in teams and develop some leadership skills.

Maryam Sarhan

The thing I have most enjoyed so far in the year has been Intermediate Sports. I had the opportunity to coach our team, which helped me improve my organisation, teamwork and communication skills. We lost by 1 point; however, the girls’ team won and is through to the next round. Congratulations and all the best to the girls!

Zeik Zeik

The start of the school year is filled with the usual for our senior students – homework and timetable changes, locker allocation and SAC dates. In an effort to build a sense of team and assist students in making important pathways decisions, the Senior Team has also organised various team-building events and workshops focused on developing the ability to be organised and reach individual goals.

During the second week of Term 1, VCAL and Business Management students participated in the Dare to Dream workshop, run by Liz Volpe, founder of Project Gen Z. During the workshop, students learned that it takes a lot of hard work and determination to be a successful entrepreneur.

The problem posed to students was simple. Project Gen Z had 10 000 pens that students needed to market and sell. In groups, they acted in various roles, such as CEO and social media consultants, and worked as a team to design business goals and create a marketing campaign. 

Attached are samples of student work – the commercials that groups put together and a group photograph of the winning team. Many students demonstrated innovative thinking, problem solving skills, an ability to bring people together and leadership.

Congratulations to Fahima Hussaini, Maryam Sarhan, Phillippa Smales and Chris Coutts, recognised for their excellent contributions to their teams, leadership, creativity and bravery.

Congratulations to ISAAC TIMOTEO, who received the ‘Young Apprentice’ award. This award means that Isaac will have access to mentoring and business opportunities this year, organised by Project Gen Z. Isaac was recognised for his confidence, leadership and ability to bring people together.

Ms Hudson - Year 12 Coordinator