School Activities
Year 10 Rotary Presentation
On Friday the 16th of October, Year 10 students welcomed Melbourne’s Rotary Club District Governor, Bronwyn Stephens, to share her vast array of experiences regarding the Rotary group, and particularly their tireless volunteer work in third world countries, such as Cambodia.
Bronwyn came prepared with a presentation and her strong passion, in attempts to enlighten the students about volunteering in Cambodia, and the endless rewards she has reaped as a result of her endeavours. She told students of the nature of work she has participated in whilst volunteering in Cambodia, and shared her passion for community service and the benefits it generates, despite many common misconceptions that volunteering is merely unpaid labour. She quickly put these beliefs to rest and assured the students of the immense joy and pride the volunteer work has possessed her with.
Year 10 students in Moore and Patrick House are currently participating in community service throughout the term, so Bronwyn’s visit came at the perfect time, as she opened many students' eyes to incredibly beneficial nature volunteer work has on every community.
On behalf of the Year 10 cohort, I would like to extend my most sincere gratitude to Bronwyn for taking time out of her busy schedule to share her passionate story with us, and I say with great confidence that her presentation has evoked a strong desire for many students to participate in a volunteer excursion with the Rotary program in the future.
Hannah Fraser.
Year 8 Geography excursion
On the 29th of October, the Year 8 Geography class went to view the Barmah Millewa forest to view the Cadell tilt. We were fortunate enough to meet Aunty Hilda and Aunty Greta and they taught us about traditional customs of the Yorta Yorta people.
Next we went to the bird hide near Picnic Point and met Keith Stockwell, who is a renowned birdwatcher in the area. He taught us about which birds lived in the area and we even saw a huge Red Belly Black Snake.
For lunch we went to Picnic Point and threw some fishing lines in the water, to no avail.
After lunch we completed some sketches of the river in all its beauty and looked at the fish ladders and the way they facilitate migration of native fish.
Thanks to Mrs Phillips, who attended and provided all of her great knowledge for the class.
Field Trip Year 10 Geography: Investigating Environmental Change and Management in the Gunbower Forest
Did you know?
dams and weirs put in for irrigation reverse the natural flow of our rivers?
keeping river levels constant leads to notch erosion and eventual river bank collapse?
in the early 1900s trees were ring barked to increase light and promote dense and upright tree growth for furniture and other purposes?
most of the environmental water in the Gunbower Forest flows back into the Murray?
Geography is all about making sense of the world around us; observe and analyse phenomena, determine the impact of human activities and evaluate our responses.
Following classroom- based research and discussions about Environmental Change and Management, Year 10 Geography students took to the field last week with some big questions:
How have people changed the riverine environment in Gunbower Forest?
What are social, economic and environmental impacts do these changes cause?
How do we manage these changes?
Students assessed changes in tree growth patterns, tree density and tree composition. They took water samples from various locations to assess water quality. Students engaged with experts from the North Central Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA) to discuss carp control and environmental watering programs.
Thank you to the students for their active participation. You were good ambassadors for our College. Thank you to Will Honeybun from NCCMA for sharing his expertise and time and thank you to Mr Phillips for driving the bus and for sharing his extensive knowledge of the river environments.
