COAST

Year 9 'Girls Big Day Out'

UNITE: Last month, a group of Year 9 students attended the ‘Girls Big Day Out’ at The Gordon East Geelong Campus.

Our students participated in a range of course tasters, communicated with industry professionals and heard from a panel of local young women in trades.  As many of our Year 9 students have attended The Gordon previously with the Geelong Tertiary Futures Program, many of our students took the opportunity to be leaders within the courses and showcase their knowledge and skills.

Thank you Bella, Hanna, Yas, Paige, Olivia, Maya, Ashley, Annabelle, Evie, Kate and Stevie for being wonderful representatives of our SCSC values.  An awesome day for all!

Year 10 Outdoor & Environmental Studies

STRIVE:  Our Year 10 Outdoor and Environmental Studies students went outdoor climbing and abseiling at the You Yangs.  

VCE Literature

FLOURISH:  The VCE Literature class have just completed Unit 2, Outcome 1 – The Text, The Reader, and their Contexts. For this outcome, students completed a close analysis of Johnathon Safran Foer’s ‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close’. They then had to creatively respond to the text – in any way they chose. The results were insightful, sophisticated, and demonstrated an exceptionally high understanding of the text, its themes, and the conventions of the novel. Here are three excerpts from the students’ work. They each received above 90% for their results. Well done!

Kate Griffin, VCE Literature.

Lexi C, Year 11:

The sudden jolt of the plane enhances the fear of losing my life.

Or being the cause of a thousand others.

As we approach the runway, the only muscle I can move is my hand, as it grasps Thomas’.

A tight squeeze in response is all I need to know that he is at war. That he is swallowed by anxiety.

The rest of my body is completely and utterly paralysed. 

The realisation of being in the air, of floating, makes me wish I was at home with Oskar, knitting him a pair of white mittens.

But as I look over to Thomas, he holds a warm smile and very quietly whispers, “244.”

Today, Tomorrow, Forever.

And I’m drowning in a puddle of joy. `

The words “I love you” hesitate on my tongue, but I say them. For tomorrow is unknown.

And what feels like yesterday, I was underneath my bed covers, laughing with Anna, holding back the words “I love you”, and living in the comfort of time, in the comfort of there being a tomorrow. 

Maya H-D, Year 11:

Mom sighed and sat up. “Okay, here's an example; remember when Dad would put carrot slices in his mouth and pretended to be an arctic walrus, so you could be David Attenborough in Antarctica ?” she smiled. And I nodded.

    Dad was the best.

  “ He loved you. I loved him. We loved each other. That's all Oskar. It will never change”

  I thought about how change is inevitable. How a singular city can change in a minute, how one person's life can be changed in a tiny little second.

  Yesterday I was in a shiny New York city office, watching William Black cry.

  Last week I was watching Mom cry.

  Months ago I watched Abbey Black cry.

 And on the 11th of September 2001, at 10:14 pm I heard my Dad crying. Time, I’m starting to realize, is the only thing I will never beat.  

  In the kitchen I heard Ron humming, a pigeon soared past my window, as if it had flown from some large burning tower in the sky. Beside me, Mom was fiddling with Grandpa’s old camera on my bedside table, humming a song Dad used to holler.

Everything suddenly felt extremely loud, yet incredibly close.

I hugged Mom.

And pretended  like Dad was here with us too. I pretended it was the 10th of September, 2001 and time was all I had.

  I pretended that all was right in the world.

Lucy Straker,  Year 11:

It is almost humorous, the things we, as people, stress about and feel anxiety for. The situations, arguments and inner struggles that we think to be apocalyptic and the end of our lives when in truth, they are only mere pebbles in a stream.

This piece of news that I had been holding on to, fearing to tell him, actually made only a small ripple in our lake of a relationship. I asked if he was afraid, saying that sometimes “Life is scarier than death”, but he told me no, he was not afraid, he was overjoyed. He told me that he loved our baby, even though it barely existed at all yet, and that he loved me too.

I had never loved anyone the way I had loved Thomas. He shared my love of books, music, and art. It was like we were two halves of the same apple in a still life. Two pages side by side in a novel.

That was the last time I saw him. Well really, that was the last time that he saw me.

Later that day, I was having dinner with my family, the happy chattering of the many children and adults surrounding my ears. We talked and ate and did not know what was on the precipice. What fatal and looming thing was about to take over us, our home, our town, our lives. I stepped outside after the meal, to take in the stars. I loved the stars and the light they shone. It was only minutes later, when the clocks hit 9:30, that the air raid sirens went off.

My family were fairly calm, as was I. We were used to the sirens and assumed they were false, as they had been in the past. We made our way slowly to the shelters.  No one had ever bombed Dresden.

Wadawurrung Country Walk

RESPECT: On Monday 5th of September, First Nations students and their parents were invited to attend a half-day guided walk on Wadawurrung Country.  

We were lucky to share the culture, knowledge and stories of Wadawurrung Country and Aboriginal heritage as we walked on Country. We visited Mount Duneed, Freshwater Creek and Point Impossible.

R U OK? Day

UNITE:  R U OK? Day was on Thursday 8th September, which is our national day of action when we remind Australians that every day is the day to ask, 'are you OK?' and start a meaningful conversation whenever they spot the signs that someone they care about may be struggling with life.

Our College Captains, Melody, Archie and Hugo were spreading the message of R U OK Day.  They distributed over 1000 R U OK Kit Kats to all of our students and staff!

The Kit Kats contained a special message about how to have a wellbeing conversation with your friends.

A conversation could change a life

Got a feeling that someone you know or care about it isn’t behaving as they normally would? Perhaps they seem out of sorts? More agitated or withdrawn? Or they’re just not themselves. Trust that gut instinct and act on it. Learn more about the signs and when it's time to ask R U OK? here.

Award Achievements

Teachers had nominated students, and the SRC judged the nominations and selected winners for awards that represented our Surf Coast values.  The following awards were presented at our last assembly:

STRIVE – Ashleigh Smith

Ashleigh is an exemplary student. She is hardworking and is dedicated to her studies. She is achieving great success in her Year 12 acceleration subject.

Ashleigh works diligently in class and out of class to complete her work and review key concepts. This shows in her outstanding results.

Always working hard, asking questions when not sure and to gain deeper understanding. 

Consistently extending skills and challenging knowledge. Congratulations Ashleigh!

UNITE – Steven Williams

Steven has planned, organised and conducted a Footy Tipping Competition for a number of students and staff.  He has brought a wide variety of students together in a friendly competition and done this purely for others. Congratulations Steven!

RESPECT – Kaidyn Quinlan

Kaidyn consistently demonstrates respect to himself, his peers, school staff and the greater school community.  He always speaks positively about others.  He spends many afternoons after many students who have gone home doing a quick tidy around the learning space to ensure it is ready to go for his peers in the morning.  An absolute legend who is a wonderful role model and Year 9 Year Level Leader. Congratulations Kaidyn!

FLOURISH – Zebe Humphries

Zebe demonstrates outstanding learning behaviours.  Zebe is constantly seeking advice on how to grow and improve, always greets staff and engages in conversation and shows resilience by taking on challenges and developing new skills. 

Zebe participates in all aspects of the College including Inter-School Sport, the STRIVE Program, The Premiers Reading Challenge, clubs and school carnivals. Congratulations Zebe!

Snow Sports Winners

FLOURISH: Congratulations to new SCSC student Pantxo W. in 8B who won both the Year 7/8 Snowboard Boardercross and Snowboard Slopestyle events and came 2nd in the Year 7/8 Snowboard Giant Slalom at the Victorian Interschools Snow Competition. 

Good luck to both Pantxo and Year 9 student Zephyr W-H. who will compete at the Nationals at Perisher Snow Resort next week.

Soccer Sensation

STRIVE: A massive congratulationsto SCSC Student Jasper P has been selected to represent Victoria Country U/15 at the upcoming Soccer National Titles, to be held at Coffs Harbour for a week at the end of September.

He currently plays Division 1 National premier league soccer with North Geelong where he continues to strive to follow his dreams of becoming a professional player one day.

Well done Jasper!

Kokoda Trek Congrats

RESPECT: Cooper B (Yr11) was selected this year to represent Surf Coast Secondary College to participate in the Kokoda Trek this year.  Amazing to be selected!  He has been training hard since February and Geelong Youth Engagement (Kelly Taylor and Andy Brittain) have been extremely happy with Coops saying "he is a fantastic role model who has been ‘cruisy’ and has made connections easily."  He would've left 2:00am Thursday morning!  If you know him feel free to wish him all the best

Ane Grobler is completing a pilot program - Strive - every Thursday evening and once again has been a fantastic role model for her group.  She will attend a camp later this year.

Geelong AFLW 

RESPECT:  Massive Congrats to former student Mia Skinner (sister of Ned in Yr 10) who played her first game for Geelong AFLW last week.

A brilliant effort and a story of perseverance strength resilience and patience to get there!