Coburg High School Newsletter

Outside the Classroom

Victorian High Ability Program

On the 22nd of June, the Term 2 Victorian High Ability Program (VHAP) students went to Brunswick Secondary College to participate in a combined Masterclass. VHAP is an extension program for English and Mathematics, and student enrolment  is based on NAPLAN data. 

In the Math program we talked about open-ended questions with complicated answers. During this we discussed big questions like ‘How many sides on a circle?’ and different patterns that occur. 

In the English program, we talked about Utopian and Dystopian worlds. We did a few activities and talked about the book we read - ‘Hive’. We created comics and scenes of our own Dystopian world and created a protagonist before we presented this to the class.

The day was very enjoyable as we worked with new people and also saw friends from primary school. We had a lot of fun at a different school and we would love to do it again.

Will T &  Emma G

Interschool Sport

We have had a busy start to Term 3, with lots of teams that have already completed at the Northern Metropolitan Region (NMR) level. These teams won their Division day and progressed to this level. We have had some wins, draws and losses but we are proud of our staff and students for making it this far.

Division

Coming Up for our division competition are the following sports: some have had tryouts and started training, some are later in the term and coaches will organise tryouts soon.

Year 7, 8 & Intermediate Girls Futsal

Intermediate Boys Basketball

Year 7 & 8 Boys Basketball

Intermediate Girls Basketball

Year 7 & 8 Girls Basketball

NMR

So far this term these team have represented us at the NMR level: Intermediate Boys AFL, Junior Girls AFL, Senior Boys AFL, Year 7 Boys AFL, and Intermediate Boys Netball.

Coming up are: Year 8 Girls Soccer, Year 8 Girls Netball, Year 7 Girls Soccer, Year 7 Girls Netball, Senior Boys & Girls Basketball, and Year 7 & 8 Boys Badminton.

Intermediate Boys AFL: Year 9/10 boys represented the school with pride, they showed resilience and great sportsmanship. They faced Montmorency, Gladstone Park and Whittlesea, winning one game and losing two. 

Junior Girls AFL: After a successful division win, the 7/8 girls went through to regionals playing off in a competitive round robin series falling short for the win against Aitken, Diamond Valley and Hazel Glen.

Junior Boys AFL: Shout out to all the parents that came down to offer their amazing support for our team! A special thanks to Jo O'Shea  for supplying numerous large containers of orange slices and lollies for the boys!

Intermediate Boys Futsal: All four boys teams represented the school with pride and showed great sportsmanship throughout the day. A special shout out to the year 8 boys A team who won the grand final 6-2 against AIA. 

Athletics 

State

We would like to congratulate Lara, Eloise & Leo on qualifying and completing at the state cross country on Thursday 13th July. This was held at Yarra Glen Racing Club, all three of our athletes ran 3km, they started on the race track, ran out the back to the hill area (really muddy and steep) then finished at the finish post on the race track.  With over 100 athletes in each age group our champions demonstrated excellence and we could not be prouder of them and their exceptional efforts, what a huge achievement! Congratulations again and well done on making it to state.

Lara S - placed 77th 

Eloise B - Placed 70th with a time of 16.11

Leo E - Placed 74th with a time of 12.49

Paul Arney & Mia Haas

Algorithmics

Liam, Ella and I recently attended an all-day seminar for VCE Algorithmics. This year, we've embraced the subject, which was delivered to us using hy-flex delivery where we learn both online and in person. We've really enjoyed supplementing our learning by hearing from esteemed university lecturers like Professor Sebastian Sardina from RMIT. We encourage future students to consider studying Algorithmics as it opens doors to problem-solving, tech innovation, and a future driven by knowledge and creativity. Embrace the challenge and shape a brighter tomorrow with Algorithmics!

Alice Q, Year 12

Debating

Last week was the final round of the Schools Debating Competition for students in Years 9 to 12. Seven different schools from across the region come to CHS to debate. The quality of debates across the board was very impressive. The draws for this round were ranked with teams next to each other on the ladder debating each other, so all teams had some challenges and learnt some things in the debate.   

The VCE team kicked things off with a secret topic, ’That we should abolish monarchies’. Edan B, Emma G, and Finn M won against Santa Maria by a massive five point margin as the affirmative team, which puts them undefeated through to the finals. Special mention to Finn who also picked up best speaker of the debate with what is, by all accounts, an amazingly impressive third speaker debate. 

The C Grade team were up next with a prepared topic - they had the challenge of arguing the affirmative side of ’That medical professionals should not be allowed to strike’. Congratulations to the team of Aliya C, Diego S, and Henry C for successfully arguing their case and winning with a margin of four points against St Mary’s. This debate was fairly equally tied in terms of arguments and content - the big differences came through with the two other scoring components, method (structure) and manner (speaking ability). Congratulations to Aliya for picking up best speaker of the debate. The team is also undefeated in the competition and go through to the finals.  

To round out the night, the D grade team spoke as the negative team on the topic ’That we regret the rise of participation awards’. Hanna J-A, Sophie F, and Alanna P did their best but were not able to overcome St Mary’s, loosing by a margin of four points. They’ve got some great pointers to take with them for next year and know some of the ways to improve their speeches with some great feedback from the adjudicator at the end of the debate. 

The Junior debating program for students in Years 7 and 8 is getting started later in Term 3 - for those students interested please check your Compass feed for instructions as to how to get involved. 

Thank you, again, to those parents and carers for their support of the debating program. I’m so proud of every debater, no matter the outcome of the debate. Everyone has improved so much throughout the course of the year and I’m so thrilled to get to witness how much you’ve grown in confidence. The School’s competition will run again next year - keep an eye out for sign ups at the beginning of 2024. In the meantime, stay tuned for updates from the finals and the Junior program! 

Kelly Harper

Library

And now for some fun facts about the library….

DID YOU KNOW? 

  • The library has its very own online catalogue containing every book that is in the collection here at CHS.
  • You can access the catalogue through the STAR symbol dropdown menu on Compass
  • We have a collection of over 4000 titles in the library (wow!)
  • You can reserve books on the catalogue.
  • You can also write book reviews.
  • The library is constantly getting new books for the collection. Have a look at what we got this week!   →

Go Matildas!

 

  • The Library Homepage has loads of educational links to help with study.
  • The Homepage also has Clickview which has heaps of movies, TV shows, documentaries as well as educational stuff. If you don’t have a streaming service at home just go to Clickview. It’s free!
  • The library is open between the hours of 8am - 4pm Monday to Friday (no, we are not here on weekends or holidays). If you need some peace and quiet for study or if you are waiting to be collected after school, come by the library. It’s warm. 
  • Your Compass card is also your library card. Bring it with you when borrowing books.
  • We have two student Library Assistants, Althea and Justice, who can also help with any book queries you have.
  • That the library is everyone’s favourite place to hang out at CHS.
  • Finally, did you know that the librarian is obsessed with books?

Dianna Jarnet

Student Achievement

Congratulations to Irene A of Year 11 who has just learned she will be the worthy recipient of a Rotary Youth Exchange! Irene will be spending 2024 living with a host family in Germany and returning to us in 2025. We wish Irene the best of luck on this amazing adventure and the start of her life as a global citizen.

One of our year 12 students, Mahmoud (Moudy) T was selected to play for Essendon's VFL side on the weekend (Sunday 30 July). Whilst the Bombers lost to Sydney, Moudy acquitted himself really well. With limited game time he ended up with 10 possessions and the second highest number of tackles for the team!

In receiving his guernsey, it was acknowledged that Moudy was a respectful young man by the Essendon Development Coach. We congratulate Moudy on being selected for this honour, as well playing for the Victorian Metro under 18 representative side at the recent AFL boys under 18 championships. 

We love to hear about and share your achievements, if you have something you would like to share please send  it to virginia.mendoza@coburg.vic.edu.au along with a photo (if you have one) for our next newsletter.

9 & 10 Student-Led Conferences & Course Counselling 

On Friday the 23rd of June our Year 9 & 10 students met with course counsellor teachers. They showcased their goals and celebrated their progress so far this year. They also discussed their individualised plans for subject selection. 

At CHS, our students set goals for the year. They then work with their Home Group teachers to track their progress to support their success.

Course Counselling can be a challenging process. For many students, it is their first major independent decision. Families and teachers take a guiding role as our students themselves make the final call. 

We are so proud of our students. Our Year 10s have made their VCE & VCE VM Subject Selection. Working towards your personal and academic goals is not always easy - we are all here to support you along your journey. 

Save the Date! 7 & 8 Student-Led Conferences - Wednesday 30th August 

As part of our Curiosity and Community Day, Year 7 & 8 students will lead their own Student-Led Conferences. We are so excited - at Coburg High School we value this opportunity to: 

  • prioritise student voice in our discussion of their learning
  • build connections between students, families and teachers

Conference bookings open Mon 21 Aug  (Week 7) and close Mon 28 Aug (Week 8) 

We can’t wait to see you there! 

Chloe Tayler 

Learning Specialist - Student Voice and Agency 

Blue Edge

This term a group of Year 7s, including us, have been partaking in the Blue Edge program run by Blue Light Victoria and Victoria Police. In this program we have been engaging in group and physical activities, teaching us leadership and life skills, whilst keeping up our physical health. Some activities we have done are the beep test, “Sausage rolling”, Octopus, passing, and the Illinois agility test. After these activities we get some FREE breakfast, then move onto discussing life skills. We’ve looked at respect, leadership and communication so far. Blue edge is a great opportunity to make new friends, get a FREE feed, learn about teamwork, and to keep your fitness up. We look forward to getting fitter and learning more in upcoming sessions. 

Tim Z and Elliot G - Year 7

Outdoor Ed Snow Camp

The Unit 4 OES students attended their snow camp in week 3 of this term. The students spent the 4 days exploring Mt Beauty and Falls Creek Resort. The camp included 2 days of downhill skiing and learning about the environment. The students had 2 perfect days on the mountain where they were able to explore and challenge themselves. All the students were excellent and had great fun. 

Hannah Willmott

Student Voice

Student Voice has been very busy this year working as a team to improve our school environment and hear directly from students any concerns or ideas to make Coburg High a better, safer and more exciting place to be. In the past few months, we have discussed and implemented a range of actions such as our new bin system and the decades themed dress up day and we’ve got a lot of other interesting plans in the works. 

Our new bins, which Student Voice has been talking about since the very beginning of the year are fully installed and functioning. It’s so great to see our wonderful school putting in the effort to help protect the environment by being more eco-friendly at school. We’re so very proud of the amazing job our school captains have done to implement this excellent new system!

Near the end of last term, the whole school participated in a decades-themed dress-up day, raising money for an awesome charity called Big Group Hug. Wonderful costumes were seen across all year levels with students rocking generations of styles and themes, showing off their own interpretation of fashion across the decades. We were so excited to see the fabulous outfits and appreciated all of the energy that went into putting them together.

Throughout the year, Student Voice has discussed many important issues and events including future uniform-free days, charities we’d like to support, the Attitudes To School Survey and things we’d like to see improve, whether that be aspects of our schools facilities or parts of the curriculum that could be changed to help students get the most out of their education and their class time. We will continue to discuss our future as a student body and as young members of the community and we will work hard to make Coburg High a more inclusive, understanding and safe environment for everyone.

Scarlett B, and Jo M

Chess

Last week, our team participated in a chess tournament held at Brunswick Secondary School, where each member had the opportunity to engage in a series of seven games. Several of our skilled CHS players secured victories, with a commendable few advancing to the subsequent rounds of the tournament. The event proved to be both an enjoyable and productive day for all involved.

Chris Wallis

Entrepreneur Club

In Term 3, our esteemed Entrepreneur Club members had the incredible opportunity to embark on a thrilling journey into the world of coffee mastery at the renowned William Angliss Institute. Over the course of three captivating hours, our talented CHS students delved into the captivating art of coffee extraction and the delicate nuances of milk texturing.

Thanks to the generous support from the Coburg Collective, our students had the privilege of participating in this transformative program entirely funded by them. Upon successful completion of the course, our students proudly earned a prestigious coffee accreditation, recognising their newly acquired skills and expertise.

We're thrilled to announce that you'll soon witness these budding baristas showcasing their talent at the upcoming Bytes Cafe in the next term! So, be prepared to savour the finest coffee creations crafted by our very own CHS coffee connoisseurs. Get ready for an unforgettable coffee experience like never before!

EJ Hogan

Developing Leaders

On August 3 at Coburg High School we strengthened our connection with Merri-bek primary school by teaching their student leaders about being a successful leader and how to use different leadership styles to enhance our community..

The activities were largely based on understanding the varieties of leadership styles and how they are effective at different times. We shared that we can adjust and adapt to meet the desired outcomes. 

From this partnership a joint fundraiser was established .

Tilly S, Harrison W, Mariam T

Robotics Club Term 3 Update

As Term 3 begins the Robotics Club has hosted a late night ‘Build Party’ to kick-start the new FLL (FIRST Lego League) Masterpiece board which is themed around ‘The Arts’. The night allowed us to get all the missions built for this season's robotics board, consume some pizza and see if our robots could solve some of the easier missions. We explored the missions and created some code to allow our robots and our custom attachments to work with the new challenges. 

Everyone had a great time and will continue to prepare the board for the FLL regional competition which will be held on Saturday the 18th of November against a range of other teams in central and northern Melbourne. The Robotics Club is ready to kick some goals!

This is a teaser trailer for this year's challenge to develop innovative solutions in the STEAM field. 

Noah V