9-12 Community News
The year continues to run rapidly ahead and the 9-12 Community has continued to be a busy place for students and staff over the past two weeks.
Last week saw the end of exams for the Year 12s. We are sure that this moment brought great relief but was also a moment that they will later be able to reflect upon with great pride; after all that these past two years have thrown at them, the class of 2021 can rightfully look back and celebrate the strength, resilience and perseverance that they have shown in pushing their way through to the end. A recognition and celebration of their achievements was shared with staff and parents at the Graduation Dinner and Mass.
Leadership is not a position or a title, it is action and example.
Last Friday, our Year 11 cohort participated in the two workshops presented by Himel from Success Integrated. The first session was all about study skills and being your B.E.S.T. Himel talked to the students about setting goals, managing their time, establishing effective study habits, skills and techniques, neuroplasticity and growth mindset.
The second session for the day was the ‘Leadership Challenge’ workshop.
This workshop was designed to prepare our students for their final year of school where they will all be looked upon as leaders of our College – badge or not!
The course was aimed to help our students create meaning around leadership and leadership behaviour, understand the importance of leading by example and developing a vision, inspire each other to take action, build strong relationships and develop a strong and positive mindset.
Topics covered included:
· Servant Leadership
· Re-defining Leadership
· Small things can make a big difference
· Leading without a badge
· Setting the tone – Culture
· Leaving a Legacy
· Together Everyone Achieves More - working as a TEAM
There were many valuable messages to take away from the presentation and we look forward to working with the students in the coming weeks as they receive their Year 12 Rugby Jumpers, move into their Year 12 lockers, the Tolle Lege and their final year of secondary school.
Exams commenced for the Years 10 and 11 students this week and will continue through until 30th November. Completing exams in these years is vital in preparing students for the requirements of their Units 3 & 4 VCE subjects. To that end, we have been following the type of processes and conditions that students will encounter when they do their final VCE examinations. The students have done very well in adjusting to the rules and expectations that we have applied and should learn a great deal from this experience.
While the Year 10s and 11s complete their exams, the Year 9 students have continued working and finishing their year well. In Humanities, students are learning about the electoral process by creating their own ‘political parties’ and electoral campaigns.
Our Year 9 students have been learning how to use the espresso machine in Food Technology and have the opportunity to prepare a variety of hot beverages for staff. They have also been making delicious treats for staff to enjoy with their coffees. The Visual Arts students have been finishing off their amazing artworks. We are sure that you will be as impressed as we are by the work that our very talented students have produced. Check out the amazing photos.
As you will have noted from the Exam Timetable and Early Commencement Program (ECP) Operoo letter sent to families two weeks ago, Wednesday 1st December has been designated a Study Day in preparation for the Early Commencement Program that begins on Thursday 2nd December, through to Friday 10th December. Students may opt to study off-site on that day, or study at school, under the supervision of staff. To assist with our planning, we ask that parents/caregivers indicate whether their child/children will be studying at school or off-site on that day. This can be done through the Google Form link sent to families in the Exam Timetable/ECP Operoo letter.
Week 10, our last week of term, will see our entire College community participate in an Early Commencement Program. The aim of our Early Commencement Program is for staff and students to get to know each other in preparation for a smooth start to the 2022 academic year. Staff will have the opportunity to learn about their student's different learning styles and develop strategies that might be used to help plan curriculum and learning activities for the following year. To enable students to get the most out of their ECP classes, we ask that students come to classes with all of the necessary textbooks, equipment and stationery to begin their classes. If any families have encountered delays in receiving their booklist orders before ECP begins, please let your TAs know so that we can provide assistance.
A much anticipated aspect of moving into a new academic year is the discovery of new classes and teachers. As always happens at this time of year, there will be some changes to student numbers and staffing, which will have some impact upon the makeup of class and TA groups. The majority of TA groups will not see significant changes, however, there will be some changes to ensure a balance of numbers and to provide the best support for students and families. Also, with some changes to our staffing, we will welcome new members to the 9-12 Community. The new staff will be introduced to the College community over the closing weeks of the term.
As we approach the end of year, we encourage the students to continue their positive focus right until the end. This has been a challenging year for us all but all members of the 9-12 Community should be proud of how they have supported each other and managed themselves. With only a few weeks to go until the end of the academic year, we encourage all of our students to set themselves the goal of finishing their year well.
Michelle Downie Brad Downie
9-12 Community Leader 9-12 Community Leader
Wellbeing Student Learning and Professional Practice
Year 9 English
Bridge to Terabithia Essay - Piper Badgery
The novel ‘The Bridge to Terabithia’ explores the concepts of friendship, loyalty and loss.
The fictional novel Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (1977) explores aspects of friendship, loyalty and loss. The novel focuses on a protagonist called Jess who is a shy boy who secretly enjoys drawing. At the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to Leslie, a girl from the city who is quite controversial in the way she acts and speaks. Jess and Leslie become close friends and discover a secret land together- Terabithia. To get to Terabithia they swing on a rope and defy the odds the two start to change the norms at their school and in their lives. Unfortunately, Leslie drowns at the end of the book and Jess is left to discover who he is. He creates a bridge to Terabithia, and from that makes his younger sister - May Belle - the new Queen of Terabithia. Thus, the novel the Bridge to Terabithia explores concepts of friendship, loyalty and loss.
Jess is the protagonist of the novel and the concepts of friendship and loss and their impacts are explored through his character. Jess was originally a very shy, introverted character “He thought about it all day, how before Leslie came, he had been a nothing - a stupid, weird little kid...trying to hide a whole mob of foolish little fears running riot inside his gut.” emphasising that Jess was quite a fearful, shy boy before his friendship with Leslie. More so, Jess’ friendship with Leslie led him to see himself differently ‘It was Leslie who had taken him from the cow pasture into Terabithia and turned him into a king” evoking that positive friendships can and will change how you view yourself and the world around you. Jess also displayed a deep loyalty to Leslie ad their friendship ‘But there was enough moon for them to find their way into the castle...he could tell her about his day in Washington. And apologize. It had been so dumb of him not to ask if Leslie could go, too.” displaying Jess’ care for Leslie, and emphasising how much of his life she was entwined into. Therefore, Jess’ character and point-of-view in the novel ‘The Bridge to Terbiathia’ explores concepts of friendship and loyalty.
Leslie is one of the main protagonists in the novel ‘The Bridge to Terabithia’ and her character displays aspects of friendship, loyalty and loss. Leslie’s character is quite controversial in her school ‘He couldn't help feeling sorry for her. It must be embarrassing to sit in front when you find yourself dressed funny on the first day of school’ exhibiting Jess’ and his classmate’s original thoughts on Leslie. Interestingly, Leslie is also the one who first initiates a greeting with Jess ‘As he passed Leslie's desk, she grinned and rippled her fingers low in a kind of wave. He jerked a nod.” unveiling that Leslie was interested in friendship with Jess before Jess was interested with her. Leslie’s death was also a key moment in the novel " Your girl friend's dead...that old rope you kids been swinging on broke...they think she musta hit her head on something when she fell" ultimately showing that Leslies dedication to their ‘secret place’ led to her own death. Overall, Leslie’s character explored concepts of friendship, loyalty and loss.
Loss is explored greatly in the end of the book, with the key cause being Leslie’s death. Leslie passes away towards the end of the novel while Jess is out, and Jess’s first reaction to the news is denial ‘No! Jess was yelling now. I don't believe you. You're lying to me!" revealing that denial is one of the first reactions to loss, and also exploring the concept that Jess may have trusted Leslie more than his family. Resulting from this loss, Jess actually builds a relationship with his father ‘Finally his father said, Hell, ain't it?...He found it strangely comforting, and it made him bold” disclosing that through loss, other relationships can be made that would have otherwise not been possible. After Jess has started to accept Leslies death, the novel explores moving on ‘May Belle had followed him down again as he had guessed she might...There's a rumour going around that the beautiful girl arriving today might be the queen they've been waiting for." highlighting that after a period of grief, acceptance and moving forward can take place, which happened in the novel at the end. Consequently, loss and its effects are explored in the novel ‘The Bridge to Terabithia’.
The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson is a novel that explores aspects of friendship, loyalty and loss. The novel focuses on a protagonist called Jess who is a shy boy who secretly enjoys drawing. At the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to Leslie, a girl from the city who is quite controversial in the way she acts and speaks. Jess and Leslie become close friends and discover a secret land together - Terabithia. To get to Terbiathia they swing on a rope and defy the odds the two start to change the norms at their school and in their lives. Unfortunately, Leslie drowns at the end of the book and Jess is left to discover who he is. He creates a bridge to Terabithia, and from that makes his younger sister- May Belle- the new Queen of Terabithia. Thus, the novel the Bridge to Terabithia explores concepts of friendship, loyalty and loss.