Middle School News
Middle School Assembly
Hello parents,
Just letting you know that we had a Middle School Assembly on Monday to celebrate students and address some issues facing young people today. The students came in in an orderly fashion and were very well behaved throughout the presentation, clapping and showing support for their peers who received awards.
We started off with a short photo-story of the recent Cross Country where students got to see and chuckle at photos of themselves and their friends from the day. The pumping music certainly helped the appreciation I think.
We gave out awards for Sparks and Science Achievement and awards for Positive Recognition and Attendance. It was heartening to see kids jump up to be recognised for positive behaviours and effort. Well done to all who were celebrated on the day.
We flagged the implementation of a new app that will help students have a voice within the school community (see the article on STYMIE) and let students know about a valuable resource we have at school that informs students about their legal rights and gives advice for when they are in tricky situations. The booklet is called, “Are You Old Enough?”, and it is free for all students to pick up.
We also informed the students that a new Toilet Usage Survey is to be completed on Tuesday 25th. That data is in and is now being analysed. We will report back to the community around the results from that survey as soon as possible.
Lastly, we talked to our students about the importance of doing a great job in the role of ‘duty student’ which is one of the ways that students can ‘Strive to Serve’ and engage in community service at the college. This is one of the ways that students learn about caring for others, humility and taking responsibility for the larger group.
Clayton Cupples
Middle School Team Leader
Year 9 - Food Technology
Gingerbread Houses Year 9 students designed and created Gingerbread Houses for the International Elective class and reflected on their experiences.
Ruby McNamara:
I loved the gingerbread. It turned out crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, I think I cooked it just right for my taste buds. The softer lollies were delicious with the sweet crunchy icing. I normally don’t like gingerbread but this one I enjoyed as it wasn’t too strong in taste. I would definitely make this again for around Christmas or really any event since you can choose the theme of your house. This recipe is a keeper for sure and I would use it every time.
James Aveling:
I really enjoyed it, and it was a challenge to test our skills. It was very fun to do and I looked forward to coming to class to do it!
I liked the ones that had little pools and chimneys as it looks homier and neater; some introduced lots of colour adding a bit more life.
Ashley Stephens:
The design process is important because without it the things that you make are of lower quality and more all over the place.
For example, the front garden area of my house, which I planned, looks much better than the side, which was not.
Overall, I did enjoy the process of baking, building and finally, decorating the house.
My favourite part was probably when we put all the pieces together and just had the house, for some reason that was much more satisfying that when we actually completed decorating.
Jess Powell:
The making of the house was slow and was very hard and sometimes annoying but in the end I liked how the whole project came together and how the final results looked. It was a fun experience and I would definitely do it again.
Year 8 Science - 3D Cells
In Year 8, students have been learning about the building blocks of life – cells. 8D were set a challenge to create their own 3D cell which could be animal or plant but had to include the main organelles. They had a very short amount of time to plan their cells in class, then they had to complete the task mainly at home. Students finalised their creations and presented them for judging by Mr Cupples and Ms Neill.
After much deliberation the judges settled on;
4th place – Alex Gannon; Jelly and edible food stuffs
3rd place – Isla Haw; Lego
2nd place – Charley Jennings; variety of household items crafted
1st place – Matilda Maxwell and Montana Samarias; cake and lollies.
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
4th Place
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
4th Place
Well done to everyone in 8D – as their teacher I am exceptionally proud of every student for their creativity and commitment to their studies. This was an excellent learning experience and was made fun by their enthusiasm for the activity. Not one student forgot their homework or let the team down.
Ms Talbot
Year 8 Visual Communication
Year 8 Visual Communication students have been working on designing and painting livery to decorate an aeroplane. They have taken inspiration from locations in Victoria, Indigenous symbology and Design Elements and Principles to create their designs. Their paintings will be exhibited in the South Gippsland Art Cubes which are coming to Mirboo North from August-September. Our exhibition slot is from 23/8 to 13/9 – so be sure to head down to Baromi Park (next to the Grain Store) and have a look!
Ms Kelly
Year 7 Food Technology
Year 7s have just started food technology with Ms Neill, and all are so excited to get into cooking.
2nd week of cooking and 7A made mini pizzas. Alice and Ella were very proud of what they made. So delicious they informed me.
3rd week. We made lemon slice today with a partner. It involved a lot of new, exciting tasks and flavours. The students of 7A had a lot of fun making this yummy slice.
NEW LIBRARY PROMOTION
During the month of August, we are running a mystery book borrowing/reading/reviewing program to increase the range of books chosen by students and staff. We will have a small selection of books from different genres wrapped mysteriously and housed near other books of the same genre. You are encouraged to borrow one (or more) of these titles. When you borrow you will be given a raffle ticket and instructions on how to record a quick recommendation/review for your book on the Infinity library system. If you record a review on the library system you will be given two bonus raffle tickets. The more mystery books borrowed the more amazing the prize drawn at the end of August will be. Chose a mystery book during your class time in the library as part of your wide reading program or come to the library on Monday, Wednesday or Friday lunchtime and join in.
Year 9 Big Day Out at the Job Skills Expo!
Almost the entire Year 9 cohort made the trip over to Lardner park on Tuesday the 25th July to expose themselves to the myriad of possibilities for employment post-secondary education. Spirits were high as we disembarked and with many schools from the local area attending, a lot of students got the chance to reunite with past students or students who from other schools. For me, seeing Royden Carter who graduated from MNSC in 2021 at the expo was a real thrill. He informed me that he was a fitter and turner working at the Loy Yang A station and was planning to do further study to become an engineer in Melbourne. Awesome!
The day was filled with opportunities to try skills, ask questions of professionals in various industries and collect free stuff: pens, hats, frisbees (thanks but no thanks Interchange Disability Support) and snap bands (again, no thanks AGL). In some ways it was the perfect storm: blue slushies from TAFE Gippsland, Bakers Delight sticky buns and things to hit each other with or throw around the place. A teacher’s idea of a perfect day at work, it was not.
The seminars they ran were excellent and I was able to attend the Defence Force presentation that laid out a compelling case for joining the force. Their superannuation rate is 16.5%! Then there is the rent support, free tertiary study, and otheopportunities. There was also representation from the police, health/medical community and Marinus Link Project who also did amazing presentations.
A big thanks to Nicole and the team at MNSC for organising this important event. We collectively got a lot out of the trip.
Clayton Cupples
Middle School Team Leader
Sparx News
Students are continuing to demonstrate great learning and improvement in submitting their SPARX Maths Weekly homework on time.
Last week we were in the top 96% of the world with our on time submission rates, a fantastic achievement. Thank you to all the students, parents and teachers for their support with this.
A reminder this term we are trialling “Chips in the Park” for the best class in EACH YEAR LEVEL, for handing their Sparx in on time. So do you best and don’t let your class down.
A Massive congratulations to Ashley Stephens who was the first student to reach level four in Sparx by earning 40,000 XP. He obtained this by undertaking the extra tasks which include XP – targeted revision, Boost – challenging tasks, or independent learning – Any sort of maths you choose!
We have also had a massive 75 students sign up to the Australian Mathematics Competition, which will run next Thursday 3rd Period 1 and 2 in the Auditorium. Participants, please check your emails for past papers and revision activities.