Senior School News 

Mental Health Workshop – It’s okay, not to be okay

Year 12 VCE and VM students attended a workshop run by local charity, It’s okay, not to be okay. 

The themes covered in the workshop were;

- How to support a friend who's experiencing a mental health problem.

-Where to go for mental health support if you need it and

-The benefits of gratitude and how to incorporate into your life.

Year 12s took a lot from these workshops – including It’s Okay beanies for those who contributed! We all agree that the content delivered such an important message and will be wearing our beanies with pride through the winter.

Since this workshop we have started incorporating gratitude into our day-to-day interactions in Senior School and encourage everyone to do the same as it can have a really positive impact. A special thanks to Lexie who put a lot of work into getting the workshop happening.

Vocational Major

Year 11 VCE Vocational Major students (formally VCAL) started the year being creative with their tie dye t-shirts. Some students brought in their own tops, others were orders for staff in House colours. Students did a great job following the step by step instructions which resulted in some really creative designs. Students then made tags and delivered the tops with “How to care and wash instructions”. The students were pleasantly surprised how well the tops turned out and we hope the new owners were happy too.

Yr 12 VM students had their first excursion out for the year to complete the 1000 steps in the Dandenong Ranges National Park. The students participated in the hike and then enjoyed a BBQ. The purpose of this excursion was to explain the organisation involved in planning and implementing an excursion so that in the future students will be able to run their own excursion for the rest of the class to attend.

Matt Clark

Vocational Major Leader 

HeadStart is a new education pathway for secondary school students that complements school-based education with an apprenticeship or traineeship. Students complete their Year 12 Certificate alongside paid on-the-job training that leads to a qualification, and in most cases sustainable employment pathways.

HeadStart is designed to give students the confidence, capabilities and skills that employers in growth industries need. The program recognises that students learn in different ways, have different passions and empower their own career choices.

Here are the latest Patterson River Secondary Students to be signed up in their SBATs.

Max was signed up as an Electrotechnology Apprentice with L&O Technologies and Jack was signed up as a Cabinet Making Apprentice with Buccis Cabinets. Congratulations guys!

For further information, contact our HeadStart Industry Coordinator, Mike Kavanagh on 0422 254 344 or mike.kavanagh@education.vic.gov.au