Senior School Report
VCAL students have been very busy these last few weeks with all Year 11 and 12 students involved in a number of activities and programs.
Year 11 have been completing their first PDS projects ‘Fundraising for a Cause’. Groups have run raffles, Pizza sales, merchandise giveaways, talent activities and organised guest speakers to raise money for causes such as RSPCA, The Black dog institute, Heart Foundation, Breast and Lung cancer foundations. Decision making, planning, communication and time management skills were displayed during the activities –important employability skills that will be needed in the future.
Year 12 have been involved in a ‘Job Ready Boot Camp’ run by Skilling Australia Foundation and WPCgroup. The five day program covered topics such as Personal effectiveness and goal setting, Work Health and Safety, Employability skills and Employee expectations, Cover letter and resume writing and Mock interviews to develop interview skills. Outside trainers have been very positive about students efforts and willingness to work together.
Harry Gill and Kurt Vieineusel Year 12 students, for their PDS issue project, organised a guest speaker Ben O’Toole form Step Back Think –One punch is too much- to speak to our Year 11 and 12 VCAL cohort.
The students were told the story about how Step Back Think started because of James Macready-Bryan, who was hit by a stranger in an unprovoked attack in 2006.
He suffered an acquired brain injury which left him completely and permanently disabled shattering his bright future. Bound to a wheelchair, unable to feed himself or to communicate with the people around him, he is far from the person who he was when he was out celebrating his 20th birthday.
Incidents like this, during what should be a fun night out with friends, happen way too often.
Over 600 incidents are reported to police each week, some with even worse outcomes. The organisation believes everyone deserves to enjoy time with their friends and to come home safely. It is their mission to spread the word, bring this issue to the foreground and make sure loved ones are protected. The stories not only told about the heart break this violence can do to the victim but also touched on the effect on the family, community and perpetrators. Students were given the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the presentation. The strong message ‘Together we can end social violence’ was taken on board by all students at the session.
Sarah Pace, Sui Khua Lian and Ken Nguyen organised a speaker from The White Ribbon Campaign (WRC) which is a global movement of men and boys working to end male violence against women and girls. The speaker, Anna, gave the students information and statistics on the issue as well as her first-hand experience with domestic violence. The group then did some fundraising and issue awareness to raise some funds for the organisation.
Again, we would like to thank parents who contact us when their child is absent for any reason. This is of great assistance to the Year Level Coordinators, as we call home regularly if there are any unexplained absences. The Case Management process continues to monitor closely the attendance, achievement and individual needs of all our students. Please contact us on 9366 2555 if you have any queries or concerns about your child.
Stav Bekiaris
Senior Sub School Leader