Year 9 News

Hello again everyone and welcome to this edition of the year 9 news. As the term draws to a close and we all start looking forward to the mid-year break, the Year 9 Team encourages all students to keep pushing for excellence in these last couple of weeks. Teachers are assessing another great, yet challenging, term of learning and it would be a shame for the outstanding work that has been done this term not to be reflected in final assessments. As with all school terms, this one has been busy and next term will present another plethora of exciting opportunities. We wish you all a great and safe break and look forward to seeing all the students back in term 3 refreshed and ready to go again. 

Careers Week 

In week 5 of this term the year 9s participated in the inaugural careers week. Students completed careers related activities such as resumes and job searches. They also had the opportunity to have a chat in a small groups with professionals from a range of different industries from emergency services, food production, and mental health services amongst others. They received a few treats from the local dairy industry and some of the naughtier students had to be restrained since the yoghurt was so tasty. Many thanks to all the professionals that were able to come and provide the cohort with advice and tips to get into their chosen profession. 

Year 9 Camp 

The year 9 Melbourne Exploration camp is now live on Compass for you to provide your consent. The cost of the camp is just under $500 and CSEF funds can be used for those that are eligible. Students will experience restaurant dining each night of the camp and continental breakfasts. There will be options available for all tastes at lunchtime. Activities include a range of educational and recreational opportunities that will provide great opportunities for those attending to grow. Numbers are capped at approx. 50 so please get your consent in as early as possible. Students not attending camp will be delivered an alternative program that aligns to with the activities on camp. If you have any questions regarding camp, please do not hesitate to call Glen Stephenson on 513233700. 

Form Group Semester 2 

A number of changes to form groups will be made in semester 2. These changes are necessary for several reasons; including new enrolments and exits from year 9 creating an imbalance in student numbers, changing needs of students and the efficient management of support resources, and qualification of some student into the ALPs program. These changes are due to take place at the commencement of semester 2. All efforts will be made to bring changes to the attention of families and student prior to the end of this term but this is not always possible. Please be aware that changes are not made as a consequence for student behaviour, but to best ensure the needs of the entire cohort are being met. 

Electives 

Elective selections are now open for students to enter their preferences. This is being done using the Edval program this semester for which students have received their login details. The program does not require parent/guardian approval for selections to be made. If you would like discuss your child’s selections before they are finalised please contact Glen Stephenson on 51 323700. 

China Town Excursion

On May 31st, Churchill and Morwell Year 9 and 10 Chinese classes had a day tour in China town together. Our students arrived at Flinders Street Station in the morning and then walked to China Town with Ms. Sun and Ms. Li. While walking along Little Bourke Street, we discovered a lot of Chinese characters written in different ways and diverse dining customs, then we talked about Chinese cuisines in different regions as well as the immigration history of Chinese people. 

We also went shopping in one of the biggest Asian grocers in China Town. During lunchtime, some students had noodle soups at Bowtifull Noodle with Ms Sun. The rest of the students had a set of Chinese dishes at Dahu Peking Duck Restaurant with Ms Li. After lunch, we had one hour guided tour in the Chinese Museum. Students were presented with different Chinese traditions and Chinese communities in Australia. 

Victorian Young Leaders Global Youth Forum

In Term 2, Ruby Turner Jellis, Daniel Lawrie, Ethan Toull, Jesse Stevens, and Alannah Harkess started to participate in the Victorian Young Leaders Program global youth forum via zoom call. The forum is a three-part learning program designed to deepen their understanding of what it means to be a global citizen and provide opportunities to develop students’ leadership skills. They interacted with different global perspectives and applied knowledge and skills to solve problems in real-world situations.

During the event, our students listened to the guest speakers, took notes, and discussed global issues with other Victorian schools from Asia pacific and Australia. On the 1st of June, students were joined by other guest speakers from High Resolve to talk about identity. They discussed some major school issues globally and how to tackle them. Our students were also invited to do the opening and closing remarks by Melbourne University. On the last day of the event, our students were joined by another guest speaker. They split into many different break-out rooms with different schools to present their prototype and gave feedback on the other schools’ presentations.

When asked about the feedback of this program, Ruby commented ‘This experience was a great opportunity to learn and understand about globalisation, what it is to be able global citizen and identity. I learned about these topics and ways to discuss these topics with my peers. It was a really great experience and gave me the opportunity to talk to and get to know about these different schools from all over the Asia Pacific. On the behalf of Kurnai, I would like to thank Chris Higgins (Organisor of VYLC) for guiding us through these forums and for the great opportunity to learn about the topics above, and to give us this exciting opportunity.’ We should acknowledge our students’ great commitment and their amazing efforts in doing this program! From Ms Li