SCHOOL NEWS

THANK YOU

The Humanities Department wish to acknowledge the generosity of Leon Bowkett, Officeworks Chadstone Manager who has kindly donated 120 exercise books to our Year 11 Business Management Classes. 

Year 11 Business Business Management Team

YEAR 9 CAMP 2023

One of the highlights of our Year 9 program at East Campus is the 2-Week Job Skills and Camp program that takes place in late May. Within this program, our students have the opportunity to develop skills in Barista Coffee & Cafe Skills, Self Defence, AFL Umpiring, and obtain accreditation in Food Safety, Responsible Service of Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Level 1 First Aid, and (depending on their swimming abilities) be awarded a Bronze Medallion (Surf Life Saving).  

Complementing this, our students attended a 3-Day camp to Warrnambool where they were immersed in on-campus University student life, local attractions, First Nations’ culture, and despite not being allowed mobile phones, were able to ‘sneak in a selfie’ at the Twelve Apostles lookout at Port Campbell National Park! 

While it is a very busy fortnight, our students are rewarded with authentic learning experiences, transferable job skills and insights into how the wider community operates beyond the school environment. With this learning, our students will now have the opportunity through our Year 9 Wisdom & Service program to create resumes and actively apply for casual employment.

I would like to thank the staff that attended the camps at Warrnambool, ran and supervised the activities at East Campus and generally contributed to the overall success of the program.  A special thanks to Ms Zoe Murdoch for her coordination of the Bronze Medallion program, which (despite the cold weather) proved to be an absolute hit with our Year 9 students.

Chris Pantelios

Year 9 Curriculum Program & Student Manager

2023 YEAR 9 CAMP REFLECTION

This year’s camp, in my eyes, has been one of the best so far. Nothing can compare with the delicious food, luxurious cabins, and fantastic memories we all made. When Mr Pantelios told us that the cabins at this camp were next level, I didn’t believe him until I saw what was offered to us. 

After a tiring bus ride to Warrnambool, all we needed was a nice place to rest and our cabins were the perfect place to do so. Each group of students had an amazing cabin with our own living room including our own TV, couch, and even our own kitchen and dining room. The cabins were unreal compared to my prior experiences with camps.  

As for the activities during camp, they were once again very enjoyable. In Wisdom and Service, we have been focusing a lot on volunteering and giving back to our community so the activities on camp correlated extremely well with this focus. One of my favourite activities was going to Tower Hill and learning about the different aspects out there in Warrnambool that we wouldn’t be able to experience back home. The lolly shop was also a banger for a lot of us! 

Furthermore, the food at camp was surreal compared to past camp food. It was perfect and Brother Fox did a fabulous job with it. 

During this camp, we spent a fair amount of time at Deakin University Warrnambool which was a great experience for us since we were able to understand the diverse environment different universities provide. It was nice to experience something like this especially since some of us will be going to university in a couple of years. 

When we were given free time, many of us came together and enjoyed the company of each other. I remember I spent plenty of time in the rec room with friends but I also spent my time just talking and walking around the beautiful campsite. A memory I will never forget was the boys running 3km around the campsite to keep their fitness up during their free time. The memories I made during this camp are memories I’ll never forget. 

Overall, this camp was a great experience for all of us and it was definitely one of the best camps I’ve been on so far. I would like to thank all our amazing Student Managers and all the teachers that came with us for both organising and giving us the opportunity to make all the memories that we did. 

Maleesha Dharmadasa

Year 9 Student