Middle School News

Year 9 MyCity

As part of the Myself program the year 9 students participating in the MyCity subject visited the Melbourne Zoo and the O'Brien Icehouse.  Here we have some students' reflections.

MELBOURNE ZOO

We arrived in the city around 11:15am. We had to catch a couple trams to make it to the zoo. Once we were at the front entrance, it took roughly 5 minutes to get permission to enter. After we were let in, the teacher instructed us to meet back at the front gate at 1:50pm. We could split into groups, or go alone, but I wanted to go with a friend. The first place I visited was the marine area which consisted of pelicans, seals, penguins and many types of different fish. The second place I visited was called the Lion Gorge which included crocodiles, coatis, snow leopards which my friend and I couldn’t spot in its enclosure, tigers and Tasmanian devils. The next place I went to be the reptile area. As soon as we entered the building, the warm air gradually removed my coldness as it was a little bit cold outside. The building housed frogs and reptiles such as snakes and crocodiles. We went to the middle of the zoo to grab lunch. My friend and I bought food and a drink. He got a burger, and I got some chips and nuggets. The food was warm and didn’t taste that good. There were around 50 birds at the food place as well. After lunch, I went to the Gorilla Rainforest which had gorillas, hippos, lemurs which were nice because they were allowed to roam around with no cage, and monkeys. Next closest place was the Trail of the Elephants which had otters, tigers, butterfly house which was very warm but humid, elephants and orangutans which I enjoyed because one was sitting right at the glass. The last place that I went to was the Japanese garden. It had lots of colorful plants, a mini waterfall, a bench with a Japanese style roof and a sōzu fountain which is made out of bamboo. That area of the zoo also had no people, so it was very quiet. Overall, the animals were good, my favorite place was the Japanese garden and food was okay!

Brandon W. 9D

This term we had been planning excursions for MyCity. We had originally planned to go to the Melbourne Star l, but of course, it’s not open on Wednesdays, so we had to rethink a new place to go, best option in line was the Melbourne Zoo. We made a pretty casual plan, organise public transport around the dedicated arrival and departure times as well as having to make a booking where we had enough time to explore the zoo, as well as making sure we had time for lunch. It was a little stressful at times as info changed and things shifted a little. Last week it was our groups turn to lead the class around the city. Things went surprisingly well, public transport was smooth and we weren’t late for anything. We had the chance to explore around half the zoo with the time given. I’m glad all the planning paid off, and it was nice to learn a little more about what an trip needs to be a good one

Luke T. 9H

O'BRIEN ICEHOUSE

On Wednesday 19th May, the Year 9 students who are participating in the MyCity subject in Term 2 travelled to O’Brien Icehouse. 

During allocated class time, my group was required to create a brochure, which contained all the information necessary to travel, to and from O’Brien Icehouse located in the Docklands. As a group, it was a requirement to uphold the responsibility of coordinating and running the outing that was to be enjoyed by the two MyCity classes. Despite the pressure that derived from the organisation of the event, accompanied by the numerous times individuals fell over on the ice, I believe all the students would agree that it was a great experience, and the visit considered a success. 

Prior to the days event, the students were instructed to meet outside the school’s main office, equipped with the necessary items to travel into the city. It was a responsibility of my group to take the role to ensure all students were present. Then, we set off on our journey upon public transport to reach at our destination. 

Immediately upon our arrival we were directed to a seating area where our instructor made all the students aware of what was expected from us during our time at the Icehouse. We gathered the appropriate gear and made our way to the ice where the students were shown a few techniques to implement in the ice-skating rink. Subsequently, we were able to show off our newly developed ice-skating abilities on the ice. 

When the fun had concluded, we gathered our belongings and made the journey to the District Docklands where students had the opportunity to select lunch of their desire. 

On conclusion of the day’s events, the students proceeded to make their way back to Doncaster Secondary College through various means of public transport in time for the end of the school day.   

It was a memorable experience and great to see all students participating in the activity regardless of their abilities. All students eagerly await the next MyCity adventure!

Alex C. 9H

Year 9 MyFuture: excursion to Zero95

Zero95 is a local Pizzeria and Italian restaurant. The manager Peter, assisted our year 9 My Future class to arrange a free tour that included his head chef, award-winning pizza maker and service staff, to guide our students through how their business began, how it runs today, and to share stories of how the hospitality industry can be a challenging but rewarding full-time, parttime or casual career. I’d like to thank Jess, Carissa and Alessio (Zero 95 staff) for taking the time to share their stories with our students. Their encounters of customer service, adaptability and professional teamwork were so engaging and provided an opportunity for real-world learning for our year 9s. I was especially proud of Portia, Livinia, Aylin and Elle for having the courage to ask questions and stand up in front of their peers and their Zero95 staff to thank them for their time; they most impressive! Well done to Sophie and Jahn for also asking questions and for trying their best to seek opportunities to prepare themselves for applying for casual jobs. We’re very grateful to this local business for sharing their workplace and stories with us.

Lisa Chiurchiarelli

Year 9 Myself Teacher

STUDENT REFLECTION

As a My future class we decided to go to Zero95 to learn about their business and ask questions  that might be interesting. When we arrived, they had the best attitude towards everyone and were very nice to talk to.  Students from my class asked many questions that will be useful when they start working, and the workers were giving lots of informative answers that were interesting to listen to.  we learnt that during Covid 19 everything was going downhill but they still managed to have positive mindset. We also got the opportunity to try their amazing pizza for $15 and they gave us a discount for it which was nice of them. When we were about to leave, myself and 2 other students made a thank you speech for having us at their work and letting us try their delicious pizzas. Overall, I think that was a great experience because we got the chance to learn about their business and receive some information that might help us in the future.

The workers also spoke about what they look for when hiring people, somethings were, when you're arriving to your job it is always good to have a positive mindset with a smile on your face because if you share that with everyone you will then work better in a team. Communicating is also important because you use that throughout the day for instance you communicate with customers and workers around you. This can be an advantage because you can gain your confidence and can start being independent taking responsibilities. When you're ready for a job interview it is the best if you have an informative resume because the manager can get to know you better.

Aylin A. 9H