Junior School Update

In Term 1, we welcomed our wonderful Year 7s, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Starting secondary school was a big and scary undertaking, but after our camp to Mt. Eliza our Year 7s settled in. From getting to know their form groups, structure of the school day, to learning the inner workings of life here at Box Hill High School, our students got out of their comfort zones and flourished. 

We thank our Year 7 families for attending the family picnic. It was great to connect as a community for the first time, and to hear live performances in the Quad from our talented students. As a school we appreciate these opportunities! 

In Term 2, our Year 8 students went on our annual camp to The Summit, which was a test of resilience and persistence to achieve one’s personal best. The Monster Course was a highlight and students needed to work as a team, get dirty and defy the elements to get through the course. A huge shout out for Mr. Rees, Ms. Bear, Mr. Veal and Ms. Fuller for stepping up at the last minute to run the camp. 

It was exciting to see so many Junior School students participating in the school production ‘Spamalot’. The commitment over this period showcased the best of our school, and the wonderful talent we have at Box Hill.  We were proud of the courage it took to perform, to balance schoolwork and assessment commitments, all whilst rehearsing leading up to performance season. We encourage more students to get involved for next year’s play, Sweeny Todd. 

Term 3 started off a new semester and students were able to settle into new elective subjects and continue participating in lunch time clubs, fortnightly sport, and represent the school for debating and even the school talent show. The school thrives when our students get involved!

Term 4 was jammed packed with incursions on cyber safety, respect, and consent. These messages from external presenters delivered important information with the intention of acquiring a new lens and upskill students with strategies to make positive choices. 

Towards the last week of term, our Year 9s went on Camp to Toolangi. The 3-day camp required students to self-devise their own camp experience and work with a team to encourage agency and responsibility. Our 9s demonstrated our school values to an excellent standard during the camp. During this week while at school, the 9s engaged in a range of educational activities. Our Alpine School students created an Indigenous lesson for their peers to complete that aligned with their Community Learning Project. The year level also engaged in road safety, careers and RESPECT sessions, and an incursion from Mindflight. 

To celebrate the end of the year, our junior students participated in various excursions across Victoria. Students were able to visit the Melbourne Zoo, O’brien Icehouse, Hoyts, Funfields, Luna Park and Gumbuya World. Students were able to spend time with their peers and teachers to finish the school year. 

Junior Team – Thank you!

Our exceptional Junior School team has been working very hard over the entire year connecting with students, solving issues, supporting class captains, and being visible in the yard.  

To Kiran our Admin extraordinaire. Thank you for your tireless work with every Junior School event this year, for assisting students and staff daily, for setting a positive and welcoming tone to our office, and for always going above and beyond. We would be lost without you.  

To our Year 8 Coordinator, Ms. Maxwell, thank you for your wonderful work over the last two terms. Your addition to the team was seamless and your proactive, calm, and positive nature was exceptional and appreciated by staff and students. Staying with the Junior team for 2023, we cannot wait to see all the amazing work ahead and how this will benefit our students. 

To Mr. Acebron and Mr. Rees, our Year 7 and 9 Coordinators. We bid farewell to these outstanding professionals from the Junior team. Thank you for being excellent Coordinators across multiple year levels these past four years. Our students have been lucky to have such enthusiastic, caring and creative leaders. Thank you for supporting our junior students through a couple of challenging years of lockdowns, and helping them return to face-to-face classes, adjusting to routines and reconnecting with their peers. Your continuous encouragement and guidance for your year levels has been exceptional. 

Last comments

Finally, to our Years 7,8 and 9 students, we thank you for a marvellous year in the Junior School, our first back without any lockdowns or interruptions. We wish you every success for 2023 and cannot wait to see all the wonderful opportunities ahead for you. Have a wonderful break, recharge, and we’ll see you next year!

By Eleanor Smith

Student Reflection

The Year 9s have completed their first year of high school without the interruption of lockdowns. 

Students this term got to experience a school Remembrance Day ceremony and paid their respects to the people who sacrificed themselves in the war, with a few Year 9 History students leading the ceremony. Those who had Geography for this semester were able to have the opportunity to go on an excursion to Queen Victoria Market, gaining a deeper understanding of their focus of Food Security, while having a look at its wide variety of stalls. I personally got myself food from the market’s potato twist store and popular jam donut truck. In Respect the Year 9s organised fundraising events to help support the Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place. This gave us a chance to help the organisation’s worthy cause, as well as giving the classes one last time to work together. 

Some Year 9s brought their enthusiasm from school this year to assist in hopefully giving next year’s Year 7s a more interactive welcome to Box Hill High School compared to us, by participating in Peer Support Training. Lastly, to end this eventful term, the Year 9 cohort were lucky enough to have their Year 9 Camp rescheduled for this term and enjoy it in the warmth of Summer. Even though it is our last year in the junior school, on behalf of all the Year 9s I’d like to thank all of the teachers for providing us with the engaging experiences that made it seem like we didn’t miss out on a thing. 

By Keira Ko, 9H