House Update

Blackwood

As term 2 wraps up, the Blackwood family have spent some much needed weeks all together after a long period of isolation. Although we were all physically apart, our connection to the house still remained strong and some wholesome memories were made. We’ve all seen the numerous house event victories and podium finishes during isolation that brought us back to number 1, but what else have the knights been up to?

So, we asked Blackwood, “How was your daily life in isolation?!”

They answered:

“Being a new student at a school with a much different style of learning to what I was used to is already hard enough, but having to unexpectedly add the pressure of being lockdown for 11 weeks made it really difficult for me to adjust” - Alexandria Palafox (B4)

“It was lovely until i got in trouble by mum for kicking a hole in the wall” - Dilakna Weerakkodige (B7)

“Zoom was good, I enjoyed homeschooling a lot because it allowed me to work at my own pace” - Andy Vuong (B7)

“Fascinating, I actually got some work done for once :P” - Greg Basman (B6)

“I spent an average of 4 hours a day on tiktok #noregrets #yoloswag” - Diya Kothari (B2)

“Learnt how to dunk” - Aryius Alves (B1)

...It’s clear that isolation was different for everyone!

Active April

“Sport has been quite a strong factor for Blackwood this year and we definitely did not let isolation change that. Over 100 of our Knights came together for the active april challenge and managed to log over a total of 2500 hours, winning Blackwood second place!! So even though we were limited to activities like backyard cricket and youtube workouts, the Blackwood Knights definitely came together and pulled through.” 

Chaahat Kadian (B8)

Cross Country

“25 knights participated in the annual cross country this year with some amazing recorded times. Running 5K by yourself is no easy feat and requires an immense amount of perseverance and determination. Even during isolation, when morale would usually be low, some amazing efforts were made by the knights pushing not only themselves but also their peers, subsequently landing Blackwood in a phenomenal second place.” 

Tejal Talakanti (B7)

Masterchef

“Winning SCHS Masterchef was such an honour, especially when everyone had created such incredible dishes. Seeing all of the hard work put into those dishes made me want to try and make them too. Honestly, I couldn’t decide on what to make until a night before the deadline - but when I did, it turned out so much better than anticipated (and it tasted delicious). Waiting for that ‘perfect idea’ is worth all of your patience!”

Kaitlyn Huyhn (B7)

Trivia 

“The house trivia competition saw another win for Blackwood. The participation of the knights was brilliant to see with every single team being full for every day that the competition ran. The house spirit was spectacularly upheld even during these tough times, when everyone was separated and the only way for team members to communicate was through their screen. This competition allowed for Blackwood’s brilliant minds to join forces and it was, by no doubt, an amazing achievement.” 

Tejal Talakanti (B7)

TikTok

“During isolation, most of us, just like Diya, “spent an average of 4 hours a day on tiktok”. However, for the Blackwood knights, the endless scrolling and refining of our dancing skills paid off. Twenty-five of our knights, as well as Mr Moden and Ms Hall, took part in the house tik tok challenge to our original choreography to Sketchers and placed second! The rehearsals consisted of wholesome, hour long zoom calls and were a much needed pick-me-up during isolation.” 

Chaahat Kadian (B8)

Covid Competition

“The Covid Competition was another solid win for the mighty Blackwoodians, with first, second and third places going to three members of blackwood! The number of applications on Blackwood's behalf were astounding and reflected Blackwood's ability to pull through as a team even through the difficult times of quarantine. Our entrants were humorous, clever and jovial, a reflection of our house’s overall awe-inspiring spirit. Well done team!” 

Nadine Ayoub (B8)

Our extended period in quarantine was no doubt a test on our ability to stay determined, but the way we as a house remained connected and optimistic during this time is a testament to the true bond we share as Blackwood Knights. As a wise man once said, tough times never last, only tough people last.

Stay tuned for more amazing things from Blackwood in term 3.

Blackwood Leadership team

• Mr Moden (Head of House)
• Ms Green (Assistant Head of House)

Cottrell

This year has been a strange one for all of us, with plenty of challenges and unusual circumstances, but that didn’t stop Cottrell from showing our incredible courage and dedication. The house proved time and time again, that despite the physical distance from one another, we are all still connected as one with our spirit never wavering. 

During quarantine, Cottrell had an unbelievable 128 participants for the Premier's Active April Challenge (the most out of all the houses). The Premier’s Active April Challenge is a challenge aimed at increasing the amount of physical activity completed by students. Obviously due to the circumstances, it was more important than ever to stay active and healthy, and our students did just that. During the month of April each student logged their total physical activity and the house with the most hours in total, would win. Cottrell smashed it with a total of 2719 hours and 34 minutes with five participants completing a total of over 100 hours each over 30 days! Absolutely phenomenal! Cottrellians completed a variety of activities such as running, yoga, dancing, cycling, soccer, basketball and many more. With healthy competition provided by Blackwood, Kororoit and Rothwell, we were constantly encouraged by one another to stay on our toes and give it our all. Without a doubt, a great experience.

Another competition was the Cross Country challenge in which students were expected to download the Strava app and virtually record a 5km run. Despite being done in a different format this year, that didn’t stop our incredible students from pushing themselves and giving their all for the house. Cottrell, once again finished as winners with a total of 41 participants (also the most out of every house) completing the challenge! The weather and distance proved no deterrent to the house as people ran, displaying the house’s engagement and kinship with one another. 

The House Tik Tok challenge was a spectacular and enjoyable experience for everyone involved. The challenge consisted of 25 members of Cottrell including staff, learning multiple dances to popular Tik Tok songs. The dances were all edited together in a one minute montage video and were displayed on the house Instagram accounts and whole school assembly. All the house montages were immensely fun to watch and, in the end, Cottrell once again brought home the win. Special shout out to Quan Nguyen, Nelson Tran and Tyson Truong for compiling the montages together, fair to say that their hours and hours of effort was worth it in the end! 

There were plenty of other activities that took place during quarantine, including the Masterchef challenge, the COVID-19 meme/poster competition and House Trivia. We had some eye-catching dishes cooked up for the Masterchef challenge with Bethany Blackham’s beautiful vegan pan-fried gyoza finishing in 2nd place. 

The COVID-19 meme/poster competition allowed us to witness the creativity and wonderful artistic skills that our students possess, having produced some very entertaining pieces, and Cottrell finishing in 2nd place. 

Many people from all year levels participated in the House Trivia challenge. Despite finishing 3rd, it gave everyone the opportunity to collaborate with their peers and learn something new!

Currently, Cottrell’s year 11 and 12 teams have both been successful in making it to the finals against Kororoit and Blackwood respectively for the house soccer competition. The matches have been intense and electrifying with both the crowds and players displaying immeasurable passion and house spirit. Both teams having gone through the group stages unbeaten, and now look to defeat their opponents in the final, which will be a nail-biting and tough encounter for sure. The teamwork and talent that our house consists of is nothing short of incredible! Blackwood, Kororoit and Rothwell provided fierce competition throughout the weeks, which has made the games super entertaining. We are sure that the houses will continue to provide the same level of competition in the coming weeks as the house basketball competition starts.

Quarantine was an incredibly difficult period for everyone where people struggled to keep up with school and that often impacted peoples' mental health, motivation to study and maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Without a doubt, it was a massive challenge, so a huge shoutout to everyone that put in the effort to contribute to the house, we are truly grateful to have so many Cottrellians take part in so many activities over the course of the quarantine period. We showed everyone how powerful and amazing this house truly is, all because of your wonderful efforts, and it’s only going to get better from here. You all are truly incredible!

Moving forward, there are plenty of more house competitions to come, and with the effort shown by the house during the past few months, there is absolutely no doubt that Cottrell will be a force to reckon with. Thank you to Blackwood, Kororoit and Rothwell for their healthy competition and great sportsmanship, Cottrell is looking forward to more exciting competitions to come!

Rakshita Saharan (C5) and Vaibhav Jain (C4)

Kororoit 

There are many words that could be used to describe the series of events that we call term two. It started off with a new experience for both teachers and students; online learning, a new and drastic change. It was truly something that many of us never thought we would have to go through. However as many challenges arose, the Kororoit family took it as an opportunity to inspire and motivate each other. Together, we were able to turn isolation into the greatest couple of weeks of online learning… and holiday… ever. 

With a combined effort of all the houses and the organisation of Ms Breed, we collaborated to create a one-of-a-kind isolation competition! During times of isolation, the house took the chance to socialise and finally connect with friends through competitions such as SCHS Masterchef, where we discovered the potential Gordon Ramseys within our house!

We’re sure that many of us during isolation spent hours on end scrolling through the ‘For You’ page of tiktok. Kororoit was indeed ‘feeling good like WE should’ during the creation of our house tiktok! Taking a left turn from the normal routines of online learning, the house came together to sync up and bust some moves. What a way to discover the potential Charlie D’Amelio’s of our house!

Active April and Cross Country were amazing opportunities to not only stay fit, but demonstrate the athletic abilities of the house. Together, the house combined through social media to train, exercise and have fun; doing the sports and physical activities that we love.

Kororoit has proved year after year that we have the ability to do great things; we are afterall the mighty red team! Coming into term three, we as a house are keen to showcase our house spirit and are excited to be able to be back together again. Indeed isolation was a challenge for us all, but we came out stronger, truly learning that our time together is valuable. Even though this was a new experience for us, we all came out of isolation as more grateful and hungry Kororoitians who can’t wait to see what next semester has to offer. 

Kororoit Leadership Team

Rothwell

Term 2 has certainly been an interesting time for all of the students, teachers and members of our community. It started with the coronavirus breakout and then the official lockdown of Victoria and the closure of schools across the state. Though, while we have been enduring the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic, some good things have come out of this particular experience. Here are some of the experiences that students had during this isolation period.

From our Yr 12 House Captain, Martin Nguyen. My experience with remote learning isn’t all that unique! Like a lot of us, we’ve discovered how much we appreciate our friends, our daily routines, our teachers, those casual interactions with other kids at school because you know you’ll see them again soon; Quarantine showed us that it’s the little moments that matter. But for a lot of us, particularly the Year 12 students, perhaps this was a year that made us realise that adult life is really close. And while we’re all down in the dumps because we lost so many of our last weeks as a student, I think a lot of us can agree that when life really does return to normal, if it ever does, that it’ll be a lot harder for us to take the small things for granted again.

From our Yr 11 House Vice Captain, Jimmy Lin. The lockdown was definitely the most bizarre experience I have faced throughout my learning experience from prep to now and to be honest I don't think I handled it very well at all. From someone who is usually spry and cheerful, I found myself neglecting basic everyday activities such as engaging in my online classes and exercising, ultimately feeling down in the dumps for a majority of the time. Although I must say the teachers for all of my subjects put enormous amounts of effort in spite of various adversities, from online trolls, to authenticity in assessments, the teachers really made it easier to cope. Even with that though, I still felt a part of myself was missing during those months and now after I have been back for a week and a bit, I think I realise what it was. At school on Tuesday the 26th I was engulfed by a rush of excitement and comfort, from my peers' idle chit-chatting to the disgruntled remarks my teachers would make about focusing in class, it hit me. So much has changed from the environment at school to online that of course it would be polarising to suddenly learn in a drastically different environment. The best part is, it's not any student's fault for not being able to adapt to a shocking new way of learning, and it is perfectly normal to feel uncomfortable, dissatisfied. I look forward to getting back on top of my A-game for the rest of term 2 and the rest of the year!

With the recent developments to the House Cup competitions due to the lockdown, we have had a chance to do competitions like the Premier’s Active April challenge, MasterChef creation challenge, House Trivia, House Tik Tok challenge and Create your own superhero artwork. After these competitions, the House that came on top was Blackwood, with 281 points, followed by Kororoit with 262 points, then Cottrell with 256 points and finally Rothwell with 216 points. With many house competitions still to come, the winner of the House Cup is still to be decided. And so, Rothwellians, don’t lose hope, we have a great leadership team and the spirit of our house is as mighty as any. So, have faith and we will make it out on top.

Rothwell Leadership Team

As it has been stated by many people in many spaces, this term has been like no other and provided challenges like no other for students and staff alike.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the students in Rothwell for the efforts during remote learning. What we hope that you as students don’t judge yourself to harshly, and be kind to yourself when you are reflecting on your remote learning period. What is most important is that you take something away from this experience. Something that will help you in the future, whether it be organisation skills, resilience, self-care strategies or the belief that you can now get through tough times and you will be OK!

As we write this the VCE students are going through a particularly stressful time, but again you are showing the resilience and perseverance that would be called upon throughout your life. Year 9 and 10’s welcome back, it’s great to have you all back and your enthusiasm and excitement to see each other was energising.

Rothwellians there are many house events left on the calendar, lets use this as an opportunity to solidify our house spirit and the relationships that are so integral to a young person’s development. There is lots to look forward to for the remainder of the year.

Remember we are proud of you and wish you well for semester 2.

Mr Hand and Mr Van Wyk