Around The College

Careers Expo

On Wednesday 19th of June our annual Year 10 VCE Subject and Pathways Expo will be taking place from 2pm to 3.05pm in the School Hall.

The idea of the Expo is to give students and parents/guardians an opportunity to speak with representatives from each VCE subject area, so informed decisions can be made regarding subject choices for Year 11.  Students and parents/guardians will also have the opportunity to speak to representatives from various tertiary institutions to help make connections between what is studied in the VCE and the courses that are available at University and TAFE (including pre-requisite requirements).  Important information regarding VCE processes, policies and expectations will also be discussed.

We look forward to seeing you there.

The Pathways Team

Arts Week

Coming up in Week 9 will be the student-run Arts/Technology Week. This week is to reflect and celebrate all the achievements of our Arts/Technology students throughout the year. Check out the poster below for all the activities taking place!

Peer Leadership

Ashley Fuller, James Koutsikos, Jennifer Mcdonald, Kiano Tango, Dhivyan Umakhanthan and Quixue Zhang attended interactive leadership workshop organised Task force on16th of May at Kingston Town Hall. The day focussed on developing their leadership skills and ability to support health and wellbeing of their peers at school.

Deepika Kapadia, Director of Student Leadership

Junior House Dodgeball Competition

Student Leadership team organised Junior House dodgeball competition for all year 7, 8 and 9 students on 24th of March at lunchtime. Senior student leaders along with school captain ran the event and Yellow house won this house competition.

School Captains and Student Leadership Team

Earn & Learn

As I'm sure you're well aware, we've been busily collecting Earn & Learn stickers to help get some new equipment for the school. And to all those parents who've been collecting for us, thank you.

We've been told that Earn & Learn finishes on the 25th of June, which means that we only have one week left. So if you shop at Woolworths, please don't forget to pick up those stickers if you shop there between now and then.  Please drop the stickers off to the General Office.

Thanks everyone!

Bring your E-waste to Brentwood

E-waste – or electronic waste – is growing three times faster than the rate of standard municipal waste. It contains many potentially hazardous and valuable materials, which don’t belong in landfill. E-waste is any item with a plug, battery or power cord, that is no longer working or wanted. 

To help protect our environment and recover more precious resources, the Victorian Government is banning all e-waste from going to landfill as of 1 July 2019. That means, e-waste can’t go in any bin. https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/Campaigns/eWaste

The old Electricals hub at Brentwood, near the staff carpark, accepts: all electrical items with a cord,

electronic devices (eg: laptops, printers), personal care electricals (eg: hair straightener), electrical appliances (eg: toaster, kettle, oven), DIY & garden electricals. All items collected through this hub are collected and recycled by the SCR group. http://scrg.com.au/

If you have any queries or suggestions about this campaign, please email us at greenteam@ms.brentwood.vic.edu.au

The Green Team

Year 11 Legal Studies Court Excursion

On Tuesday May 28th, the Year 11 Legal Studies students had the opportunity to go on an excursion to the County and Supreme Courts of Victoria. Throughout the semester, we have completed different forms of inclusive activities and scenarios like debates and a Moot Court for a SAC, but this was totally different.

My class went to the Supreme Court first and we walked through the old buildings and hallways to the court rooms. We were introduced and involved in a normal step-by-step scenario of a Supreme Court case and the certain details and facts that were specific to everyone’s role in the court room, from the judge to the witnesses.

We were able to incorporate our class and legal knowledge as we ran through a normal court case. We then had the opportunity to look in on a criminal case that was running in one of the court rooms. It was cool to see real life judges and their staff in their proper seating positions, robes, and to finally see what a court case is like. We then walked to the Law library in the Supreme court which was beautiful and filled with hundreds of books dating back to the 1800’s.

After lunch, we were then able to go into a court room in the Country Court and we were introduced to the judge who also took us through steps of a County Court case, using us as examples and taking us through different facts and information of the court room. It happened to be perfect timing for the case of Pasquale Lanciana who was on trial over the robbery of an armoured van in 1994, which we were able to sit in for and watch parts of. Both courts were interesting to go to and it was really worthwhile as I didn’t expect to be as interactive with the people, but we all learnt a lot as a whole through being able to incorporate our known knowledge and be used as examples in practice cases and learn what actually happens in the court rooms.

Gemma Cornell, Year 11

Duke of Edinburgh Hike

On Tuesday 28th May to Friday 31st May, forty eight Year 9 Duke of Edinburgh students and four staff members participated in a four day hike to Mitchell River National Park. Despite an extremely dismal weather forecast, we were very fortunate to have been blessed with perfect hiking conditions. No-one would believe that we spent our days hiking in t-shirts (some even shorts) among blue skies. The nights were very cold, however with a large campfire and warm sleeping bags, everyone remained cosy. There were many highlights including the spectacular views, the campfire songs and the comradary developed among group members.

I would like to acknowledge and thank the following staff members for supporting and attending our hike: Ms Kirk, Ms Holl and Mr McCann.

Tracey Cain, Duke of Edinburgh Award Unit Leader

Year 10 Health

Over the past few weeks, the year 10 Health classes have been learning about parenting and pregnancy. As a part of this unit, they have had the opportunity to engage in some real life and hands on experiences. This has included visiting the Royal Women’s Hospital and taking home a RealCare Baby, which is an infant simulator which replicates some of the experiences of caring for a baby. Below are some student reflections on these experiences.

On the 15th of May, the two Year 10 Health classes met at the Glen Waverley train station to travel in for a tour of the Royal Women’s Hospital. We took the very crowded tram to the Hospital and were greeted by a pair of staff members that would give us the tour. We were split into two groups and got to see the equipment use to take care of pregnant mothers and their newborns. We learned about how babies can be affected during birth and in pregnancy, the proper ways to treat babies and what babies do to adapt to their new surroundings. We were even privileged enough to be shown a placenta that was connected to a baby that had only been born an hour earlier. My group also got to talk to a new mother who had only given birth to her new baby the night before. It was a very exciting experience for the Year 10's, and could very likely inspire many students that went to consider working in that area. – Liam Smith

Realcare Baby Reflections

I never realised the amount of work involved in caring for a new baby. Even though I was stressed, sleep deprived and cranky it was still a positive experience as I learnt so much from having the baby and having conversations with my mum... Big celebrities make parenting look cool and easy which is what I was expecting… but it is very different. At times it was fun to look after a baby… Just not at 3 in the morning!

[This experience is great] for teaching young girls (and boys) that being a mother isn’t glamorous – and that parenthood should be thought out and not impulsive. Parenthood is a big responsibility and I believe that this education we have is both a privilege and a wonderful opportunity. This program has given me a more in-depth perspective on education and responsibility.