Senior School

TRAG - Teenagers Road Accident Group

On Tuesday 21 June our Senior VCAL students boarded the school bus, cautiously driven by Mrs Hargreaves, and travelled to Mount Martha on the Mornington Peninsula. 

The group of teens aged 17-18 who are at various stages of their driving permits, went along to listen to a confronting presentation from TRAG - Teenagers Road Accident Group. 

Various presenters such as Victoria Police and State Emergency Services (SES) proved the dangers of youth driving, the impact of road trauma and the importance of safe driving practices. Horrific true stories and gruesome images, to shock our young people into understanding the dangers of teen drink and drug driving, reckless driving and the danger of simple distractions while driving a vehicle.

Family members who have lost loved ones through road trauma told their very personal stories of pain, suffering and loss that have left a lasting impact on the lives of so many people.

Whether behind the wheel, on a bike or crossing the street, we ask all of our young people at Cheltenham to focus on making good choices and remember the message Drive4Life.

For more information, visit: trag.org.au or contact via email; tragproject@gmail.com

or phone; 0481 308 724.

VCAL Peninsula Hot Springs Wellbeing Day - Student Reflections

On the 16th of June, the Year 11 VCAL class went on a 1 hour trip to the Hot Springs in the Mornington Peninsula. They were told to arrive at school before 8:50am for a 9am departure. Unfortunately only 14 out of 15 students made it as one was sick that day.

They were driven in a small bus by their teacher Mr Collings, who was also coming to the Hot Springs. Triple J was the choice for radio on the bus while other students listened on their phones. Mr Collings let the students stop at Maccas for a food break halfway through the drive and for those who didn’t have breakfast. I didn't have breakfast, so I had an egg and bacon McMuffin.

When they arrived, they found an amazing sight. There were spas, saunas, cold pools and there was a wide range of relaxing activities but the students mostly spent their time in the spas. A favourite was to dare each other to jump into the cold pool then back into a hot pool and back again. I myself found the hot pools the best.

The students were told to be on their best behaviour as there were other people there, especially families. The students did and no one was told off. 

The class spent a total of two hours in the Hot Springs. They left at around 1:30pm and started driving back. For lunch, they stopped at Fratelli’s in Frankston. The students ordered pub food such as fish and chips or a parma. Lunch at Fratelli’s was thoroughly enjoyed and soon they were on their way back to school, to which they arrived at ten minutes past three; which was just after the bell went and so their excursion came to an end. 

I would recommend going to the Hot Springs, even by yourself as it is one of the experiences that you cannot talk about simply from reading unless you’ve gone to it yourself.

Leo Bonomi-Bowen

Thursday 16th June the VCAL class went to the Peninsula Hot Springs. 

We met up at school and got on the bus at about 9am, it was over an hour's drive. We stopped off at a servo on the way up there and finally got there at about 10.20am.  Then we were signed in and went to our pools, Vanderlei and I were the only ones to get a robe, it was totally worth the $15 dollars, I felt like a million dollars. 

The first pool we went to was so hot, we got a beautiful view of the whole pool area and the amphitheatre. The water was so much hotter than I expected. Our group was Bailey, Vanderlei, Charles, Jayden, Jackson and myself. 

There was a room with a cold room, a sauna and a wet sauna. I went into the cold room that was -20 degrees, then I went straight to the wet sauna. I was sweating so much, I was in there for like 5 minutes and that was almost too much. 

The last pool we went to was the very top pool and the top of the mountain. The pool gave you a 360-degree view of the entire Peninsula, I could see cargo boats, houses, golf ranges, and the ocean. 

On the way back, we stopped off at this Italian place called Fratelli's in Frankston, the food was alright but very expensive, nothing special. 

We got back to school at about 3:15pm, so I just made my bus.

Matteo Zecolla

On Thursday the 16th of June at 9am, our VCAL class was on the bus and waiting to make our way down to the Mornington Peninsula Hot Springs. On our way there I was feeling pretty excited because I’d never been before. On our way, Mr. Collings stopped at a service station and allowed us to go and grab breakfast for those who haven’t eaten yet, I didn’t end up buying anything. All I got was a hot chocolate and then hopped back on the bus. 

When we arrived at the place we went straight to the reception and got told all the rules and what we were allowed to do and what not to do. Matteo and I were the only ones who rented robes which we did not regret in the end because the weather that day was pretty cold, but the real reason I rented the robe was to get the full experience. 

I went around to all the pools and my favourite was the one on the hill. It was the hottest pool they had and you could see everything. On our way back to school we stopped at Fratelli's an Italian restaurant, everyone ordered food while I ordered the steak and it was worth the money. Overall the whole excursion was worth the money and probably one of the best excursions I’ve been on.

Vanderlei Kemp