Year 9 - Mentone

As we approach the end of Term 1, I reflect on what has been a very positive term for many reasons. Above all else, the fact that the Year 9 students have been on the premises for the last six weeks has restored a sense of optimism and excitement about the future. So much change has taken place over the last twelve months for these students at a critical stage of their development. Seeing the lively interaction in the yard and in the classrooms reminds us of the very need for human interaction for our individual nourishment and development. 

Term Two will be very full and exciting for the Year 9 students. A number of Year 9 students have gained a position in the cast for the Kilbreda production of ‘Matilda’ and the St Bede’s production of ‘Cosi’. Congratulations to these students who will be busy throughout Term 2 rehearsing and learning lines. Many students have tried out for a much-coveted position in the Year 9 ACC Football and Soccer teams. This is truly an elite level of competition with the teams being selected from a pool of 250 students. To those who have been successful in gaining a spot in an ACC team, congratulations. The season will run on a Tuesday afternoon throughout Term 2. I look forward to watching the students represent St Bede’s.

Early in Term 2, all Year 9 students will spend a day exploring various places of interest in the city. This is an exercise in independence, exploration and team work. More information about this excursion will be distributed via Operoo in the coming days. In Week 7 of the term, all students will sit examinations in their five core subjects. This will be their first taste of examinations and this can be quite daunting for some students. Rest assured that we will do our best to support the students through this process.

Following the examinations, in the final weeks of June, the students will embark on a three day survival camp at Lake Eildon. This is always a memorable experience for St Bede’s students, a highlight of their years at St Bede’s. Once again, we will prepare the students for this experience and more information will be forwarded about the camp in the early weeks of Term 2.

While the students have really only just started Year 9, it is timely to mention that Year 9 Semester One core subject results are used to determine suitability for acceleration into VCE Unit 1 & 2 subjects in Year 10. In order to be eligible to accelerate, students need to achieve overall scores of 80% in three of their five core subjects, one of them being English.

Please contact me at the College if you have any questions relating upcoming events. It really is wonderful to have the students on campus after their disrupted Year 8, and as I said earlier, to witness and to be engulfed by their optimism and excitement.

Geoff Harrison

Year 9 Coordinator