Brookhill

                                                                     Mr David Murphy

Return to School

Once again, we have reason to feel pride and gratitude for the way our community has worked together in the face of mandated impositions. The phrase ‘It is what it is’ may seem like a throwaway line to many; however, I believe it is a powerful metaphor for the stoicism with which we have accepted that which is outside our control and made the best of that which we can affect.

We are delighted to be working with the Year 11 and Year 12 students face-to-face again and look forward to welcoming the Year 10 students next week.

Year 10 and Year 11 Mid-Year Exams

Parents and students have received the timetable and information about the conduct of mid-year exams. All Year 11 exams will be conducted onsite from Thursday 10 June. Year 10 students will take their first exams (Humanities and PE) online on Thursday 10 June and return to school on Friday 11 June to complete the remainder of their exams. Any concerns or questions regarding return to school should be directed to your child’s Head of House.

Year 12 Students Visit La Trobe University Friday 21 May

Timing is everything! Had this excursion been scheduled to take place one week later, it would sadly have been cancelled and Year 12 VCE students would not have enjoyed such a wonderful on-campus experience.

After almost a year of cancelled/curtailed activities/excursions and limited opportunities thanks to COVID, students were excited to be exploring options beyond Aitken and daring once again to think of their transition from school. 

Careers staff appreciate that La Trobe is not going to be the right choice for everyone, but the excursion aims to give students confidence to undertake their own careers/course research, attend various other tertiary Open Days and, above all else, reflect on the options available.

Prior to departing the College, students had been asked to select from a range of workshops on offer which were intended to showcase some of the tertiary course options available at the Bundoora campus. 

Upon arrival at La Trobe, students and staff made their way to the David Myers building and were briefed by Elise Joosten (Aitken College Alumnus and College Captain 2012) in her capacity as Advisor Marketing & Student Recruitment. Elise provided a snapshot highlighting the scope of course offerings available at La Trobe covering everything from Archeology to Zoology; truly the A-Z! 

From, here students separated into House groups and were taken for a campus tour by La Trobe ambassadors, one of whom was Kristina Vlasjonic (Aitken College Alumnus and College Captain 2017) currently completing her final year of studies in Physiotherapy.

Tour groups returned to the Agora for a short break before moving to the first of their nominated workshops. At the completion of Workshop 1, students returned to the Agora for lunch before commencing Workshop 2. All students chose from the following list and received their two highest workshop preferences: 

• Biological Sciences/Animal & Veterinary Science
• Law witness examination (Law/Criminology)
• Science Lab experiment (Wet lab/Anatomy)
• Media and Communications (Radio station)
• Business trading room simulation (Business/Commerce)
• Arts/Archaeology
• Wildlife Sanctuary Tour

For many students, this was their first visit to a tertiary campus - understandable given the cancellation of tertiary Open Days almost 12 months ago. Reports from the workshops were all positive and students came away with a clearer insight of what was involved in that course.

Without doubt, students returned to the College excited and inspired. Many were now able to make better connections between some of the work/SACs/subjects studied at school and where these might potentially lead. Some students spoke of being more motivated to complete school work and with a greater determination to aim for the ATARs required for courses they had explored.

The weather was kind to us, and the students were patient, beautifully behaved and grateful for the opportunity to be part of such an activity. We have learned much from COVID. The happy photos tell the story.

Schools are busy places and there was a significant amount of juggling required across faculties to free up students to attend this very worthwhile excursion. Special thanks to the amazing Brookhill leadership team: Mr Murphy, Mr Salloum, Mrs Lindsay, Ms Jarvis-Dymond, Mr Perri and Mrs Monos who were (and are) so supportive of all things ‘Careers’.

Ms Rae Gibbs & Mrs Clare Borg

Careers Practitioners