COMMUNITY

Making the most of Year 11 VCE/VCAL

Western Heights College was thrilled to welcome back two recent graduates to speak with current students and discuss how to get the most out of Year 11.

The twin Q&A sessions on Friday 26 March saw Jemma Goodall (Class of 2019) visit the Year 11 VCAL students in one room, while in another room we had 2020 dux Nathanael Briese and current Year 12 student Tiana Prodanov speaking with the Year 11 VCE cohort.

Jemma loved her VCAL years and is now employed at KFC Geelong’s head office in administration and payroll. Nathanael started his mechatronics engineering degree at Deakin University three weeks ago. Tiana also brought different perspective to the Q&A, as someone who had completed Year 11 to a high standard last year.

They fielded questions from the students on a variety of topics, such as juggling school work and other commitments, dealing with stress, study tips and transitioning to university or work.

Year 11 VCE student Amelia Washington explains some of the key messages she learnt from Tiana and Nathanael:

“I found it very helpful as Nathanael told us what to expect after high school in university, and to do our work as soon as possible instead of holding back and getting behind. Tiana also gave us tips on how to manage our out-of-school activities with our VCE work. They both made us all realise that Year 11 is an important year that we should take advantage of and take seriously.”

Meanwhile in the VCAL room, Jemma’s key points included: writing a list each day to stay organised, starting your projects straight away instead of procrastinating, and showing a good work ethic at school can boost your chances of gaining employment.

“It was fantastic to see Jemma again and she shared really useful advice to our VCAL students about navigating the next two years and finding a career after VCAL. The students gained a lot from her talk and found her advice really useful.” – Sarah Pitman, VCAL coordinator

Thank you to Nathanael, Jemma and Tiana for sharing their advice and motivating our Year 11s! Thank you also to Anna Hurley for her photography during the sessions.

Next on the horizon for the alumni program is filmmaker David Ward (Class of 2009), who will help us introduce the Year 9 Digital Art classes to their next unit of study on Wednesday 21 April.

- Jennifer Chiu, WHC Alumni Program Coordinator

LIBRARY NEWS

Below is an example of some of the new titles available to borrow from the school library. The library is open from 8:30 am – 3:00 pm daily, Wednesday nights 3:00 – 7:00pm and Saturdays 9:00– 12.00 Noon.

TERRI'S TALES

Reading

It is so important to read. At school we read for 10 minutes before lesson 5 starts. Not only does it settle the students down after running around at lunchtime but it is an important part of everyday life. Reading is required for schoolwork, or understanding documents etc., but it can also be relaxing and transport you to another world through somebody else’s imagination. It is also important for your teachers to know that you can read, but if you are having difficulty let them know something can be done to help you. During the school holidays why not set yourself up with a snack and drink, sit in a comfy chair or lay on your bed, and read a book – you might surprise yourself and enjoy it and do it more regularly!