Year 9/10

Another busy term in Year 10 as students begin to prepare for their semester 2 exams and for the step up to the senior school. Year 10s have been working hard to finish the year strong, with many events and excursions taking place too.

Federation University Experience Day

On the 20th October, 75 year 10 students had the opportunity to visit Federation University Berwick campus to attend a University Experience day. Students travelled to Berwick where they got to experience some information sessions about a range of courses on offer at Federation University, such as Education, Nursing, Psychology and Criminology. In groups the students rotated through sessions where they got to experience what it is like to be a university student on campus, where they learnt about the different field of study and what a lab or tutorial may look like. After the information sessions and classes the students got to explore the campus with an amazing race, where they were challenged to de-code clues and discover different areas around the site. We then headed back to the main lecture theatre where our curious and motivated students had the opportunity to ask further questions about courses, university life and university entrance. 

Around 160 year 10 students had the opportunity to experience the world of work with their work experience placements 30/10-3/11. We hade students employed in a wide variety of industries such as retail, health care, education, law and even aviation! By all accounts the students enjoyed their placement and gained a lot of valuable  insight into the careers they are interested in pursuing. Congratulations to all students who participated, represented yourselves and the College very well and should be proud.

On Monday the 9th of October students from the two Vietnam War History classes went to the Vietnam war museum on Phillip Island. Students were able to explore uniforms, weaponry and personal stories from veterans. 

Year 10 Outdoor Education students have been very busy the last couple of weeks. In week 2 students attended a one-night camp to Phillip Island where they hiked, cooked all their own food, slept in tents and observed natural environments including visiting the Phillip Island penguin parade and the San Remo pelican feeding. In week 3 students challenged themselves in a 2 hour sit on top Kayaking lesson where they developed their paddling skills and learnt about water safety and weather patterns when participating in activities on open waters.

It has been a big half of the year for the Year 9 cohort. The Year 9 cohort started Term 3 off experiencing their elective subjects for the semester. Part of these new electives was Pathways 2 Success (P2S) with half the cohort having the experience of Mock Interviews through this subject. Mock Interviews provided students with the opportunity to have a real-life experience of what it would be like to participate in an interview as well as providing them with the skills to do so. Students within this subject also completed the Morrisby Test which helped highlight to students what their strengths are and what careers would be best suited their personality and strengths.

It has also been a big semester for excursion and incursions. An exciting incursion that the Year 9 cohort experienced was the biomes excursion to the Cranbourne Botanic Garden, where they were given the opportunity to explore and learn about Australian Biomes and the Australian environment. The students also experienced an incursion where they had the opportunity to do a life choices workshop presented by Andrew Fisher. This workshop gave students the opportunity to think about consequences of some of their choices and encouraged them to choose a path that is right for them. The program provided evidence-based information and real-life stories that inspire young people to stand firm in the face of difficulties and negative influences. Finally, students also had the opportunity to engage in workshops ran by the REACH foundation which focused on building students social and emotional skills and increasing their ability to develop meaningful connections with their peer. The whole Year 9 cohort then attended Heroes Day held at the Frankston Arts Centre which was an expansion of the workshops that they experienced within school. Many Year 9 students represented the College on the day and participated in the activities that the facilitators were running throughout the program. 

In terms of sport this term, the Year 9 and 10 students represented the college in basketball. Both the Girls and Boys team were successful on the day in progressing through to the regional competition. Unfortunately, they were not successful in regionals, however the College is extremely proud of their efforts on this day. 

Some other key experiences throughout the Semester include the Year 9 Sports Pathway excursion to the 1000 steps, the Year 9 Outdoor Education hike to Cape Schanck and the camp to Phillip Island, and the Year 9 Enrichment Maths games day just to name a few. 

Something to look forward to is the Arts and Technologies festival starting on 5pm on Thursday 30th. As part of this we have a collective of Year 9 students performing as well as having their artwork featured. We also have our annual End of Year Awards ceremony happening on Monday December 18th in the Frankston Art Centre which will recognise all our year 9 students for their achievements and success throughout the year. Finally, for the first time in our school history, the Year 9 students will undertake exams on Wednesday 15th of November and Thursday the 16th of November. This is really exciting as it provides them with an opportunity to experience the process of exams before they progress into the senior school.