Senior School Report

Message from the Director of Learning - Senior School 

- Ms Anna Papagiannopoulos

Wow! What a start to 2023. Congratulations to all our Senior School students on all your efforts and achievements in Term 1; to the Year 10 VM students for tackling Senior School a whole year early; to our Year 11s who have just begun their Senior School journey and have worked hard to adapt to the rigour and expectations; and to our Year 12 students, who have embarked on their final school year with grace and pride!

As we head into our first lot of school holidays, it is important that students take this opportunity to have a well-earned rest, getting some much-needed sleep, catching up with friends and family and making plans for the term ahead.

Of course, as Senior students, they will also have holiday homework to complete. This is an important part of their Senior studies as it keeps them academically vigilant and provides them an opportunity to:

· Revise the work they have been doing for Unit 1 or Unit 3 – this is important as it helps keep important content and skills learned in their lessons at the forefront of their mind, making exam preparation at the end of the year much easier.

· Look ahead and prepare for Term 2 – teachers may set work that relates to content studied in Term 2. This is so that students can front-load important skills and knowledge so that they go into the new semester better prepared and more confident.

The holidays are also an opportunity to maintain, or develop, good and healthy habits around both their learning and their wellbeing. Learning and wellbeing go hand-in-hand, and students would do well to:

· Get at least nine hours of sleep a night, ensuring that they are undisturbed by electronic devices.

· Eat well and often, ensuring their meals contain all the food groups with plenty of carbohydrates, protein, good fats and vegetables. It is important that students do not overly restrict their eating and fulfil cravings for sugar and fat in moderation when they arise – this will prevent binge eating later. It is also important that students refrain from drinking energy drinks as these have many negative side effects to their health and wellbeing.

· Check in with themselves and others, ensuring that they are reaching out for help if they feel their mood changing for the worse.  It is important that their mental health is discussed often and openly as many students will experience mental illness during schooling. 

· Taking regular breaks and doing social activities. 

· Practice good physical health by being active, such as going for walks or playing sport.

· Stick to a study timetable to ensure that all schoolwork is done before the beginning of term. This will keep them from falling behind once Term 2 begins.

· Make study groups with friends to better motivate themselves and others to study. Study groups can also help to better understanding and skill-development. 

· Write down questions they may have for their teachers upon returning to school. 

· Attend, if able, holiday classes offered either at school by their teachers or by an external provider. 

· Complete practice essays and tests to keep themselves academically ‘in-shape’. 

I would also like to remind parents/guardians to check Compass regularly and to reach out if you do not have, or have forgotten, your login details. 

As parents and guardians, we value your continued support in facilitating your child’s learning and development. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Enjoy the break and stay safe!

Ms Anna Papagiannopoulos

Director of Learning – Senior School

Debating Update

Our Year 12 Debating Team won their second-round debate against Caulfield Grammar, with School Captain Monineath Seang winning Best Speaker! Well done also to Alexandros Balatsas-Kartsiounis and Merzia Chowdhury! What a team!

Ms Anna Papagiannopoulos

Director of Learning – Senior School

Year 11 EAL

In Year 11EAL, for the first SAC of U1O1, we deep dived into the Family Law show which revealed lots of interesting topics in today’s society such as family and relationships, stereotypes in Asia and Australia, conflicts, identity and belonging, and adapting culture. 

Students are required to make a personal response to show their understanding of the connections between the show and their personal life. When students learn about the topic “identity and belonging”, they did a wonderful class presentation during term 1 week 6. The presentation was about “how does your culture shape your identity”. Students made strong connections between their culture and identities by introducing to the class the items they brought. To be specific, all the students brought things or pictures from their homes which can represent their country and their culture, and tried to make connections about how that shape their identities. Students brought things like cultural dresses, travel photos, cross neckless etc., to express their understanding of the connection between their culture and identities. 

This activity can help students to speak out in front of the class, as well as provide them with a deeper understanding of the Family Law show and their own experiences. Overall, every student did a perfect job and had a well-shaped understanding of that topic when writing their actual personal response. 

Well done, everyone!

Mr Jeffrey Ji

Year 11 EAL Teacher

VCE Unit 3 Biology Ecolinc Excursion

On Friday 24th of March, 21 students studying Unit 3 Biology went to Ecolinc which is in Bacchus Marsh! Although it was a long bus ride there, the students used their laboratory skills to extract DNA, amplify the amount of DNA for gel electrophoresis. Students were testing out foods such as potato chips, soy chips, rice crackers, polenta and corn chip to see if they are genetically modified as there is no law on imported foods having to displayed GMO on their packaging. A big thank you to Ms Phillips for coming with us! As you can see in the photos, we had an amazing time!

Ms Loan Luong-Nguyen

Numeracy/STEM Learning Specialist

Convention Centre Melbourne - ‘Monet and Friends’

VCE Year 11 and 12 Art Making and Exhibiting excursion. 

Students visited LUME at South Wharf this term to experience the work by the Impressionist masters. The students experienced art on another level, one where they were fully immersed into an epic adventure of sensory encounters.

The walls come alive as light rippled across every surface and the masterpieces of Monet and friends came to life. Curated tastes, aromas and a choreographed soundtrack added thrilling new dimensions to this 360-degree experience. Every surface become an animated canvas: floors, walls and students alike. Thank you to Ms Coetzee for giving up her time to share this experience with us.

Ms Helen Ifandis 

Year 11 & Arts/Technology Coordinator

Eckersleys Workshop - VCE Art Making and Exhibiting

The Year 11 and 12 students were given the opportunity to explore art materials, new media, techniques and processes to develop skills in art making. 

Thank you to Dani Scaramuzzino, Visual Artist VIC & TAS Education Manager and Arts Specialist for her awesome demonstration on how to use the RISO screen printing machine as well as exploring a range of exciting new media!

Ms Helen Ifandis

Year 11 & Arts/Technology Coordinator

Top Arts Webinar – National Gallery of Victoria

The Year 11 and 12 Art Making and Exhibiting students participated in the TOP ARTS online webinar this term. They experienced first-hand information from the NGV education officer and curator of the extraordinary works of art and folios that achieved outstanding results in VCE Art and Studio Arts in 2022. The students were given the opportunity to explore themes, concepts, ideas, a range of media and techniques that would support them in developing their own studio practice and art making. 

Ms Helen Ifandis 

Year 11 & Arts and Technology Coordinator