Sydenham News

Year 10 Lunchtime Flash Mob

On Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 of November, all students who participated in year 10 dance, as an elective, this semester put on a performance of a lifetime in front of the Sydenham campus as a surprise flash mob.

The students have worked hard alongside their teacher to choreograph and perfect a 2-minute dance routine as part of an assessment task for their elective. The students learnt the dance through a video during remote learning, then came back to school to bring the dance to life.

It took a lot of courage and confidence for these students to perform as majority had never danced in front of a crowd before. These students are congratulated on their efforts and encouraged to continue to jump out of their comfort zones.

Ms Taylor Van Orsouw

Dance Teacher

My Experience on Challenge Day

When I was first told that we may be going to the city I was very sceptical. I was sitting at one of the courtyard tables with my friends when my Challenge Day teacher, Miss Chung came up to us and said that we may be going to the city, she also said to keep this information on a down-low. I was glad we were going to the city, but it didn’t sound like it was certain. The next day in PE, with my other Challenge Day teacher Mr Murphy he told us that we were going to the city. This was the confirmation I needed. I was so happy as I have never really been to the city before, so I was glad that I could go with friends. The next week with all our permission forms in, we set off to the city.

When we first arrived, we got off the train at Parliament. My two Challenge Day teachers then continued to give us a mini-tour of the city. Once arriving at Melbourne Central we had free time to roam around. I got my favourite drink from a place that I had only ever seen once before and got some sushi. But I would be lying if I said that that was the best part of the day. Because don’t get me wrong but walking through the arcades and laneways of the city was pretty cool.

The next week we had a mini scavenger hunt. With the help of our teacher, I think we were the only group out of all the groups that used the free trams. Trust me that was the best choice we made because at the end of the day our legs were dying. We spent most of the day trying to locate the Shrine of Remembrance. That was stressful. I was the navigator, and I was stressing out because there was so much construction that paths on the map were not paths in real life. I was stressed, and then my friends were stressing over me. But we made it eventually and caught a free tram back to Melbourne Central, where we ate lunch and had a break before setting off to a store that we all wanted to go to. We made it back exactly on our 2 o’clock deadline. With all that stressing, we won the scavenger hunt and a box of donuts.

Stephanie 9K1

The announcement of the Challenge Day excursions was an incredibly welcome one for all of us in Year 9. It was like a reward for all that has happened this year. In the two excursions, we were given the chance to explore the streets of Melbourne independently. Going to the city by ourselves was an entirely different experience compared to going to the city supervised. We were able to go wherever we wanted, buy whatever food we liked, and spend our time however we wished. Beyond that, though, I was most grateful for the excursions taking place because of how much it lifted the mood of my friends. This year has been a rough one and these excursions allowed us to relax and have fun, becoming a celebration as we near the year’s end. I’m really thankful that we were able to experience Challenge Day. Despite all the obstacles we’ve faced this year, our teachers were able to give us this irreplaceable experience and we’re all so appreciative of it!

The activities of both excursions were quite fun! Looking through the street art for our Arcades and Laneways Tour mesmerised me with all the bright colours. The Photo Scavenger Hunt was both chaotic and exciting as it tested what we may have learned from the previous excursion. The best part of both excursions for me was when we were able to go off on our own. It was fun to explore the city in our small groups and go into the shops that we would not normally stop for in a class.

Amirah 9K1

Year 8 Italian Classes

Mangiamo la pizza (Let's eat pizza)

Some of our beautiful Year 8 Italian students enjoyed making (and then eating!) pizza as part of their end of year celebration on the topic of "Food".

We used fresh pizza dough made from "farina, sale, acqua, olio e lievito" - Can you work out the english translations of these ingredients?

And the perfect accompaniment to pizza - gelato, of course! Ahhh, che delizioso! Buon appetito!