International Students

School Holiday Adventures

Making the most of the winter school holidays in Victoria, our International students used the downtime to indulge in hobbies and explore rugged landscapes (while taking some pretty spectacular photos!).

During term two’s term break, I’ve went to a hiking trip with my parents' friend’s family to Mount Buffalo National Park and Alpine National Park. I have a lot of fun during the trip and so far it is the best term break I have ever had.  

Frederick S., 11D

During the holidays I baked a cake and some vanilla cupcakes. It was something I loved doing even though I always end up doing something wrong. 

For the cake, I forgot we ran out sugar and was too lazy to buy some, I used honey, for the cupcakes, I found out halfway through baking that the baking powder had expired so I had to use Vinegar, and the icing for the cupcakes were very lumpy. So overall, they're not perfect but they're better than my last.

What I really enjoy about baking is the feeling of accomplishment I get when I finish and the delightful look in my parents and siblings faces when I serve my work to them. My sister also enjoys baking and helps me bake so it's something we can bond over, she helps me set up the equipments , so this is all courtesy of Nella.

Christabel O., Yr 8 

My homestay family took me and my housemate Winnie Wang  to Mt. Buller for ski. It’s a fantastic experience and we really enjoyed the snow and activities there.

Tracy T., 10G

Year 10 Careers Week

Our International students also enjoyed participating in Careers Experience Week and they would like to share their reflections with you.

STUDENT REFLECTION

In the last week of Term 2, Year 10 students were given an opportunity to do work experience at their chosen places. I was fortunate to get a placement at the optometrist (Specsavers), in Westfield Doncaster. 

During my time there, I was trained to help out the optometrist and sales assistant for the retail part. I helped patients book appointments, learned how to do adjustments for their glasses, helped them pick suitable frames, assisted in collecting their glasses and ran a few pre eye tests.  All my colleagues were super friendly and welcomed me warmly, they never hesitate to help me if I have any questions and they treated me so well. 

After experiencing 5 days of work, I have realised my passion in this industry, I wish to gain more knowledge about optometry and work hard to help patients have a better vision. I truly enjoyed this experience and the store manager even offered me a job position as a casual employee.

Berry E.

During the last week of term 2, I had the chance to go to Borna fresh fruit shop and work there for five days. It was a great experience for me, as it was the first time I was working in a retail shop. 

One of the most difficult roles in a shop is being the cashier. Learning to work as the cashier was so good, and I really wanted to experience it. Working in a fruit shop is hard because the staff should start working early in the morning, receive the fruits that come to the store and control the prices throughout the day. 

Going to the fruit shop for the work experience week was a great experience for me.

Kiarash L.

Work experience was an excellent program for yr10s to do as it gives us the opportunities to learn new skills at workplaces. I completed my yr10 work experience at Chemist Warehouse. I applied for the position of pharmacy assistant and my job was mainly to do the stockings every day. Although it was a bit hard for me to remember every section, I think I've done a really good job in stocking and customer services. It was quite tiring but I actually enjoyed it a lot. 

I've learnt a lot through this work experience, I understood that earning money is not an easy thing, I learnt the importance of achieving teamwork at workplaces and respect the public. Everyone at my workplace was so nice to me. Whenever I asked them where to put things, they were also so kind and patient to guide me. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I hope I can complete another work experience if possible.

Cindy L.

Sally Huang

Director of International Student Program