Year 9 News
It has been a busy and positive start for our year nine students.
The new GRIT program has kicked off with our first two groups commencing in week four. The two groups completed their first in-school session on Thursday and went on their first excursions to Willum Warrain and The Corner on Friday. The program continues in this way and culminates with a camp at Philip Island in the last week of term.
Morrisby testing has commenced giving great career and pathway advice and guidance for students and parents. More details on the Morrisby process will be provided soon.
Overall it has been an extremely positive start to the year, we had a great day at the Swimming Carnival, with Athletics Day to come on the 15th of March
Amanda Cruise
Year 9 Leader
GRIT Program
The Year 9 GRIT program, facilitated by Courteney Boulter, Matt Mackenzie and the class’s Maths or English teachers.
GRIT stands for Growth, Resilience, Identity and Teamwork – which are the four cornerstones of the program, aiming to get students out of their comfort zones and challenging themselves while learning about important concepts and developing vital life skills in a fun and hands-on way.
All Year 9 students will complete the GRIT program, which occurs twice a week for four weeks in Semester 1 and twice a week for two weeks in Semester 2. Of the two weekly sessions this semester, one is based at school, where students will learn about and develop resilience, a growth mindset and empathy, while the Friday afternoon sessions are excursions to either The Corner Youth Centre in Mornington, Willum Warrain Indigenous Gathering Space in Hastings or a series of challenges on Mills Beach for our Survivor Day.
We are off to a great start so far, with energetic and engaging sessions at school in which students have been working together in teams to overcome challenges, discuss important topics and develop skills which will aid them back in the classroom, at home, on the sporting field and in the workplace. The first two groups have been fantastic, bringing a lot of enthusiasm to our various activities and providing some insightful contributions to our class discussions and group work.
Group 1 travelled to Willum Warrain on Friday where they learnt a lot about Indigenous culture, native plants and their various uses, heard Dreamtime stories and even learnt some traditional Indigenous dance moves! Group 2 headed to The Corner Youth Centre where they were introduced to the team and the great facilities there and participated in an informative session run by Youth Law, focusing on important topics affecting young people.
At the end of term, both groups will be attending an overnight camp at Phillip Island, where students will continue to push themselves outside their comfort zones, develop confidence and resilience while having fun and trying new things such as surfing and adventure activities.
Unfortunately, some young people lack resilience and self-esteem and struggle to push themselves outside of their comfortable bubbles. Issues that have only been compounded by the pandemic. GRIT is all about providing fun and interesting ways to experience positive personal growth in a safe and controlled environment, while forming new and strengthened connections with peers and teachers. We look forward to welcoming each of the Year 9 students onto the program throughout the year!
Courtney Boulter