viva VCAL!
What happens in VCAL?
A whole LOT, that's what!
Sarah Meads
VCAL Coordinator
This year we are honoured to have 34 students enrolled in the VCAL program for 2020.
The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) is a practical option for students in Years 11 and 12. It is designed to prepare students for further education, training or employment by providing them with work-related experience, literacy and numeracy skills and an opportunity to develop personal skills.
Our VCAL students participated in various events and projects in Term 1, including Reach Foundation Workshops and running activities during the BSC Swimming Carnival. The students showed commitment, determination and great teamwork and we congratulate them on their efforts.
On behalf of the VCAL teaching team and all the VCAL cohort, we also congratulate the following Year 11 students who have earned the VCAL Excellence Award in Term 1:
Click photo to enlarge
Kelly Papadakis
Year 11 VCAL
This month we have spent our time organising the Swimming Carnival for the school to attend. We all had to choose what activity we wanted to run and with whom we wanted to work. While organising this activity, I have learned a lot about being independent as well as about working with other people.
Making a schedule for the event and making rules for the participants in games was hard to do, but we did succeed in the end. On the day, it was great seeing people enjoy our activity it made me believe that our hard work paid off.
We demonstrated good leadership skills, good communication and teamwork skills. These skills are just as important as being independent because it shows that you can work with other people and succeed. There will always be some mishaps while doing group work, but it is trial and error. I have created a better bond with the people I have worked with and that is what is also great about working with other people.
Overall, in VCAL so far I have learned how to work with other people and build my confidence to speak in front of ten or more people. Earning the VCAL Excellence Award was a highlight of the month because it also showed how hard I have been working with the people around me as well as independently.
I am happy that I chose VCAL as my pathway because I believe it will provide me with the same skills as VCE - just through a different platform and using a different curriculum to do this. I am very happy in VCAL!
Click on the photo to enlarge
Lara Yardim
Year 12
VCAL Captain
The VCAL Program's Reach Foundation workshop took place in February. Three mentors from the Reach Foundation came to BSC to talk to the Year 12 VCAL class about mental health, encouraging all the students to be open about any issues they may have experienced.
At first, jokes were made but then one person shared something personal and after that students began to realise that we were in a trusted and safe environment, so everyone participated in the discussion. We learned that we don’t always know much about the people around us and what they are going through. The workshop made us realise that we need to check up on others more and to make sure they are doing okay.
Benefits of the workshop included having deep conversations about what goes on in our individual lives and how to move on from our past. Several students spoke about feeling relieved to get things off of their chest and let go of events that had happened in their past - moving forward to a better future. There are some students who rarely take the opportunity to talk about their inner feelings and issues, so this workshop was of great help to them.
In addition, the workshop showed us pathways for our future careers, as well as supplied connections within the wider community. I think that all the Year 12 VCAL students would highly recommend the Reach Foundation program to others, particularly people going through issues and struggling to express their fears or anxieties.