Throughout Term 1, Year 10 Outdoor Education students have been learning about marine environments and attending regular excursions to the pool in preparation for an ocean snorkelling adventure. 

At the pool, students refined their swimming abilities and learned a variety of new skills to support involvement in snorkelling as a recreational activity. This included learning how to regulate their breath so they could breathe comfortably through a snorkel, adjusting their snorkelling masks to ensure no leaks hindered visibility, and engaging in games designed to build their confidence and comfortability in a body of water. 

Before long, the big day arrived! With a mixture of excitement and anticipation, students boarded the bus for a long drive to the beautiful coastline of the Bellarine Peninsula. The first stop was the Queenscliff Marine Discovery Centre which allowed students to familiarise themselves with the flora and fauna found in the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park. The highlight of the centre was the touch tank where students immersed themselves in tactile interactions with a variety of marine life. Such interactions included touching the sharp spikes of a sea urchin, feeling the slimy skin of the incredibly weird elephant snail and observing an abalone slowly emerging from under its seaweed coated shell to suction onto any hand in close enough proximity! Students were even given the opportunity to taste seaweed picked fresh from the ocean. They learned about some of the issues affecting Port Phillip Bay and the management strategies in place to maintain the health of our beautiful marine environment. Before heading off to the snorkelling tour, the group ate a quick picnic lunch on the grass overlooking Swan Bay.

At Scubabo we donned wetsuits, flippers, masks and snorkels and jumped straight into the pool for a final swimming refresher before heading to the big blue. In the pool, students tested out the buoyancy of their wetsuits and faced their fears of swimming in water that was too deep to stand in. When everyone was feeling comfortable and looking the part, we boarded the Scubabo boat, and headed to Pope’s Eye and Chinaman’s Hat, two renowned snorkelling locations in Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park. On arrival at the first snorkelling location, there was no mucking around, and with masks and snorkels strapped tightly to eager faces, students literally jumped off the back of a boat and into the crystal cool water of Port Phillip Bay.

Many people head to warmer tropical waters to find beautiful marine life unaware that our very own Port Phillip Bay is brimming with colourful seagrass forests, vibrant fish and giant flocks of migratory birds. While snorkeling at Pope’s eye and Chinaman's Hat, students had countless close up encounters with colourful Leatherjackets, Australian Fur Seals, and Australasian Gannets and their fresh fluffy chicks! One of the groups was lucky enough to swim alongside a startlingly large Eastern Shovelnose Stingaree - a highlight of the trip!

I have rarely witnessed the courage, bravery and support demonstrated by Year 10 Outdoor Education students as they plunged into the bottomless depths of the salty ocean. It was an absolute delight.

Ms Emily Nancarrow 

In Year 10 science, we are learning about chemistry, specifically chemical patterns and bonding. We carried out an experiment to compare the reactivity of various metals: Magnesium, Aluminum, Copper and Zinc. This was done by adding the metals to different test tubes with 2cm of hydrochloric acid and 3 drops of detergent. We concluded the experiment by recording observations and increase of foam in each solution.

- Rita Youssif and Lena Istaifo 10 McAuley

In Year 10 Science we are learning about chemistry and in this unit we are learning more about the periodic table such as the groups, periods, trends, reactivity, metals, non-metal and metalloids. In today's experiment our focus was on the reactivity of metals when they interact with hydrochloric acid and the metals we used were magnesium, aluminium, zinc and copper. Through our findings we found that some metals are more reactive than others, for example magnesium is more reactive than aluminum, zinc and copper having more bubbles.

- Nicholas Lay, 10 McAuley

The Year 8s attended their first camp at The Ranch Mornington last week! The goal of their camp was to build a sense of self-esteem as well as develop resilience and their team-work skills. So many students pushed through their fear of heights as they were raised into the sky and swung high on the giant swing. Students got to have their first go at the unique sport of mountain boarding; strapped up on a skateboard riding down different levels of a hill. They also partook in mini challenges that saw them developing their abilities to communicate and cooperate with their peers. To round their night off, they got to go on a night walk; venturing up and around the hills and looking up at the beautiful stars in the sky. Overall, it was a wonderful experience and it enabled the Year 8 homeroom teachers to see students thrive in a different environment. It was an important learning experience that will be expanded on further through the Year 8 Pastoral Care curriculum this term.

- Ms Emma Baldacchino, Year 8 Assistant Leader

ANZAC Day Memorial

Great turnout for our first Chess Club for 2025