From Year 9

The last two weeks have been packed with wonderful learning opportunities across all subject areas in Year 9. I would like share with you some of the wonderful activities that students have participated in.

On Monday 16th August during Nourish the Year 9 & 10 students had a wonderful guest speaker from Pelvic Pain Foundation. The talk was delivered by a medical nurse who provided accurate and age-appropriate information on the menstrual cycle. It was interactive and evident that students were engaged as they were asking many questions, several students also remained behind after the talk to chat to the nurse. I would like to thank Jodie Laube, our College Nurse for organising this informative session.

In Year 9 Trimester 3 Food Technology, students have been learning about native bush foods in Australia. The students have been studying the Influences of food consumption and choice within Australia since prior to colonisation to now.

The students learnt how to cook with bush flavours and native bush tucker foods, as well as learning about hunting and gathering, fire stick farming and First Nations people's food preparation methods.

The students all worked to make the following recipes:

  • Warrigal spinach and feta filo pastries. We used the Warrigal spinach from Ms Chauncy’s native garden.
  • Meat pies with saltbush seasoning
  • Savoury mountain pepper damper with ‘Outback Spirit Tomato Chutney’
  • Sweet lemon myrtle and wattle seed scones

The students are going to learn about food-related Aboriginal Enterprises next week to complete the Unit of work.

In French there have been a few special events that have taken place in Term 3 so far. Here is an overview.

The Berthe Mouchette French Competition took place. Three high-achieving Year 9 students; Stevie, Mary and Sylvie participated in this competition by learning a poem as well as sitting an examination. This competition challenged the students to go beyond what they learn in class and truly extended their language skills. Congratulations to Mary M and Sylvie O for making it to the State finals. This achievement gives students, their families and the College such a sense of pride. Additionally, the College was well-represented by Year 9 students at the inter-school French Trivia Night on the 11th August.

This year I decided to participate in the Berthe Mouchette Competition, and it was an amazing learning experience. I prepared by doing mock/practice exams provided by Ms Bourgault, as well as 5-10 minutes of poem recital time at the end of each class. This challenge really aided in furthering my French skills, and although it was extremely nerve-racking; the benefits were worth it. From this competition I learnt how to handle the stress of real French exams under pressure, and my scores in reading/writing/grammar improved immensely.
Mary M
It was wonderful that we could represent our school at the inter-school French Trivia night at Sacre Coeur College on 11th August. The night was well organised and ran well, providing yet another out-of-class learning opportunity for students. The night was a fun experience and tested our knowledge of France in a unique way. We were able to collaborate with students from other schools who have the same passion for the French language and culture. Throughout the night we explored different concepts of France and deeply challenged ourselves with our communication and understanding of France itself. The program also introduced us to French foods and snacks, as well as music. Overall, the French Trivia Night this year offered the most enjoyable experience.
Stevie J and Athiei G

Mary De Bono
Year 9 Team Leader