It was great to see all the students and staff returning to school last week after their mid-year holiday, hopefully recharged and ready for a great Term 3.
With a new semester comes a change in timetable for our Year 7 – 10 students. New electives are started for our Year 8 – 10s, whilst all students will have rotating core subjects that swap each semester such as Art with Drama, Health with Religion, Geography with History, etc. Other core subjects like English, Maths, PE and languages continue all year through.
Brett Trollope | Head of Secondary
2023 Subject Selection
Students across Year 7 – 11 will very soon be submitting their subject preferences for 2023 with the platform opening on Saturday 23 July and closing on Monday 01 August. Staff across Year 7 – 9 have run several sessions in their pastoral classes going over the different options that are available at each year level. There are relevant tiles on the Portal pages of both students and families that will allow them to read and understand more about what each subject is about before making decisions. We have also run an online pathways session for our Year 9 and 10 families regarding VCE/VET options, with our 2023 VCE/VET Subject Showcase Evening occurring online on Thursday 21 July. This particular event is for all current Year 10 students and families, and any of our current Year 9 students (and families) who may be interested in studying a VCE or VET Unit 1 – 2 subject whilst in Year 10 next year.
Poetry in Action
On Tuesday 12 July, students in Years 7 & 8 attended an incursion called Poetry In Action, as part of their English studies. In 2020 and 2021, the Poetry In Action team presented to us in an online format, so it was great to see their talents in a live format once again.
The team, comprising of actors Ruby, Rob and Mason presented a show called The Poet’s Quest, the story of a young man in search of the vital components that make up effective poetry. These components consist of:
- Rhyme
- Rhythm
- Imagery
- Theme
It was an enjoyable and energetic performance, and the actors kindly shared some of their thoughts about acting and poetry in a Q & A session at the completion of the performance.
Matthew O’Brien | Year 7 English Teacher
Geography Study Tour to Cairns
During the semester break a group of 24 Year 10, 11 and 12 Geography students and three staff took part in a Geography Study Tour to Cairns and Cape Tribulation. Geography tours are an important opportunity for students to examine the world’s people and natural environments at close range as an adjunct to their studies. Venturing into the field to explore, analyse, interpret and understand a destination’s unique characteristics and contributes immeasurably to students’ understanding of the key areas of Year 10 and VCE Geography; Sustainability and Conservation management, Hazards and Disasters, Tourism, Land Use Change, Land Cover Change. Tropical North Queensland is home to the World Heritage listed Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. This area invited students to explore some of the most diverse and dramatic landscapes on Earth.
The purpose of the trip was to expose Year 10 – 12 students to real, relevant and contemporary examples of the case studies they will use in Units 1 – 3 Geography, especially those of deforestation, climate change, land use and land cover change and tourism.
During their journey the group hiked up Mossman Gorge and had a dip in the icy rockpools, visited crocodiles in the Daintree River, went snorkelling on the outer reef and got to dive with Green Sea Turtles and giant clams as well as an amazing array of fish and corals. At Cape Tribulation they saw wild cassowaries in the Daintree, visited an organic tropical fruit orchard, and hiked through the rainforest at night with an Environmental Biologist from James Cook University, the highlight of which without a doubt was the tree snakes and bioluminescent lichen! Throughout the trip students were able to experience firsthand the conflicts between environmental and cultural conservation, and tourism and how conflicts between the two can be balanced. This was most obvious at Fitzroy Island where the students studied the reef from a glass bottom boat, visited the Turtle Rehab centre, and then snorkelled to observe coral bleaching in the island harbour. At Hartley’s Crocodile farm they were confronted with the duality of conservation and captive farming of saltwater crocodiles. The cultural immersion at Pamigirri was fascinating, the gentle and inclusive program explained traditional land management, and the sharing of creation story lines of the tribes who are the traditional custodians of this region. Being able to ride the cable way down from Kuranda afterwards with this fresh understanding of the forest was amazing and certainly coloured our perspective of the forest.
A once in a lifetime trip – the students learned so much which they will be able to use both in their studies and their understanding of Australian Indigenous Culture. All the students lucky enough to be involved, experienced a trip they will never forget, taking home many fond memories and a newfound respect for our beautiful planet.
We are definitely looking forward to future Geography tours, and where they will take us.
Naomi Baulch | Head of Geography
Road Smart
With a high proportion of the Year 10 cohort with Leaner Permits, and having commenced their time behind the wheel, last Thursday’s presentation from VicRoads, Road Smart, was perfect timing.
Two road safety education experts spoke to all the Year 10 about how to prepare for a lifetime of safe driving.
The first part of the session developed their understanding of four major contributors to road safety: safer speeds, safer vehicles, safer roads, safer people. The presenters supplied examples of all of these, and opened to floor to several interesting discussions and analyses of several complex scenarios.
The second part of the session introduced the staged approach to learning to drive, which recommends progressing from simple and safe conditions, such as car parks and private property, through to the greater demands of making decisions in busy traffic, adverse conditions, or driving in the countryside.
All who took part in Thursday’s session are now eligible for a free driving lesson. This can be accessed by completing details on the following VicRoads page: https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/safety-and-road-rules/road-safety-education/secondary-schools/road-smart/students-and-learners.
Rowan Kidd | Year 10 Co-ordinator
Chinatown excursion
The Chinatown excursion was so much fun and interesting to be able to go and learn some of China’s history and experience of some of its culture. We were taken on a tour of the Chinese museum before learning a Kung Fu workshop. Next we had lunch at Da Hu Peking Duck restaurant with some of the traditional Chinese dishes we had learnt about in class. The highlight of the whole day was free time to roam around Chinatown in small groups and explore the shops around.
Grace Boromeo | Year 9
News from the Careers Department
The Year 10 students had a most successful Work Experience week and the School received such positive feedback regarding the initiative and maturity demonstrated by our students. I would like to acknowledge the hard work of Julie Ennor (Work Experience Co-ordinator) and Rowan Kidd (Year 10 Co-ordinator) to manage the Occupational, Health and Safety training, student placements and preparation of the students.
Year 10 subject selection interviews are almost complete with only a few students involved in meetings that needed to be rescheduled from last term. It was also wonderful to welcome back seven Year 12 alumni from 2021 who participated in a Q and A session discussing their courses including highlights and challenges.
The latest editions of Career News have been uploaded to the Careers Portal page and each file can be accessed using the link at: https://portal.tintern.vic.edu.au/homepage/14962/ (Please make sure that you are logged into the Tintern Portal.)
Number 18 Careers News 24 June 2022
- Dates for the Diary in Term 3
- Cert IV and Diploma of Photography at RMIT
- Courses offered at the City Campus of Victoria University
- Undergraduate Studentships at CSIRO
- News from the University of Queensland
- European Double Degrees
- UQ Ramsay Undergraduate Scholarship
- Accounting Degrees in Victoria in 2022
- Snapshot of Monash University in 2022
- Snapshot of Monash University – Peninsula in 2022
Number 19 Career News 19 July 2022
- Dates for the Diary in Term 3
- News from Monash University
- Upcoming Monash Information Evenings
- Direct Entry to Medicine
- RMIT – Early Offer Program
- Entry Options for Year 12 Students at University of Western Australia
- New Majors in the Bachelor of Arts at Swinburne University
- Professional Business Cadetships
- Principal’s Recommendation Scheme at CQU
- Schindler Apprentice Open Night
- Paramedicine Degrees in Victoria in 2022
- Snapshot of the University of Adelaide in 2022
Heather Ruckert | Careers Consultant
