VM VCE and VPC – Semester 2 Update
In Term 3, students across both levels have had the opportunity to experience many different events to enhance their learning outside the classroom.
In Year 11, students have been actively engaged, under the supervision of Mr Shaw, in the construction and rebuilding of a garden bed at the Junior Site. Students have had to apply numeracy and literacy skills to work out the wood and soil required to make garden beds ready for spring planting. For PDS, students have participated in a community engagement program with AVEO Fountain Court. Over a couple of weeks, students selected to do Gardening or Knitting while engaging in conversations with the residents and workers. The residents enjoyed the change of scenery and students loved interacting with people they did not know but might be the clients of the future. A big thank you to Ms Sally Robotham for organising the AVEO excursions as well as assisting in the newly opened VM Cafe, where students put their food handling and barista skills into practice. Students with Ms Lockhart participated in an industry immersion activity as part of their WRS course, gaining valuable interview experiences as well as meeting potential employers. In all subjects, students have been actively involved in open-ended activities and projects to prepare for the workforce.
In Year 12, students planned and ran an excursion, of their choice, to the Aquarium with a visit to the State Library. The team learned about what is needed to run and plan an event from scratch as part of their PDS course. As part of the WRS course, students visited Trades Hall to learn about their rights and responsibilities in the workplace. For PDS, students have participated in a community engagement program with AVEO Fountain Court. Our VM and VPC students joined in two sessions of Bingo, engaging in conversations with the residents and learning about independent living and the lives of others. It was great to see our students volunteer to call and while some were nervous, it was wonderful to see them out of their comfort zone. A big thank you to Mr Simon Bartlett for organising the events and to Ms Taylor, Ms Disley and Ms Ragavan for coming along to assist. In all four courses, students have been actively involved in open-ended activities and projects to prepare for the workforce.
It has been a great experience to see both levels of students engaging with the people of AVEO Fountain Court and we know the students enjoyed it as much as the residents did. We intend to continue to partner with AVEO Fountain Court next year to enrich and enhance our students’ communication and community engagement skills
Once again, the success of the program is only as good as the staff who organise and support the students in preparation for the workplace. We are very fortunate to have staff like Mr Johnston, Ms Rogers, Ms Lockhart, Ms Robotham, Ms Smith, Mr Newnham, Mr Bartlett and Mr Shaw who go above and beyond to make the subjects engaging and enriching. I also want to acknowledge the support of the Principal Team and the events team of Mrs McLennan and Ms Sung who have allowed us to explore what is possible outside of the school grounds.
In Term 4, myself, Mr Newnham and the Senior subschool team look forward to interviewing the prospective 2025 Year 11 VM VCE and VPC students as well as talking to the 2025 12 VM VCE team about how to get their Structured Workplace Learning in place.
Mr Wayne Griffin
Head of VM and VPC