2024 Issue 3

Student Leadership

We had a team of enthusiastic students – Jacob C, Janna R, Keith D, Ava F, Charlie N, Jayden R and Mitchell B represent the College at the Emerald Village Association held at the Hills Hub, who were seeking youth input around perspectives of our community and how we can make it even better.  We received this feedback from the EVA:  “Thank you for helping us chat and support and organise our Intergenerational day…thank you to all your wonderful, brave ESC students for coming along and sharing their wisdom.  We loved the passion and they have given us ideas for more action…very positive feedback from representatives of all involved!”  More on this event from our College Captain Mitchell Blackwell is also in this newsletter. 

Year 11 and 12 students have the opportunity this week to express an interest in our Peer Mentoring Program.  Our Peer Mentor leader Charlotte Scott and our College Captaincy Team will speak about the program during BEST – please see Compass for more information including their presentation and the link for the Expression of Interest.  Peer Mentors are trained and matched with Year 7 students to provide additional support, role modelling and mentoring.

Our Student Leadership Investiture was held on Wednesday and it was a terrific morning.  58 students were acknowledged and awarded their positions and badges for 2024 – it was just fantastic to see so many Year 7 students especially being prepared to submit an application and be successful.  Thank you to Daniela de Martino, MP for Monbulk for supporting this event once again and addressing our student leaders.  Thank you to the parents who were able to come and help us celebrate and our many special guests including Marcus Adams from Emerald Rotary, Shelley Beardshaw and Claude Cullino from the Emerald Village Association, Jeff Springfield from Cardinia Shire and Darrelyn Boucher from Cockatoo PS.

Our Student Leadership Profile for 2024 is:

College Captaincy Team Report

The Emerald Village Association (EVA) is a committee which voices the needs of our town and works with the council on projects and acts as our town’s voice. They hosted an intergenerational meeting last Thursday involving student leaders, Menzies Creek Primary School students, and senior citizens of Emerald from Emerald Glades. The discussions regarded the future planning and community safety of Emerald. With three generations in attendance the topics varied widely from residential homes for seniors, gaming rooms for teens, and even climate change and the reduction of our carbon footprint. The meeting allowed the Association to widen their view from what they had previously focused on. The conversation allowed for a different perspective between generations and the ideas brainstormed will be presented in a further meeting to the State and Local Governments. They saw “a need for places like the Hub and the library to have rooms and activities for teenagers who weren’t into biking or skateboarding, like a games room”, which was voiced by our student leaders primarily. The meeting was a huge success with a variety of great ideas presented. The EVA is an amazing Association – if you want to learn more about what they do, check them out at the Hill’s Hub and online. If this sounds like something you would like to join, definitely check them out and get involved!

In recent weeks our year 12s and the Captaincy Team have been quite busy. We’ve had the school athletics day where we all dressed up and had a wonderful time. The teacher vs student volleyball match was also a great hit – in our opinion it was definitely rigged but the teachers continue to deny these accusations! We also had the study group launch in the interest of providing the year 12s with the most optimum environment in order for them to achieve their academic best while bonding as a cohort as we finish up our SACs for the term. The SRC held a barbeque for students to raise money for the Youth off the Streets charity and managed to raise around $350 for their efforts which we congratulate them on. They did a fantastic job and are really making an impact on something larger than our school. Charlotte and the team presented the Peer Mentoring program to the year 11 and 12s during their BEST classes and we can’t wait to see how the program turns out. To finish up the term from myself, my fellow captains, and the staff, we all wish you a safe and wonderful holiday and can’t wait to see you back in term 2.

Mitchell Blackwell  – College Captain

Year 10 Immunisations

Just a reminder to all Year 10 parents that the Year 10 Immunisations will be taking place on the 9^th of May.

The Immunisation Clinic will start at 9am and will be held in L Block. Any questions please phone the first aid officer on 5968 5388.

Dental Van

This week Year 10 students were provided with Dental Van notices in their BEST class. If your child has misplaced their form or was absent on Monday, please see reception. 

Selina Rose – First Aid Officer

2024 Athletics Day

Students in Year 7-12 participated in whole school athletics this year at our new venue at Mount Evelyn and had a great day! The weather was perfect – not too hot and the rain held off. 

Participation was the highest I have seen in years with some very impressive results. Geysen clearly won the day with a score of 993. Congratulations to all our athletes!

House Score

Geysen 993

Greetham 769

O’Neil 753

Jeffreys 617

Hawley 469

Hobbs 381

Age group Champions

New Records

Nate Hall: 14 Boys Triple Jump – 11.10m

Miah Beardshaw: 16 Girls 1,500m – 5.58.11

Bonnie Jackson: 12/13 Girls 100m – 14.19

Jasmine Cochrane: 15 Girls 1,500m – 6.06.40

Yvonne Mauger

Cross Country 2024

All our year 7 students participated in the cross on Wednesday the 17^th of May. It was lovely to see all the students getting out and enjoying the sunny Autumn day.

The winners are below:

Later in the day students from year 8 – 12 who signed up completed the cross country, this event was fiercely competitive results are shown below:

2024 Track and Field Championships

Nate Hall in Year 8 competed in the National Track and Field Championships in Week 1 of Term. He did an amazing job, coming second in the 200m hurdles in a time of 28.26 and 8^th in the 100m hurdles in a time of 15.33.

Well done Nate!

Yarra Division Cross Country

On Monday the 29^th 48 students competed at the Yarra Division Cross Country. Emerald finished 4^th overall. There were many great individual achievements with 15 students moving on to regionals on June 13^th at the Yarra Glen Racecourse.

Yvonne Mauger

Students take on Kokoda Challenge

Thirteen students from Emerald Secondary College have applied, been interviewed, and selected to take on the challenge of walking the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea this September. Students and staff will complete 9 days walking the Kokoda Track while learning about the history of the track and its relevance Australia and the second world war. The trip has been made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Duke of Edinburgh Award – Australian Branch. (Students will also complete a level of the Duke of Edinburgh Award in the lead up and during the trip). We are also luck to be supported and sponsored by the Emerald RSL.

So far students have been training with and without their large backpacks on the thousand steps in Ferntree Gully National Park as well as local walks. Students have also completed fundraising BBQ’s including last week at the Emerald RSL where they were also presented to the members and spoke about why they want to complete the trek. Finally last weekend students and staff spent both days walking in Cathedral State Park – hauling their large packs up and down mountains to get a taste of what trekking the Kokoda Track will be like.

If anyone reading this would also like to help by sponsoring the group – please contact Marion Donders or Shane Closter at school.

We wish the group well with their training over the coming months.

Bottle Return Bins

In partnership with our local Emerald SES, Emerald Secondary has been provided with two bins in which to deposit 10c refundable cans, bottles, and small cardboard drink containers as part of Victoria’s container deposit scheme.  Regulations for acceptable items are listed on the bins.  Right now, there is one at the Canteen and one at A block near the main office.  SES will pick them up when full and we will share the proceeds.  Students are encouraged to use them whenever possible. The money will go directly back into school programs.  

Year 12 Chemistry students experiment with combustion of different fuels to study their energy content and efficiencies

Year 11 Biology has been studying bodily transport systems in plants and animals. 

Students compared and contrasted the way water and nutrients move up the xylem of celery to how blood and oxygen move around a mammalian body with a rat dissection.

Ashley Forster

Wellbeing FUN

Some of the fun things we do in wellbeing: