NAPLAN results are FANTASTIC.

Amazing things continue to happen every day at Geelong High. The list over the last couple of weeks include Science Week, Book week, Elevate presentation, Sport activities, Subject selections, Music, and Dance Concerts. I know there are many others that provide some great learning opportunities for our students. Thanks to all the staff for organising these activities.

I have just received some overall school results for NAPLAN 2023 and as a school we should be proud of these. Teachers, students, and parents should be pleased with these results. It is only through the hard work of all of us that allow students to achieve some great results. While NAPLAN tests are a one-off result, they do provide a small snapshot and allow us to look at future direction for improvement. All of us can improve and I can assure parents that as teachers we are looking to improve every day and engage young people in their learning.

Well done to Ms Yee, Ms Albrecht, and all the students in the VET dance class for their amazing Dance concert. The feedback has been that the standard just gets better every year, and our kids are doing some amazing things.

The Spring Music concert was a great success. Mr Kypriotis and all the Instrumental music staff did an excellent job in preparing the students, there were some amazing performances. Thanks to Mr Crowe for all his technical knowledge and expertise.

Lachlan Kearton (aka Mr. Caldwell if you saw Urinetown), has obtained a scholarship with Melbourne Theatre Company. This scholarship allows him to enter a course which runs 18 Sep – 22 Sep at Southbank Theatre in Melbourne. Well done, Lachlan!

During this term there has been so many great activities and learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom. Only last week we had 16 Year 12 students travel to Melbourne to be part of the audience for the television show Q and A. Thanks to Mr Foss and Mr O’Meara for attending, it was great for the media students to see how a ‘real’ TV show is put together.

The school also held a Model United Nations with students across all of Geelong from both Government and Private schools. Students had to be organised into countries and debate the issues of the day. Thanks to Mr Houghton for all his work on this.

Mr Molloy and Mr Truscott had the pleasure of taking students on the snow camp. While there was not a great amount of natural snow, there was plenty of man-made snow and students were able to enjoy some downhill and cross-country skilling.

We continue with our Positive Relationships Program and Life Changer during the term with a strong focus on the wellbeing of all students and ensuring that we create a community of respect. There are 1000 different individuals on site each day and as a school we want to ensure that everyone has a safe place to come, work and learn.

2 Students, Harry Jones and James Elliot represented Geelong High School in the ‘Come Together Festival’ at Queenscliff Town Hall on Sunday. They were judged the overall best act and won the ‘battle of the bands’ aspect of the event. They have won the opportunity to support a well-known act at an up and coming gig. It was a huge effort with essentially the best acts from each school in Geelong attending the competition.

Coming up early next term we have our Unit 3 / 4 Exams for students, and we wish them the best. I know they have been studying hard and all this work will pay off soon.

Our Year 9 GPEP students head off to central Australia in Term 4 and I know they are looking forward to this amazing learning opportunity.

On a final note – GO BLUES!!!

Year 12 OES Mt Buller Ski Camp. 2 days sliding around at Mt Buller on Taungurung country!

There was a guest speaker from the Mountain Cattleman's Association of Victoria, and everyone had a great time!

On Thursday 31^st August, the GH mob headed to Deakin University to find out about all the future possibilities and opportunities out there for indigenous students and to connect with the community to develop our sense of identity as the next generation.

We heard from lots of inspirational people from different mobs as they shared their journey through tertiary education and how the only barrier is the limits your place on yourself.

We participated in various yarning circles to further open everyone’s eyes to the career possibilities out there. The Girls in STEM circle developed ideas to overcome global issues and the university tour group explored the Waurn Ponds Campus and the diverse courses you can study there.

Morning Tea and Lunch were delicious and the expo in the afternoon provided an opportunity to talk to people in different careers to find out about pathways and everyone got loads of freebies!

Every student who represented Geelong High displayed all the school values and were respectful to everyone as they connected with each other and the wider Geelong indigenous community.

Ollie drew on her strengths and co MC’ed the day and said ‘Becoming an apprentice MC was the best experience of my life. Thank you Simon!’
- Ollie Year 9

There are a lot of amazing jobs out there and I really liked the day.
- Nakita Year 7

Chase from Year 7 said ‘it was a fun day’ and Callan in Year 9 said how enjoyable the day was.

Rhys ended the day saying ‘Never give up on your dreams’ and that was the message that we all left with today.

Thanks to Alanna for coming with us and we are looking forward to getting together again.

Callan, Ollie, Nakita, Rhys and Chase.

Earning our smoothie by blending it ourselves!

Ollie our MC and Callan!

Connecting Rhys, Alanna and Richard, A Koori Education Support Officer in the region!

Welcome to Country!

Finding out what is on offer!

On Thursday 7^th September, the Year 11 Foundation Maths students navigated the V-line and Melbourne Metro train network to learn about the current works on Melbourne’s public transport network. Students were expected to use timetables, maps, and GPS technology to get from Geelong to Southern Cross, Melbourne Central, Flinders Street Station, and finally back to Southern Cross for the journey home.

In the CBD, students visited the Metro Tunnel HQ and learned about the construction of a new train tunnel under the CBD and the 5 new stations. They applied their knowledge of volume and capacity when calculating the amount of spoil that was removed by the Tunnel Boring Machines. They also learned about the various artefacts discovered during the excavation, including toy dolls from the first girls school in Victoria and thousands of human teeth from the excavation site opposite Flinders Street Station, which used to be a dentist’s office in the 1800’s.

Well done to the students for navigating the busy public transport system and their engagement with the Metro Tunnel Headquarters.

On Sunday 3^rd September, the VCE VET Dance classes performed their 2023 showcase at the Geelong Arts Centre. Students performed in Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Ballet, Tap and Street styles. This showcase was a great preparation for the 2^nd Years’ performance exams coming up in Term 4, and all students performed spectacularly!

In August, I accompanied a team of Year 9 and 10 students to Deakin University to take part in the Deakin Science and Engineering Challenge, a nationwide STEM program where students compete in engaging hands-on activities involving the principles of science, engineering, and technology.

We were one of eight schools to compete on the day, with students competing in teams of 3 or 4. Activities included -

• designing an earthquake proof tower
• building a bridge
• providing electricity to a city
• building and testing a glider
• coding

Points were awarded based on performance and the school with the highest score at the end of the day was the winner.

We were able to win 1 of the challenges and came 2^nd in several. Although we did not win overall, we had a great day. Students enjoyed the different activities and showed terrific teamwork and persistence in tackling the challenges.

We went to the Waurn Ponds campus of Deakin University and participated in a STEM and engineering challenge. We were split into groups of 3-4 to compete in a series of challenges against other schools. My group participated in the flight and electric circuit challenges where we came second and then we watched a bridge challenge at the end, and it was a lot of fun.

It was a great experience and we learned a lot, would recommend!

Lewis and Jett

Monday 4^th September VCE Media students from Geelong High School travelled up to Melbourne and enjoyed the experience of a live broadcast of ABC TV's Q&A.

Students were able to ask questions beforehand about how the show was put together and watch the action behind the scenes. A big thank you to the ABC and Q&A production team for this generous opportunity.

On Wednesday the 30th of August, students in middle and senior years Drama and Theatre Studies were invited to see the Moulin Rouge The Musical now playing at The Regent Theatre in Melbourne.

As we stepped into the Regent Theatre, we were captivated by the splendour and eye-popping excess of the glitz and grandeur of the design.

Winner of 10 Tony Awards, Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new musical mash-up extravaganza featuring over 70 songs including everyone's favourite ‘Lady Marmalade,’ alongside thrilling new additions such as ‘Chandelier’, ‘Single Ladies’ and ‘Firework’.

Moulin Rouge The Musical is a theatrical celebration of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and – above all – Love.

On Friday August 25th, Geelong High School played host to the first sitting of the Model United Nations in the Geelong region. Joining 52 GHS students from years 8-12 were fellow diplomats for the day from Geelong Lutheran College, Grovedale Secondary College and Western Heights College.

In preparation for the day all students researched their allotted country, studied the suggested Draft Proposal and prepared a Position Statement, which had to read to be read out to the assembly in the morning session. The theme for the day was Pathways to Peace and our Honourable Secretary General was retired UN diplomat Ian Howe. After some early nerves, it was great to see students from different schools engaging in an animated fashion during the Unmoderated Caucus sessions and grow in confidence. After some amendments, the resolution setting out the priorities for world peace were adopted and all students received a taste of the reality of international relational.

Congratulations to all students for the spirit in which they tackled the day and the learnings they took from it.

In an exciting adventure beyond the classroom, the Year 10 students embarked on a thrilling biolab excursion. Their day was filled with hands-on learning as they dived into the world of statistics through a series of activities, including measuring their grip power, testing their vertical jump, testing their speed reaction skills, and pushing their limits in sprint.

We finished the day with the grand finale: the Biolab Challenge. After fierce competition, one exceptional group was announced the victors, Grant Sumner and Mack Fisk showcasing their incredible teamwork.

The students also represented Geelong High school with unwavering enthusiasm and positivity throughout the day.

This unforgettable excursion not only expanded their understanding of statistics but also left a mark on their collective memories.

Bloom by Tom Gleisner

Melbourne Theatre Company

Year 8 Drama students were fortunate to see the performance of Bloom, written by Tom Gleisner and directed by Dean Bryant on Wednesday the 16th of August.

From the co-creator behind some of Australia’s most beloved films (The Castle, The Dish), Bloom is a big-hearted new musical comedy that celebrates the power of music to connect us across generations.

When Mrs MacIntyre, the scheming owner of aged care home Pine Grove, decides to cut costs by offering uni students free board in return for them helping out as carers, she does not count on the arrival of Finn Bailey. Lazy and unqualified, Finn soon clashes with overworked carer Ruby, before setting off a chain of events that lead to romance, rebellion and a residents’ choir.

The students were fantastic on the day and spent time analysing the performance upon returning to class.

On Friday 4th of August, four of our Maths teachers were fortunate to attend the professional development day hosted by Earth Ed and presented by Dr. Jo Boaler from YouCubed.

Dr. Jo Boaler is a world-renowned pioneer in the field of Mathematics Education, a current Professor of Education at Stanford University and her work is internationally recognised by educators and social scientists. Mr. Kilfoyle, Mr. D’Offay, Ms. Chapman and Ms. Seyam had the opportunity to learn from Dr. Boaler’s extensive research into developing positive mathematical mindsets and motivating students to embrace a growth mindset when working mathematically. Our teachers explored strategies for students to ‘embrace struggle’ when working on difficult problems and develop a deep understanding of concepts by exploring various visual representations of mathematics.

Students at Geelong High School have been engaging in tasks that develop these skills, such as the collaborative activity conducted in the Year 10 Advanced Maths class where students were required to recognise patterns of quadratics functions and develop a formula that can be used to create a table of values and to solve for known values. Students collaborated to create a visual explanation of their reasoning and it was encouraging to see the many different approaches to the same task. More information about the work of Dr. Jo Boaler and how to support your child at home with their mathematical learning can be found at

https://www.youcubed.org/resource/youcubed-at-home/

Grace -
On day 1, we went to Mt Stirling to learn how to ski! I learnt how to stop in the snow by pizza cutting it, and also how to herringbone! Learning the basics of skiing was so fun, we also found out that the sun can still burn our skin even if we can't see it. I found today quite challenging as it was hard to go down the hills and being able to stand back up after falling. The funniest moment was seeing all the girls stack it!

On the second day we hiked up the mountains, it was very challenging because the conditions were crazy! It snowed, rained and we had very little sun. Again the funniest/best moments were watching everyone stack!

VIOLET represented Geelong High School at the Queenscliffe FreeZa Come Together concert yesterday. Up against 10 other schools from the Geelong region, VIOLET was voted best band by the judges.

Well done to Harry, James and Wanda who put on a blistering set featuring two original songs! A fantastic celebration of live music from local schools!

Congratulations to Lachlan Kearton (10MA) who has been offered a place in the 2023 Youth Scholarship Course at Melbourne Theatre Company.

The annual Youth Scholarship Course is a life-changing week of drama workshops at Melbourne Theatre Company. The course provides an opportunity for young people to learn and develop drama skills, gain confidence, self-awareness and self-expression whilst building friendships and a lifelong affinity for theatre. Lunch is provided each day, and accommodation is available for students from regional Victoria.

The course runs 18 Sep – 22 Sep at Southbank Theatre in Melbourne.

Geelong High School are very proud of you Lachlan, congratulations again!

On behalf of the GPEP Semester 2 class, I would like to give a big thank you to all our GHS families who donated to our group projects to help disadvantaged people in our community, also with a special thanks to the Westfield Coles and Healthview Dental who also contributed.

The fantastic contribution of food and hygiene goods with be passed on to the Geelong Salvos Outreach Van who will ensure the items get to those in need!

If your child has missed out on their school-based vaccinations, it’s not too late to catch up!

Secondary school immunisations are provided free to students in Year 7 and Year 10.

Catch up for secondary school immunisations is free up to 19 years of age.

Barwon Health immunisation service will offer catch-up school immunisation sessions at different venues around Geelong during the month of October additional to our regular weekly sessions.

OCTOBER IS SCHOOL IMMUNISATION CATCH UP MONTH

Belmont Vaccination Centre - 1-17 Reynolds Rd, Belmont - Wednesday's , Fridays and Saturday morning (18^th, 20^th & 21^st October) booking link: https://www.trybooking.com/CLQPX

Bellarine Aquatic and Sports Centre (BASC) - Ocean Grove- Thursday 19^th October, 3.30-6.30 pm, booking link: https://www.trybooking.com/CLQNU

Barwon Health North – Tuesday 17^th and Friday 20^th October, 3.30-6.30 pm booking link: https://www.trybooking.com/CLQIE

Armstrong Creek East Community Hub – 3.30-6.30 pm booking link: https://www.trybooking.com/CLQSB

Any Year 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 age students up to 19 years of age, who have missed their immunisations at school can catch up via Barwon health immunisation service or via their GP.

Outside of these extra sessions, bookings available to our regular weekly sessions via this link https://bit.ly/BHImmunisation

To see if your child is due for any vaccines, check your child’s immunisation history statement on the Australian Immunisation Register using your MyGov account.

If your child is over 14, they will need to access their immunisation history statement themselves through their own MyGov account or the Medicare mobile app.

Learn more about school-based vaccinations and why they’re important:

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/immunisation-in-secondary-schools

Please phone Barwon health immunisation on 03 4215 6963 if you have further questions.

Regards
Barwon Health immunisation service

THE BIG DANCE - Victorian Regional Dance Festival

Dancers from all over regional Victoria will descend on the Geelong Sports Hub for the inaugural event on Wednesday 20^th September (during the first week of the school holidays) – and you’re invited!

Running for ONE DAY in September THE BIG DANCE is a chance to connect with other regional Victorian dancers and share our passion – it’s not a competition, it’s a community of dancers gathering together to do what we do best - DANCE!

Offering a kaleidoscope of dance styles across the day, this momentous event is a celebration of dance and the joy of movement.

Whether you’re a seasoned dancer or just looking to dip your toes into the world of dance, "The Big Dance" offers something for everyone.

WHAT: THE BIG DANCE - Victorian Regional Dance Festival
WHEN: Wednesday 20th September, 2023
WHERE: Geelong Sports Hub, 1 Crown St, South Geelong

PRIMARY & SECONDARY AGES + BE ME ALL ABILITIES
10am - 4pm
4 x 1 hr workshops (with industry professionals)
+ All dancers all receive a canvas tote SHOWBAG with goodies!

Tickets available here: https://www.trybooking.com/CIYNB

The AAFC will teach you valuable life skills and will help you develop qualities including but not limited to, leadership, self-reliance, confidence, teamwork and communication.

This is achieved by delivering educational lessons in a range of subjects as well as unforgettable experiences in the air and on the ground.

APPLY NOW

airforcecadets.gov.au

Rod Mackenzie OAM attended Geelong High School in the 1940's. In this video we learn about his time at school, the teachers he admired and the great clod fight!

Rod Mackenzie would go on to represent Geelong in the Victoria State Parliament. He continues to contribute to Geelong High through the Silver Gulls Alumni program.

Interviewers - 2022 School Captains Lykeira Shannon and Mason Blyth

Rod Mackenzie OAM - Silver Gulls Interview

Additional video footage Ben Angel.

Produced for Geelong High School, Silver Gulls Alumni, Oral History Program