A Word From The Head of Middle School…

It has been an exciting year with many changes, events and opportunities in the Middle School. This has continued over the past few weeks, with a number of events and activities.

Year 7 Camp – Port Hughes

In Week 5, the Year 7s headed to Port Hughes for the Year 7 Camp. The students had a fantastic time and participated in activities such as billy cart racing, problem solving, snorkelling, fishing, raft building and beach games. A detailed reflection has been written by Year 7 student Eden Bowens (see link below) A big thank you to Miss Kaur, Ms Bolt, Mr Schenscher and Mr Ayliffe for their support and to the students for their enthusiasm and engagement on the camp.

Year 7 Camp | Port Hughes | 2022

STEM Week

Middle School STEM Week involved two sets of activities. The first was STEM Day at Currency Creek- a series of Biology and Chemistry related activities held at our gorgeous Currency Creek site. On Monday it was Year 9s, Tuesday Year 7s and Wednesday Year 8s. There were three activities on site:

The first was an examination of threatened fish caught in Fike nets set in Currency Creek. A mixture of native and introduced species were discovered and discussed under the guidance of Fresh Water Ecologist Dr Sylvia Zukowski from Aquasave NGO.
The second activity involved wading into the water to capture macroinvertebrates and examine and identify them using a stereo microscope. Along with this activity the water was assessed for quality using biological parameter.
The last activity was a treasure hunt involving clues, which took the students all over the 10 hectare property at Currency Creek.

Running concurrently with this was the Stem Week @ VH. This was a more Maths/Physics based set of activities. Year 7s learnt the science and mathematics behind the flight of paper airplanes and then were involved in a competition to see whose plane could fly the longest distance or stay in the air for the longest time. Year 8s learnt about the science behind cars and then designed and built a car which accelerated down a ramp. Year 9s learnt about the science behind the flight of rockets and then moved onto our oval to refine techniques to launch the water powered rocket to the highest possible height.

Year 9 Graduation

On Friday 9 December, at the Middle School Assembly we recognised the Year 9s and their time in the Middle School. Students were presented with a certificate and gift as they conclude their time in the Middle School and commence as Senior School students in 2023.

Middle School Student Leaders for 2023

It is with great excitement that I announce the following students will be Middle School Student Leaders in 2023:

Middle School Captains

Isabella Hudson and Jack Prosser

Middle School Vice-Captains

Rafferty Nairn and Emma Paxton

Banksia House Leader

Angus Bowens

Blue Gum House Leaders

Angelina Rafanelli and Django Westmoreland

Waratah House Leaders

Jack Oxford and Elise Scott

Wattle House Leaders

Annabelle Basham and Samuel Hateley

Middle School Leadership Team

It is also with great pleasure that I can announce that Raji Kaur and Nicole Ranson will be taking on leadership roles within the Middle (and Senior) School in 2023. Raji will be the Year 7-8 Coordinator and Nicole will be the Year 9-10 Coordinator.