VHAP Masterclass at St Albans Secondary College
On Thursday 12 December 2024, students from our local schools descended on St Albans Secondary College to take part in our Semester 2 VHAP Masterclass. The VHAP Masterclass is a celebration of all the learning that has happened through the Department of Education’s High-Ability Program, where students engage in online learning classes that extend them in Mathematics and English.
We had representatives from Keilor Downs College, Taylors Lakes Secondary College, and Victoria University Secondary College, all coming to share their thinking and meet their peers from the course. Students took part in Maths or English workshops depending on their VHAP subject that semester.
In Maths, students engaged in a series of Maths challenges and games, including a very popular ‘Zombie’ challenge, a ‘sequences’ group activity, and research on a famous mathematician. In English, students drew on their knowledge of dystopias to debate big ideas and ultimately create and present their perfect utopia. They worked in mixed school groups to facilitate collaboration and to build connections with their peers. Prizes were awarded for the winners of the challenges, as well as for great contributions and participation.
Students had a great time, with all of their feedback highlighting the engaging activities, meeting new people, and having a lot of fun (and pizza) throughout the day!
Ms Amy Le – Learning Specialist for Student Agency | High Ability Practice Leader | English and Humanities Teacher
BioEYES & Science Incursion
On the 5 and 12 of December 2024, Year 7 and 8 students with an aptitude for Science were invited to take part in Monash University’s Bioeyes+ incursion. This incursion spanned 4 workshops across the two days, ably run by the Bioeyes+ facilitators. Many thanks to our staff supervisors Amanda Winkworth, Myers Nguyen, and Angela Hanley, without whom this event could not have run.
In these sessions, students were exposed to cutting-edge scientific concepts such as developmental biology, stem cells, and regenerative medicine. Using live zebrafish, students learned about the different stages of the life cycle, including their transparent eggs, larval fish, and adult stages. Through this, students developed their understanding of the importance of habitats, genetics, stem cells, and ethics.
Here are a selection of photographs and student feedback from the day:
“I would recommend this workshop to others because it’s a fun experience overall. It’s interesting and requires you to think and work together with others.” (Year 8)
“I definitely would recommend this workshop, especially to students who enjoy biology and seeing animals.” (Year 7)
“I loved the freedom we had to learn and explore the topic. It was also engaging and fun to do.” (Year 8)
“I was able to take away a lot of information from this workshop.” (Year 7)
“During this workshop, the thing that I enjoyed the most was the fact that everything was not only informative, but it was engaging and interactive at the same time.” (Year 8)
Ms Amy Le – Learning Specialist for Student Agency | High Ability Practice Leader | English and Humanities Teacher
