Firstly, a huge congratulations to all students on the completion of Semester 1. This will be further highlighted with the Year 10 and 11 Academic Awards Assembly held on Friday 23 June, which acknowledges the Year 10-11 students for their outstanding efforts and results over the semester. Year 12 students will have their awards presented at the end of the year, however we recognise and affirm all these students for their semester progress.

With Unit 1 and 3 now at a close, our attention turns towards reflecting on the work completed in these units as we jump into Units 2 and 4 respectively. The Year 10 and 11 exams provide commendation of what each student has achieved and been able to apply from class under VCAA regulations, providing recommendations from the teacher and self-reflection on areas for improvement moving forward. Taking the time to critically analyse the exams and not just the result allows the student to drill down into concepts learned and their ability to apply knowledge under exam conditions. An essential skill in the pursuit of academic excellence for all future assessments.

The Year 10 ALP students have been able to participate in their designated week of Work Experience. This is a significant event in the Applied Learning Program, with all students eagerly arriving at the workplaces for a full-time experience of life in the workforce. We enjoyed hearing about these experiences on their return and know that the upcoming blocks of work experience in semester two will only continue to see you thrive in your area of passion.

As always I encourage all parents to continue to be active members of the Padua community, engaging in conversation about what topics are being studied in class, keeping abreast of upcoming events, and making contact with subject teachers as needed.

Year 11 Social

Last Friday 16 June, the Year 11 cohort attended Padua’s social in the St Clare Performing Arts Centre for a night full of exciting memories, fun activities and lots of dancing. The Year 11 community requested the night after years of lockdowns and missed opportunities. The night started with lots of chatter amongst students admiring each other's beautiful and dapper outfits. It was later followed by an incredible DJ with many nostalgic songs mixed in with classic dance hits like the Macarena and Nutbush. Students were able to have a delicious meal with souvlaki and calamari. Overall the night was a great success with many students having a fabulous time, and one that will surely be remembered beyond our high school days.

Hollie Whitty, Bernard House Vice Captain

ZAHALKAWORD Experience

Our Year 12 Art Making and Exhibiting (AME) students visited ZAHALKAWORD at the Museum of Australian Photography. Anne Zahalka’s photographs centre around deconstructing familiar scenes and representing them to allow for alternative narratives that reflect on cultural diversity within Australian society and the ecological impact of the global climate crisis. While there, our AME students reviewed the methods used and considerations involved in the presentation, conservation, and care of artworks, to conserve and care for their own artwork. The exhibition, which features key works from Zahalka’s 40-year career, runs until 10 September. We highly recommend ZAHALKAWORLD to anyone interested in photography.

Leticia Morrow
Arts Teacher

VET Building & Construction Community Project

Our second-year Building and Construction students are making good progress on their cubby house projects as they work through their outcomes with teacher Mr Darren Smith. These cubby houses will be donated to local organisations and charities at the end of the year. If you are a local organisation or charity that would be interested in one of these, please contact Ms Melissa Gilchrist via email at mgilchrist@padua.vic.edu.au to register your interest. Our thanks to AEG for the supply of tools and equipment required to build these cubby houses and other such projects in our Building and Construction Department.

Dromana Community Gardens Project

During term two, our Year 12 VM/VCAL students have been visiting the Dromana Community Gardens as part of their personal development program about the benefits of volunteering.

Tasks undertaken have included propagating, building projects, planting, composting, mulching, and mowing, which have transformed the gardens significantly. Their generous spirit, willingness to learn new skills and great work ethic have been most appreciated by the garden’s small volunteer base.

It has been wonderful to see an uplift of confidence in these students from knowing they are helping others, as well as the opportunity to see differing skill sets and aspects to students outside of a classroom setting. Their teamwork and positive attitudes were of great credit to them.

Lorretta Lloyd
Applied Learning Teacher