From Desktop Organisers to Startup Ideas

Our Year 11 Design and Technology students recently completed Assessment Task 1, demonstrating outstanding creativity and problem-solving skills as they designed custom desktop organisers from a mix of materials. While the quality of the projects was highly impressive, the assessment task provided a crucial learning curve regarding time management and the importance of documenting design decisions accurately in a folio.

Looking ahead, students will be challenged to act as startup founders (think of Uber or Airbnb) to identify real-world problems and develop unique solutions within their chosen design contexts. To bring these ideas to life, they will expand their skills by experimenting with new physical materials, developing digital and multimedia components, and compiling a comprehensive design folio. We are eager to see how our students apply what they have learnt to produce even more innovative work next semester.

Miss Cathy Su
Senior School Teacher - TAS

Year 8 Food and Agriculture

This term, Year 8 students participated in a Class Garden Competition, where they were challenged to plant, grow and maintain their gardens over two terms.

As part of the experience, students harvested their produce and explored its use in cooking. Highlights included a spinach and cheese pie made with silverbeet from 8.6, as well as eggplant and zucchini grown by 8.5 and prepared using a variety of methods. Students also enjoyed produce from our established citrus trees, including freshly picked mandarins used in both tasting and recipes.

Mrs Easton judged the gardens, and following careful consideration, the winner of the Year 8 Gardening Competition is 8.6. 

Miss Michala Georges
Senior School Teacher - TAS Coordinator

Year 12 Hospitality

Year 12 Hospitality students successfully participated in a full service period, demonstrating their developing skills and progress within the course.

Students carefully planned and prepared a menu for members of the College Council, thoughtfully catering to a range of dietary requirements. Throughout the service, they showcased a variety of practical techniques and delivered a professional dining experience with confidence. 

Miss Michala Georges
Senior School Teacher - TAS Coordinator

Year 12 Construction Concrete Day

Year 12 VET Construction students have been working on two major concreting projects. They have used their class time to prepare the groundwork and excavate material, erect formwork, lay a moisture barrier, tie reinforcing steel mesh, pour concrete, remove formwork and landscape the site. This is a project that has taken several weeks to plan and implement.

Students completed two different styles of project. One was a large pathway on a sloping site. It was 27m2 in size and required 4m3 of concrete delivered by truck. It was a challenging task, but the results were impressive as students learnt how to screed, float and finish a slab. The other project was smaller in size at 6m2 but was in a more remote area of the College. Students used 58 bags of 20kg premixed concrete. They mixed this on location using a cement mixer powered by a generator. Students found it interesting to contrast the two projects.

All students involved had fun on the day, with many recognising that completing a project of this nature was harder work than they anticipated. I congratulate all of the Construction students involved and thank them for their contribution to the project.

Mr Mark Reed
Senior School Teacher - TAS

Year 7 Technology Mandatory (Digital and communication technologies) 

This term, Year 7 TMEDT students have been actively developing their skills in design thinking, coding, electronics and problem-solving through an engaging, real-world project. Working collaboratively in pairs, students were challenged to design and build a self-watering system to support Mrs Easton in caring for her plants more efficiently.

Using Micro:bit devices, sensors and block-based coding, students explored how automated systems can respond to environmental conditions. They designed, tested, and refined a range of innovative self-watering solutions, each incorporating unique features and creative approaches to meeting the project requirements.

Throughout the process, students demonstrated strong collaboration, creativity and resilience. They tackled technical challenges with determination and continuously improved their designs through iterative testing and feedback.

This project provided valuable opportunities for students to apply computational thinking and fundamental engineering principles while addressing a practical need within the College community. The diverse range of final solutions highlighted students’ growing confidence in coding and their ability to develop meaningful technological innovations.

Building on these skills, students have now begun exploring robotics using the Maqueen Robot platform. They are learning to program robots to move, navigate obstacles and respond to sensor input. This unit introduces students to the exciting world of autonomous systems while further strengthening their coding, problem-solving and teamwork skills.

Mrs Deepika Johnson
Senior School Teacher - TAS

Robo:2030 - iSTEM Builds the Future of Robotics

This semester, our Year 9 iSTEM students tackled Robo:2030, exploring where robotics is heading in a world shaped by automation and AI. At the centre was Project Lifeline, a challenge to design an autonomous disaster-rescue robot on the mBot2 platform.

Working in teams, students programmed their robots to navigate an unseen course on their own, sensing their environment, making decisions through code, and acting without a human at the controls. They worked like real engineers, treating every unsuccessful run as data rather than defeat, and learning to back their thinking when explaining their designs.

Robotics, automation and AI are defining the careers of tomorrow, and through Robo:2030 our students aren't just imagining that future, they're learning how to build it. We're proud of their creativity, teamwork and persistence this semester.

Mr Dimitrios Stivaktas
Senior School Teacher - TAS Teacher & STEM Leader