IT expo for girls!

What a day! The girls got together and went out to 'Deakin University' in Burwood. They were amazed at all the action that happens on the university campus. We saw bands, won prizes, collected freebies and got to talk to a range of people about the kinds of courses that are available at 'Deakin'.

We spent the morning in a lecture theatre listening to a number of speakers who talked about their jobs working with IT. We discovered that there are so many areas in which IT can be used. The police force, animation, cartooning, gaming, telecommunication just to name a few.

One of the speakers talked about her life, which involved working from home, travelling around the world and meeting lots of exciting people.

During the lunch break our girls visited the IT expo and enjoyed the free lollies and giveaways, and who could forget the rocking band that blew our socks off!

A great day was had by all!

Your Local Area task

Gentlemen, the final day of Local Experience is upon us, and with it the final task: "Your Local Area" (formerly known as "Green Wedges").

The first thing we're going to do is grab the dictionaries and find out the definition of a park. This will be important to know in the context of this task.

After that, we will use the class set of UBD directories again to find out the amount of land that has been set aside in Mordialloc for parkland. Remember our scale from yesterday? 1 millimetre = 20.83 metres. These are the parks to measure:

• The small reserve off Duggan St (north of Parkdale Secondary College)
• The reserve off Waratah Ave (just south of Parkdale Secondary College)
• Woodlands Golf Course
• Christoper Brotchic Park
• Doug Denyer Reserve / Kevin Hayes Reserve
• Jack Grut Reserve
• G. Woods Reserve (the area sweeping west alongside Mordialloc Creek from Jack Grut Reserve down to the railway bridge)
• The small reserve on Chute St (just north of St Brigids Catholic Primary School)
• Ben Kavanagh Reserve (the footy oval)
• Peter Scullin Reserve (the area (sweeping from the railway bridge down to the Mordialloc Pier, and then north along the foreshore up to the Mordialloc/Parkdale border at Bay St, off Beach Road)
• Bradshaw Park (alongside the railway line, corner of Nepean Hwy and White St)
• The small reserve on White St, corner of Barkly St

Create a table on your computer, with one column for the names of these parks, a second column for our approximate length (in real distance), a third column for our approximate width (in real distance), and a fourth one for our area measurements.

To work out the area of these parks, the best way is to try and measure the approximate length and the approximate width of each one (ie: measure it as either a square or a rectangle). Then, use the formula for working out the area of an object (Area = length x width) to work out the areas of our parks. Below the names of our parks in the first column, we'll put TOTAL AREA, add up the areas of our parks, and place our answer in the fourth column.

The next thing to do is visit Ben Kavanagh Reserve online and describe all the different things it has to offer the public.

http://www.kingston.vic.gov.au/Directory/S2_Item.asp?Mkey=150&S3Key=26

Then we will compare Mordialloc to an established inner city suburb - in this instance, East Melbourne and Jolimont on Map 18. This is what we'll look for:

• How big are the parklands compared to Mordialloc?
• What are the obvious man-made features?
• Surrounding landscape: how would you describe the street structures / landmarks / transport system? Are they built to cater for more or less people than Mordialloc? How would you describe the people of East Melbourne and Jolimont, based on this evidence (ie: lovers of recreation, appreciative of nature, busy people, etc)?

Then, visit www.realestate.com.au and compare the property values of Mordialloc and East Melbourne / Jolimont. Which suburb is more expensive? What do you think are the reasons for this?

Finally, you have the chance to design / create your own suburb on an A3 sized poster. What you should include:

• All the natural and man-made elements that you believe would make for a perfect suburb (eg: roads; marina; parkland; beach; sports and recreation facilities; residential, commercial and industrial zones; shopping centres; etc)
• A detailed legend to identify your map's symbols (use Map 3 in the UBD for assistance)
• A sign promoting your new suburb, encouraging people to move to it.

Reflection: why is this task relevant to you? Why is it important to think about the amount of parkland set aside in our suburbs?

When we have completed this task, we will go over what is involved for Community Placements and the City Experience.

Today's Instructions

As mentioned in our previous transmission, the Local Experience is well and truly underway now, and the boys are looking to tomorrow to commence the “Human Impact” task (investigating Mordialloc Creek, the foreshore, and the interchange). Below are a set of instructions for them to follow to ensure that their responses are quality ones:

Before I provide the “Human Impact” instructions, a reminder that our Information Evening regarding Community Placements (which start this Thursday) and the upcoming City Experience (immediately after Placements) is on here at Mordialloc College on Wednesday October 29, in the MEX room commencing at 7:00pm sharp. Parents and guardians, have your questions answered in this one-hour (approximate) session, and see for yourself what these programs are all about.

“HUMAN IMPACT” TASK

Period 1

To begin with, we need to form our action groups and create a table to record information of our visit to Mordialloc Creek, the foreshore and the interchange (where the creek meets the bay). The table needs to have three columns: one to record the human impact we can see on the creek, the second column for the impact we see at the foreshore, and the third for the impact at the interchange).

You will hand this table in as part of your submission, so make sure all group members’ names are on the sheet!

What we could be looking for:

Litter in the water, and/or items dumped in the water (eg: food wrappers, plastic bags, that TV we saw dumped off the bridge into the creek, and particularly what’s been caught in the litter trap at the fork in the creek)
The water quality (ie: is the water relatively clear / murky / smelly / polluted?)
Litter on the ground
Man-made structures (eg: the pier, drainpipes, the boat ramp, buildings, paths, car parks, etc)
Any noticeable impact on flora or fauna (plants and animals), both positive and negative
Any other signs of conservation (eg: no-go zones for humans to enter, protection for newly planted vegetation, signs indicating council regulations, etc)

Mr E will have the camera with him, and will place the photos on the network for you to download afterwards; follow these links:

student subs : Mordi experience_08 : Photos and Videos : Local Experience : Term 4

Periods 2 - 4

From this point on in the day, you will have substitute teachers looking after you (Ms Coombs will be away). This is not an excuse to sit there and do nothing, gentlemen!

At this point, you should have filled in your table of three columns with your observations from our visit down the creek and foreshore during Period 1. Please do a good copy of this information and print out; all group members’ names should be on your sheet.

The next thing you do is collect a copy of the UBD Street Directory (we have a class set of these: ask Mrs Hume nicely to retrieve these from our storage cupboard). There should be enough copies for one between two or three of you. Turn to Map 376. Your next task is to measure how many metres of beach there is in Mordialloc:

Have a look at the bottom left corner of this map. You will see a thin red line running down the middle of Mordialloc Creek; this indicates the suburb boundary between Mordialloc and Aspendale. Move along the beach past where it says “Dressing Shed” and you will see another thin red line splitting the beach, running upwards into Bay Street; this is the suburb boundary between Mordialloc and Parkdale. The beach area between these two red lines (Mordialloc Beach) is the area that you will measure.
You will notice underneath where it says Map 376, it says “1 Kilometre Equals 4 Grid Squares”.
If 4 grid squares = 1 kilometre, then 1 grid square = 250 metres
The actual length and width of each grid square is approximately 12 millimetres. This means that to work out our scale, we need to divide 250 (the scale distance) by 12 (the actual distance)
This means our scale is 1 millimetre = 20.83 metres
Use this scale to measure the length of Mordialloc Beach and record your answer

Now what you need to do with your information is collate it into a poster or a PowerPoint presentation. In addition to your table of observations, and your measurement of Mordialloc Beach, you need to include (in your own words!):

Some overall information about Mordialloc Creek
http://www.melbournewater.com.au/content/rivers_and_creeks/river_health/dandenong_waterways/mordialloc.asp
http://www.kingston.vic.gov.au/Page/page.asp?Page_Id=673&h=0
History of Mordialloc Creek
http://localhistory.kingston.vic.gov.au/htm/article/228.htm
The Mordialloc Creek interchange: how popular it is for boats
http://www.kingston.vic.gov.au/Page/page.asp?Page_Id=913&h=0
Information about the types of wildlife that live in Port Phillip Bay
http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1park_display.cfm?park=58
Comparison of Mordialloc Beach to Edithvale and Mentone Beaches
http://www.bayside.vic.gov.au/beachguide/beaches1.htm
http://www.bayside.vic.gov.au/beachguide/beaches2.htm
How does Bondi Beach compare to Mordialloc Beach?
http://www.bondivillage.com/
How does Venice Beach in California compare to Mordialloc Beach?
http://www.venicebeach.com/
Solutions for reducing pollution in our bays and creeks (don’t forget to create a slogan for people to remember!)
http://www.cleanupaustralia.com.au/
http://www.cleanocean.org/
Reflection on this activity (ie: what have you learned, has completing this task convinced you to change your impact on the creek and beach, etc)

Local Experience begins

Term 4 is passing as quickly as it arrived this year, for we are already up to the Local Experience unit: phew!

Today was Mordialloc Monopoly day once again, and as I type this the boys are working away on creating their boards and accessories.

As mentioned, with the class time we have available to us this term, it may be difficult for our boys to complete all of their required elements in class - meaning that homework becomes a more definite option! If any of our students would like some feedback on their work over the weekend, they can email Mr E at Ellul.Jason.L@edumail.vic.gov.au for more information.

On Monday, we move on to the "Let's Go Shopping" task once again; time to "fill" those trolleys! Have a great weekend!

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations Paris, you are this month's winner of the 'Mordiblog'
competition. You received a grand total of 11 comments for your post!

Come up to the MEX and collect your prize from Ms Coombs this week.

City Romp

What a day! It all started at Federation Square. Our team were ready to Romp with our crazy costumes and sleuth like minds! We were greeted with a sea of people also dressed up and raring to go. We received our page of clues and off we went. Zipping around the city, we answered questions and discovered places we had not yet stumbled upon. We travelled up the 'Eureka' tower and admired the far reaching views, we explored little Bourke street and immersed ourselves in 'China town'. When our time was up, we crossed our fingers, and are still waiting to find out what ranking we came.

Wish us luck!

Arthur says:

My group attempted to drop an egg off a 2 story building. We didn’t get outside before the egg broke. Laine and Jake were trying to put the egg in the balloon when it cracked, we bandaged it up with tape and cotton balls. We then proceeded to wrap it in paper and sow the edges together. It could have worked but Laine got us disqualified by catching our egg. Next time we will follow the instructions and give ourselves a better chance of winning!

Michael says:

On Tuesday we went into our group and we did the egg dropping activity. we made a design of it and then went outside. shakeel dropped it from the balcony and it survived the first round. when it was near the bottom it popped on the Secord round. I dropped it and it cracked and the egg did not survive the Secord round!

Shaq Says:

On Tuesday 07/10/08 we did the egg drop activity we made design and Stewart, Michael and I assemble it. The first round the aim was to the land the egg on the garden bed and we did but the balloon popped. On the second round the aim was to land the egg on the concrete our egg did not survive!

Casey Says:

On my first week of mordi experience we did many exciting activities, which include quizzes, scavenger hunting, carpet bowls, bridge building and egg dropping. The bridge building and dropping the egg was my favourite. First we had to make a design of the bridge that we were making and then make it. It had to withstand a tub of golf bowls or more tubs of golf bowls if it was strong enough and the more points you get. Next we did egg dropping and it involved building a contraption to protect the egg from the ground. Some people had hot air balloons styles to make the egg hover. We had to use a balloon, string, sticky tape and an egg. Once we had finished our designs we went over to the balcony we had to drop it over the edge and hoped the egg didn’t break and to really test the egg. We went over to a stretch of cement and tested it. One broke and two survived, our experience so far has been an enjoyable.

Claire says:

I was in Mordi experience this term and I had lots of fun, especially going into the city everyday. I loved all of the places we visited, like the Eureka Tower, Melbourne Aquarium, Vic Market, Melbourne Museum and much more. I found the first week more fun because it was all new to me and the places we visited were fun. When we went to the Eureka Tower, we got to go out on the glass box. That and the scavenger hunt were the highlights for me.

Paris' poem:

There once was a girl named Paris

who moved to Mordiallocshe transferred straight to MEX

made some lovely friends

and went to the City experience.

From day 1 she made a clean slate

and instantly improved her grades

and as hard as she could, she worked

and got the grades she deserved.

In the city they caught a train

through the sunshine and the rain

Met some fellow trainers who were strange

and tried to stay away.

Off they went to Eureka Tower

on top of the world, they felt the power.Q

Queen Vic Market shopping spree, Melbourne's MCG

and off to the state Library.

Aquarium, Museum and Fed Sqaure, getting fast food on the way there

they saw Melbourne in a whole new way.

On their Scavenger hunt the second day.

Pizza at Lygon Street for their last day there

they automatically pigged out in despair felt sad

they were finished in the city dreamand scoffed down their ice-cream.

Their project board was looking great

and their eyes were on that

Athey were to present it, and couldn't wait

and they knew it wouldn't be late.

There once was a girl named Paris

who moved to Mordialloc

and achieved all she wanted

in the Mordialloc Experience.

Felicity says:

During our time in the MEX we did lots of interesting projects about our local community.
For example, we did a scavenger hunt down in Mordialloc and had to find landmarks and places, and then mark them on a map. We also visited the creek and beach and took samples of the water to see the quality of the water. We noticed that the water was contaminated and filthy because of the rubbish and pollution in our bays.
We did a really interesting activity that involved putting together a shopping list with a budget of 50 dollars. We went down to the local supermarkets and learnt that money does fly!

Natalie says:

Over the last two weeks our group went into the city and discovered new things and places. We went on heaps of excursions, for example we went to the top of the Eureka tower and went out onto the glass box overlooking the city. The view was incredible.
We also went to the Old Melbourne Jail which was scary. An interesting fact I learnt was that four women out of 135 people were hung due to the fact they were considered to be too beautiful.
Each group in our class also chose a topic and researched it, for example we chose fashion. We did interviews with people on the street, and took lots of photos.
I hope you have as much fun as I did during the Mordialloc Experience.

ROCK EISTEDDFOD

A few weeks ago I wrote about our experiences during the heats of the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge, and that we had made it through the heats and into the grand final. Well, the grand final was held last night at HiSense Arena. I've got to add that this was our fourth eisteddfod appearance with the current leadership team and after four amazingly exciting, emotional and magnificent appearances on the Rock Eisteddfod stage the Mordialloc team has been recognised for the talent that they have brought to the competition on each occasion and has been awarded first place in the open division.
I witnessed first hand the effort that each person put into these eisteddfod appearances and I am immensely proud of each and every one of you. It is a wonderful experience to have been involved, and something I'm sure we will always remember. GO MORDI.

Competition starts now!

This is a call to all year 9's!

We want to hear from you. Send in your articles, feeback, opinions, ideas or whatever you have to say about your 'Mordialloc Experience'.

We have a competition running over the next two weeks. Forward your stuff to ....

mordiexperience@hotmail.com

and we will post it on the blog for you. If your article recieves the most comments over 2 weeks, then you will be notified and asked to come up to the MEX to collect your prize.

'You've got to be in it to win it!' b

ROCK EISTEDDFOD

Update.
Mordialloc College has been successful in making it into the Grand Final show to be held on the 11th of September at the Rod Laver Arena. This is a great result for all the students, teachers and support staff that worked so hard to put the production on. They are already winners.
Go Mordi!

ROCK EISTEDDFOD

Hi,

I'm posting this entry to cover the antics of some past mordiexperience students. On Wednesday just gone several dance artists formerly known as year 9 MEX students (see if you can spot 'em in the photos!) all left Mordi at 5.30 am and travelled into Hisense Arena (re Vodafone) and competed in the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge. Schools from all over the state were there, at a rough estimate about 800 students, all to dance up a storm and to do the best they could to reach the grand final held early in September.

The official day began when we arrived at the load in bay at 6.45am, unpacked all the sets and props, and then loaded all the costumes and make-up and hair dryers and spray paint and pillows and glitter and snack food into the dressing room they had allocated for us. Yes, it was a tight squeeze!

Our rehearsal time was 9am so we had to be quick. The backstage crew concentrated on getting the sets and stage ready while the performers got into position for a chance to practice the show. We were allocated 15 minutes of rehearsal time max. We managed to get 3 runs through the show before we had to vacate the stage so the next school could practice. The rest of the day was spent watching the other schools rehearse and meeting other students who love dancing as much as we do. The spirit amongst the schools involved was so warm and appreciative that it was more like a concert than a competition.

7pm was when the Arena opened to let in the public and the first school had to perform for real....no more rehearsals, this was it. Mordi was scheduled to go on at 9pm, 12 hours after they had practiced. Would they remember all they're dance moves in the right order???? You bet they did! The show was fantastic. The whole production, from the backstage crew, the dancers, the behind the scenes teachers, the lighting crew, everything went without a hitch. What a massive success.

We then had to wait around 'til after the final school performed to find out the results. It was worth it because Mordi collected 9 awards for excellence in the different judging categories. A feat equalling our best ever effort.

The night was not over just yet though. The performers went home with their parents from the venue but the sets and props and glitter and make-up and....... well you know, all had to be packed up and loaded back in the trucks by the backstage crew and the teachers, and transported back to school, unloaded and packed away ready for another time just in case we make it through to the Grand Final. The day finished just a shave before midnight; one of the most action packed days you would ever want to be involved with.

Posted by teacher in absentia Mr Tim Fifis.
(P.S. We find out next Tuesday)

Let's go shopping?

Today students were given the task of going 'grocery shopping'. They each had a budget of $50.00 to spend on a weeks worth of goods, including necessities and the odd treat!

A number of students joined forces with others to maximise their spending amount, however this meant they had to compromise and agree on their final purchases.

The Mordialloc Experience crew were suprised at how quickly $50 can be spent, and the difference in pricing from places like 'Safeway' to 'NQR'!

Local Experience

Over the next two weeks, the Mordialloc Experience crew will be getting involved local issues about the community. They will visit the local Mordialloc creek and observe the wildlife that exists at this time. For what seems a long time now, the council has been extending the bridge. Students oberved the negative impacts this has had on the water quality and the in turn the wildlife living in the creek.
In addition to this, members of the crew have visited various sites around Mordialloc beach, and to our surprise, we have noticed the cleanliness of the beach. How is this so? Does winter have anything to do with this? There were areas however that were spoiled by humans, any ideas?

Careers and Work Pathways: Update

Hello, and welcome back to the Mordialloc Experience blog: our Careers and Work Pathways unit is drawing to a close, and it has been a very busy fortnight for students and staff alike. First of all, here's some pictures from the girls' visit to Holmesglen TAFE on Tuesday:

On Wednesday, Mordialloc College was lucky enough to have a few bands come and play live in our hall, as part of our Rock the Schools Day, and even luckier to have some of them hold workshops with our students on how they, too, can become rock stars of the future:

An information evening for parents and students alike was held in the Mordialloc Experience room on Wednesday evening. The purpose was to inform them about what to expect from our outcoming City Experience and Community Placement programs:

Tomorrow is D-Day for students to have completed all of their Careers and Work Pathways work. Most students have been placed in their chosen Community Placements, and it won't be long now before the Local Experience commences. Stay tuned for the final details of Careers and Work Pathways!

Holmesglen TAFE visit!

In extension to what was covered on the RMIT visit, our students had the opportunity to see what life is like on a tradie's side of the fence with their visit to Holmesglen TAFE. Our guide, Daniel, was very knowledgeable about the campus and the courses on offer, as well as insightful when it came to what a student's life is like at Holmesglen - uncompromising, like in the real world!

One story that stuck with us was a group of students who decided that they liked the pub over the road just a bit too much and, as such, rocked up to class late after lunch. They had been learning about digging trenches to lay plumbing pipes, and were pleased to find that upon returning from the pub that their teachers had been kind enough to backfill their trenches for them. However, their joy turned to worry when they discovered that their tools were missing. That was when the students were told that their tools were, in fact, buried in the trench, and it was up to them to retrieve them and get on with what they were supposed to be doing. Moral of this story? Be accountable, and don't put drinking grog before your job!

You can see in the photo above that the boys were in attendance today; the girls will get their turn tomorrow.

When one group has been out at Holmesglen, the other is putting together their Community Placement applications. Positions have been advertised in class from this morning, and the task is ahead of the students to put together the best application (resume and cover letter) that they can for the positions they want. If we have more candidates apply for a position than positions available, the students will then have to prove themselves in an interview situation - show us, just like in real life, what sets them apart from the pack.

Stay tuned for more as our Careers and Work Pathways unit draws to a conclusion, and the Local Experience approaches . . .

RMIT Visit!

Hello again, and welcome to Week 3 of this term. Let's start by recapping the last few days of our Careers and Work Pathways unit: as you read in our last entry, the group were out at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) last Wednesday with Mrs Ip, Ms Coombs and Mr Shanahan. They caught the train from Mordialloc to Melbourne Central, and met out the front of the campus (near the State Library) for their tour.

First of all, the group was taken to one of the lecture theatres and were told about the many courses and opportunities that RMIT has to offer its students. Following this session, the students were then broken into groups and were given the Campus Challenge, whereby they had to follow a series of cryptic clues to negotiate their way around the campus and find a set of answers.

Hopefully, after that visit, some students who may have been thinking about furthering their education at RMIT are now better equipped to grasp those opportunities.

NATIONAL TREE PLANTING DAY

In addition to completing their normal Careers work, the group had the opportunity to participate in this year's National Tree Planting Day. They were lead down to the bank of Mordialloc Creek and, after some information was provided by local rangers on-site, the planting operation began in earnest (well, for some, anyway!).

Others were a little too earnest . . .

Overall, though, everyone had a lot of fun doing their bit for our local environment. Our thanks to Mr Palfrey for his work in setting up this opportunity, to Mr Palfrey's Year 8 students for their assistance, and to the City of Kingston rangers who were very helpful in showing the group what was expected.