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 . . .