Senior School

Student Exhaustion

As the academic year draws closer to its climax, students in Victoria often find themselves grappling with the mounting pressures of preparation for VCE examinations. This intense period of study and assessment is a crucible where diligence and ambition meet the challenges of fatigue, stress, and, for many, burnout. Understanding the roots and repercussions of student exhaustion, as well as equipping students with strategies to navigate these challenges, becomes imperative not just for educators and guardians but also for students themselves.

Addressing this issue begins with cultivating awareness. Schools and families should openly discuss the importance of balance and wellbeing in the face of academic challenges. Students must understand that their health is as vital as their grades. It is not simply about surviving the VCE journey but thriving in it.

The lead-up to VCE examinations is an emotional rollercoaster. Students are inundated with deadlines, revision schedules, practice exams, and the looming spectre of trying to navigate VTAC (kudos to our Head of Careers, Ms Anthea Bennett, who does an excellent job explaining this complex task to our Year 12 students). This multifaceted stress can manifest in physical exhaustion, emotional strain, and even mental health challenges such as anxiety or depression. Many students, driven by the fear of underperformance, push themselves beyond their limits, neglecting essential aspects of self-care like sleep, nutrition and leisure.

Practical strategies to alleviate burnout include managing time effectively and setting realistic goals. Breaking study sessions into manageable chunks with regular breaks has proven to enhance focus and retention. Incorporating exercise, even in the form of short walks or stretches, can significantly improve mood and energy levels. Nutrition also plays a key role; consuming balanced meals and staying hydrated can provide the stamina required for rigorous mental work.

Furthermore, mindfulness and relaxation techniques, such as meditation or deep breathing exercises, offer students tools to combat stress. Encouraging hobbies or creative outlets can foster a sense of normalcy and joy, grounding students amidst the chaos of examination preparation. Importantly, educators and parents must advocate for adequate sleep – a cornerstone of cognitive function and emotional resilience.

Ultimately, the journey through VCE examinations should not be a solitary battle but a collaborative effort where students are empowered to succeed without compromising their wellbeing. As the Head of Senior School, I believe it is our duty to nurture not just academic potential but holistic health in our students. Together, we can help them navigate this challenge with strength, wisdom, and grace.

Schools can support their students by ensuring open channels of communication between students, parents and teachers and by creating a safety net where concerns and struggles are addressed empathetically. Friends and peers should also be encouraged to look out for one another, fostering a sense of community and mutual support.

The coming third term of 2025 is the final full term of our Year 12 students’ time here at Newhaven College. It is a stressful one – 9 short weeks with many SACs crammed into a tight schedule. I hope the advice and insight offered here is useful for families trying to prepare their children for the biggest academic moment of their lives – VCE examinations.

Brett Torstonson

Head of Senior School

City Cite Success and What’s Next in Year 9

As Term 2 draws to a close, we celebrate the success of our Year 9 students during their City Cite experience. Their behaviour, engagement, and the quality of their presentations were outstanding.

We are especially proud to share that, during their time at FareShare, our students contributed to the production of over 20,000 meals, including 3,100 ready-made microwave meals. This hands-on contribution will directly support people experiencing food insecurity across Victoria. Learn more about Fareshare on their website.

After a two-week break from Commando Game preparation, students returned for the final week full of energy and enthusiasm for what is one of the most anticipated highlights of the Year 9 calendar. The Commando Games bring our students together in a fun, muddy, and joy-filled celebration of teamwork, creativity and resilience.

Looking ahead to Peak Pursuit, our major end-of-year experience, students will need a sleeping bag rated to at least minus five degrees and a set of wool or polypropylene thermals. These items will also be used for Year 10 camp. Through our partnership with ONE PLANET, families will be able to purchase or hire sleeping bags and thermals, with more information to come early in Term 3. The College will provide all other specialist equipment, including tents, sleeping mats and stoves.

Thank you to all families for your continued support. It has been a big and rewarding semester for our Year 9s.

Sam Foura 
Head of Year 9

Year 9 Careers Expo

Our Year 9 students recently attended the annual Careers Expo hosted by the Local Learning and Employment Network. The event provided an opportunity for students to reflect on their strengths and passions. They then interacted with a range of exhibitors from local and metropolitan universities, TAFEs and a wide range of employment and apprenticeship based organisations. 

Students engaged in the day with maturity and the event has opened up their thinking in relation to possibilities for the future.

Anthea Bennett

Head of Careers

Year 9 Peer Tutoring

At Newhaven College, we’re incredibly lucky to be part of a Prep to Year 12 learning community, where students of all ages can learn with and from each other. A beautiful example of this is our peer tutoring program, where Year 9 students support our Junior School learners in reading.

The reading folders used in these sessions are directly aligned with what is being explicitly taught in the classroom, so our Year 9s are helping reinforce key fluency skills like pace, expression, punctuation, and accuracy. But this experience is so much more than just helpful; it’s meaningful. It builds confidence, connection, and a shared sense of purpose.

Interestingly, many of our Year 9 students didn’t receive reading instruction based on the Science of Reading when they were younger, as this approach has only become more widely adopted in recent years. That means our Junior School students are not only being supported but they are also teaching. They are introducing some of our older students to key terminology and helping them understand how to pronounce phonemes (letter sounds) and digraphs (two letters that make one sound), rather than just naming letters.

Beyond reading, our Year 9s have also been assisting with Spelling Mastery sessions in Years 3 and 4 and getting involved in hands-on maths activities. These experiences build confidence, leadership, and empathy in our older students, while giving our younger learners extra support and encouragement.

This reciprocal learning is a powerful reminder of the strength of our whole-school model. It’s a joy to see students across year levels working together, growing together, and building a culture of curiosity and care.

Cath Huther

Head of Junior School

Year 9 Market

Year 9 Business students had the opportunity to put their enterprise and entrepreneurial skills into action when they recently participated in their business venture, a Market Stall in Middle School.

Students were responsible for all aspects of the product concept, marketing and financial management of their venture. It was wonderful to see the students develop their innovation, collaboration and enterprise skills.

Anthea Bennett

Head of Careers

Year 10 Science and Engineering Challenge

The Science and Engineering Challenge is now in its 25^th year, but this was the first time it had been held in South Gippsland. The goal of the program is to challenge students’ perception of science and engineering and experience aspects of those fields that they normally would not encounter in a school environment. Consequently, we took advantage of the opportunity to take a keen group of Year 10s to Korumburra to take part in the event. The event involves students completing various challenges that draw on mathematical and scientific ways of thinking, in conjunction with a willingness to put ideas to the test and modify if wrong. Most of the challenges take half the day, with a few challenges taking place over the entire day.

Our sixteen Year 10 students were split into teams of 4 to tackle the challenges in competition with a range of other schools from the region, including Korumburra and Leongatha secondary colleges. Challenges included plane construction, code breaking and fish trap construction. The teams performed well on the day, with each group winning at least one of their challenges. The challenge can accommodate up to 32 students and in future we would look to take more students to be more competitive. As it was, our team still finished a creditable fourth. 

Well done to all who took part, and we look forward to next year’s event.

Marc Tillotson

Science Teacher

Road Safety & Schools - Year 11 RYDA Workshop

Last week, our Year 11 students participated in a RYDA Workshop, including sessions on Road Choices, Mind Matters, Speed and Stopping, Crash Investigators, Drive SOS, and The 'I' in Drive.

Professionally developed by Road Safety Education Limited, RYDA is essential education for young drivers and their passengers at just the right time in their lives. The Workshop features a series of practical and powerful sessions that challenge students and lay the foundation for safe road use throughout their lives.

Facilitators worked with students to develop and practise personalised strategies and life skills which will help them respond positively to challenges on the road, both as drivers and highly influential passengers.

Go to this document for more information.

Work Experience - Hudson Ridd

During Term 2, Year 10 Bass student, Hudson Ridd, volunteered each Thursday afternoon to complete a 5-week workplace experience at the Cowes MyLi Library. A goal of Hudson’s learning program is to engage in the community and have opportunities for connection and to develop confidence and social skills in different settings.

Hudson also enjoyed volunteering in the Newhaven College JS Year 4 classrooms, where he assisted students both in class with reading and sport-based activities at PE.

We would like to thank MyLi Manager, Sue Hamilton and teachers Kate Middleton, Fiona Smart and Jackie Clark for providing Hudson with these enriching opportunities. Thank you also to Learning Support Aides, Lucinda Schenk and Alyssa Gijsbers for supporting Hudson.

We are very proud of Hudson’s excellent work ethic, respect and engagement in these experiences!

Ruth Turton

Learning Support Teacher – Inclusion

Work experience at the Library – Hudson’s Reflection

During term 2, I went to the library in Cowes for work experience. I went to Berninneit every Thursday afternoon for five weeks. On the first day I met Sue and Bec, who were very helpful. One of the main jobs was to stack books on the shelves; this requires you to have a good knowledge of alphabetical order and the Dewey decimal system. I became very fast at putting books away. I also helped by organising the books on the return trolley and putting them in alphabetical order. Another job I did was helping Bec sort Lego into separate boxes for the after-school Lego club. Something that was really challenging was when the shelves were really tight and the books would not fit. Sue helped to move the books around so that we could get all of the books on the shelves.

Another job that helped with was cutting out vegetable seed labels and sticking them on the small envelopes that the seeds were being put into. The seeds are given out to visitors of the library for free.

The staff at the library were very kind and helpful. I learnt a lot of new things that I found interesting, and I hope to use these skills in the future.

Hudson Ridd

Year 10