ASPIRE

Student Excellence Programs at Mooroolbark College 

As Mooroolbark College’s High Ability Practice Leader, my role within the College is to coordinate the school’s programs and supports for high-ability students.

Victorian High Ability Program  

This year Mooroolbark College has students participating in the Victorian High Ability Program (VHAP).  This program provides students from Years 7 and 8 the opportunity to participate in a 10-week online extension and enrichment program, delivered by Virtual Schools Victoria. Programs are available for English and Maths with students being selected by the Department of Education based on their academic performance. 

This term we had 5 students from Year 8 participate in the program, completing work and participating in their online lessons. On Wednesday 24th March these students attended Yarra Ranges Tech School to complete the VHAP Masterclass. High Ability students from other local schools attended on the day and students worked in their respective subject groups to investigate a project.  

The English students completed the program, “Bringing Dystopia to Life”. They were challenged with creating a story board to illustrate their ideas for their own dystopian worlds. They were then equipped with Adobe Fresco, iMovie and Stop Motion and given the task of bringing their story to life. The students enjoyed the opportunity to link the work they had been covering in the online classes, with the visual storyboard and available technology. 

The Maths students completed the program, “Sustainable Energy – Data Science”. In this program students were challenged to use coding to sort through the “big data” that had been obtained by the Bureau of Meteorology to find the most appropriate location in Australia to place a new wind or solar farm. They had to consider the practical and ethical ramifications of their decision and present their findings to the group. 

The Victorian High Ability Program has a new group of students next term and they will also get to attend a Masterclass in Term 2.  

Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series 

High-ability students from Prep to Year 12 can participate in the Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series, a new series of high-quality, funded extension activities across all areas of the curriculum. Schools can nominate students to participate in activities within the series according to their abilities and interests. There are a variety of programs available, both online and onsite, and during school hours, outside school hours and on school holidays.  

Over the coming term keep an eye on Compass and the newsletter for options, or if you have a child that may be interested feel free to check out the programs at https://arc.educationapps.vic.gov.au/ and then contact me to get the registration started or for more information.  

Kara Salmon 
High Ability Practice Leader
ASPIRE Coordinator