Scotch College

Juniors outdoors and global...

New staff

Miss Jane Arter was a relief teacher with Scotch in the Junior School last year and now joins our staff as Year Five classroom teacher. She previously had undertaken work experience in London and Chicago.

Miss Michelle Harris has joined our team in Educational Support Services and will work in the Access Unit. She was previously the Co-ordinator of Special Education at Salesian College.

Mr David Walker joins Scotch as a team member of Year Six, and is the teacher in charge of Campbell House, he previously taught at Geelong College Preparatory School and Camberwell Grammar.

The Scotch Community in the Junior School welcomes their new members of staff.

Outdoor Education Programme

The Programme commenced this term with the three Year Six classes attending their camp at Lake Nillahcootie, situated between Mansfield and Benalla, on the Midland Highway. It is the sixth year that the boys in Year Six have attended this challenging camp, which enables staff and boys the opportunity to build working relationships that are such an important part of the students' final year in Junior School.

The activities that each pupil is encouraged to participate in are: canoeing, high and low ropes, wall climbing and abseiling, orienteering, archery, raft building and camping in the outdoors in tents. An important aspect of this camp is working together as a team and trusting each other so that challenges can be overcome. Many of the activities require the use of the 'buddy system', whereby the boys provide much encouragement and support for each other.

Throughout the year, the Year Fives attend a camp at Kangaroobie, the Year Fours visit Camp Weekaway, the Year Threes venture to Scotch at Cowes, and the Year Twos have a sleepover at school. The program is designed so that each year new skills are acquired and new challenges are met. After observing the Year Six boys on camp, the Junior School Staff are confident that each student entering the Senior School is well equipped to tackle the many challenging camps that lay ahead.

Mr Rodney Carson

Junior School goes global

Scotch Junior School has initiated a Global Education Project coordinated by the Information Technology and Educational Support Services. This project aims to challenge more able students through critical and creative problem solving, whilst using the Internet as a communication, research, and multimedia publishing tool.

Thirty-two very excited boys from Years 4 and Years 5 have been introduced to the project, 'The Global Cybersphere Missions'. The Global Project has secured pages linked to the Scotch Home page. There will be 'virtual tours' of schools, CU-See-Me video conferencing and the possibility of a Youth Conference in 2000 where the International Teams may meet to share presentations.

Four schools from around the world will work collaboratively in teams to complete a number of self selected 'Missions' within a given time frame. These missions will involve teams of students from Australia, Singapore (Methodist Girls School), Canada (River-Oaks Public School ) and Germany (Birklehof College), communicating via the Internet, to develop solutions to Global, futuristic problems.

Problem solving 'Missions' will centre around global issues such as 'Global Warming', 'Natural Disasters', 'Poverty', 'Pollution in Space' or 'Endangered Species'.

The Project is designed for two years to enable the students to develop a meaningful team relationship as they gain an understanding and appreciation of the diversity of their cultural backgrounds.

Dr George Otero, Director, Las Palomas de Taos Multicultural Learning Centre, New Mexico will help launch the project.

He is internationally renowned for his approaches to teaching and learning, which focus on world issues and trends; diversity; awareness of the state of the planet; and building the capacity for change.

He will run a workshop for boys in the Global Project and also an afternoon for the Junior School staff, focussing on Globalisation issues.

Check the Scotch Home Page to follow the Cybersurfers as they complete their Missions.

Mr Rob Stummer, Marcia Bacon, Coordinators of the Global Project