Scotch College

Extension Studies at Scotch

2002 has seen the addition of a new staff member in the Education Support Department at Scotch College. The Extension Studies Co-ordinator, Mrs. Michele Linossier, has the role of working with staff, students and families to further cater for the needs of gifted and talented boys in Years 7-12. This position was created following an extensive study of the theory and excellent praxis within the field, coupled with a detailed review by a working party of the needs of such students within the school.

This year Scotch has participated in a range of local, state and national challenges. The school is actively involved with the Camberwell Cluster for the gifted and talented and enjoys Philosophy with Melbourne Grammar and Brighton Grammar School respectively. Boys in Years 7 to 10 have participated in the Statewide Maths Games Days.

These are only a few of the new opportunities available to students along with professional development for teachers, mentoring and specific curriculum initiatives.

Michele Linossier can be contacted in the Education Support Centre on 9810 4374.

Philosophy - Something to think about!

Is the way I see the world different from the way you see it? This was one of the questions posed to the Year 7 and 8 Philosophy group which Mrs. Linossier runs. I knew nothing of Philosophy, so I agreed eagerly when I was asked whether I wanted to join.

Our group meets at lunchtime about once a week. We discuss many different topics, for instance concepts such as consciousness. We learn about different philosophers and what they have brought to this discipline.

Once a term we participate in a Philosophy Colloquium with Melbourne Grammar and Brighton Grammar School. Each school prepares a topic and after the presentations we discuss the ideas.

I enjoy Philosophy. It is a great opportunity to open our minds and to question what we often take for granted. This helps us to think more deeply about other subjects. Come to think of it, the pizza we have during our meetings is food for thought!

David Thomson 7A

 

S.C.R.A.M.

In Term 2 six boys from Years 9 & 10 - Mark Leung, Justin Singh, Michael Frame, Bob Hu, David Temminghoff and Tai Lai Zhi participated in the extra curricular activity SCRAM which stands for Schools Conflict Resolution and Mediation.

This was the first time Scotch boys had been involved in this program organised by the Law Institute of Victoria. The aim of the activity was to work through specific scenarios and to resolve the conflicts through the process of mediation.

This mediation was then presented to an independent adjudicator from the Law Institute. There were two preliminary rounds which were examined by the group and they were marked on their examination of the finer details of the scenario, the structure of the mediation, the effectiveness of using negotiation, characterisation and overall dramatic presentation skills.

The boys did extremely well seeing that it was something vastly different from anything they had done before. Although they did not go into the final rounds, it was unanimous that everyone gained from and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Bob Hu Year 10

 

Australian Stock Exchange Schools' Sharemarket Game

In March this year Julian Sahhar and I took on the challenge of playing the ASX Schools' Sharemarket Game. The competition consisted of eleven thousand, five hundred and eighty syndicates from around the country. Along with eight other syndicates from Years 10 and 11 at Scotch, we were given $50,000 to use to start our portfolio, aiming to increase its value substantially over the ten weeks of share trading ahead of us.

We had a good start purchasing shares in Insurance Australia, Billabong, Oil Search and Newcrest Mining, the latter two proving to be a handy buy as they substantially increased our portfolio and within a few weeks we had established a place in the top ten syndicates of the competition.

We maintained our place in the top five for a few weeks and hit the lead with about three weeks to go. As the other teams were gaining from the rise of the market, we dropped mainly because we did not sell Billabong at the right time. Deciding to cut our losses at this point, Julian and I purchased ANZ shares and made our way into the top 70 of the eleven thousand, five hundred and eighty syndicates.

In the end our syndicate 'c10' of scotch College finished sixty fifth in Australia with a portfolio value of $52,784.04. Although disappointed with the final result we enjoyed the challenges provided by the ASX experience!

William Shin Year 10

 

Year 8 Statewide Maths Games Day

One of the student activities promoted by the Maths Association of Victoria is the Statewide Maths Games Day. These days provide mathematical challenges and problem solving for teams from across the State. Each is hosted by a particular school which prepares the Mathematical activities in addition to providing a venue.

This year Scotch will host the Year 7 Statewide Maths Games Day in late August. Harry Hookey, from Year 8, attended the Year 8 day at Penleigh and Essendon Grammar and offers the following reflection…

On Wednesday July 24, I was part of an expedition consisting of Luke Woodard, Alistair Marx, Robert Edwards, James Drummond, David King, Timothy Mead and Matthew Headberry which departed from Scotch to go to the annual M.A.V. Maths Games Day held at Penleigh and Essendon Grammar. We divided into two teams and prepared to do our best against over five hundred and fifty Mathematicians from other schools.

We began with a short challenging problem solving quiz that consisted of ten questions, which had to be answered within thirty minutes. We then went on to play some games against three different schools.

We enjoyed a lunch of delicious hotdogs, one of the many extra bonuses of coming on the trip. The final problem solving section after lunch concluded our competition for the day. As we waited for the announcement of results we enjoyed the fun activities and entertainment provided by the host school.

Unfortunately we did not end up scoring in the first three places but nevertheless we learned many new things from this experience. We hope that Scotch will send more boys to these events every year as they provide a fun perspective of Maths.

Harry Hookey Year 8