Reflections by current Year 7 students
Term One was a really good term, on the summer holidays I was really scared about high school, I thought it was going to be hard to make friends and the subjects would be really hard. It ended up being a blast, here are somethings that I enjoyed most:
- Camp: My favourite part of camp was all the places we swam, although most of them were really cold, it was nice when we swam in the warm ones. (like the solar heated pool)
- Swimming carnival: My favourite bit of the swimming carnival was the novelty races, they weren’t as competitive and they were really fun to do.
- Having a locker: Having a locker is really convenient, we can just drop our stuff in there and grab it at the end of the day.
- Being able to go to the park: Being able to go to the park at lunch times is also really good because you have a little bit more freedom and you can get some fresh air. -Lucille
I was very nervous when I was in year 6 about to go to in to year 7. I thought there was going to be a lot of homework since at my primary school there was very little. But I was surprised how easy it was. Sure, for the first couple of weeks it was a bit of an overload but eventually I got the hang of everything. There are lots of clubs like gaming clubs, sport clubs and more. If you like gaming on Wednesday, you are allowed to take a device like a Nintendo Switch and play in the library. My favorite class is science since there was not too much paperwork and we got to see things explode. Most of the teachers are nice, chill and understanding. -Noah
Hello, my name is Angus, and this is a summary of my time at PHSC as a Year 7 student. I went to a small primary school in Brunswick, so as a result, I had only one friend coming to the school with me. We were quite nervous, as the only other people that I knew were from my football team and taekwondo dojo. On the Orientation day, we met many other kids and managed to get their contacts for over the summer. When we went back to school for the start of year 7, all of the teachers and older students were very welcoming, and by the second week we had already made over twenty new friends. The teachers encourage us to work hard, and even in quarantine I am still learning a lot. Just before the school shut down, my class had been on a week-long camp which is very well run and is a great way to immerse year sevens into the PHSC culture. I hope that many other kids choose to go to school here, as my experience so far has been exceeding all of my expectations. -Angus
From me to the people who are transitioning from year six to high school first of all I would like to wish you good luck on your coming year. Next I am going to talk about the school camp. Anywhere between the third week and the ninth you will be going on a camp with your class to Mount Buller, the point of which is to help you get to know those that are in your class. In the first term there will be a swimming sports day in about the second week. You will also get used to all your subjects with your mainline subjects English, Maths, Humanities, Science, Sport, Health and Italian or French depending on whichever on you choose and your elective subjects which include Drama, Metalwork, Textiles, Woodwork, Printmaking and Food Tech. That is all. -Donal
My experience in high school so far has been really fun and exciting. On the first couple weeks of school, don’t be afraid to talk to someone you don’t know or think you might want to be friends with. One of the first whole school activities we did was the swimming carnival, it was a great way to become closer with your class. Then we have camp. Camp has been the highlight of my year because by the end of it you have so many more close friends and all the activities are incredible, my favourite was swimming in the black whole. Even if you don’t get put in a class with your friends for electives the classes change every semester and again don’t be nervous, it’s as simple as going up to someone and ask if you could sit next to them. It is so great how many friends you will make over your high school years, my friends are super loyal, kind and funny and I’m sure yours will be too. It is also really nice that you get to go to the park at lunch and recess and the canteen has the best homemade food ever. Overall, I know you’re nervous, but it is really fun and you get a lot of independence. -Mia
When I first came to high school it felt like school but in a new area so it wasn’t too nerve-wracking yet it felt like I was in a totally different lifestyle. One of the things I really enjoyed about first term was definitely camp, I was not happy that it was the second last week of school and that I had to go because of some of my classmates I barely even knew but it was totally worth it so much fun that I wish I could do it again. Bring a mattress cover you’ll need it to trust me I made the mistake not bringing one. My favourite activity was horse riding or going to the black hole just because of the rock you could jump off and the water slide. One thing that was the biggest change was homework, it takes a couple of hours but just do it don’t slack off while doing it. -Ren
Year 7 has been a fun experience. The camp was the best, it was really fun but also really tough. Two year 10’s came with us. On the first day, we had 4 hr bus ride to the bottom of Mt Buller where the campus is situated. We stopped at Mansfield to buy some food and snacks. We then unpacked our bags and had a bit of free time. Later in the day, we went on a quick 40-minute hike to a nice little water hole with a small natural waterslide. On the second day, we went on a 9hr hike from the summit of Mt Buller to the foot. At the top of Mt Buller was a steep hill that we had to climb. My friends and I tried to run on the way up, but we ran out of breath halfway up the hill. On the way back I climbed up and down the hill tagging the last teachers to come down the hill. The last time that I tagged the teacher, he chased after me until we got to the rest of the class, he tagged me in the end. On the next few days, we did a lot of swimming and jumping off the jumping board at the black hole. High school has been an amazing experience and it should be even better for next year’s Year 7’s. -Angus
School at Princes Hill Secondary College is great. I have had found nothing scary at all. Some new things from primary school might be homework, being able to go to the park during lunch time, the art electives and some new classmates. The homework builds up gradually so you do not get overwhelmed in the first few weeks. The highlights so far have been the orientation camp at Mirimbah and the swimming carnival. At the camp you go with your class unlike some schools who go with their whole year level. The swimming carnival was fun because you had the entire school there and there were fun competition that are not real swimming strokes so if you are not the best swimmer them you can still do it and have fun. -En
High school has been an amazing experience so far. My favourite memory has to be camp. It’s a bit different to primary school because you just go with your class. The camp is located at the base of Mount Buller where PHSC owns a property. With three teachers and two year ten students accompanying us. There were so many fun activities that we did every day such as horse riding, mountain biking, hiking, and challenges. We also did activities at night like talent quests and puzzles. There were some great swimming spots around Mount Buller, and we swam almost every day. At the camp, they had two table tennis tables. We could play games like singles, doubles, and around the world. For me, it was the best camp that I have been on and I am looking forward to going again. -Zara
I found Year 7 term 1 as a wonderful experience you get seven subjects each semester so you have your core subjects and two art subjects your core subjects are English, Humanities, Maths, Science and Italian or French. In English you get to write an autobiography a fantasy and crime fiction but the crime fiction is later than term 1. Humanities is basically history and geography in one. Maths you work on negative numbers, fractions and so much more. Science you get to use a bunsen burner to burn things and in Italian or French you learn it for the two years to come. In the art subjects you get for in year seven such as print, visual art, communication, paint, drama, food tech and so many more. At camp you get to go to Mirimbah Camp that is near Mount Buller and you get to go swimming, watch a movie, make your own food and go on lots of hikes and go bike riding. -Jake
So far in Term 1: High School is really different to primary school. Lockers. More homework and others. The best thing about princes Hill so far is camp. Camp is extremely fun. I like how you can buy your lunch and snacks. Homework is pretty tough to handle but if you organise it, it will be a lot easier. Most of the teachers are nice and helpful. School sometimes causes some stress and a really useful tip is to be organised. Lockers are very cool but it takes a while to get used to it every day. Good Luck. -Rachel