Student Writer's Group
Are you interested in Creative Writing? Join the Writers Group.
A space where you can share your work, creative processes, provide each other with creative stimulation and encourage creative exploration, and a forum to gain feedback on your writing.
If you wish to be in this space, come to Room C109 - Wednesdays.
Bring your lunch and some inspiration.
Student Artwork
Parasite Detectives
Psychology of Wellness
Visit from Associate Professor Thomas Nielsen of University of Canberra.
As part of our unit on the Psychology of Wellness, three year 12 classes had the pleasure of listening and talking with Dr Nielsen about his work regarding positive psychology. Thomas communicated his wealth of knowledge about eudemonic happiness and shared his “SELF-CARE AIMS” which are a wonderfully concrete way to guide us in taking care of our personal wellbeing.
Cell-e-brate Biology
This semester students in Year 11 biology are studying the unit Cells and Organisms. When asked this week why people might want to choose biology as a subject, their reasons given included:
- 'You can learn about how things in humans and plants work, and about the connections between organisms. Biology is very interesting'
- 'It’s a fun and hands-on class with enjoyable content. It is lots of work, but enjoyable! - Kara
- 'You get to understand more about the world around you (and brag about it)!
- 'You get to learn about many overlooked parts of life on Earth'. - Debleen
- 'The pracs here at Lake Ginninderra are fun and you learn something new every lesson'
- 'It opens up lots of career opportunities'
- 'It helps you to learn about things that impact you every day, that you never even knew about' - Ava
Our Year 12 biology class is immersed in the depths of learning about infectious diseases and the human body’s response to them. Students have been researching plants used traditionally in Indigenous medicine that may have had useful antibacterial properties. For their assignment task, students have chosen a plant and sourced part of that plant from which to extract chemicals. They are testing these materials against some common bacteria to see if they show antimicrobial properties.
Below are some of the plants students will be using and their explanation for why they chose that plant.
- 'I chose the Rumex brownii as it is a native dock plant. In Europe dock are used as remedies for stings and the leaves to wrap butter in to preserve it. I am interested to see if the Australian native dock has similar properties'. ~ Yiorgos
- 'I chose Eremophila (Emu Bush). This plant is regarded by a number of Indigenous groups as their number one medicinal plant. It is said to inhibit bacterial and fungal growth and was also used to help stimulate milk let down in women post-natally'. ~ Olivia
- 'I chose the purple coral pea plant (Hardenbergia violacea) which is used in traditional Aboriginal medicine to help treat mouth ulcers and chest infections. The leaves and flowers are brewed into a tea and drunk hot. I hope mine actually works!' ~ Esther
- 'My plant is the sticky hop bush (Dodonaea viscosa) which can be found everywhere in Australia but mainly in central Australia. This plant was used by Indigenous Australians to soothe toothaches, stonefish stings and stingray stings' ~ Annabelle Y
- 'I chose Callistemon (bottle brush) as it was used as an energy drink by Indigenous Australians' ~ Eric
- 'I chose Syzygium smithii (Lilly pilly) because it has a history of anti-inflammatory properties. I hope it shows results, not for my sake but for my grandparents who drove 3 hours to get it to me from the coast' ~ Tahni
- 'I chose Melaleuca linariifolia (tea tree) because it had Indigenous medical uses and it was convenient because I had a tree in my backyard. I hope that my plant extract shows antibacterial properties' ~ Dave
- 'I chose Prostanthera lasionthes (Victorian Christmas bush) as it was used by Indigenous Australians to counteract common cold symptoms and strep throat' ~ Kyle
- 'I chose Old Man’s Weed (Centipedia cunninyhammi) for my biology assignment. I spent three hours on my bike finding this plant as it was traditionally used by Indigenous Australians for colds and skin infections. I hope my three hour bike ride paid off'~ Kiefer
- 'I chose black wattle (Acacia mearnsii) as my biology assignment plant due to its traditional use as a treatment for indigestion' ~ Jack
Human Biology students in Year 11 have been learning about the different types of muscle tissues in the body, and how to differentiate between them microscopically. They undertook a practical task to test how much a small strip of muscle would contract when adding different solutions.
Satisfy your snack attack
Steamed pork wontons and apple crumble provided by the Hospitality class and Chicken Kiev with Carrot and Bean Bundles and Gratin Potatoes -all meals were prepared 'from scratch' by our students using fresh produce.
Check out the pictures below!
Going the distance! Sports Update
ACT Intercollege Girls Basketball Champions
The Lakers basketball team played the intercollege final against Erindale last term. The girls got off to a quick start finding their range from the 3 point line. Efficient ball movement also allowed the girls to find easy baskets inside the key. The girls continued to play at a fast pace going on to win the game 92 – 25. Congratulations to Emmy Clarke, Hayley Macdonald, Jasmyn Boutzos, Keeley Dunbar, Kirby Smee, Laura Topp and Meg Roden.
The year 12 boys also played Erindale college in the final. The game was a tight contest in the first half dominated by tight defence from both teams. Erindale college moved away in the scoring with several fast transition baskets. The Lakers couldn’t keep up as Erindale ran away with the game 64 – 46. Congratulations to the boys involved in reaching the final. Diing Diing, Akoy Mayen, Will Foley, Will Paterson, Charlie Potter, Chris Mecham, Lachlan O’Riley, Lachlan Smith, Chut Duot and Aleu Mapiou
Girls Rugby League 9’s
The girls league 9’s team had an enjoyable day the ACT carnival. They started with a loss in the first game against Erindale, however they went on to win the second game against Mulwaree High School from Goulburn. Improving as the day went on, the girls scored some great tries in their third-round game against Gungahlin but couldn’t hold on in defence, losing by just one try. Well done to the girls - Emma Judd, Hannah Ko, Lily Godding, Grace Wolff, Kody Donnelly, Lili Dominick, Gisela Vea, Hayley Macdonald, Susan Sanft, Mieke Schmidt, Nuth Khaenram.
Mixed Oztag Runners Up
Congratulations to the Lakers Mixed Oztag team who qualified for the Intercollege finals. The Lakers came up against Canberra College in the semi-final. The team played cohesive oztag and ran away with a 15 – 2 victory. They played Gungahlin college in the final. It was a close start to the game as both teams went try for try. Gungahlin college handled the slippery conditions a little better and were able to skip away by 2 in the final minute. Congratulations to Mieke Schmidt, Susan Sanft, Lola Fletcher, Cynthia Hamilton, Gisela Vea, Kyle McDermott, Toby Balshaw, Tui Georgievski, Jordan Valter, Zac Haycraft and Jamieson Norris.
Lakers Take Out NSW Futsal South Coast Region Event
One girls and two boys Lakers teams departed Canberra at 5am to participate in the NSW Futsal South Coast regionals. Due to COVID, this was the first chance in two years to compete at a representative level for our passionate Futsal students.
Our girls won in 2019 and looked on track to win again after easy wins in the pool games. They lost a penalty shootout in the semi-finals to the eventual winners. Massive thank you to the Lakers alumni stars Emma Ilijoski and Elke Aitolu for travelling down to coach. There are more opportunities for our girls to win in the coming weeks to qualify for the Australian School Championships.
The boys battled tough opposition to fight their way to separate semi-final spots. Our Year 12 boys improved every game to easily make the grand final, while our Yr11 boys pulled off the upset of the day beating the highly fancied Gungahlin team in their semi-final. The two Lakers teams won through to play each other in the final. The Year 12 team won that game but having both teams in the final was an outstanding effort.
Congratulations to Yr12 team: Jacob Booker, Bailey Sorenson, Nick Katsoulis, Matt King, Dylan Barreto, Elliot Alberto, James Stoddart and Sam Tregurtha. Yr11 team: Jaidyn Croucher, Sam Thomson, Julian Smith, Mehmet Kazanc, Jack Authaisawang, Declan O’Neale and Stefan Avric. Girls team: Maggie Hodgins, Riley McQueenie, EJ Norris, Meg Roden, Kara Thompson, Ruby O’Meara, Tayla Hampson and Hayley Macdonald
Lakers at Australian Schools Beach Volleyball Championships
Lake Ginninderra College Volleyball team of 20 students attended the Australian Schools Beach Volleyball Championships on the Gold Coast in April. On the first day of competition Lakers had impressive results with 20 wins from 28 matches across all teams. The day brought bright sunshine, rain, storms, rainbows, and excellent performances.
On day two, Lakers had another fantastic day of competition. In the end, 3 pairs teams qualified for the semi-final matches. Cassie Dodd, Ella Schabort, Holly Uren, Emily Heintzelman, Ben Hood and Euan Rochford all progressed with strong performances. The girls 4's team also had great results on day two and qualified for the bronze medal match.
On the final day, the sun broke through in the afternoon of finals. All students demonstrated great skill and sportsmanship in the finals and throughout the competition. Our teams played outstanding volleyball to finish in the medals.
Special congratulations to:
Girls 4s Bronze Medal - Paige Slater, Hayley MacDonald, Nyssa Sampson, Anne Hodgson.
Girls Pairs Silver Medal - Holly Uren, Emily Heintzelman.
Girls Pairs Bronze Medal - Cassie Dodd, Ella Schabort.
Boys Pairs Bronze Medal - Euan Roachford, Ben Hood
A big thank you to accompanying supervisor, Ms Georgia Clayden for working tiredlessly to ensure all our students were prepared, strapped and treated before and after games. We are immensely proud of all our students .
Kelsey-Lee Barber Inducted into Lake Ginninderra College Sporting Hall of Fame
UCSSC Lake Ginninderra students and staff were excited for World Athletics Javelin Champion Ms Kelsey-Lee Barber to be formally inducted in the Lake Ginninderra College sporting Hall of Fame. Kelsey joins sporting icons such as Lauren Jackson, Erin Phillips, Petria Thomas, Shane Heal, Andrew Bogut, Mark Viduka and countless more athletes on our ever-growing alumni Hall of Fame wall.
Kelsey is Australia’s only current World Athletics Champion, and she graciously gave up valuable training time in an Olympic year, to talk to our elite sporting students about her experiences on the world stage as well as her personal training schedule, sleeping hours and advise on becoming a better athlete.
Our students are very lucky to have so many amazing athletes and Alumni like Kelsey-Lee willing to give back to them and provide inspiration and knowledge towards their own sporting pathways.
Alissa Jordaan and Jaydon Page Qualify for Tokyo Paralympics
Congratulations to Jaydon Page & Alissa Jordaan who have qualified for the Tokyo Paralympics. Alissa is a 400m T47 runner and recently broke the national record at the Australian Athletics Championships. She also finished third in 200m ambulant event. Jaydon has also been progressing well over the summer season and has shaved time off his 100m personal best time. Jaydon who is also a T47 sprinter is now running sub 11.00 seconds in his event. We wish both athletes well as they prepare for Tokyo.
Public Notices
Attached below:
MoneySmart for Consumers and Investors
CIT Schools Menu, School Bulletin
Death Cap Mushrooms information
Actsmart Program ACT Government Environment
Student Awards
Monthly Excellence Awards for March:
Leonardo Fantauzzi - Spanish
Joseph Hogbin-Bourne - Outdoor Recreation C
Student Artwork
Principal Update
Happy autumn/winter!
You will receive this newsletter whilst 19 students and 6 staff (including myself) are on Lady Musgrave Island. The route in the college bus is inland through Moree onto Bundaberg, journeying out to the island by ferry.
Lady Musgrave Island/Wallaginji (meaning ‘beautiful reef’) is a 14 hectares coral cay on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The island is the second southernmost island in the Great Barrier Reef chain of islands.
The island is known for amazing vegetation, bird life and a range of turtle species. Camping, scuba diving, snorkelling, discovering flora and fauna, surviving on a remote island, connecting with the environment, and forming great friendships make for an unbelievable experience.
Collaboration has also been a part of college activities this term. Grappling with the big questions on ethic/morals and what would you do if...? for students participating in the Ethics Olympiads. Learning from others and having a chance to experiment with technique and inspiration were an important part of Art camp at Greenhills Conference Centre Stromlo.
Teamwork success at National Beach Volleyball in Coolangatta has also happened this term and National Basketball competition in Mackay has just concluded.
We are honoured that Kara Thompson Year 11, who won the 2020 ACT Simpson prize while in year 10 at Canberra High School read In Flanders Fields during the Dawn Service. A proud moment for Kara and the school.
Information Night is Tuesday 18 May – very excited to be displaying the school and programs during the evening; thank you to our student volunteers for their time. Please see website/Facebook for more information and to see our new Prospectus. Principal presentations are at 6pm and 7pm.
All the best as Semester 1 draws to a close with study and assignments. Teachers and subject specific tutorials and ‘Committing to Success’ study and wellbeing session runs on H line on Mondays and Wednesdays in the library, AST (ACT Scaling Test) workshops at 3pm each Monday are all there to help. More than 30 parents/carers attended the Partners in Learning event in the college library recently and gave positive feedback about having more of these events.
The following is my response to a request from the Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) ACT Branch on leadership and education for their newsletter:
“So much about school, education, and college is written about in terms of content and to a lesser extent skill, however, the underpinning values and dispositions we all carry forward in the next phase of life, either work or study, are what endure.
Our aim is to prepare students as best we can for opportunities and challenges ahead. To provide a learning environment that enables respect for each other, collaboration, and the willingness to challenge ideas. This vision is at the heart of my adaptive and distributed leadership style. Joint enterprises with staff and student voice frame a shared vision - the culture of enterprise encouraged by all of us for the school community.
Unknown artist, Oliver Lane Melbourne
21st Century Skills is a term widely used in education and definitions vary but key themes emerge: applied skills, interdisciplinary skills and transferable skills.
This challenging time in our history with a Global Pandemic provides an urgency for great thinkers, sharing of ideas, positive mindset, and a can-do attitude.
Talking with our students they engage with, and relish, the opportunities to work with others, investigate, interpret and be critical thinkers, test ideas, apply/demonstrate their learning, and for us to inspire a love of learning.
Inspired and fascinated during studies with ‘real world’ problems, learning from people, places, and events is how we want to position both teaching practice and student engagement.
The Outdoor Education program at our college, is just one example of pedagogy and teaching that models this experiential culture.
Thousands of students pass through our doors out into the world to make a difference so leadership within the school community is to frame those values to enable a culture of learning.”
All the best for the remainder of the semester.
Melissa Planten, Principal UCSSC Lake Ginninderra
Student Artwork
SheLeads Conference - Empowering Young Women
The SheLeads College Conference was an empowering event focused on achieving leadership skills and overcoming adversity.
Anjana, Katie and I attended as student representatives from UC SSC Lake Ginninderra and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunities presented to us.
We listened to inspiring speeches from successful Australian women and watched an insightful panel discussion on achievement and diversity, as well as participating in two workshops on personal development!
Question-time with the presenters was great too, as everyone had the chance to exercise the skills we learnt about confidence and courage. Overall, the SheLeads College Conference was a fantastic experience and I look forward to next year’s excursion!
Many thanks to the teachers and the organisers of the Conference for giving young women and non-binary individuals in the ACT the opportunity to enhance their leadership skills.
By Jemma Julian (Year 11)
Photo: Katie Jakab-Van Dooren, Jemma Julian and Anjana Muralidhar with panelist Krishaa Tulsiani
Student Artwork
Information Night
UC SSC Lake Ginninderra Information Evening
Encouraging curiosity, innovation and providing a range of pathways for students to succeed.
All areas of the college will be open for interested parents and students. Students and teachers happy to answer questions about college life, subjects, extra-curricular activities, school programs and student support services.
Principal, Melissa Planten, will outline the vision of the college at 6pm and again at 7pm.
University and training providers will be on hand to help you explore futures beyond college.
When: Tuesday 18 May
Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Where: UC SSC Lake Ginninderra
2 Emu Bank Belconnen ACT 2617
Register: Families are welcome to register at
Looking forward to seeing you all on the night.
Student Artwork
Library Refurbishment
The tender process has completed for our architect designed library refurbishment. Work will be starting on the 17June 2021 and due for completion on the 12 July, for term 3.
The college has arranged with the University of Canberra to use their library when needed during the construction period.
Outdoor Recreation News
Outdoor and Environmental Education Tertiary:
Outdoor and Environmental Education students have been learning about Kosciuszko National Park, NSW including the effects of fire on the park, different leadership styles and the benefits of nature on wellbeing. The Year 12 class participated in a hike in the Jagungal Wilderness Area, NSW while the year 11 class participated on a hike at Kosciuszko National Park.
Outdoor Recreation C course:
Year 11: Year 11 C course students participated in a surfing, snorkelling or SCUBA camp in term one. Students are now preparing for caving, climbing and abseiling in Bungonia National Park in Term 2.
Year 12: Year 12 C course students have been participating in a range of leadership sessions at school and at White Rocks, ACT. They have used local high school students and year 11 peers as ‘clients’ and taught them a range of Outdoor Recreation skills. They will also be attending a three day camp to Bungonia National Park, NSW for abseiling, rock climbing and caving activities.
Offline Reef Trip: The annual trip to Lady Musgrave Island, QLD is underway. The group departed Canberra bright and early on 3 May, and will be set to return on Sunday 16 May.
More details to come!
Future: Term 3 Outdoor Recreation C course students will be participating in Cross Country Skiing at Perisher Blue Nordic Trails, NSW. They also have the optional opportunity to attend the downhill skiing/ snowboarding excursion to Perisher Blue.
Outdoor Recreation Photos
School Board Vacancies - Student Representative
Expression of interest – student representative
An opportunity exists to engage with a school community by becoming a member of the UCSSC Lake Ginninderra School Board.
The School Board is responsible for the school’s strategic direction, budget, curriculum and related issues. All ACT public schools are required to have a School Board that consist of the
- school principal
- student members
- parents and citizens members
- staff members
- appointed member.
Appointments extend for periods up to two years and an appointed member may also be re-appointed after the conclusion of their term. We currently have a vacancy for a Student Representative.
If you are interested in becoming an appointed member on a School Board, please complete the expression of interest form below and return it to:
Nicole Burke, A/g Business Manager
Email: nicole.burke@ed.act.edu.au
If you have any questions, please contact:
Nicole Burke
Phone: (02) 6142 0224
Email: nicole.burke@ed.act.edu.au
School Board Vacancies - Parent Representative
Expression of interest – Parent Representative
An opportunity exists to engage with a school community by becoming a member of a school board.
All ACT public schools are required to have a school board. The school board is responsible for the school’s strategic direction, its budget, curriculum and related issues. Generally, school boards consist of:
- school principal
- student members
- parents and citizens members
- staff members
- appointed member.
The Education Directorate is seeking expressions of interest from people to fill the position of Parent Representative on ACT public school boards. The appointed member is usually someone from outside the immediate school community, who is interested in and committed to public education.
Appointments extend for periods up to two years and an appointed member may also be re-appointed after the conclusion of their term.
If you are interested in becoming an appointed member on a school board, please complete the expression of interest form below and return it to:
Governance and Community Liaison Branch
Email: EDUSchoolBoards@act.gov.au
If you have any questions, please contact:
Governance and Community Liaison Branch
Phone: (02) 6207 6846
Email EDUSchoolBoards@act.gov.au
AE - ACT Ethics Olympiad
Congratulations to the Ethics Olympiad team, first time participants in the annual event on Tuesday 4 May 2021 for placing 5th in the ACT Ethics Olympiad Competition.
Students participated in developing skills in ethical understanding, developing skills in communication, critical thinking and respectful discourse while dealing with important ethical issues.
During the day all students were involved in a series of four heats where they were scored according to criteria which rewarded clear, concise, respectful discourse around interesting ethical cases.
Congratulations to Ashlea, Lily, Claudia, Abha and Ellen
Thank you to our P&C
Thank you to the P&C for their generous grant of $10,000 towards school furnishings, school gardens and equipment for our textiles classroom.
This grant will be used for improvements to the college and student services.
AE - Global Classroom 2022
Hot news! UC SSC Lake Ginninderra is the host school for the 2022 Global Classroom Conference.
This is an enrichment opportunity provided to Academic Excellence Program Participants and any other interested students. Participating Countries include Anderson High School, Lerwick, Shetland Islands; Ridgewood High School, New Jersey, USA; Somorrostro Centro De Formacion, Bilbao, Spain; Gymnázium Zlín - Lesní čtvrť, Czech Republic; Graf-Friedrich-Schule, Diepholz, Germany; Cape Peninsula High School, Cape Town, South Africa and Bobergsgymnasiet, Ange, Sweden.
In 2021, the GC conference was hosted by Germany and 8 UC SSC, Lake Ginninderra students represented Australia. This year’s conference theme was ‘Crisis Causes Change.’ Our participating students were involved in a range of activities ranging from writing to pen pals, preparing a video essay on an Australian Crisis and working with international participants on a variety of crisis situations.
Congratulations to students Katie, Jemma, Jirah, Nikita, Anjana, Vio, Ryana and Ashlea.
Greenhills Art Camp
Student art works on display in the newsletter were produced during the 2021 Art Camp.
The Camp is an extension activity that allows students with an interest in the visual arts and photography to pursue their creative interests. Art Camp is held in a location where students can explore and respond to the environment through their artmaking.
Students undertook workshops that explored art making skills and techniques over a four-day program.
During these workshops, students explored photography techniques in reverse lens macro, low light and astro-photography and art making painting and drawing activities using a range of mediums.
Students were encouraged to engage in critically looking at their own and others’ works, and to support each other to improve their art. The Camp aimed to consolidate students learning, and to produce a series of exhibition ready works.
The foremost feedback recieved from our students was how the Camp provided an opportunity for them to make new friends and to enjoying the experience of immersing themselves for four days in their creative pursuits.
Greenhills Art Camp
Ancient History
Students from the Ancient History course participated in an excursion to the ANU Classics Museum. Students have been conducting a case study of Ancient Rome – from the end of the Republic to the start of the Empire. The ANU Classics Museum contains a number of artefacts from this time period, including everyday household items like a bronze mirror and a range of coins, giving the class the opportunity to see a different side of history.
The students heard from two experienced guides, who also took the time to unpack the architecture of Ancient Rome at a large model. It was a wonderful way to get a sense of where Julius Caesar died, as well at how large a triumph would have been as it moved through the city.
