A Day in the Life of a Year 7

Mylie Fishley

Last year I finished Grade 6 at Gardenvale Primary School. I loved it there because of all my friends, teachers and community. We did things like compete in a Billy Cart Grand Prix at the end of the year, which was so fun. It was sad leaving, but I was also ready. I have enjoyed the transition to Shelford. The first few weeks felt a bit of a stretch with a new tram route, and new classrooms for each subject. But I have great friends and amazing teachers that have helped me settle in.

A typical day would be 6 periods, one after the other, and a lot of blue and red pen. But luckily, I only have a few typical days because I always have something on. I do GSV, so sometimes I have training before and after school, things like the musical we have rehearsals for, and I am currently doing HPA which requires a lot of singing, dancing and acting over lunch. I also love the House Carnivals and whole school events.

My cousin Frankie is in year 12 at Shelford, so my parents and my sisters and I came to HPA last year to watch her in the hall. Frankie has great friends and has always talked very positively about the school so we thought that this was a good sign.

Also, my Auntie Kristen was head of English here for a number of years. So, a few paths pointed us to Shelford.

I think the size of Shelford means that you get to know students and staff really well. think it also means that you are more likely to have a go at new activities. For example, I didn’t think that I would ever give diving a go, or trumpet. My mum always talks about the gardens and the feel of the place. It does feel good and welcoming. I’m not sure if other schools have microwaves - our microwave in the Hood has made a difference to my lunches!

I’ve enjoyed French this year. I went to the Pierre Bonnard exhibition at the NGV on the weekend and I could read some of the posters and titles of the paintings which was cool. I really like how many activities and subjects are on offer. It’s also great that our homeroom and classes are mixed around, so that you get to know different people in your year level. Cross country was fun because we had a long trip out to Cruden Farm and were able to cheer the different year levels after our race. I also really like how the teachers talk to us at our level, and really care about our learning.

Wellbeing is a great time to get to know your peers and bond in different activities such as Peer Support, playing games on the oval and learning about different aspects of wellbeing. It’s good to have a subject in the curriculum that lets you reflect a bit and teaches you good morals.

I enjoy acting and singing very much, and so Performing Arts is a subject that I look forward to. In Drama we do a lot of silly games to help us express ourselves and just to have a bit of fun. We focus on different areas of Performing Arts each term and then create a performance based off the area, like mime or voice.

In Maths we did an enjoyable assignment on creating a restaurant and menu. We did things like calculate cost of ingredients, adding profit and coming up with a menu and design. It was interesting to tackle something that carries over into the real world. And then we had to present it to our teacher and classmates which was fun.

I really love to sing and I’m so glad that Shelford gave me the opportunity to have lessons and do things like music exams to test me. I also do Senior School Choir which is fun and I do the Year 7 Band program where I am learning how to play the trumpet (I’m not very good at it, yet).

I’m new to learning French this year, but did Japanese in primary school. When I first started was honestly scared to learn it, because I didn’t want to muck up and pronounce a word wrong but my teacher helped me a lot and now I really love French. It’s also cool to learn about the culture and traditions in France.

This year at Shelford I have been involved in school swimming, diving, tennis, cross country and now athletics. am particularly excited about our soccer team for term 3. Outside of school, I play for Bayside United Soccer Club which is part of the National Premier League. We train three nights per week and play games on the weekend. In summer, I compete in athletics, and also surf lifesaving for Lorne Surf Club (I am better on the sand than in the surf). This summer I am looking forward to studying for the Surf Rescue Certificate (SRC) which means I’ll be involved in patrolling the beaches over summer and on weekends.