At Yarra Hills we acknowledge that young adults can have many areas of strength but could also potentially find many other areas challenging. With this in mind, we do not unilaterally ‘stream’ students into extension ‘classes’ or groups or advance them beyond their years, rather we specifically tailor extension (and/or support for that matter) to those who will most benefit from it. We believe this is a much more productive and beneficial approach for all students.
If you would like to know more about our advanced learning options, please contact the Directors of Teaching and Learning.
Virtual Classes
Some of our high achieving students are given the opportunity of enrolling in online, virtual classes through organisations such as Emerging Sciences Victoria. Working individually or in small groups, these highly motivated students are given access to specialists in areas as diverse as nanotechnology and bioinformatics.
Yarra Valley Challenges
Yarra Hills Secondary College has played a key role in developing and maintaining an extension program in conjunction with other secondary schools in the Yarra Valley. These “Challenges” are open to potentially high achieving students and are unique, engaging and open-ended units designed to stretch and grow students.
Units include:
- The Kurt Schneider Challenge
Kurt Schneider has a big following on the Internet for his original compositions and incredibly clever choreography. Have you got what it takes to make a video clip like Kurt or perhaps a school lip dub? - Coding
According to will.i.am, coders are the new rock stars. The power to program is becoming one of the key skills of the 21st Century. With online courses available for beginners and more advanced coders, this is a great Challenge. - The Kyeema Tragedy
In 1938 a DC-2 passenger plane crashed into the side of Mt Dandenong killing all 18 on board. Why was the plane 50 kms off course? Who were the passengers? What happened as a result of the crash? Use your skills and the power of the Internet to find out what happened to the Kyeema. - Children’s Book Design
Have you got a story for children just waiting to be published? Writing and illustrating a story for children can be quite a challenge. - Yarra Valley Student Radio
Create a radio program for broadcast on our Internet radio site or perhaps even a weekly series. If you have a voice we have a way of getting you heard. - It is Rocket Science!
The race to get into space has always been one of danger and excitement as engineers and scientists design and build immensely powerful machines which are then piloted by some of the country’s most experienced pilots. Have you got what it takes to design, construct and fly a multi-stage rocket into orbit and beyond? - Discovering the World of Minecraft
Can you design an experiment that will enable you to find out how things behave in Minecraft? How do you control your experiment so that the only thing that affects your results is the thing you are investigating. How do you make sure that your results are accurate? How do you measure them and then how do you analyse the data? What conclusion can you make based on your results? - The Raven
The Raven is one of the most famous poems written telling the story of a young man whose loss of his love is highlighted by a talking bird. Sound crazy? Your task is to create a multimedia presentation based on the poem. - The Three Brothers Mystery
An inscription on a stain glass window leads to a search for the truth behind the story of three brothers. Who were they? How did they die? Why doesn’t anyone seem to remember? If you like mystery stories then here is your chance to be a real detective.