Faculty Focus: TAS/VET

TAS or Technology and Applied Studies offers students at Newcastle High School a diverse and rich curriculum. It provides our students with opportunities to show initiative, develop teamwork and individual skills, enhance knowledge and develop flexible and creative solutions to a given problem.

Like everyone, our faculty has been impacted by COVID-19 and events that we normally participate in have been postponed several times, such as The Good Food and Wine Show in Sydney and catering for families staying at Ronald McDonald House. Students have had their practical projects put on hold and some delicious food is yet to be cooked.

Here is a brief overview of the subjects we offer:

In Year 7 and 8 students study Technology Mandatory. This syllabus has four context areas:

●  Engineered Systems

●  Agriculture and Food Technologies

●  Digital Technologies.

●  Material Technologies

Material Technology

Students in Year 8 can elect to study either:

●  Mixed Materials – Timber and Metals

●  Textiles

In both these units of work, students are given the opportunity to work with different media: wood, metal or textiles, depending on the subjects they have selected.

In Textiles they learn to use the sewing machine, experiment with numerous fabric decoration techniques and about the impact various designers have had. The design brief for this unit of work involves students designing a bag with a small pocket to hold and protect a USB. Students are provided with a set amount of calico fabric and they are required to design the shape of their bag and include a minimum of three fabric decoration techniques, one of which is the pocket to hold the USB.

In 2021, Year 8 students also had the opportunity to study an interest courses such as Sweet Treats. Below are some samples of the yummy treats they have produced.

Child Studies

Learning in Child Studies promotes in students a sense of empathy for children, their parents, caregivers and those that have the potential to influence learning environments. In each unit studied, students are presented with the opportunities to complete practical projects which are either textiles, for example, making bibs for young children, or food based.

Year 9 students study the following units of work:

·  Preparing for Parenthood - factors that influence an individual or couple’s decision to become a parent and planning considerations that may take place.

·  Conception to Birth - the processes associated with reproduction, conception and birth.

·  Caring for a New Born - identify the physical characteristics of a newborn, along with the tests and special care options available to the child immediately after birth.

·  Family Interactions - examine a variety of family roles and responsibilities to develop their understanding of the impact parents, family members and significant others have on a child's development.

Year 10 students study the following units of work:

·  Growth and Development, Play and the Developing Child and Health and Safety in Childhood These units develop understanding of the growth and developmental milestones children are expected to progress through and the characteristics associated with each stage.

·  Diverse Needs of Children – develops an understanding of the diverse needs of children and identifies support and resources available to optimise health and wellbeing.

·  Food and Nutrition in Childhood – develops knowledge of the nutritional needs of children with reference to current dietary guidelines.

·  Media and Technology in Childhood – develops ability to recognise and assess the impact of different types of technology on the wellbeing and development of children. 

Senior Subjects

Our senior courses include:

●  Community and Family Studies

●  Food Technology

●  Design and Technology

●  Engineering Studies

●  Industrial Technology – Timber

●  VET Construction

●  VET Manufacturing and Engineering

●  VET Hospitality

Vet courses are practical and work-based courses that help students prepare for their transition to post-school work and further study. 

Did you know that the earning capacity of many young Australians would be significantly higher if they learned a trade instead of going to university? Vet courses offer:

●   Nationally recognised qualifications

●   Experience in the workplace

●   Industry specific technical skills that lead directly to employment or further study

●   Employability skills in communication, teamwork, problem solving, planning and organising, self management, learning and technology skills.

Get a head start and gain industry recognised qualifications and skills while still at school!

VET Construction

This year is the first year we have been able to run this course and it is proving to be very popular with students. Practical work is a major component of this course, along with learning how to work effectively and sustainably in the construction industry, carrying out measurements and calculations, reading and interpreting plans and using construction tools and equipment. It is hoped that by the end of this year we will have a designated space for students to use whilst building their large projects; for example, a child’s cubby house. 

VET Manufacturing and Engineering

The Year 11 Manufacturing class had just started their next practical task as we went into lockdown. We are hopeful we can be back in the workshop soon so to complete them by Christmas. The focus is reading and interpreting working drawings, and using these skills to produce a soft face mallet to specification within tolerances. 

Hospitality

Year 11 Early Commencement Hospitality students have been busy completing assessment events in order to achieve their Certificate II in Hospitality Kitchen Operations. This group of students have shown their resilience over the two years, with the impact of Covid being felt by all. Next term they will be studying and revising course content in preparation for the HSC examination in November. Their enthusiasm for the practical component of the course is evident as they continue to apply themselves diligently in the kitchen. This Early Commencement class has proven to be such a talented group of young people who will be highly valued in the workplace if they pursue a career in hospitality.

Year 10 Early Commencement

In hospitality, time is of the essence. Employers in Newcastle and across Australia are crying out for skilled employees who know their way around a kitchen and have the skills to hit the ground running. Newcastle High School provides its Hospitality students with the opportunity to graduate with a Certificate II in Kitchen Operations and an ATAR. Graduating with a Certificate II in Kitchen Operations is a desirable qualification for any student wanting to begin a career in the hospitality industry. Throughout the course students develop the supporting skills and knowledge needed for fundamental cookery duties, including how to work as part of a team in a hospitality operation. 

Currently Year 10 early commencement have unfortunately been affected by COVID-19. Just before lockdown students were gearing up to cater for Ronald McDonald House for families with children undergoing care at John Hunter Children's Hospital. During lockdown, students have been hard at work completing their Source and Use Information assessment event and are now currently busily studying for their upcoming Preliminary exam that will go ahead online at the end of this term. 

Food Technology

Year 11 this year have been busy learning about nutrition, food quality and availability and each week have been completing practical tasks or experimental procedures to reinforce the theory component they have studied. We try to have fun in class by creating tasks and activities that get our students out of their seats and thinking outside the square.

Our Year 12 Food Technology students have studied food manufacture, food product development and have further enhanced their understanding of contemporary nutrition issues as part of their HSC course. It’s so rewarding to see this passionate class perform exceptionally well in their recent trial examinations and continue to engage with online learning during our COVID-19 lockdown.

“I am really glad I took the CAFS course because it is just really, really helpful in everyday life”

“Relevant, logical, useful, practical, easy to do well if you apply yourself. It is about the people around you and people you interact with’

“It teaches us about other people around, which allows me to be more understanding and knowledgeable of different circumstances. This also aids in being more compassionate overall.”

Year 12 Industrial Technology Timber

Over the past 12 months, our Year 12 Industrial Technology Timber class has been busily designing and building their Major Projects, and writing their extensive documentation folios. Even through these difficult last couple of weeks learning from home, students have been able to see the end of all their hard work as they finished and submitted some amazing pieces of furniture. These students have displayed exceptional woodworking skills, showing off an array of subject knowledge and project management skills. A big congratulation goes out to the class as they all should be justly proud of the furniture they have produced. Well done.