Camp opens door of discovery

In the second week of Term Two, our Year 11 cohort experienced a ‘careers camp' in Melbourne and Ballarat This saw the students visit and tour several of the city’s leading university institutions such as Deakin, Swinburne, Monash and RMIT (city campus)

The group also had the chance to explore the regional city of Ballarat, touring ACU and Federation University during their stay. They also attended the VCE and Careers Expo at Caulfield Racecourse, which was a hive of energy and excitement as they rubbed shoulders with other students and university ambassadors from around Australia

Considering Cobram is located roughly three hours from Melbourne and four hours from Ballarat, logistically it’s incredibly difficult for our students to visit all these universities in their own time

With each campus having a different look and feel, the students relished the opportunity to immerse themselves in the higher education experience and get a better feel of which university would suit not only their educational needs, but also their lifestyle needs (if that's their postschool intention).

Year 11 student Alana Rickard commented that she “loved learning about the different courses and social activities that are on offer at each university” Jett Robbins found the experience reassuring, discovering that he can study things he enjoys such as dance and creative writing

Back within the confines of structured curriculum, students at Cobram AGS have various means of readying themselves for future workplace opportunities through the VET Delivered to Secondary Schools (VETDSS) program. This enables students in Years 10 to 12 to access vocational courses at Level 1,2 or 3 thanks to the school’s partnership with local providers GOTAFE Shepparton and Wodonga TAFE

Our growing School Based Apprenticeship Traineeship program (SBA) is another alternative pathway that equips students with workplace skills and knowledge that enhances their long-term employment prospects.

At the time of writing, we have 10 students completing a SBA, spread across a diverse range of industries including agriculture, electrotechnology, baking, civil construction and sport and recreation.

The school is committed to empowering students from rural communities such as ours by providing more flexibility in how they structure their learning environment so it best suits their needs and aspirations.

Time for a change: Worklocker takes over uniform

Since Cobram Anglican Grammar School first opened its doors in 2000, Mentha’s Surf and Street Supply has been supplying our uniform

That tried and tested partnership formally came to an end on Monday 19 June, when Worklocker Cobram officially took the reins as the school’s uniform stockist

The opportunity for Mentha’s to become the school’s uniform supplier came about when the late Trevor Noonan OAM (former School Council Chairman) approached Mentha’s owner, Greg Mentha, to see if he would be interested in developing and supplying the uniform.

Greg recalled going down to Melbourne in those early days and putting in the hard yards to ensure he could find the appropriate colours and materials for the uniform.

“There are a lot of items involved when you’re dealing with a school uniform so I remember it being a daunting challenge at the time because it all had to tie together. We came up with what the uniform basically looks like today –which hasn’t aged as fashion has changed,” Greg said

From those initial discussions with his good friend Trevor Noonan about taking on supplying the school’s uniform, Greg told the Crier that the business had enjoyed the opportunity to fit out the school’s students for over two decades.

“If I’m driving to work or walking somewhere and I see one of the kids in the uniform, it always made me proud of the fact that we could be a consistent supplier to the school community. It’s pretty important that when people need the gear, they get the gear,” he reflected

With Greg now transitioning towards semi-retirement, he felt now was the perfect time to hand the baton over to Sam and Julie Kennedy, owners of Worklocker Cobram

“I know Sam and Julie will do a great job with the uniform It’s exciting for their business and the Cobram Anglican Grammar School community,” Greg said

From 19 June 2023, families of Cobram Anglican Grammar School looking to purchase school uniform items must visit Worklocker at 8 Main St, Cobram

The store will have a display area where families can view different the various uniform items that are available.