Maddingley
Peer Support Training Day 1
This term I took part in the Year 9 Peer Support Leader Training Day where we completed a range of teamwork activities designed to build leadership and communication skills. One of the activities involved dressing a group member in newspaper which required us to problem-solve together and stay patient when things didn’t go to plan.
Through the program, I learned how to communicate more effectively with my peers, remain calm when others needed extra support, and work towards shared and personal goals.
The Peer Support Training Program offered a valuable opportunity for us to develop important skills and learn how to support others within a group setting. I really enjoyed being part of the training and would recommend future Year 8s experience it too.
Grace I – 8D
On Monday 10 November, the Year 8s attended Peer Support Training to learn strategies for supporting the Year 7 students of 2026 as they transition from primary school. Throughout the day, they completed a range of activities, including booklet tasks to explore what qualities make a good leader, as well as fun, hands-on activities designed to help them connect with their peers.
Current Year 9 Peer Support Student Leaders helped run the day and supported the Year 8s in understanding how each activity builds teamwork, confidence and leadership. We were able to share our experiences of helping this year’s Year 7s and explain how the Peer Support Program works. While helping out, we noticed that some students quickly grasped the purpose of each activity, while others took a little longer to understand how the tasks helped them communicate and work as a team, which is all part of the learning.
Some of the favourite activities included creating outfits out of newspaper for a fashion show (they turned out way cooler than expected!) and a tennis-ball pattern challenge that encouraged group focus and cooperation. These activities helped students understand different leadership styles and how people react to various ways of leading. The Year 8s participated with great enthusiasm and worked together efficiently, often needing very little prompting. As the day went on, we could see them growing closer as a cohort.
Overall, the Peer Support Program promotes kindness, confidence and responsibility, and helps prepare students to welcome the new Year 7s next year. We would strongly recommend the program to any future Year 8s who want an opportunity to connect with others, learn leadership skills, and be a positive and approachable role model for younger students. You’ll learn a lot, have plenty of laughs, and build new friendships along the way.
Madelyn T – 9D
Gitaj M – 9F
Maddingley SRC Food Train 2025
It’s that time of year again where Maddingley’s SRC are asking for donations of non-perishable items for our annual Food Train in support of Neighbours Place, such as: tinned fruit/vegetables, canned fish/meat, rice, jars of pasta/curry sauce, long-life milks, dry pasta, etc.
Click here for more information
Donations can be brought to Maddingley Front Administration to be placed in the carriage-tubs. The train will be leaving the station on Friday 5th of December to help those in need in our community this Christmas.
Thank you for your continued support!
Caitlin Bowers – Teacher/SRC Coordinator
Kimberley McBain – SRC: Middle School (Maddingley)
Woodlea
Australian Murder Mystery at Woodlea
During lunch time, on Thursday 13 November 2025, the Australian Murder Mystery class had their first murder mystery re-enactment. The setting was a music concert where ‘two murders’ occurred. Peers were invited to unravel the murder mystery through looking at clues. Suspects were identified despite the many red herrings to throw the investigators off the trail. Mr Cunsolo and Ms Fitzgerald graciously lent their investigative skills to the team and led the investigation.
Australian Murder Mystery has been one of the most enjoyable subjects I’ve taken this year. Our class may have been small, but our ideas were huge. Everything was taught in such a unique and creative way, and it gave all of us a refreshing break from our usual subjects.
Our teacher, Ms Adams, played a massive part in this. She encouraged our ideas, contributed to every discussion, and really supported us throughout the term.
When the idea of hosting a Murder Mystery event at school was suggested, we were all honestly over the moon. It was exciting watching it grow from a tiny spark of an idea into full planning, constructing deliberate clues, rehearsing and finally performing. Everything linked back to what we had learned – from using our class novels as inspiration to applying all our analysis of closed-room mysteries to improve our own.
Overall, this was the best subject I could have chosen, and the Murder Mystery performance is something I’ll never forget. Below are comments from my peers who were part of the murder mystery.
Diya: “It was a very fun experience. I enjoyed solving the mystery without it being too hard or too easy. The plot twists were so clean and, overall, everything was really well planned.”
Aahana: “I was one of the main people who helped solve the mystery. I had so much fun piecing the clues together and seeing how they all connected. If I could go back in time, I’d choose this subject again.”
Samitha: “I usually don’t enjoy things like this and get bored easily, but the environment and energy set by the organising class was so fun. I was literally running around trying to help and support everyone.”
Tusav K – 9WB
