Making the transition into Year 8 sees students connecting with new teachers and different peers, allowing them to forge new friendships within their cohort and beyond.
A milestone for this year level, is the Year 8 Retreat, a three-day program which sees the students challenging their thinking and exploring new ideas about self, their values, and the independent person they are becoming.
During this program, the facilities at our Swipers Gully Training Restaurant are utilised for workshops, as well as offering access to outdoor spaces and the College environmental reserve. Throughout these workshops, the key themes of connection, diversity, inclusivity, identity and future self are central.
The students work with their year level coordinator and mentors, staff, senior students and members of the ELTHAM College Wellbeing team as they move through this program, as well as external providers The Man Cave and Big Sister Experience.
Year 8 also opens the door to learning job-ready skills through the ELTHAM Coffee Shop program at the Swipers Gully Training Restaurant. Students complete four consecutive days of barista training during the school day. Our Coffee Shop is open to the public and family members often to choose to catch up at Swipers, to proudly see their Year 8 student in training.