NEWSLETTER | EDITION 17
The Last 10 School Days
10 things worth doing before Year 12 ends
For most of Year 12, students are looking ahead: the next SAC, the next deadline, the next practice exam and finally the VCE examinations.
Then suddenly, there are only a few ordinary school days left. Because everyone is already thinking about exams, it is surprisingly easy to rush through the ending.
Over the next 10 school days, do not just count them down.
NOTICE THEM
Pay attention to the ordinary things that currently feel completely normal.
USE THEM
Ask the questions you still need answered while your teachers are right there.
KEEP SOMETHING
Leave yourself photos, notes and reminders of what school actually felt like.
NEWSLETTER | EDITION 17 · The Last 10 School Days
MAKE SOMETHING YOU CAN KEEP
1 Create a shared photo album
Create one shared Google Photos or iCloud album for your friendship group. Let everyone add photos from the final two weeks.
Include the normal things too, e.g. your lunch table, classroom board, locker, the walk to class and photos with teachers.
2 Recreate an old photo
Find a photo from Year 7, Year 8 or your first year at the school and recreate it with the same people in the same positions.
The more awkward the original photo is, the better.
3 Get your shirt or jacket signed
If your school signs Year 12 shirts, jackets or uniforms, ask people to write more than just their name.
Ask for one memory, one inside joke, or one prediction for where you will be in five years.
4 Write tiny notes to each other
Use small cards, sticky notes or folded paper. Start with: "One thing I will remember about you..."
Put them in an envelope and open them after exams, at graduation or a few years later.
You do not need hundreds of photos or a perfect keepsake. You just need a few things that bring the ordinary days back.
NEWSLETTER | EDITION 17 · The Last 10 School Days
CAPTURE THE ORDINARY THINGS
5 Take one boring photo
Photograph something you would never normally think to photograph: your locker, classroom door, usual seat, corridor or lunch table.
The ordinary photo may eventually become the one you value most.
6 Record 10-second videos
Ask friends or favourite teachers: "What is one thing you will remember about this year?"
Keep every answer short and put them together later into one simple Year 12 video.
7 Make a Class of 2026 playlist
Ask everyone to add one song that reminds them of Year 12.
Years from now, hearing those songs may bring back the year faster than a photo does.
Try all three before school finishes
Take one ordinary photo.
Record one short video.
Add one song to the Class of 2026 playlist.
The things that feel too ordinary to photograph now may be exactly what you want to remember later.
NEWSLETTER | EDITION 17 · The Last 10 School Days
NOTICE THE 'LASTS'
You usually realise something was the last time only after it has happened.
Before the final bell, notice your:
last roll call
last recess
last lunchtime
last class in each subject
last walk through the school gate
last ordinary day with the whole cohort
NEWSLETTER | EDITION 17 · The Last 10 School Days
SAY IT BEFORE YOU LEAVE
Some of the most memorable things take less than a minute.
Thank one teacher properly
There is probably at least one teacher who helped you more than they realise. It does not need to be a long speech.
"Thank you. I really appreciated having you as my teacher."
Thank someone who is not your teacher
Think about a coordinator, coach, office staff member, librarian, lab technician, wellbeing staff member or anyone who made school easier, calmer or more enjoyable.
Keep the people you actually want to keep
Seeing the same people five days a week makes staying connected easy. After Year 12, everyone's routines change quickly.
Before everyone disappears into exams:
Swap contact details, create the group chat, and put one post-exam catch-up into the calendar.
NEWSLETTER | EDITION 17 · The Last 10 School Days