Applied Learning

 Congratulations!! 

Jade Mantica  - Year 7

RECAP:   Year 7 Term 1

Completing our Term 1 Project, Year 7 have been focusing on wellbeing and resilience. We looked healthy, inclusive relationships, music and wellbeing and character strengths.  The driving question Year 7 focused on in Term 1 was “How can we teach students at Henry Kendall High School to be resilient and maintain a healthy, positive wellbeing”. We looked at character strengths that focused on positive aspects of a person’s personality. Students learnt about what makes them feel connected at school, home and community and why this is important for teenagers. Students wrote a letter to their ‘old year self’ describing what changes have taken place to their identity, physical and emotional changes that have taken place. Year 7 investigated mood and music and the and how this impacts on their everyday wellbeing. 

Students took their understanding of wellbeing and resilience and a created a concept or idea of a wellbeing tool that would be suitable to either create for our HKHS Student Services or for the Year 7 2021 Cohort or a whole school wellbeing and resilience idea. 

The Year 7 Applied Learning students pitched their ideas and engaged with a community feedback session in consultation with our HKHS Student Wellbeing Action Team, year 9 – 11 students. During the pitch, Year 7 spoke about the process that they went through to create their wellbeing and resilience concept or idea and the different learning experiences they engaged in. The feedback and ideas and concepts will be provided to the Student Wellbeing Action Team for further consideration. 

Year 7 Term 2: ‘Global Social Warriors”

Commencement of Project 2: 

Driving Question: How can we as film makers be a catalyst for social change in Australia?

Year 7 engaged in the project Hook Event with the High Resolves Team wo conducted the Peak Experience of ‘Identity and Purpose’ linked to the Video’s for Change competition https://www.videosforchange.org/?locale=en

Year 7 will be investigating identity and social connectedness in community and liveability. Students will be creating storyboards, film making techniques and creating a one minute video that explores a current social issue of their choice.

RECAP: Year 8 Term 1: 

How can we educate our community to use water more efficiently on the Central Coast?

Completing our Term 1 project Year 8 worked really hard to create a Canva design poster to reach out to our Henry Kendall High School community. The poster design process involved investigating water sustainability on the Central Coast as our region becomes more populated and water usage practices of the general public becomes more important. Our students learnt about water scarcity and had the opportunity to learn more about Mardi Dam and Mangrove Creek water dam levels and each dam’s natural water supply systems of creeks and water. Year 8 had the opportunity to hear from expert speaker Paul Clemens, Environmental Education Officer, and hear first hand the issues of water storage, usage and population growth on the central coast.

Year 8 completed their own home water usage audits and reflected on how they can change their water consumption at home. Students then surveyed students at Henry Kendall to gauge an understanding of if students were aware of their water usage and then determined what real issue’s need to be addressed and spoken about.

For many students, this was their first opportunity to enhance their digital creativity skills using an online publishing tool that is used to create social media graphics, presentations, posters, documents and other visual content. In teams, Year 8 collaboratively designed posters to shout out their messages of how we can improve our water usage and more importantly, WHY.  An ebook has now been published and can be viewed on our Henry Kendall Facebook page.

Mrs Jay-marie Blue

Head Teacher  - Applied Learning