Science & PDHPE

Well ... it’s been a long year and one we won’t forget!  Science has definitely been a relevant course this year and students have been able to see first-hand the darker side of nature and the important role science plays in protecting us. Most of all they have learnt the importance of staying informed with the facts and not always relying on less reliable sources for their information. Overall the students did well to get through such a difficult year and we encourage them to have a restful and safe holiday.

Year 8 students have spent the term studying energy, learning about the different forms of energy and how they transform from one to another. They have learnt to distinguish between parallel and series circuits and where these are used in their everyday lives. Year 8 YAP (Young Achievers Program) have been looking at living things and how their cells, organs and systems work together to help them function.  Most of them enjoyed dissecting a cow femur, lamb heart and kidney, while others preferred to learn from afar.

Year 7 YAP has been peering down microscopes to look closely at the smaller parts of living things, learning the structures found in cells, how they stay alive and work together as organs.

Year 9 has been studying Ecosystems through the perspective of plastics pollution. It is evident that students care about our unique and diverse environments and we hope they may change some of their behaviours to help protect and even improve the quality of what we have.  They also finished-off Electricity, which we hadn’t completed due to  lockdown in Term 1. They should now understand why their houses and Christmas lights are wired in parallel.

Stage 5 Agriculture has been studying Agriculture Enterprises and Systems, which looks at farming as a business, employment opportunities and the importance of learning more about Indigenous practices and the best way to look after the land for the future.

Year 10 was only with us for the first six weeks of this term and spent this time looking at and completing their Chemistry topic.  They learnt to apply their knowledge of chemical reactions to the “real world”. This included their metabolism and how important it is to be at the right speed. They also completed investigations to see that some reactions give out energy and others take it in, which can be useful or sometimes even dangerous.

Year 11 Investigating Science students set-up their plant trials to investigate the relationship between plant growth and the wavelength and colour of light.

Year 11 moved into their Year 12 courses at the beginning of this term and have been working hard to make a solid start to their final year.  

We encourage the students to have a restful holiday and spend some time reviewing and summarising the content they have completed this term. These summaries can be shared with their teachers to seek feedback that they are on-track to what they need to be including. Glossaries of key terms are also a great way to build knowledge of course content.  Starting Term 1, 2020 we would encourage students to consistently review their class work and produce summaries to help prepare for their formal tests. This could include highlighting key words and ideas and using these to formulate glossaries and a couple of sentences that can be written in a separate book as a summary to be reviewed in preparation for an assessment task. 

Ms Louise Watkiss

Head Teacher - Science

Practical PDHPE and Tuesday Sport

While most of the external sporting events were cancelled in 2020 it did not not stop our students in Years 7-10 from engaging in a wide range of sporting opportunities during their practical PDHPE lessons and Tuesday Sports program.  This term students learnt skills in T-ball, Ultimate frisbee, volleyball and floor hockey.  

On Tuesday afternoons students had the opportunity to play Oz-tag, netball, bocce, basketball and go powerwalking,. All of our students have engaged with a positive attitude and MVP Awards and Rebel Sports prizes were distributed to those students demonstrating leadership, sportsmanship and fair play as recommended by the teaching staff. 

A huge thanks to Mr Michael Mellish for his weekly organisation of our Tuesday sport program and his continued efforts to ensure all students have an opportunity to express their talents on the sports field.

SEPEP (Sports Education in Physical Education Program)

One of our new PDHPE teachers this year, Mr Matthew Hoole,  trialled the SEPEP with his Year 8 class in Term 4. This program allows students to become more accountable and to enhance their learning through developing a positive working environment as they work together and collaborate on the roles and responsibilities involved. Students participate in a range of sporting events and learn the vital skills of teamwork, ownership, organisation, collaboration, problem solving and communication.  This program accommodates all students capability levels and covers learning beyond the traditional Physical Education Program as students adopt the following roles: Coach, Captain, Umpire, Statistician, Publicist, Timekeeper and Motivator.   A fantastic initiative by Mr Hoole and we hope to see more programs like this in 2021.

PDHPE – Health in Physical Education

 - A Strength Based Approach

In the theory component of PDHPE, students have learnt about a range of topics regarding the health and well-being of young people. These include:

Year 8 – The Human Body and Reproduction.

Year 9 – Think Before you Click (Media Marketing and Online Messages).

Year 10 – What Do You Know and What Do You Need to Know? (Sexual Health, Drug Use and Independence).

The PDHPE staff have continued to design innovative, thought provoking and interactive lessons for all students which include a range of teaching and learning activities. The PDHPE staff continue to refine and evaluate the programs delivered to students and we are looking forward to implementing these new programs in 2021.

HSC PDHPE, CAFS and SLR

While our Year 11 students start their HSC journey, I would like to congratulate  our Year 12 students for completing their HSC in PDHPE, Community and Family Studies (CAFS) and Sport, Lifestyle and Recreation.  I would also like to pay a huge thanks to Mrs Starkey and Miss Perkins for their continued efforts with our PDHPE and CAFS students.  These two courses are demanding and require staff and students to engage in the syllabus and develop a deep understanding of the course content.  Both Mrs Starkey and Miss Perkins have worked tirelessly with our senior students and we look forward to hearing from our Year 12 students after they have received their HSC results.

On behalf of the PDHPE faculty, I would like to thank the PDHPE staff for their dedication and continued perseverance in 2020. 

I would also like to wish our students and their families a safe Christmas and a happy holiday and we look forward to 2021.

Mr Gareth Wright

Head Teacher - PDHPE