Year Seven News

"Think You Know" Incursion

AWARENESS OF CYBER-BULLYING

On the 1st of June, Victoria Police officers were invited to attend Saltwater College for an education session with our year seven students. The objective of the session was to raise awareness of cyberbullying, how to recognise ‘red flags’ for online behaviour and how to defend ourselves when it happens. The year seven community were shared multiple solutions on what to do when cyber-bullying happens. Officers KJ and Mark have years of experience they shared with us to educate us on these different scenarios. 

We explored our cyber footprint and how everything that gets placed online has a digital footprint that is there for life.

This made us think about what we are posting now and in the future and how to avoid possible crimes to our oblivious minds. The Victorian Police team had kindly put together a presentation to teach the year sevens about the AWARE strategy that helps to think about our online interactions.

They showed us how to access online communities to help us when students are being attacked online and threatened to stay silent, but silence is never the answer. It is great to know that there are sites and support out there for us if we ever need it. Thanks to the police officers, students can now proudly stand up and say no to those who wish to harm them physically and verbally online. Students have also been told to tell a trusted adult if they feel like they are being manipulated online or feel unsafe at any time and to remember they are always doing the right thing when sharing this type of information. The presentation taught students how to identify the red flags before the situation gets worse. Also, to ignore spam accounts that might be wanting inappropriate things from students. 

We explored parts of the law that are designed to protect the victims, determined what an offender is and explored each of these using real life scenarios.

Overall, the students had a really fun time learning about our online footprint.  

Officers KJ and Mark were so friendly and approachable. They even shared with us some real life situations they have been in as a police officer and introduced us to some of the equipment they use.

We really appreciate Victoria Police in conjunction with the Federal Police for developing the education session and presenting it to us in a fun, interactive way.

By Ruby Snell.

English

In the past few weeks year 7’s have embarked on their first novel study in their high school journey. The text they are studying is a book called ‘Dry’, which encompasses concepts about droughts and climate change. This goes hand in hand with our humanities unit. Dry is a suspenseful book that keeps the year 7’s guessing. We have learned different annotating and analysing tactics and strategies. Dry takes place in a drought-struck California following different perspectives of the ongoing crisis. It shows how society is highly dependent on freshwater sources for its survival and structure. In the past two weeks the students have read up to page 55 and deeply analysed the text while making their own predictions. The students are constantly striving to learn more while the teachers challenge the students' thinking to assist them in improving their knowledge. The year 7’s are intrigued and eager to continue reading and learning in their novel study. 

Written by Parv Sharma

Humanities

In Humanities week one to week three we started reading about Australian identity and values. We learned about the Stolen Generation and how young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were stolen from their families, sent to institutions, and were fostered or adopted by non-indigenous families. We also read about past injustices because of the European colonists. We were provided with literature providing different perspectives of the events as well as discussed our opinions on the current Australia Day date. It was great to see everyone being so respectful to the situation and the conversation.

From week four onwards, we have been studying water as a resource. We unpacked the lesson about how water affects places due to erosion, viewing images of well known tourist attractions such as the Grand Canyon. We explored dams, rivers, lakes and oceans and we uncovered the process of water and how the water cycle works. It was great to work in small groups looking at rainfall around Australia, exploring the reason for droughts and floods. We are all trying to come up with different ways that we can help make water conservation a priority and to get water from one place in Australia to another to make water distribution even.

By Ashlea Tan and Bushra Mohammed Asif

Dance

After a great start by the Year 7 students over the last few weeks, they have maintained that consistency, discipline, and dedication to all that has been set out in front of them. Upon completing the previous tasks of working with chairs as props, students identified and related to many important factors and elements that also cross over to their personal lives, and how if affects them. The students now approach dance with a different mindset, optimistic in their views, while self aware, and open to receiving new information, that they know will somehow impact their journey ahead.                      

                                                                                         This has been great preparation to the next task set out, of creating a group routine together from the absolute beginning. This is a group task where students have been given the song My Shot from the musical Hamilton, and have to combine their efforts to create and choreograph a routine to a song and style that they've never heard of, or can relate to. As I would normally start the routine and get them to add on afterwards, I decided to switch the order allowing the students to create and set the benchmark from the very beginning. Teamwork, problem solving, communication, compromise, risk taking, and being open minded and pushing the boundaries, are some of the key ingredients to achieving the goal set out. It's been a great start and can't wait to see the end result.     

LOTE

This week in LOTE classes Year 7 students completed a Reading Comprehension Assessment Task based on the learning from Unit 1 and Unit 2. This was our inaugural use of an e-based assessment and it went really well. Feedback from students was that they preferred using the Google Form over completing an assessment on paper. This also aligns with our environmental sustainability mindset which is a plus!

We have also started using Flipgrid in Spanish classes to practise our speaking and listening skills. The students enjoyed experimenting with the filters and stickers. Moving forward, this will be a learning tool that students use both at school and at home for homework activities.

Music

By Thasneem Mohammed Asif . 7/8

This term in music, we have been learning about the different musical periods throughout time such as the Romantic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Modern periods. We watched and listened to some music written by famous composers of their time such as Ludwig Van Beethoven, Antonio Vivaldi, and Henry Purcell.  In each musical period we could hear a different theme,  unpacked how the art for the period goes with the music. We compared the similarities and differences between some music. We could hear that there was more Opera in the Baroque whereas the Romantic had a lot of percussion instruments used.

We have been assigned a music period to explore and to create a presentation based on a particular composer from that period. We gathered up into groups of 3-4 people, and were required to work collectively as a team, presenting it to the class. It was great to explore different styles and use some of the music the composers created to share examples of the work from that time.

It was interesting to discover that music for years ago were all influenced by churches and the instruments they had available, whereas today, there is such a wide variety of instruments and technology used to create the sounds we hear.

Students are enjoying learning about all musical periods and listening to the unique music of different composers and musical artists. Classes have listened to opera and developed a deeper understanding of what was going on in society, art, and culture during different musical stages!

Robotics and Coding

Students undertaking the Robotics and Coding elective this term have now completed the skills component of the course. They have recently learnt about if statements and loops in Python, and will apply this knowledge when building their own text based adventure games in coming weeks.

Congratulations to Aliza Haider, Vihaan Shah, Eshan Iyer and Sukhraj Grewal who were the Term One champions, coding the best adventure games in their elective class groups!

The Victorian Coding Challenge is a coding extension opportunity for Year Seven students. Participants will soon receive their login details for this coding extension opportunity. If you are interested in participating, it's not too late! Email gemma.fowler@education.vic.gov.au with your details (student name, class and School Box username) and I will organise registration. You can find out more about the Victorian Coding Challenge by viewing the following video:

Wood Technology

Over the past few weeks, Year Seven Wood Technology students have been working towards completing their end of term project. They have practiced using the tenon saw, claw hammer and bevelled edge chisel safely and now putting their newly gained knowledge and skills into practice to create their Pencil Box. The Year Sevens have used the tenon saw to cut all the components for the box to accurate sizes and the chisel to create rebate joints into their timber. In the coming weeks, Year Sevens will join their components together using nails and glue and apply finishing techniques to the timber to complete their Pencil Box.

Art News

Zart Art Student Art Competition

Please see details below to enter the art competition and see Ms Nishani if you need any help or ideas with your entry. Scan the QR code to enter the competition and share your progress along the way as I will be more than happy to guide you in your entry. Good Luck!