Specialists

 

Secondary 7/8 Term 3

Digital Tech

Secondary 7/8C, 7/8D, 7/8F and 7/8G have had a great start to their semester of Digital Technology. They created a simple animation in the ScratchJr app, where they used block code to direct characters to tell a story. They also showed fantastic teamwork skills while playing in Minecraft, creating a shared village in each class. 

Each week, we discuss a safety tip to help us learn how to use technology safely, such as how to communicate respectfully online. Next term, we will create a stop motion movie and document our learning in PowerPoint.

Music

After a quick refresher on instrumental techniques, students have begun working on the song 7 Years by Lukas Graham. Classes have been learning to perform this piece as an ensemble, with all instrumental and vocal parts covered by students. Their teamwork is becoming increasingly strong as they coordinate their parts to create a unified sound.

PE

Students in Year 7/8 engaged in a T-Ball unit as part of the Physical Education program this term. Students enjoyed striking the ball from the tee and scoring runs for their team. Fielders worked together to field the ball, practise the overarm throw and stop the batting team from running. They also completed their third round of fitness testing and were guided to compare their results from earlier in the year. This helped them set new goals to work towards in Term 4.

Selected students also joined the Track and Field team, competing in the 100m, 200m, 800m, Shot Put and Long Jump events at the School Sport Victoria (SSV) Northern Metro Region Track and Field Championships. Many students qualified to compete at the SSV State Track and Field Championships in Term 4.

Social Competencies

This term, Secondary 7/8 students have been learning about the different stages of human development and how people grow over time. Students explored puberty in greater detail, including the physical, social, emotional and mental changes that can occur during adolescence. They also learned about menstruation, including what a period is and how it can be managed as part of growing and caring for their bodies. Through class discussions and role-play activities, students explored how these concepts apply to everyday situations and practised strategies for communicating respectfully and making safe, positive choices in their relationships.

Visual Arts 

Students created artworks for the Secondary 7/8 Spectacular production of Mamma Mia!, drawing inspiration from the colours, patterns and designs of traditional Greek pottery. They enjoyed experimenting with a range of art techniques, including stencil printing, collage using thin napkins and adding texture with glitter foam pieces to create decorative plates. Students also completed individual mirror ball artworks, developing their shading, cutting, pasting and pattern making skills. It was wonderful to see their creativity, enthusiasm and pride shine through in their finished pieces.

Creative Media

This term, Secondary 7/8 students have enjoyed playing drama games to develop their performance skills. Students have explored movement through dance and puppetry while learning how these dramatic forms can communicate feelings and tell stories. They have relished opportunities to practise performing as they prepared for the Section Spectacular in Week 8.

Food Tech

Students in Secondary 7/8 have been introduced to the five food groups: Dairy,Grains and Cereals, Fruit, Vegetables, Meat and Protein. This term we focused on Dairy, Fruit and Vegetables. Students learnt about dairy farming in Victoria and followed the process from farm to supermarket. They identified products made from milk, drank a smoothie, and some even made butter from cream. We also explored how different fruits and vegetables grow and identified the ones we prefer, which helped us plan and prepare our own fruit platter. Students have shown great curiosity as they explore where their food comes from.

Science 

Students in Secondary 7/8C, 7/8D, 7/8F and 7/8G have participated in a variety of exciting experiments and demonstrations about surface tension, diffusion and chemical reactions this term. So far, experiments have included Tornado in a Bottle, Water Down a String, Pepper Swim Away, Amazing Milk, Acids and Bases, using red cabbage indicator to test pH, and our volcano model during an acid/base reaction. Students are looking forward to our Rainbow Rain Clouds experiment at the end of term.

Jess Mitchell

Specialist Team Leader