With only a few weeks left of Term 3, it has been great to see Year 7 and 8 students have high expectations for oneself and perseverance throughout the term. Hopefully these good habits and attitudes will guide students through their Common Assessment Tasks (CATs).

Around the Classes

Maths

In Maths, Year 8 students are studying statistics and about to begin learning about mean, median, and mode. Learning statistics, including mean, median, and mode, is crucial for understanding and interpreting data, making informed decisions, and analysing trends. These concepts are foundational in various academic and professional fields and also play a practical role in everyday life.

Textiles

In Year 7 textiles this term, we have learned about the difference between fibre, yarn, and fabric. We made a fabric collage to show our understanding. Next, we made stitch samples. We learned how to pin and how to use fabric scissors correctly and safely. We were able to learn three different stitches: running stitch, overcast stitch, and blanket. We will use these skills to create a mascot (stuffed toys) for our CAT next term.

- Wyatt Dowdell and Charlie Thompson

English

Our Year 7 and 8 students have been learning how to respond to a text in English. Year 7 students are reading Morris Gleitzman’s novel Once, while Year 8 students are watching Remember the Titans as their mentor text.

Humanities

In humanities, Year 8s have been learning about medieval England's feudal system and social hierarchy. We have been learning about the taxes that the nobles and kings would charge the peasants. These random taxes and the Churches would also charge them taxes which makes sense because they have all the power. We have also been learning about the peasant's revolt, which is where peasants got sick and tired of being unequal and slaving their lives away and how they lived in dirt houses. – Trey Merlo

Year 8 Camp

Final Year 8 camp preparation is being completed. Year 8 Camp is at the beginning of term 4 and will be at Karoonda Park. This camp will give the students the opportunity to develop leadership skills, build new friendships, challenge themselves in numerous situations, see their peers in a different light and step outside their comfort zone.

First Day of Camp: Monday 7th October

Students attending camp will meet at the gym on the first day of term 4 by 8:30 a.m. Staff will be in the gym to take medication and messages, assist with marking rolls, and prepare students to leave for camp.

Packing List

Food

- Lunch, snacks, and drink bottle for 1st day

Sleeping Gear

- Sleeping Bag (extra Doona provided for colder months) - Pillow (provided, but you can bring your own)

Toiletries

- Toothbrush, soap, shampoo, conditioner, hair ties, etc.

Towels

- 2x Towels (One for the River)

Nightwear

- Pyjamas

Clothes for 5 Days

- Long Pants (at least 1 pair for horse riding) - Shorts (at least 1 pair of long shorts for activities) - Jumpers/long tops/warm jackets - Shirts (no singlets) - Rain Jacket - Underwear and Socks

Miscellaneous

- 2x Plastic bags for dirty/wet clothes - Sun hat - Sunscreen - Sturdy Shoes or Runners - Torch - Beanie (for the cold)

Canoeing/Rafting Gear

- Clothes to get wet (no denim) - 1 pair of old shoes (to get wet during activity) - Plastic bag for wet gear - 2nd pair of dry shoes to wear back to camp - Complete change of warm clothes

Packing List
Food	Lunch, snacks and drink bottle for 1st day
Sleeping Gear	Sleeping bag (extra doona provided for colder months), pillow (provided but you may bring your own
Toiletries	Toothbrush, soap, shampoo, conditioner, hair ties, etc
Towels	2 x towels (one for the river)
Nightwear	Pyjamas
Clothes for 5 days	Long pants (at least 1 pair for horse riding), shorts (at least 1 pair of long shorts for activities), jumpers, long tops/warm jackets, shirts (no singlets), rain jacket, underwear and socks
Miscellaneous	2 x plastic bags for dirty/wet clothes, sun hat, sunscreen, sturdy shoes or runners, torch, beanie (for the cold)
Canoeing/Rafting Gear	Clothes to get wet (no denim), 1 pair of old shoes (to get wet during activity), 2nd pair of dry shoes to wear back to camp, complete change of warm clothes

Medication

Medication e.g. asthma puffer, epi-pen, Panadol etc..

Ensure medication is in a ziplock bag, clearly labelled with student name, dosage instructions (time/amount), signed by parent/guardian and handed to staff the morning of departure.

For any questions or concerns regarding Year 8 Camp, please contact Assistant Team Leader Anna McGregor.

Year 7 and 8 Foci

Every few weeks, new foci are set for students to keep in mind at school and have as an area of improvement. At the moment, the foci are:

Respect for others
Small acts of kindness
Being the best version of ourselves

At the last year 8 assembly, some students had the chance to be apart of focus groups for each foci and develop a set of expectations and examples of each of these foci. Some examples were; lending equipment to someone who needs for small acts of kindness, and trying your hardest for being the best version of ourselves. This was a good opportunity for students to have voice and agency into what they perceived to be high expectations and examples of demonstrating each foci.

Year 7 and 8 Goals (Kurnai Positive Acknowledgments)

I want to highlight our students' excellent progress in their learning so far. We recognise the importance of celebrating the positive successes our students demonstrate daily whether it's improvement in learning and behaviour or the achievements of our top academic performers. I encourage you to keep discussing the positive choices our learners make every day. Over the last few weeks, the following KPAs have been awarded to our Year 7 and 8 students.

Form Group	KPAs
7A	331
7B	148
7C	117
7D	125
7E	174

Form Group	KPAs
8A	288
8B	208
8C	134
8D	113
8E	121

Support

Please remember that if you need any support with anything for Year 7 or 8 to contact either myself or the Year 7/8 Assistant Team Leaders, Sarah Lewis and Anna McGregor, so that we can support your child to have the best educational experience possible in their early secondary school years.

Mr Daniel Murphy

Assist Principal & Year 7/8 Team Leader

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