The Falcon Newsletter

Teaching and Learning

STUDENT REPORTS AND PARENT CONFERENCES

Our Term 1 Learning Habits reports will be released to families via Compass at 5pm on Thursday 28th March. Please have a look at these reports and discuss achievements and areas for improvement with your child.

 

Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences are taking place on Monday 29th April (Week 3 of Term 2). This is a great opportunity for families to meet and discuss progress with the teachers, and to set goals moving through the year. Bookings will be released via Compass at the beginning of next term and parents will have the option of attending these meetings online or face to face. 

 

 

COMPETITIONS: DO YOU WANT TO WIN PRIZE MONEY & SHOW HOW SMART YOU ARE?

If you are looking for something to do over the holidays, you should check out one of the following competitions. 

 

Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize

Communicate a scientific concept in a way that is accessible and entertaining so the public can ‘learn something without even noticing’. The 2024 theme is 'Energy'. 

  • Open to: Primary & Secondary students
  • Dates: now - 12 April 2024
  • Prize Money: Up to $2000

For more information visit: Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize - The Australian Museum

 

Mathematics Research Competition @ Uni Melb

Be a mathematician and unleash your creativity and problem-solving skills! The University of Melbourne‘s School of Mathematics and Statistics Research Competition provides you with the opportunity to understand what it means to conduct mathematical and statistical research. 

  • Open to all students in Years 5 - 12
  • Work in teams of 1, 2 or 3 students.
  • Choose the project you want to work on.
  • Investigate, collaborate, hypothesise and prove your solution. 
  • Present findings in a report or visual display. 
  • Prize money: $1500! 
  • The competition is free. You go into the running when you submit a completed research project. 

For more information visit: Mathematics and Statistics Research Competition (unimelb.edu.au)

 

‘What Matters’ Writing Competition 

Respond to the simple question 'what matters?. Express your views on any matter you care about. Entries can be fiction, non-fiction, poetry or prose of up to 600 words. 

  • Open to students in Years 5 to 12 
  • Prize Money: $1500
  • Dates: now - 17 May 2024

For more information visit: Whitlam Institute What Matters

 

LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM

 

English News:

Reading not only helps students to expand their knowledge of vocabulary, but it also helps make sense of the world around them, building social-emotional skills and of course, imagination.  Students should be reading EVERYDAY and over the school holidays we ask that all students read the texts they will be studying in English during Term 2. 

 

These are the texts that must be bought and read by the first day back in Term 2:

  • Year 7: Crow Country by Kate Constable
  • Year 8: The Giver by Lois Lowry
  • Year 9: The Art of Taxidermy by Sharon Kernot
  • Year 10: Night by Elie Wiesel

As for this term, the English team will out interesting pieces of work on the school blog to share with the community: https://lyndalescblog.com/

 

Technology News:

 

In Year 8 students get to study Food Technology for the first time and this becomes one of the most popular electives that we offer in Years 9 and 10. Our students love nothing more than baking and sampling their hard work – you should ask them to try and cook one of their recipes at home for the family!

 

 

Maths News:

Our Maths teachers are always looking for lively and enriching ways to explore a variety of topics, including number properties and patterns.  Year 7F have been exploring the concept that every positive integer can be expressed as the sum of the squares of four integers. See the example below:

 

23 = 12 + 22 + 32 + 32.

 

Meanwhile, Mr Vanderlely’s Year 9 Maths class took their learning outdoors and were illustrating fractions in chalk:

 

Humanities News

Humanities is a subject that focuses on developing research, writing and critical thinking skills in students that will help them throughout their lives. Open Night was a great opportunity to see the engaging tasks students complete in their Humanities classroom. See the amazing photos below:

      

Humanities Guest Speaker:

TERM 1

This Term in Humanities Year 7 to 9 students have focused on the topic of Civics and Citizenship. They have been learning about Democracy, government and how to be an active participant in our society. 

 

Year 7 students have learned about voting though experiencing a class captain election. We also had a visit from Member of Parliament for Holt- Cassandra Fernando who is also a former Lyndale student. Students got to listen to Cassandra share her story and participate in question time. 

 

“I think she could be an inspiration to the world, with only a few sentences she can persuade the entire crowd to follow their dreams” Merin Beljo 7B

 

“I liked her humour and she was confident, I liked her story of Journey to parliament” Zoe 7B

 

The year 7 Students thoroughly enjoyed the incursion and furthermore have practiced and improved on their critical thinking and questioning skills. 

 

 

Enjoy the break and we look forward to exploring History in Term 2.

Jessica McKean

Humanities Subject Area Leader

 

Science News:

The school is in the process of purchasing brand new microscopes for students to use in the Science laboratories. Believe it or not, having the right type of microscope can make a big difference to student learning and discoveries.  Modern microscopes have features that include cameras and USB features to store and share files for later study or class presentations. 

For example, suppose a student takes up biology as a major. In that case, the best microscope to use is a biological microscope. If the major is paleontology, a stereo microscope is recommended.

Students, in general, may benefit the most from a USB digital microscope that allows storing and sharing files for later study or class presentation. But you can't just grab any microscope in a store. You want to make the most out of your purchase. 

 

Environmental Science:

Our VCE Environmental Science students went down to Oakwood Park to get an understanding of wetland habitats and water quality outcomes in their local area and took some samples for analysis in the lab.

 

Language:

As we continue to embrace diversity and foster cultural understanding within our school community, our language program has been bustling with exciting activities and achievements. Here are some highlights of what's been happening: 

 

Cultural Identity Day Success

We were delighted to participate in our school's Cultural Identity Day! Our languages department played a role by hosting a captivating calligraphy workshop, showcasing the beauty of written language across cultures.  

Open Night Showcase

Our recent Open Night was a fantastic opportunity to showcase our vibrant languages program to prospective students and parents. We were very excited to welcome new members into our language-learning community! A special shout out to Year 9 students Zohra and Bob for helping and running fun activities with the visiting families! 

 

Chinese Language Highlights

Our Year 8 and 9 students showcased their language proficiency by delivering their first oral presentations in Chinese as part of their Common Assessment Tasks (CATs). Their confidence and linguistic skills were truly commendable as they introduced themselves and responded to teacher questions. 

Meanwhile, our Year 7 students embarked on an exciting journey of character exploration through a fun and collaborative colouring activity. They learned various characters while unleashing their creativity, laying a solid foundation for future language acquisition. 

 

 

Japanese Language Insights

Our Year 7 Japanese students took a moment to reflect on their learning journey. Here’s what they’ve got to say. 

 

“My experience in Japanese so far in Term 1 has been really good. I have learnt lots of ways to greet someone at specific times of the day using informal and more formal expressions. The other thing I learnt this term is how to introduce myself. We used six steps on how to introduce yourself including saying ‘Nice to meet you’ as well as your name, age, how many people in your family and where you live. I have learnt a lot in Japanese and my goal is to become fluent in Japanese so I can talk to people.” (Year 7G student)

 

As we reflect on our achievements, we eagerly anticipate the opportunities that Term 2 will bring. With a continued focus on languages and cultures, we look forward to exploring new horizons, deepening our linguistic skills, and broadening our cultural understanding. Together, let's embark on this journey of discovery and growth, fostering a community that celebrates the richness of languages and cultures. 

 

INTRODUCING MORE OF OUR NEW TEACHERS FOR 2025 

 

Alina Wang

Hi everyone! I am Miss Wang, and I teach VCE Economics and Year 7 Maths here at Lyndale Secondary College. I have been teaching for 3 years after graduating from Monash University, in which I have also been teaching Maths and Economics at Bentleigh Secondary College. My teaching philosophy is to provide students with an authentic learning experience by making learning fun, and help them achieve their personal best. What excites me being at Lyndale is getting to learn about different cultures from students, as Lyndale is such a culturally diverse school. In my spare time, I enjoy listening to various types of music, watching anime, and exploring food/cooking. If you ever see me around the school, please come and chat with me!

 

Taylor Rogan

My name is Taylor Rogan, and I have been lucky enough to be working at Lyndale Secondary College teaching Year 10 Outdoor Education, Year 10 Environmental Science, Year 10 Health and PE and Year 7 PE. 

Before I began my Masters of Teaching, I completed my Bachelor of Outdoor Education and Environmental Science at Victoria University. During this time, I worked at the Phillip Island Adventure Resort running camps for students from a range of schools and then I moved into the role of Group Leader for Outdoor Education at Beaconhills College. In this role I took students to many amazing places around Victoria and I even got to travel to New Zealand with some Year 10 students. 

My philosophy of teaching is deeply rooted in the belief that education is most meaningful when it occurs within nature and fosters a respect for the environment. I am passionate about Outdoor Education and believe that the natural world provides an unparalleled classroom for experiential learning and personal growth. 

This year at Lyndale I am very excited to work with students and have a positive impact on their learning.