Year 8 News

As we near the end of Term 3, it is a great opportunity to reflect on the progress our Year 8 students have made throughout the term.

With our most recent Learning Behaviour Updates now available, it has been fantastic to see the growth across the cohort. Many students continue to demonstrate improvements in their engagement, effort and approach to learning, and we encourage all students to finish the term strongly.

Term 4 is shaping up to be another busy and exciting term as students begin preparing for their transition into Year 9. This is an important stage in their secondary schooling, with students having greater opportunities to explore their interests through the selection of electives and begin taking more ownership of their learning pathway.

Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Week 10. I strongly encourage all families to book an appointment and take the opportunity to discuss your child’s progress, celebrate their successes and identify areas to focus on as they prepare for Year 9.

Thank you to our students, families and staff for their continued support throughout Term 3. We look forward to finishing the term positively and building on this momentum into Term 4.

Attendance

This year, our aim is to improve student attendance rates to an average above 95%. If your student is absent, please contact Kurnai’s absence hotline message bank on (03) 5165 0600 - option 1 or contact Ross Johnson directly via Compass. 

Uniform

We have recently noticed an increase in students wearing black pants and shorts to school. A reminder that black pants and shorts are not part of the Kurnai College school uniform, and students are expected to attend school in the correct uniform each day. We understand that there can sometimes be challenges around accessing or purchasing uniform items. If your family requires any support in obtaining the correct uniform, please reach out to the school so we can assist.

Being Ready for Learning

We continue to have a strong focus on students being on time to class and arriving with the required equipment ready to learn. Being punctual and prepared helps students make the most of their learning time and supports positive, consistent classroom routines. We ask families to continue supporting students by ensuring they arrive each day with the required books, pens and charged device, and understand the importance of moving promptly to class. Developing these simple habits now will also help prepare students for the increased expectations and independence of Year 9.

Top Ten KPA Term 3 Weeks 1-8

Around the Classrooms

Relationships and Resilience

In R&R recently, we have continued to build on the GEM principles of Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness through class discussions, activities and our House Championship games. It has been fantastic to see students working together, supporting one another and developing these important skills in a fun and engaging environment. These sessions continue to provide students with opportunities to strengthen positive relationships, teamwork and their overall wellbeing.

Science

In recent weeks we have learnt about physical and chemical changes. A fun part about this class was that we got to make ice cream in a bag.

Contact Details 

If you have any concerns regarding Year 8 students, please don’t hesitate to email me of phone me on (03) 5165 0600 - option 2 or Ross.Johnson@education.vic.go.au