QUEST

STAGE 4 HUBS:

ESCAPING THE ZOMBIES 

Prior to lockdown, students in Year 8 Quest Hubs had been learning all about epidemics and pandemics – going as far back as the Black Death and coming as far forward as the current Covid-19 outbreak; talk about relevant learning! To spark student interest in the topic, all Hubs participated in the annual Zombie Run. Classes were briefed by their teachers and warned that in the playground, there were student zombies infected with a deadly disease that they must avoid at all costs. While avoiding these zombies, students were tasked with using their new directional skills (compass points) to find survival stations placed around the school grounds. The aim: to get to every survival station and home base without being infected! Not many students survived, however, it was a fun learning experience for everyone involved. In class, students then gathered the data about the infection to look at the rate of spread – a valuable opportunity in enhancing their understanding of disease transmission and the importance of social distancing! 

Now, in lockdown, 8 Blue HUB are working hard as they move towards their first extended analytical paragraph in QUEST. Not only are they collecting and annotating their own primary and secondary sources, they are using these, in combination with Pamela Rushby’s The Ratcatcher’s Daughter, to examine historical accuracy in texts. WOW, great job! 

STAGE 5:

FIELDWORK INVESTIGATION

Year 10 has been passionately involved in their Geography Fieldwork activity this term, learning how to take soil samples from various parts of the school. They have been led by our resident fieldwork expert – Ms Purcell, who has shown these students some skills that they are sure to remember. After the sample collection, students have worked through the completion of an assessment task that combines a variety of skills; short answer responses, calculating percentages and filling out a variety of maps. All of these tasks enhance their critical thinking skills and students are showing a deep interest in the quality of soil in their local area. Perhaps some green thumbs will be developed from this unit of work! 

STAGE 6:

YEAR 12 SHOUT OUTS

Year 12 English Studies have just completed their last assessment for the year! Well done to the entire class for making it through the course. We wish those students attempting the HSC Examination the best of luck while we focus on applying our skills to real world scenarios in the coming weeks. 

As we near the end of our time with this fabulous cohort, there are a few students deserving of a special mention: 

History - Delani Leigh. She is always ready to learn, willing to go above and beyond to improve her skills and is helpful when in class; making sure that she is a positive role model for other people. 

Business and Legal Studies – All students. These students are all deserving of a shout out! They have persevered in the face of some real challenges of late and their support of their classroom teacher, Mrs Jacobs, is astounding.

Society and Culture – Jade Gear. It has been my absolute pleasure and privilege teaching Jade since she was in Year 8. I have witnessed firsthand Jade working extremely hard, accomplishing many goals and targets along the way. She is a dedicated learner, thoughtful and caring always helping others and her dedication to her education is impressive making me very proud as her Society & Culture teacher! I wish Jade all the very best in her future endeavours.  

Ancient History – Emma Phillips. She is a consistent worker who has shined in Ancient History this year. Her written expression has improved, and this is a direct result of her constant effort to do well. Emma should be proud of what she has achieved in this course.  

English Studies – Emily Martin. She has consistently worked to improve her responses through the submission of drafts and has engaged in all lessons to the best of her ability. Emily always demonstrates grit when tasks are challenging, and she should be congratulated on her hard work. 

English Standard – Makayla Patterson and Ebony Sheehan. Both students have been working above and beyond in the lead up to their HSC by looking at past papers and discussing them with Mrs Douglas. They have both overcome many personal boundaries to their work and are always seeking feedback, keen to improve their learning outcomes. 

 English Advanced – Jade Gear. Jade’s passion for doing well and her ability to think critically about ‘where to next to make this better’ is inspiring. She will excel in life after school as a result of this wonderful attitude to learning. 

English Extension 1 – Sophia Bacon. She is shining in Extension 1 at the moment because of the opportunity to combine her passion for history with the elements of the text set for study (Metropolis). I am confident that she will guide others in this area and should be proud of her ability to discuss such complex concepts. 

English Extension 2 – Lucy Bacon. Lucy’s efforts in refining her Major Work as submission nears are commendable. She has gone above and beyond to transform her 6000 word piece time and time again and should be so proud of the end result. I am sure she will be glad to see the task gone!