This week we hear from the English, Science, CAPA, TAS & PE Leaders of Learning

Science

Welcome to Term 3: Exploring the Wonders of Science!

Dear students and parents,

We hope this newsletter finds you in good spirits as we embark on an exciting journey into the third term of the academic year. At O’Connor Catholic College, we are thrilled to witness the enthusiasm and curiosity our students have shown towards the fascinating world of science. As we dive into the next phase of learning, let's take a moment to explore the scientific ideas that each year group will be delving into during this term.

Year 7: The Mysteries of Matter and Water

In Year 7, our young scientists will be introduced to some fundamental scientific concepts. They will begin by exploring separation techniques, discovering how we can isolate various components from mixtures. The journey continues with the exploration of the particle theory of matter, unraveling the secrets of atoms and molecules that make up everything around us. Furthermore, students will delve into the critical topic of water purification, understanding the processes involved in making water safe and drinkable.

Year 8: Rocks, Mining, and Recycling

Moving on to Year 8, students will be immersed in the geology of our planet. They will study different kinds of rocks, learning about their formation, composition, and significance in various geological processes. Understanding the importance of earth's resources, they will explore mining and its impact on the environment. Additionally, students will dive into the world of recycling, discovering innovative techniques to reduce waste and promote sustainability.

Year 9: Unraveling Electricity and Energy Efficiency

Year 9 marks a significant phase in our students' scientific journey as they explore the realm of electricity. From learning about electrical circuits to comprehending Ohm's law, they will grasp the principles underlying the flow of electric current. With a strong emphasis on sustainability, they will also delve into energy efficiency and discover practical ways to minimize waste and conserve energy.

Year 10: The Fascinating World of Chemical Reactions

Year 10 students will delve into the captivating world of chemistry. They will study chemical reactions and the factors that influence their reaction rate. Balancing equations will be a fundamental skill they'll master to understand the stoichiometry of reactions. Moreover, they will explore the intriguing properties of acids and bases and their real-world applications.

Years 11 and 12: Preparing for the Future

For our senior students in Years 11 and 12, this term is a crucial time of preparation for their end-of-year exams. As they dive deeper into advanced scientific concepts, we encourage them to utilize their time wisely and seek support when needed. Focusing on exam strategies, developing study routines, and maintaining a growth mindset will be essential in achieving their academic goals.

At O’Connor Catholic College, we believe that Science is not just about memorizing facts but rather a journey of exploration and discovery. Our dedicated teachers are committed to nurturing scientific curiosity and critical thinking in every student.

As we embark on Term 3, we encourage parents and guardians to engage in their child's scientific journey, inspiring them to ask questions, seek answers, and embrace the wonders of the natural world. Together, we can make this term a memorable and rewarding experience for all.

Wishing you an engaging and successful Term 3!

Sincerely,

Daniel Fittler

Leader of Learning: Science

TAS

Year 11 Cafe

Year 11 Cafe was a huge success last term. Well done to our Year 11 hospitality students for creating some absolutely delicious meals!

STEM

Mrs Galvin's year 9 iSTEM class testing their balsa planes as part of their SkyLap unit of work.

Year 9 Food Technology

This term in Food Technology, Mrs Galvin’s year 9 class started a new unit called Food Trends. To introduce the topic, students created and presented a gourmet pancake stack to test out their food photography skills. There were some wonderfully garnished dishes and students enjoyed using the light box to give their photography an extra edge.

UNE Agmentation

This week year 12 student Chloe Rollan attended the annual event Agmentation, Chloe was the only secondary student to attend. Agmentation is an event where UNE students, high schoolers, researchers and field experts come together to solve problems facing the agriculture industry. This year the theme was about climate change. Attendees break off into teams to create an idea on how to solve a problem the agriculture industry is facing relevant to the theme. This year the winning team came up with a program for small industry farmers to reduce their carbon emissions. However, this year there were also University of Wyoming (US) students attending this event as well, which brought another view into the event and some interesting conversations about our differences. Congratulations on your initiative Chloe.

PDHPE

Welcome back to Term 3 in PDHPE!! Our team has hit the ground running and are excited to be back and in front of classes! This term each of our Junior PDHPE Classes are studying the following topics:

Year 7

Prac: Jump to the Beat & Challenge and Initiative Games

Theory: Turn Around a Put Down

Year 8

Prac: Jump to the Beat & Challenge and Initiative Games

Theory: Did you know?

Year 9

Prac: International Games

Theory: RUOK?

Year 10

Prac: Invasion Games

Theory: The Party

This week our Department also had their first lessons in the NEW GYM!!! Pictured below are Year 9 PDHPE classes during their first lesson in our lovely brand new space!!! Year 9 are studying International Games, this game is called tchoukball. It is a game with origins in Switzerland during the 1970’s. This is how the game is played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzfXKQ6CKBU

CAPA

Year 7 and 8 Creative Arts

Year 7 and 8 have rotated Music and Art class for the semester.

Year 7 and 8 Music students are beginning the term with learning to read and play various rhythms through bucket drumming. Here is a youtube video to follow along with at home We Will Rock You - Queen Bucket Drumming 🥁 By BucketDrumming.net 🥁

Year 7 and 8 Art students are developing an understanding of the building blocks in visual arts by exploring and creating their own elements and principles of art.

Year 7 Elements of Art Year 8 Principles of Art

Year 12 Visual Arts

Are consolidating their ideas and working hard to complete their Body of Work (Major Art Works) for the HSC. Below is a sample of their works in progress.

Roie Wood- The death of Shakespeare's Ophelia has long been popular with artists as an exemplification of beauty and femininity; a woman passively submitting to death, remaining eternally beautiful. In my work, I shift focus away from beauty to her turmoil, using the spreading flowers as a symbol for her strong emotions, as well as the fragility of her psyche that may at any moment disintegrate. This allows her to reclaim power in the narrative as a subject, rather than a passive object.

Phoebe Donnelly-

My body of work includes a series of drypoint etchings to tell the narrative of life on the land. Explored through the yearly toil of shearing that brings connection and community to an otherwise isolated life. This includes prints showing the various stages of the shearing, including the sheep in the pens ready for shearing, the shearing itself, the wool classing, smoko break and the shed at the end of the day.

The first image below is an unprinted drypoint plate of the sheep in the pens - The picture shows the image scratched into a plastic plate before being inked up and printed.

Emily Rigby - My artwork is an acrylic painting that explores the human condition through a dream-like composition.

Year 11 Drama Term 3

Year 11 are working on being a strong cohesive team to create a group performance that is devised (written, costumed and set) all made by them and perform it for their last assessment in Week 5. Students have been busy brainstorming and researching during class while throwing ideas and characters at each other. All OCC students will have the opportunity to volunteer to be part of the audience in Week 5, more information will be released soon.

Below are photos of the students in action with the assessment and warm-ups to assist them in becoming a strong ensemble.

Founder’s Day

Well done to all our Creative and Performing Arts students who participated in the Founder’s day concert. It was a fabulous day and we were so lucky to be in the new performing arts space [photos].

New Building

We have started to move equipment into the new building and look forward to being able to use the space in the next couple of weeks.

Learn an Instrument

There are still opportunities to learn an instrument. Instrument hire is also available. Please contact Miss Sampson for more information msampso1@arm.catholic.edu.au

Ensembles

Our co-curricular ensemble programme will get back up and running again once we are in the new building, check out the daily notices. All students are welcome to join. We will have on offer for the rest of the year Drama Club, Jazz Band, Yr 7/8 Band, Choir. These ensembles will be preparing for term 4 performances including our annual Spring Soiree, Christmas Liturgy and presentation day. Yr 12 Band will continue this term, preparing for their Graduation Mass and Presentation.

Choir - Tuesday Break B

Drama Club - Wednesday Break B

Jazz Band - Wednesday Break B

Yr 7/8 Band - Thursday Break B

Yr 12 Band - Friday Break B

Music at Mass

This year we have been working with individual year groups to provide the music at their year Masses. All students are encouraged to be involved. We will rehearse Tuesdays period 5 and Wednesday mornings 8:30am.

Week 2 - Year 7 and 11

Week 3 - Year 10

Week 4 - Year 9 (Tuesday Mass)

Week 5 - whole school (Tuesday Mass)

HSC Major works

This term our HSC Music and Art students will be completing their major works.

Keydates:

Week 5 and 6 Trial Exams

Week 6 HSC Music Performance Night 24th August

Week 7 Monday 28th of August Art Major works due

Week 9 HSC Music Performance Exams

English

What’s happening in English this term?

Year 7

This term Year 7 English are exploring a unit centred around The News and are considering how they are created to position us on important topics in the country. Students are currently reading the novel, 'Darnell Rocks Reporting' and are working towards developing a strong understanding of how language can manipulate perspective. As the unit progresses, students work collaboratively in small groups to create a digital newspaper that explores issues and topics important to them and the country.

Year 8

This term Year 8 English are exploring Australian poetry in the unit ‘Capturing Australia’. Students have been deconstructing the famous and iconic poem of ‘My Country’ by Dorothea Mackellar and have used this as an inspiration to create a poem of their own with the same title. Students will continue to look at classical and contemporary poets and consider how Australia’s identity has changed throughout the generations.

Year 9

This term Year 9 English are exploring the use of documentaries to shape society. Students are particularly focusing on the text 'The Social Dilemma' which has led to some great conversations about the impact that social media is having on students' lives and how they can learn to be less dependent on devices.

Year 10

This term Year 10 English are exploring Neil Gaiman in an author study. They are considering how he uses a range of techniques and devices across his compositions in order to understand the distinctive qualities that make that composer unique. Students are also beginning an author study project where they are investigating their own composers and their works to produce an analysis in the medium of their choice.

Events For Your Calendar

Vinnies School Sleep Out