Year 8 News

Our Achievements

As we draw near to the end of 2024 we are proud of the personal, academic, and social growth demonstrated by our Year 8 Students.

This year has been a positive journey for many students as they embraced challenges, explored new learning opportunities, and strengthened connections with their peers and teachers. We have witnessed their dedication to academic pursuits, seen them reach personal milestones, and celebrated their contributions to our school community.

Students have developed skills in various subjects, they have been able to further explore interests, and they have continued to build their study skills.  Many have gained further independence in their personal relationships, resulting in new and more robust friendships.  Most importantly, students used their experiences to develop further resilience.

Completing Year 8 has provided students with a strong foundation to confidently transition into the challenges and opportunities of Year 9. Over the past year, they have developed essential skills in organisation, critical thinking, and collaboration, while deepening their understanding across key learning areas. Their growth in maturity and self-awareness has also prepared them to take greater ownership of their learning journey. As they move into Year 9, students are equipped with the strength and confidence to embrace fresh responsibilities, explore emerging interests, and build on the achievements that Year 8 has offered.

Our next steps

Next year, our students commence their middle years of learning. Accordingly, they are encouraged to;

Focus on engagement: Stay curious, engaged, and active in learning to make the most of what comes next, for instance, electives (interest-based learning)

Effectively time manage: Balance academic (study habits), extracurricular, and personal activities (including casual employment).

Maintain positive relationships: Continue building respectful and supportive relationships with peers, teachers, and family. This will be important for their sense of belonging and wellbeing.

Understand the importance of self-care: Understand how to manage stress and maintain a healthy physical lifestyle.

Be open to exploration: Try new subjects, discover new interests, talents and future pathways.

If students can focus on these important elements, they will continue to achieve success and enhance their time at school.

We wish all students the very best for Year 9 and hope that 2025 will allow everyone to continue reaching their personal and academic goals. We would like to thank our Year 8 families for their support throughout 2024.  We greatly appreciate your collaboration with our team in fostering your child’s growth throughout the year.

GPA Growth

This term, students were focused on improving their work habits, aiming for increased personal GPA scores.  Students reflected on their last GPA cycle, set goals and determined areas for improvement.  We are very proud to acknowledge that one third of our cohort were successful in reaching their goal.  This is a fantastic effort!

We would like to congratulate the following students who have achieved recognised growth in their GPA this term.

Important Reminders

Year 9 Step-up Program: Monday 9th – Friday 13th December (excluding Tuesday)

This is an important opportunity for students to;

• Begin the Year 9 Curriculum
• Get a head start into next year’s learning
• Develop an awareness of subject expectations
• Be advised of course outlines
• Sample subjects
• Goal set for 2025
• Meet staff
• Develop skills for managing Middle School and Senior School responsibilities

Students must come fully equipped with tools for learning, be on time and take responsibility for all resources provided for Step-up week.

Year 8 Key Dates

DECEMBER

Friday 6th - Italian Food Excursion / EAL Global Markets Excursion

Monday 9th - Year 9 Step-up Program begins

Tuesday 10th - Year 7 Orientation - no classes for Years 7 - 9

Friday 13th - Year 9 Step-up Program finishes

Monday 16th - Funfields day trip (Years 7 - 9)

Friday 20th - Clean-up day - last day of Term 4, 2024