Year 8 News

Welcome to Term 4! Term 4 is historically a jam-packed time, especially for Year 8s who will begin their preparations for Year 9 this term, including PAT testing, choosing electives for next year and celebration activities. We encourage all students to continue demonstrating our school pillars of Work Ethic, Engagement, Relationships and Excellence and finish the year strong.

Around the Cohort

‘In R&R, we have been providing feedback on our experience in Year 8 and completing Team Building Activities’

‘My favourite subject right now is PE because you get to be physical and move around’ – Ivy Brown

‘My favourite subject is cooking, we have recently hade nachos, peanut butter cookies and burgers.’ – Hannah Arbuthnot 

‘My favourite subjects are PE and cooking. In both classes I get to practice my skills and work with my peers’ – Taj Rennie

Year 8 Focus

In Term 4, Year 8 have been working on different foci to build their capacity as learners. In weeks 1-2, Year 8s had the focus of Work Ethic: Completing class work to the best of my ability. Out of the 656 KPAs sent out during this period, 37% were for Work Ethic, which demonstrates the effort student are putting in. 

Our next focus will be Engagement: Arriving to class on time. 

A few reminders:

The first 10 minutes matter: Students can miss important explicit teaching, instructions and examples when arriving late.

Plan ahead: Collect everything needed for Periods 1 and 2, and then Periods 3 and 4, to avoid returning to lockers.

Move promptly: There is no grace period between bells. Students should head straight to their next class.

Please support your child to arrive on time and be ready to learn.

PAT Testing

Over the next few weeks, Year 8 students will complete their PAT Math and PAT reading tests. The purpose of these assessments is to track growth year to year, prepare for NAPLAN, and gain entry into programs such as ALPs and early VCE subjects. 

Year 8 Swimming Program

Year 8 Swimming is coming up. Consent is already on compass.

Students will have an intensive day of swimming at GRAC. Learning to swim is a vital life skill that helps students stay safe, active, and confident around water. Swimming builds strength, coordination, and endurance while also teaching responsibility and risk awareness. It supports the Victorian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education, which encourages students to develop movement skills and understand how to make healthy, safe choices in different environments. By learning to swim, students not only gain fitness and fun but also the essential knowledge to enjoy Australia’s waterways safely and responsibly.

KPAs

As in previous terms, we will be continuing the use of Kurnai Positive Acknowledgements (KPA’s). 

This is how each form tracked for Term 4 so far:

8A: 264

8B: 212

8C: 247

8D:  132

8E: 199

The top KPA earners this fortnight were:

Hunter DUNCAN

Ryan ROWLAND

Tino FURAMERA

Ruben SAMBLEBE

Victoria WALKER

George RODGERS

Contact Details

If you have any concerns regarding Year 8 students, please don’t hesitate to phone me on (03)5165 0600 - option 3 or email me at sarah.lewis@education.vic.gov.au

Sarah Lewis

Year 8 Team Leader