PDHPE

Both the PDHPE Department and Year 8 PDHPE would like to thank Mr Shane McCann for teaching PDHPE for the duration of Term 1. We appreciate your skills and expertise in our subject area and look forward to welcoming you back into our Department in the future.

Due to Term 2 Timetable changes our Department also welcomes back Ms Lucinda Bradford, who will be taking Mr McCann’s Year 8 PDHPE classes for the rest of the year. We thank Ms Bradford for taking on our Year 8 classes.

Fast approaching this Term is the College’s Athletics Carnival, which is set to take place in week 3 on Friday the 16th of May. To complement the Carnival, all students in Year 7-10 PDHPE will be practising each of the athletic disciplines in their practical PDHPE lessons during weeks 1-3. For each class this also contributes towards each student's Semester 1 report as Athletics is our Learning Task for Term 2, which is currently visible both on Compass and below:

Learning Task NOTIFICATION PDHPE 2025 Term 2: Athletics
Subject: PDHPE	Task Number: 2
Topic: Athletics	Due Date: 2025
	Date of Notification: 2025
Outcomes to be Assessed PD5-4 adapts and improvises movement skills to perform creative movement across a range of dynamic physical activity contexts PD5-5 appraises and justifies choices of actions when solving complex movement challenges
The Task Throughout this unit, we will be learning about each of the Athletics disciplines. During class time you will learn the correct technique for and participate in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, Relays, High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump, Shot Put, Javelin and Discus. You will be assessed on: - How you progress - How you apply verbal and non-verbal forms of feedback, and - How well you participate in each lesson. All results will be recorded on the following recording sheets: Recording Sheet 1 Recording Sheet 2 This assessment will be ongoing throughout the Athletics Unit during weeks 1-3 of Term 2 and will be your practical learning task on Compass for reporting this term. Alternate Athletics TaskIf for some reason due to an injury, illness or another special circumstance you are unable to participate in the Athletics unit, your teacher may ask you to complete the following alternate Athletics task.For each athletic discipline create a ‘How To Manual’. Do this on either a google doc or Google Slides. Each event will need: - Name of event - Image - Correct technique procedure and key teaching points - Youtube clip demonstrating this. - Current World Record for this event The events you need to include are Running Events (100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m), Shot Put, Discuss, Javelin, Triple Jump, High Jump and Long Jump.
How will feedback be provided? AFTER SUBMISSION: Summarised feedback will be provided as to how you have met the marking criteria in written form and this will be discussed with you during class time.
Success Criteria Athletics Marking Rubric Guide

Year 10 PASS

Year 10 Physical Activity and Sport Studies (PASS) have been studying Body Systems this term. This week in class they learnt about the skeletal system. Pictured below are student sketches of the skeletal system with labels. Did you know there are over 206 bones in the human body?

Mrs Camilla Clydsdale,

Leader of Learning, PDHPE

TAS

Year 7 Mandatory Technology

Year 7 students are currently finishing their first rotation in Mandatory Technology.

One of the five rotations students undertake is the “Light The World” unit. In this unit students look at the big question:

"How can we provide safe, affordable and effective technologies to developing countries?"

They use the design process below, which comes from the Stanford d. School. This ‘design thinking’ process attempts to balance the creative and analytical aspects in designing.

Students also investigate how coding is used to design and manufacture modern products and how we could use technology to assist those communities less fortunate than ourselves. Some of these technologies include learning how to use CAD (Computer Aided Design) programs such as Adobe Illustrator and CAM (Computer Aided Design) systems such as lasercutting to produce a functional product, primarily using recycled materials.

The major design project of the unit has the following design brief:

Design and construct a recycled cardboard LED lamp using CAD/CAM technology

Year 7 LED lamps manufactured from recycled cardboard.

In Food Technology, one of the design briefs involved designing and preparing their own hamburger with “yummy results”.

In the Wood Technology Rotation students are asked to create a birdhouse honing in on the skills of nailing & timber construction from sustainable timber products.

In Textiles students put their design & sewing skills to the test by producing an apron with their own individual design.

Year 8 Technology

Year 8 Technology completed their first rotation towards the end of last term. The 'Materials' unit involved the design and construction of a cushion cover. The students learned how to safely use and care for the sewing machine, along with some basic sewing techniques, including seams, pressing and inserting a zipper into their cushion cover. They had an enjoyable time learning new skills. Here are some of the end results.

Year 10 Textiles

Year 10 Textiles started working on a project which involved patchwork, quilting and applique. Students found some fabrics of their choosing and in a particular colour way. They cut squares and stitched together to form a patchwork of fabrics. Some of the students then cut the big square into 4 pieces and re-arranged them to form an even more interesting combination of colour and pattern. Some of the students experimented with machine embroidery, whilst others chose to do some hand embroidery. A sample of applique needed to be included on the project as well. Zig zag and blanket stitch was used to attach the shape. The students will now consolidate all of their learning by designing and constructing another simple project to include all of these techniques. Some of the items already considered include a table runner, placemats, cosmetic bags.

Agriculture

Year 11/12 Primary Industries and Year 10 Ag have been busy practising their tractor driving.

Year 7 Ag have been getting introduced to cattle handling, a few are already keen for next years show season!

Mr Jon Hawthorne

Leader of Learning, TAS

English

Year 7 English this term has started the exploration of their unit, ‘Contemporary Expression’ which examines how poetry can be transformed into multimodal tasks. Students began this term by exploring the poem, Trees by Joyce Kilmer and interpreted the text into a new version of their own, considering how symbolism can be utilised to enhance the story.

Year 10 English

Year 10 English students have begun their unit on ‘The Value of the Author’ exploring the compositions of Annie Proulx who is known for her descriptive writing of mid-western America. Through research, students have been investigating the impact of personal context on what composers create, and how changes in society have added to this as well. Students composed a timeline of Annie Proulx’s life considering the impact of living in Wyoming and her career choices. Students are currently working in pairs to compose a presentation that explores how their composer is an example of an author who has added value to culture, society and the way that people express one another.

Miss Lauren Donnelly

Leader of Learning English

CAPA

Eisteddfod is here!

Students are busy preparing for their performances in the Armidale Eisteddfod. School instrumental groups are continuing to work hard towards their performance. Please check the notice boards in the Music rooms to see when you are performing.

Mr Bruce Myers

On behalf of the CAPA team.

Mathematics

Welcome to our first newsletter article for Term 2 2025.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome back Mr Mark Fulloon. Mr Fulloon was on leave during term 1 and he has taken no time at all to settle back into routine establishing connections with his students and guiding them with their Mathematical learning.

At O’Connor Catholic College, we are committed to strengthening numeracy across all year levels through engaging, purposeful learning experiences. One of the tools supporting this goal in Year 7 Mathematics this year is SmarterMaths Online—a digital platform designed to improve student understanding, fluency, and confidence in numeracy.

All students have been issued accounts and made strong progress throughout Term 1, with teachers using the tracking features to identify strengths and target support. We encourage Year 7 parents, in particular, to connect with their children and explore the system together. Revisiting SmarterMaths regularly at home is a great way to reinforce classroom learning and support continued growth.

In classrooms, the focus remains on calm, productive environments where all students are ready to engage in learning. This includes being prepared each day with the correct materials, which supports a smooth and focused start to every lesson.

Here below is a glimpse into that engagement—some action shots from Mr Harris’ Year 7 Maths class, where students took part in a human number line activity exploring percentages, decimals, and fractions. This kind of active learning promotes deep understanding through movement, discussion, and teamwork.

We look forward to building on this momentum as we continue into Term 2.

Mr Mark Harris

Leader of Learning, Mathematics

Events For Your Calender

OCC's Inaugural Trivia Night