Specialists
Secondary 11/12 Term 1
Digital Tech
This semester, Digital Technology students are participating in a unit called ‘Digital Design’. So far the students have used the Sketchbook app and Apple pencils to create detailed and interesting images. We have made a night time landscape, a geometric design and a cartoon style image. We have talked about creating texture and balance in our images and used a wide variety of drawing tools to make our designs detailed. We have also practiced saving and uploading our work to Google Drive, ready to add our portfolio of work to a website next term. A fantastic effort so far!
Music
The Secondary 11/12 elective groups have been exploring a range of instruments, completing workshops on keyboards, guitar, bass and drums. Students have been focusing on ensemble work, with groups playing together either on the same instrument or all mixed for band work. A great start to the semester!
PE
Students in the Net and Wall sports elective completed an introduction to tennis, pickleball and badminton. They practised racquet familiarisation and improved confidence with their forehand and backhand striking. Students enjoyed participating in singles and doubles matches with and against their peers and continued to work on their communication and teamwork when playing with a partner.
Selected students also joined the Concord swim team which competed in freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke events at School Sport Victoria (SSV) Banyule Division Swimming Championships. Eight students qualified to swim at the SSV Northern Metro Swimming Championships with students eagerly waiting to see if they qualified for the SSV State Championships early in Term 2.
Social Competencies
In Social Competencies - Drug Education, our Secondary 11/12 students have been actively exploring the Concord School Student Expectations: Be a Learner, Be Safe, Be Responsible, and Be Respectful. Students have examined their significance in different contexts and in Social Competency classes. They have reflected on what each expectation looks like in the Community, Classroom, Yard, and Online environments.
The students have explained these values through drawings and in their own words.
Recently, the Secondary Years have started their journey into Drug Education, a safety topic they will continue to study next term. So far, students have focused on understanding the difference between drugs and medicines. They have investigated the difference between over the counter drugs and prescription drugs. Students have looked at different packaging and explored how to identify the medication, what it is used for, how it is stored and where to find the dosage. Students have completed a number of tasks and explained their understanding through drawings, sorting activities and group work.
Visual Arts
Students explored confectionery through art and are currently working on projects that invokes imagination and creative thinking. They are experimenting with both familiar and new design techniques to create unique works, supported in bringing their ideas to life. Through trial and error, students are working towards completing their first works. Students have been reflecting on their pieces, considering improvements and exchanging constructive feedback with peers.
Food Technologies
The 9/12 elective ‘Healthy Takeaway’ has generated good discussion around takeaway versus home cooked food. Students generated a list of the most popular takeaway foods and we have selected a few this term to demonstrate the benefits of home cooked meals and snacks.
The students made Hamburgers, Stir Fry, Falafels, Pancakes and Pasta Carbonara. We discussed the economic benefits, the health benefits and the joy it brings to cook with family and friends.
Students will continue with Healthy Takeaway in Term 2.
Science
Throughout the term, Secondary 11/12 students in the ‘Mythbusters’ elective have participated in a variety of research, planning and practical tasks. Students worked in pairs and small groups to research and suggest appropriate myths and experiments to explore in Semester One. Activities so far have included; Can you put a pencil through a plastic bag without it leaking? And, Do Jelly beans make a better rainbow than skittles? Students enjoyed working together as a class to make predictions and record results for whole class demonstrations, before completing each experiment in small groups.
Outdoor Education
Students in 11/12 have enjoyed completing a variety of walking tracks during our Outdoor Education elective this term. The students have worked cooperatively in small groups to navigate these tracks using detailed photos and maps and have competently used google maps. The students have learnt the importance of keeping safe in the bush and demonstrated leadership skills by taking on the challenge of leading small groups on our bushwalks. A truck students loved to walk was Gresswell Forest Nature Park with the water being a great spot for students to observe nature.
Drivers Education
Students in the Secondary 11/12 Drivers Education elective have been focusing on what it means to be an empathetic young road user. Topics covered so far this term include common road safety issues, driver distractions like mobile phones and navigating the Vicroads website. Students have watched videos, engaged with interactive websites, completed worksheets, participated in role plays around decision making when driving or preparing to drive. Students have been regularly practising their Learners Permit Test and Hazard Perception Test online with some outstanding results, keep up the hard work!
