Year Eight 

Mathematics

Welcome to our first post for 2024!  In the first two weeks of Term One, teachers introduced concepts of Mathematics and how they relate to real-world situations.  Having set class expectations, we then began our pre-assessments through the online platform, Essential Assessment, to cater for students’ learning needs and support their learning goals.

We have investigated adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing, positive and negative integers.  Students will also be introduced to the initial Four Index Laws – Raising Power, Zero Index, Dividing and Multiplying Powers.

Students have gained access to Mathematical Theories and are intrigued to see how they apply to their future field of studies and careers.

Humanities

Over the last four weeks in Humanities, we have been focusing on this term's inquiry statement:

"Citizens may have a responsibility and right to advocate for change in their societies". 

To begin to unpack this statement, and their role as ‘citizens in society’, year eight have been looking at Identity and Community; both as boarder concepts and through their own personal connection to themself and their community. We have been exploring how the different types of communities people connect with, such as family community, social community, neighbourhood and global communities, influence different parts of their personal and group identities. 

Coming into Week Five, we are starting to learn about different types of government around the world, and the role individuals can play in making change in their immediate community, and in greater society. 

Music

I am thrilled to share with you the exciting progress we've made here at Saltwater as we kick off the new semester. Things are off to a fantastic start, and I am pleased to report that our investment in new instruments and equipment is already proving to be invaluable.

Thanks to the support of our administration and the dedication of our music department, we have acquired a range of new instruments that are now being eagerly utilised by our students. From Electric guitars to acoustic ukulele, these instruments are not only enhancing our musical offerings but also providing our students with the opportunity to explore and develop their talents like never before.

In our music classes, students are diving into the fundamentals of music theory and practice, guided by our passionate and experienced instructors. With the addition of these new instruments, they now have the chance to put their learning into action in real time. Whether it's experimenting with different chords on a guitar or mastering intricate rhythms on a drum set, our students are embracing the opportunity to express themselves through music.

I am proud to see our students enthusiastically embracing these new resources and demonstrating their creativity and dedication. As we continue to harness the power of music education, I am confident that our students will not only excel in their musical pursuits but also develop valuable skills that will serve them well in all aspects of their lives.

Thank you for your continued support of our music program, and here's to a harmonious and successful semester ahead!

For those of you with musically inclined children there will be two new instrumental staff starting in the next few weeks. Offering Guitar, bass, drums, piano and vocals.

Please watch this space for further updates.

Spanish

This Term, our dynamic Year Eight cohort is diving into a Unit of Inquiry all about figuring out who we are and how we see ourselves. The first adventure, Unidad 1: Como Soy, will have us exploring what shapes our personality and physical appearance, and how it influences our self-perception and how others see us.

We'll be revisiting some of the awesome stuff we learned in Year Seven, engaging in discussions regarding personal details such as names, ages, birthdays, hobbies, what we love and what we can't stand. Building on this, we'll spice things up by learning new words and phrases for describing our physical traits like hair colour, eye colour, and height.

Kicking off the fun, students are flexing their memory muscles to recall family vocab and diving deep into the nuances of the verbs 'ser' and 'estar'. While both verbs translate as 'to be' in English, they adhere to distinct grammatical rules and contexts. Mastery of the usage of 'ser' and 'estar' is paramount for Spanish learners, as these verbs are fundamental components of language proficiency.