Year Nine
Humanities
In Humanities Year Nine students are working on understanding the themes of Identity and Community. They are making real world as well as text connections to the ‘The Hate U Give’ by Angie Thomas. This is helping students unpack the current Unit of Inquiry statement, ‘Individual identities may evolve through interactions, shaping societal responsibilities influenced by cultural backgrounds and social status.’ Through meaningful discussions, group activities and independent research, they are identifying the importance of strong and positive relationships being developed between people from different backgrounds in the workforce, in school and within neighbourhoods.
Students have also been looking at the issue of social justice, researching an issue of their choice to build a presentation. By creating their presentations, they aim to inform their classmates on the issues raised such as, youth activism, racial inequality, social justice and more.
Mathematics
The Year Nine students began 2024 with many new changes. They had to familiarise themselves with new routines at Coaching Parade Campus. For many students, they easily transitioned into the Year Nine Maths curriculum as they had two familiar teachers accompany them to Coaching Parade Campus. The Year Nine Maths teachers are Mr. Naidoo and Mrs Katsouranis.
Students began the term by discussing the expectations of the year nine maths student. Clear classroom, behaviour, technology and book expectations were discussed. In the second week students sat the general all, number test. We used these results to generate data to identify focus areas to study.
In the past few weeks, students were busy studying number. They have undertaken studies in real numbers, decimals, interest and rounding off to significant digits. In interest, students used their calculators to calculate simple interest over a period of time. They also worked out the percentage interest when the total interest was added to the capital sum. We also explored how to apply the distributive law to algebraic expressions.
To support students in answering NAPLAN questions, we investigated strategies that students could use to solve word problems. For further support, students were also offered extra maths tuition on Saturday Mornings.
Using MacBooks and calculators are an integral part of our learning programme in year nine and we encourage students to be organised and bring their MacBooks fully charged to school daily.
Spanish
¡Bienvenido al año 2024!
It's been a blast having our Year Nine crew back at our shiny new campus and giving a warm
welcome to the fresh faces at Saltwater College!
This term is all about levelling up our Spanish game, starting with a refresher from previous years before diving into exciting new themes and structures.
Each week we will be focussing on a different high-frequency verb. Mastery of these specific verbs will allow students to develop a strong foundational base from which they can progress. Not only are we exploring the grammatical aspects of each of these cornerstone verbs, but we are also developing our language skills at the same time. Each lesson incorporates aspects of the four macro-skills of language acquisition: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
To spice up our lessons, we're diving into these skills with a mix of music, memes, and even recording snazzy speaking videos on Flipgrid. Let the Spanish language escapades begin!
Music
Greetings, Saltwater Secondary School Community!
As we embark on another exciting journey through the realms of education and creativity, we're thrilled to highlight the incredible musical experiences our Year 9 students have been enjoying. Thanks to our recent investment in new instruments, our budding musicians have been able to delve deeper into the magical world of music, exploring rhythms, melodies, and harmonies like never before.
From the soaring melodies of the Electric guitar to the rhythmic beats of the drums, our students have embraced the opportunity to express themselves through music, discovering new talents and passions along the way. Whether they're strumming chords on a guitar, tickling the ivories on a piano, or plucking away on a ukulele, each note played is a testament to their dedication and enthusiasm.
But the excitement doesn't stop there! In the coming weeks, we're thrilled to welcome new instrumental staff who will be offering even more opportunities for our students to expand their musical horizons. From voice lessons that empower students to find their unique sound to the energetic rhytm of drumming, the soulful strumming of the guitar, the deep grooves of the bass, and the timeless beauty of the piano, there's something for everyone to explore and enjoy.
So let's continue to celebrate the joy of music, the power of creativity, and the boundless potential of our students. Together, let's make this year a symphony of success!
Stay tuned for more updates and announcements around instrumental lessoas we continue to make music an integral part of the Saltwater Secondary School experience.
Rock on!
YEAR NINE DESIGN TECHNOLOGY-WOOD
Year Nine students who have decided to continue their journey in the design technologies this year have made a productive start to the semester. Beginning with a 'refresher' in the safe operation of hand tools and machinery, students then completed a wood technology 'pre test' to demonstrate their prior knowledge in wood technology operations and processes. Following that, year nine's embarked upon the design process, to create a wooden hand carved serving tray. Students 'Investigated' materials and techniques, 'designed' a number of design options, 'refined' their preferred design option, and are now in the 'production' stage. It has been wonderful working with a cohort of keen 'hands on learners' who have impressed me with their knowledge, skill and creativity.
Stay tuned for more exciting products from our senior designers at Saltwater College.
