KLA News
PDHPE
Welcome back to Term 4 in PDHPE, which is set to be a busy and rewarding term and end to the year. In the PDHPE Department we have a number of key events this Term:
Term 4 - Key Dates
Week 4: Yr 12 HSC PDHPE & CAFS Examinations
Week 5: Yr 10 Sport UNE Visits Commence
Week 6: Yr 9 Lifesaving Instructor Training Begins
Week 9: Yr 7 & 8 Lifesaving and Water Safety Week
Week 10: Yr 7-9 Term 5
Please keep an eye on your emails and Compass for further information regarding these upcoming events.
National Health and Physical Activity Week
Congratulations to all the staff and students involved in this Year’s National Health and Physical Activity week. This week we were awarded our certificate of appreciation for our participation. Our College has been a long time supporter of this health initiative.
Science
Dear O'Connor Catholic College Community, As we embrace the arrival of Term 4, the world of science beckons our students with exciting and enriching experiences. From Year 7 to Year 12, our dedicated teachers are ready to guide and inspire young minds. Let's take a glimpse into what each year level has in store:
Year 7: Unveiling the Mysteries of Space
In Year 7, budding astronomers will embark on a thrilling journey to understand the cosmos. This term, they'll be exploring topics like the solar system, the dynamics of night and day, phases of the moon, and the awe-inspiring phenomena of eclipses. Through engaging lessons that will encourage students to do their own stargazing, they'll develop a deeper appreciation for the universe that surrounds us.
Year 8: A Journey Through the Human Body
Year 8 students will be diving headfirst into the intricacies of the human body. Starting with a study of cells, they'll gradually progress to explore the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, respiratory, and excretory systems. With practical experiments and interactive learning, they'll discover the wonders that lie within their own bodies.
Year 9: Exploring the Expanses of Space and Earth
Year 9 science takes students on a voyage from the vastness of space to the depths of the Earth. They'll begin by contemplating the immense universe, including star formation and the Big Bang theory. Later in the term, they'll shift their focus to the dynamic processes on our planet, investigating plate tectonics, earthquakes, and volcanoes. This journey will instill a profound understanding of the forces shaping our world.
Year 10: Navigating the Climate Crisis
In Year 10, students will explore the pressing issues of climate science and climate change. They will learn about the greenhouse effect, weather patterns, and the intricate web of global and local factors influencing climate. The term will culminate in discussions on solutions to combat global warming, empowering them to be part of the solution.
Year 11: HSC Preparation
Our Year 11 students have embarked on their HSC journey, a pivotal moment in their academic careers. This term, they will focus on revision and developing effective study habits, ensuring they are well-prepared for their HSC exams. We wish them success on this path to excellence.
Year 12: Good Luck with HSC Exams
We'd like to extend our best wishes to our Year 12 students as they complete their HSC exams. Your hard work and dedication have brought you to this moment, and we believe in your potential to shine bright.We look forward to a term filled with scientific exploration, growth, and achievement. Let's embrace the wonder of science together!
TAS
Golden Techman Awards for Year 8 Technology Mandatory Rotation 4
Another rotation for Yr 8 Technology classes finished last week resulting in another 12 Golden Techman Awards being presented for outstanding work. The awards were introduced this year and are manufactured at school using some of our cutting edge technological equipment. Below is a simple outline of part of the design process carried out on our laser cutter.
STEP 1 Labels and “Golden Techman” are designed on the computer using Adobe Illustrator.
The different RGB coloured lines represent different information so that the laser cutter can either raster, engrave or cut out shapes. Basically a RGB black line means the machine will raster, (engrave back and forwards like a printer),the design onto the material. A RGB blue will engrave a vector line and a RGB red line will cut through the material.
STEP 2 The information is sent by code to the lasercutter.
STEP 3 The “Golden Techman” Awards are assembled using timber bases manufactured from recycled timber.
And the winners are! (see above)
9 STEM:
Year 9 iSTEM have begun term 4 with an exciting new unit about Mechatronics. Students have begun building their LEGO robots and will be programming them to complete a range of challenges. Stay tuned for more photos as this project evolves throughout the term.
9 Food Tech:
Cooking 'from scratch' is a valuable skill for young adults and can help with healthy eating and food budgeting. This term year 9 Food Technology made their own vanilla ice cream in week 1 which they used to accompany some delicious golden syrup dumplings in week 2. Next up is home-made mayonnaise and crumbing chicken to create schnitzel burgers. All recipes are added to the Compass lesson plans if you are interested to try some of these at home.
Mr Jon Hawthorne
Leader of Learning TAS
2024 Arts Captain
Last week Mrs Bell and Miss Sampson had the privilege of interviewing a number of candidates for the position of Arts Captain. It was wonderful to see a large number of students putting up their hand to be considered for the position. All candidates demonstrated their passion for the arts and love for the O’Connor community. A range of ideas were presented and we look forward to implementing some of these over the next 12 months.
Congratulations to Lily Croft who was successful in gaining the position of Arts Captain for 2024.
Student Achievements
Congratulations to Ian Berney - Ian was selected to be part of the Regional Youth Orchestra this year. The Regional Youth Orchestra is an audition-based youth orchestra for talented students from regional NSW. Students have the opportunity to play with other regional youth musicians and learn from leading conductors, orchestras and artists from Australia and the world.
Congratulations to Maxwell Buckland - Max has received an encore nomination for his recent HSC music performance exam. Encore nominations are given to outstanding performances. If Max is successful in his application to Encore he will be invited to perform at the Sydney Opera House early next year.
Congratulations to Jessica Ferris - Last term Jess had an opportunity to work with the Australian Theatre for Young People, Jess was one of sixteen students selected across the state. Jess got to see the behind the scenes of theatre including lighting, costume and set design and was able to see Bell’s Shakespeare's performance of Romeo and Juliet and meet and talk with the actors discussing their journey into the industry.
Extra-Curricular Program
Our extra-curricular program is back in full swing for term 4, it’s not too late to be involved in one of the following ensembles:
- Monday Lunch - Choir
- Monday Lunch - Art Club
- Tuesday Lunch - year 7/8 Band
- Tuesday period 5 - Rehearsal for Mass
- Wednesday Recess - Drama Club
- Wednesday Lunch - Saxophone group
- Carols Band will start rehearsing from Week 5 day TBC.
Saxophone Group on Wednesday Break B
Save the Date: 23rd November 2023 (Thursday Week 7).
We look forward to holding our first ever showcase night in the new Performing Arts Centre on the 23rd of November. Presenting Music, Dance and Drama performances as well as Art and Tech displays. More information to come shortly.
2024 Instrumental Lessons and Instrument Hire
Students wishing to learn an instrument in 2024 please complete the following form. Lessons are available through NECOM and can be arranged to be taught in one of the tutorial rooms here at school. Instrument hire is also available, please see Miss Sampson for more information about instrument hire.
HSIE
The Year 10 Commerce class has spent this term studying the Business Environment. As part of this we have been playing the Sharemarket Game run for schools by the ASX.
The ASX school sharemarket game is an interactive game where students and teachers compete to become the best investor. Participants are given a virtual $50,000 to invest into companies over a 10 week period and can choose from over 300 different companies that are listed on the ASX website. The prices that participants buy and sell at are the same prices that you would find in the real market, making the game as realistic as possible. At the end of the ten weeks the top three participants receive cash prizes with 1st place winning $2,000, 2nd place winning $1,500, and 3rd place winning $1,000.
The results of the ASX school sharemarket game displayed a trend amongst O’Connor Catholic College students and teachers who participated in it. Most individuals were in negative profit (meaning that they had less than what they had to begin with; a loss). Taran (me) invested strategically figuring out which shares would produce the most dividends during the small period of time the game ran, he ended up second, with one stock producing a massive $400 profit not including dividends. Bernie, who came first, invested heavily into oil and energy companies, anticipating the appreciation of the shares in price, which clearly paid off. Bella, Kaitlyn and Poppy, who came third from sheer luck, heavily ‘invested’ into random stocks, which ended up appreciating over the period of time. In the end, they only ever broke even due to the $20 fee each transaction took.
My peers and I understood more about investing by playing the sharemarket game. We learned that it's important to do good research, look at how the market changes, and think about the risks involved. This game helped us see why it's smart to have different kinds of investments and why we should plan for the long term. We also realized that how well the economy is doing affects how much stocks cost, which helped us make better choices and understand more about how money works in the financial world.
Thanks to Poppy McKay, Bernie May and Taran Sandhu for providing this report.
Meanwhile, Year 7 classes have been learning about Ancient Egypt and life on the river Nile. Students have been exploring life working as scribes, merchants and farmers. Tthe farmers built shadoufs to lift the water out of the river so that they would be able to water crops. The merchants made amulets in order to sell at their stall and the scribes recounted what life is like in Australia today using hieroglyphics.
Maths
Welcome back to Term 4.
So much has been happening in the mathematics KLA this term already.
We have seen the 2023 HSC exams for our current year 12 class being sat over the past couple of weeks. Now that the students are on the other side of these we sit back and wait with excitement for the results they will soon receive.
The new HSC cohort have begun their first topic in the HSC year and move towards their first chance to show what they know and apply their knowledge and skills in a few weeks’ time with their first formal assessment tasks. By now all students should have a fully planned timetable for study in place and be spending 30 minutes to an hour each night on revision and consolidation of the learning each day in class.
I share with you a slide from a numeracy/literacy task which some of our year 8 classes have recently completed. This task uses the Roald Dahl book the BFG as its stimulus and reminds us of the simple links to numerical thinking, how words and numbers go hand in hand and the importance of these fundamentals in life.
English
What is happening in English this term?
Welcome back to Term 4! This term the English Faculty welcomes Mr Lachlan Laycock to our teaching team. Lachlan joins us on the Year 10 English team and we look forward to the skills and knowledge that he brings to our faculty.
Year 7
Throughout the unit, ‘It’s a Dramatic Life!’ our Year 7 students will learn about the role of drama in representing life experiences, historical events and cultural groups. Students have been engaging with drama terms and games as well as learning how these dramatic elements are used to create impact and purpose. The students will be reading the play ‘Honeyspot’ to see how these elements are used when creating plays.
Year 7 will also be developing their understanding of both the theoretical components of drama and the practical aspects! Twice a fortnight, students will work with Miss Elizabeth Plane in the Performing Arts Centre to experiment and engage with dramatic elements which will result in them performing short scenes!
Year 8
‘From Kinglake to Kabul’ aims to expand Year 8 students' understanding of the powerful role of texts to explore issues within society. Students have been working on developing their understanding of Afghanistan through the creation of brochures and mapping activities while expanding their cultural awareness!
Year 9
This term Year 9 students are working on a portfolio of poetry where they will explore a range of composers, analyse poems and craft their own! The aim of this project is to understand the connection between storytelling and how the poetic form can be utilised to express one’s experience of the world.
Year 10
The question, ‘why do we create?’ is a central concept within the study of English, and Art more generally. As our Year 10 students begin the transition to senior schooling, they are encouraged to think critically and creatively about their place in the world and how they can represent their experiences through Art, more specifically literature. This unit is packed with conceptual discussions and skill-building to equip our students with success in their transition to senior English, no matter which course they choose to take!
Year 12 2023
All of the English courses for stage 6, Studies/Standard/Advanced, are undertaking a study of the common unit: Texts and Human Experiences. During this unit, all students will engage with a range of texts that examine the inconsistencies and paradoxes of the human experience and how texts are simply a representation!
English Standard have been exploring the novel, “Past The Shallows”. Below is a sample of their work where they have deconstructed the title of the story and are beginning to examine the layers of meaning found within.
