Year Eight 

Maths

The Year Eight Students have had a challenging few weeks trying to grasp the concepts in Algebra. Most students have worked well and produced pleasing results. They are able to expand, factorise, and evaluate algebraic expressions.

The focus for the rest of this term is Geometry. Students will investigate tessellations and look at geometric shapes used in tessellations. To re-enforce the concept of tessellations, students will investigate how shapes are translated, rotated and transformed to create tessellations.

This will lead students to study a new concept called “Congruency.” In Congruency, students will look at properties of congruent shapes and what makes two shapes congruent. The next step would be to prove if triangles are congruent. They will use the four rules to prove this.

Students will understand the importance of congruency when they look at the building industry by seeing how important congruent triangles are in the construction of roof trestles, wall constructions, cabinetry etc. 

Wood Technology 

Over the course of the Term, Year Eight students have been busy working their way through the various stages of the Design Cycle and creating their first designed solution the Resin Art Serving Board. Students were provided a design brief which outlined the need for the serving board, some constraints and considerations when building the serving board, and the purpose behind creating the solution. 

With this information, they then began to laminate multiple pieces of timber together to create their board. Once cured, Year Eight students were taken through the Safe Operating Procedures of the Jigsaw, identified some of the safety concerns when using the tool and used the tool to shape the board into their design shape. 

In the remaining weeks of the Term the students will apply finishing techniques to their board and apply coloured resin to their board to create an ocean inspired design. 

Spanish

This week, students have completed an assessment task based on what they have learned so far this term. Students have been learning how to give and follow simple directions using the imperative mood (giving commands) and vocabulary related to places in town.

Navigation skills are essential to real-world life and hopefully one day students will be able to use this new skill with other Spanish speakers!

We have also started incorporating a VR based speaking and listening platform called ImmerseMe into our language classes. This program includes 360° videos of native Spanish speakers in Colombia which students interact with to develop their pronunciation, listening skills, as well as practicing vocabulary and grammar.

Humanities 

Students have been delving into the influences and connections made to our modern-day existence through the inquiry into the Industrial Revolution. As part of this process, they engaged in group tasks to understand the significant developments throughout this time, analysing the impacts and experiences the revolution had on individuals, both positive and negative. Making connections to their current existence, students then chose to investigate an invention that has evolved throughout time to play an influential role in today's society. Below is Ben's interpretation of the best invention: 

Students were also challenged to demonstrate their understanding of the Industrial Revolution using the advances of todays technology. Below is an animation created by Ruby and Evelyn to depict the experiences of groups throughout the Industrial Revolution: 

From the presentations above, it is clear to see how the students were encouraged to develop their critical and creative thinking skills in order to truly understand the influences of the past.

Year Eight Camp

An eager group of Year Eight students attended their recent camp to the city of Melbourne. Students learnt how to use the tram network, saw famous buildings and landmarks, and participated in some exciting and fun new adventures. This included, Artvo, Glow Golf, ACMI, The Queen Victoria Market (the hot jam donuts were a bonus!), the MCG, Melbourne Sports Museum, Ice Skating, observed an ice hockey game, and looked at the view of Melbourne from the 88th floor of the Eureka Tower and the Edge experience. 

It was wonderful to see the smiling faces of our students at each activity, although some looked a little terrified with the Edge platform. 

The students wish to extend a big thank you to the staff that attended to make this camp a successful event for all.

Visual Communication

This time, we're thrilled to shine a spotlight on our creative Year Eight Students who have been busy honing their photography skills through studio work, experimenting with lighting techniques, and meticulously planning their projects for remarkable final outcomes. The journey of creativity is one of curiosity, experimentation, and discovery. Our Year Eight Students have been diving deep into the world of studio photography, where light becomes a painter's brush and the camera lens a storyteller's quill. Under the guidance of instruction, our students have been exploring various lighting techniques to capture mood, emotion, and narrative in their images.

Below are examples of design cycle and creative process students have created.