Middle School

Lights, Camera, Green Screen!

Year 9 and 10 Multimedia students are currently learning about Adobe Premiere as part of their video editing topic.  Students have recently started a group project where they are creating a video on a topic of their choice, explaining how to do something.

Before starting their projects, students practised using the green screen in class and explored how this technique can be used to create fun, creative and entertaining video effects.  As an additional challenge with the opportunity to further extend their skills and aim for bonus marks, students were then given the option to include green screen effects in their own project videos, alongside the standard video editing requirements.  

It has been fantastic to see many groups take on this challenge with enthusiasm.  Students have shown great creativity, confidence and energy in front of the green screen, while also applying their Adobe Premiere editing skills to bring their ideas to life.

I am very proud of the effort, teamwork and creativity students have shown so far.  This has been a wonderful start to their Adobe Premiere projects, and I cannot wait to see their final videos!

Ms Betty Lin

Technology (IT) Learning Leader

Synergy

Over the past few weeks, our Year 9 students have been exploring our "Melbourne and Me" unit in Synergy.   As part of this unit, they visited the Parliament of Victoria, where they toured the historic building and learnt about the functions of state government.  In class, they have examined the many ways individuals can participate in civic life.  They considered their rights and responsibilities as citizens, and the ways they can create positive social change in their local communities through advocacy and activism. 

Students put this into practice by making a submission for this year’s Parliament Prize. The Year 9s were encouraged to select an issue that is important to them and craft a Member Statement video message outlining the change they would like to see in their community. 

Students will be able to apply this understanding of how change occurs in our community as part of their Capstone Project.  As part of the project, students have been asked to become social entrepreneurs by identifying an issue affecting people in Melbourne and designing a social enterprise to address it.  At the end of the semester, students will pitch their social enterprises to parents and set up a business stall. 

To begin the unit, students sought inspiration from local social enterprises including HoMie, Into Carry and Sisterworks.  They were also fortunate to hear from Sabina Carutolo, a businesswoman and changemaker.  Sabina encouraged students to draw on their individual strengths to create meaningful social change.  She shared her experiences of driving systemic change and offered valuable advice on how to build a successful social enterprise. 

The students have approached the first stages of the design thinking process with enthusiasm.  We look forward to seeing their ideas evolve over the coming weeks!

Ms Sherine Baydoun

Synergy Learning Leader

Exploring Motion

Our Year 10 Science students recently took part in a hands-on motion investigation exploring how ramp height affects the speed of a moving object.  Using toy cars and adjustable ramps, students worked scientifically to design and carry out a fair test while developing their understanding of motion and forces.

Throughout the investigation, students altered the height of the ramps and measured the time it took for the cars to travel a set distance.  Using this data, they calculated the average speed of the cars and identified patterns in their results.  Students were encouraged to think carefully about controlled variables to ensure the investigation remained fair and reliable.  For example, the same toy car was used for each trial, along with the same ramp surface and travel distance.

After collecting their data, students constructed motion graphs to visually represent their findings and then analysed the relationship between ramp height and average speed.  This allowed students to develop important scientific skills including data collection, graphing, analysis and evaluation, while also applying mathematical concepts in a real-world context.

It was fantastic to see students actively engaged in the practical investigation process, working collaboratively and thinking critically about the factors that influence motion.

Dr Bryce Dermody

Teacher