Year 8 News

Hello everyone, welcome back to Term 3.

I hope everyone enjoyed the break and are ready to get into another term. I have had the chance to catch up with a lot of our students and they have shared many highlights from their holidays, which is always awesome to hear.

As we begin not just a new term but also a new Semester our Year 8’s have started their new classes and have been getting straight into the new content. The first round of LBU’s will be released shortly and I can’t wait to celebrate with our students their ongoing efforts with the LBU awards.

Term 3 focus – Starting the day right

The beginning of a new term is always a time to reset, refocus and reinvigorate our learning. Learning goes beyond just the facts and figures we might learn in the classroom. It involves the ongoing refinement of transferable skills and the continued growth of our students as individuals. Our focus for this term is helping our students to start each day with the proper conditions for learning. This can be as simple as getting up in the morning and getting dressed in full uniform, enjoying a healthy breakfast and coming to class on time with the correct equipment. These pre-conditions for learning help our students to start the day right and engage fully in their learning program.

Uniform

The winter weather is well and truly here, and the mornings have been very icy. We have made changes to our uniform to help students stay warm while still representing the college with the correct uniform. Some things to keep in mind:

Students are allowed to wear a long sleeve shirt under their uniform, these must be plain white, navy blue or black with no hoods. Through consultation with families within the college we have added the black option to our previously accepted white and navy blue.
Students are allowed to wear beanies to school, however inside the classroom they must be removed. This also applies to hats and hoods.
We have NAIDOC jumpers, which can be worn during Term 2 and Term 3, but they must be worn on top of the uniform shirt. We will also be releasing a new college shirt with an indigenous design. This will be available for all of our students to wear once it is released.
Jumpers worn under school shirts must be the Kurnai jumper. Students who wear alternative jumpers will be required to change into the Kurnai jumper once at school.
Pants are to be navy blue. If students are in alternative pants they will be required to change these once at school.

We are constantly looking for ways to enhance our school uniform and welcome ideas from our families. We also have a number of options to support our students to have the required uniform and can help if there is an issue with uniform on a particular day.

Equipment for class

Students having the correct equipment for class allows them to access their learning program to the fullest. Being prepared for class also helps our students develop their organisational skills. Some key pieces of equipment each student will need include:

Pens/pencils to write with
An exercise book for all core classes (at least 5)
A laptop, fully charged (or bring the charger to class)

In Year 8 we have seen an increase in the number of students who are not bringing a working laptop to class. Devices are becoming a more integral part of the students learning program and are required for most classes. One strategy we give to students is to put their laptops on charge as soon as they get home each night, and not leaving it until later when they might forget. Having their laptops in a visible space so they remember to grab it each morning can also help. Small habits such as these can help our students improve their organisational skills and become more independent as a learner.

Breakfast Club

Every Tuesday morning our school breakfast club offers our students a variety of nutritious options to start their day. The breakfast club can be found in the language centre. Having a healthy breakfast helps our students to have a positive start to the day and give them the energy to get through their morning classes. It is also a great opportunity for our students to build positive connections with staff and other students. All students are welcome.

Brainstorm Production

On Tuesday the 30th of July our students had the opportunity to see a live performance from the Brainstorm Production Company. Each year the production company attends our school and puts on a show about various issues impacting young people. This year there was a focus on breaking down stereotypes and dealing with anger, stress and worries. After the performance the actors spoke with the group about the show, reinforcing the key messages and detailing where people can go to seek support.

These productions are grounded in real life scenarios and look to unpack sensitive issues, which we have found to be impactful for our students learning and personal growth. Given the nature of what is explored throughout the performance it is not uncommon for students to want to discuss the topics further. If your child has expressed that they would like to discuss anything that the performance explored, we encourage them to do so and speak to one of our staff here at school to keep the conversation going.

If you would like to know more about the Brainstorm Production company, their website provides a lot of information about the program they offer: https://www.brainstormproductions.edu.au/

Concerns or queries

If you have any concerns or queries about any of the items mentioned above, Year 8 student matters, or just general inquiries, please do not hesitate to give the year 8 team a call on 51323700 or email Matthew Suter.

Matthew.Suter@education.vic.gov.au

Matt Suter

Year 8 Team Leader