Year Seven-Nine
Coaching Parade Campus
Welcome Back to Term 3!
Welcome back to all of our Secondary students and families! We hope everyone had a safe, relaxing and enjoyable break and are feeling refreshed for another exciting term of learning.
Term 3 promises to be another busy and rewarding term, with a range of opportunities for students to learn, connect and challenge themselves both inside and outside the classroom.
Year 9 Respectful Relationships – Elephant Ed
As part of our Respectful Relationships curriculum, our Year 9 students will participate in workshops facilitated by Elephant Education, a leading provider of consent and respectful relationships education. These engaging sessions are designed to support students' social and emotional learning by exploring topics such as:
Understanding peer pressure and how it can influence decision-making.
Applying consent in real-life situations.
Developing effective negotiation and communication skills to build healthy, respectful relationships.
Secondary Athletics Carnival
Our Secondary Athletics Carnival will be held on Wednesday 6 August at the VU Wyndham Sporting Complex.
Students who have returned their permission forms will enjoy a fantastic day of participation, house spirit and friendly competition. We encourage all attending students to get involved, represent their house and make the most of the day's events.
Interschool Sport
This term also sees the return ofSecondary Interschool Sport, with students having the opportunity to represent Saltwater P–9 College in Table Tennis and Basketball competitions. Further information, including trial dates and selection details, will be provided to interested students in the coming weeks.
We look forward to another successful term filled with learning, growth and exciting opportunities. Thank you to our students, families and staff for your continued support in making our school community a positive place to learn and thrive.
Mobile Phone Policy
Last week, families received a communication regarding the school's existing Mobile Phone Policy and the importance of consistently following these expectations.
As a reminder, students who bring a mobile phone to school are required to have it switched off and securely stored in their school bag for the entire school day, including before school, during classes, recess, lunchtime and any school activities, unless a Principal-approved exemption is in place.
While this policy has not changed, the school will be consistently enforcing the existing expectations. If a student is seen using or displaying a mobile phone during the school day, it will be confiscated and returned at the end of the day. If a student refuses a reasonable direction from a staff member to hand over their phone, parents/carers will be contacted and asked to attend the school to support their child in meeting the school's expectations before they can return to class.
We ask all families to continue reinforcing the importance of following staff directions and respecting the school's Mobile Phone Policy. By working together, we can minimise distractions, maximise learning time and ensure every classroom remains a safe, respectful and focused environment where all students can thrive.
Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership in maintaining positive learning environments for all students.
Year 7 Mathematics
Year 7 students have made a fantastic start to the term as they begin their Algebra unit. Over the past two weeks, students have been introduced to the foundations of Algebra and are developing the skills needed to recognise patterns, represent mathematical ideas using variables, and solve a variety of problems.
Over the coming weeks, students will dive deep into understanding the topics - substitution, identifying and collecting like terms, simplifying expressions, multiplying and dividing algebraic expressions, and applying the associative, commutative, and distributive number laws. These concepts provide the building blocks for more advanced mathematics and encourage students to think logically and communicate their mathematical reasoning. Students will continue to build on these skills through problem-solving activities and real-world applications.
We encourage students to regularly practise the skills covered in class, complete their homework, and ask questions whenever they need clarification. It has been wonderful to see students engaging with new mathematical ideas, and we look forward to supporting them as they continue to develop their confidence and understanding of Algebra.
Year 8 Mathematics
Welcome back to another exciting term of Mathematics! We hope all students and families had a relaxing and enjoyable break.
Students finished Term 2 by exploring probability, developing their understanding of complementary events, single and two-step chance experiments. They also learnt how to determine all possible outcome combinations for two events using two-way tables, Venn diagrams, and tree diagrams to represent and analyse chance events. These representations helped students organise information, identify patterns, and solve increasingly complex probability problems with confidence.
This term, students have begun their Algebra unit, where they will develop a strong foundation in algebraic thinking. They will learn to create, expand, factorise, rearrange, and simplify linear expressions while exploring patterns and relationships using algebra. These skills form the foundation for many future areas of mathematics and will support students as they continue to develop their problem-solving and reasoning skills.
Year 9 Mathematics
Many of our Year 9 students have recently received their NAPLAN results. Congratulations to all those who achieved excellent results and represented our school with pride through their hard work and dedication. We are incredibly proud of their achievements and encourage all students to continue striving for their personal best.
During Term 2, our Year 9 students participated in an engaging incursion focused on responsible and informed use of technology. The session encouraged students to become more tech-savvy by developing their digital literacy skills, recognising online scams, and making safe and sensible decisions when using technology in their everyday lives.
This term, students have begun exploring linear equations and will continue building their understanding by plotting and interpreting linear graphs. They will investigate the gradient of linear graphs and examine how changes in equations affect the position and shape of the graphs.
Later in the term, students will be introduced to trigonometry, where they will learn how trigonometric ratios can be used to calculate unknown side lengths and angles in right-angled triangles. This topic provides valuable mathematical skills with many practical applications in engineering, architecture, and the sciences.
We look forward to another productive and successful term as our students continue to develop their mathematical knowledge and confidence.
Year 7 Visual Arts
As we begin a new term, I'd like to congratulate all of our students on a successful first semester in Visual Arts. Throughout each term, students enthusiastically explored a range of artistic techniques through drawing, design, and abstract art activities. They developed their observational drawing skills by carefully studying proportion, tone, and composition in still life artworks, while also experimenting with colour, shape, and line to create expressive abstract pieces. It has been wonderful to see students build their confidence, creativity, and technical skills, and I look forward to another exciting term of artistic exploration and learning.
Year 8 Visual Arts
As we begin a new term, congratulations to our Year 8 Visual Arts students on producing an outstanding collection of creative artworks during Semester 1. We also extend a warm welcome to our new Semester 2 students as they begin their Visual Arts journey.
During Semester 1, students explored a diverse range of artistic processes and techniques, developing both their creativity and technical skills. They investigated printmaking through the linocut process, designing and carving their own original character concepts before producing a series of prints. Students also explored the Australian landscape from a new perspective by creating aerial landscape artworks inspired by maps of their local area. To conclude the semester, they studied the work of contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama and created vibrant mixed-media floral sculptures that served as symbolic self-portraits, using colour, pattern, and form to express aspects of their identity.
Year 9 Visual Arts
As we begin a new term, we celebrate the creative work completed by our Year 9 Visual Arts students during Semester 1 and welcome a new group of students into the program for Semester 2.
This semester, students will create observational drawings of animal skulls, experimenting with a range of drawing media, including charcoal, to develop their understanding of texture, form, tone, and detail. They will explore printmaking through the drypoint (etching) process, learning how artists use line and mark-making to create expressive prints. Students will also investigate the bold, expressive style of Jean-Michel Basquiat, producing mixed-media portraits inspired by his use of symbolism, colour, and layered imagery. To conclude the semester, students will design and construct three-dimensional sculptures inspired by patterns and forms found in nature, exploring the relationship between structure, texture, and surface.
Throughout the semester, students will have opportunities to experiment with new materials, refine their practical skills, and develop confidence in expressing their ideas through art. I look forward to seeing the creativity and individuality they bring to each project.
