Year Nine

Food Technology

I'm excited to share the culinary journey our Year Nine Food Technology students have been on this term. It's been an exhilarating exploration of flavours from around the world, coupled with engaging hands-on cooking projects.

First off, our students dived into the world of international cuisines for their assessment task. Using the Design Process and responding to a Design Brief they've been busy researching dishes from around the globe and coming up with their own recipes to cook. From spicy Indian curries to comforting Italian pasta, they've been discovering what makes each cuisine unique.

But it's not all been about studying.  We've had some fun in the kitchen too. We kicked things off with a baking session, whipping up some mouth-watering double chocolate chip cookies. We then took a trip to Asia by cooking up some delicious Singapore Noodles. The kitchen was alive with sizzling pans and tantalising aromas!

This week we explored Italian Cuisine by cooking up a delicious and nutritious Risotto. 

Now, our students are gearing up for the grand finale: cooking their chosen international dishes for their assessment task. I can't wait to see what they come up with. It's been a joy to see their passion for cooking grow throughout the term and I'm confident they'll impress us all with their culinary creations.

Science

Over the past two weeks, Year 9 students have been exploring the structure and function of the brain, delving into the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems. They ha focused on neural pathways and the role of neurons in transmitting messages throughout the human body.

Last week, Year 9 students participated in a sheep brain dissection, where they successfully identified key structures such as the cerebellum, pineal body, and spinal cord.

The Aces group conducted sensory deprivation experiments using their classmates as participants. They analyzed the results and presented their findings to the class.

In the coming weeks, the students will study the Endocrine System, with a particular focus on the hormones produced by various glands and their functions.

Spanish

Our Year 9 Spanish students have been hard at work and are excited to announce the completion of their first unit of the year, "Súper Siete"! This unit focused on mastering seven high-frequency Spanish verbs: ser, tener, estar, ir, querer, gustarse, and hay. These verbs are foundational to building strong language skills, and our students have shown remarkable progress in using them confidently.

This week, students will showcase their newfound knowledge in a summative assessment. We are eager to see how much they have learned and celebrate their achievements!

In addition to their verb studies, our students dove into the vibrant history and celebration of Cinco de Mayo. They explored the significance of this holiday and how it is celebrated both in Mexico and around the world. It was a fantastic opportunity for them to connect language learning with cultural understanding.

We are incredibly proud of our Year 9s for their dedication and enthusiasm. ¡Buen trabajo, estudiantes! Keep up the great work as we move forward in our Spanish adventure!

English

In Year Nine English students are working towards completing a unit on Film the focus is on aspects of cinematography. Film studiesprovides students with a rich learning experience through a variety of cultural, social and historic lenses. 

Students are beginning to view excerpts from several popular films including lion and Sapphires. With the aim to evaluate the effectiveness of the director’s cinematography. We are learning the various features that is unique to film. The focus is on 5 elements of cinematography;

Camera,  angles/shot/scenes, Acting, Mise-en-scene, lighting and Music.