Secondary 9/10

9/10A

This term, 9/10A have been learning about different native Australian Animals. We have been learning about marsupials - kangaroos and koalas, monotremes - echidnas and platypuses, reptiles - crocodiles and green sea turtles, flying birds - cockatoos and flightless birds - little penguins. We have explored what makes each animal the type of animal they are (e.g. a kangaroo is a marsupial because it has a pouch and fur), the animals physical and behavioural characteristics and a range of habitats. For our Experience Days, we have been to places including the Woodlands Historic Park and Gresswell Forest to explore the animals habitats as well as places including Healesville Sanctuary to see some of our focus animals. The students have then applied this knowledge in writing, where they have been writing paragraphs to describe different Australian Animals.

The students have also been learning about money during maths sessions, where we have focused on the value of Australian coins and notes, ordering the coins and notes according to their value, calculating change from $50 and $100 and identifying if they have enough money to purchase an item using $20.

9/10B

Term 3 has seen 9/10B complete the 'Sounds Write' program each morning as part of their Reading sessions. Learners have targeted a range of letter sounds and increasingly complex word structures. This has been challenging but also rewarding for 9/10B learners. In Discovery and Writing, we have been learning and writing about different native Australian Animals. We have been learning about marsupials - kangaroos and koalas, monotremes - echidnas and platypuses, reptiles - crocodiles and green sea turtles, flying birds - cockatoos and flightless birds - little penguins.

We have explored the defining features of each type of animal (e.g. an emu is flightless bird because it cannot fly), the animals physical and behavioural characteristics and a range of habitats. For our Experience Days, we have been to places including the Woodlands Historic Park and Gresswell Forest to explore the animals habitats as well as places including Healesville Sanctuary to see some of our focus animals. We also had some fantastic incursions such as Reptile Encounters, where a range of reptiles were brought into our classroom. Argh!

The students have also been learning about money during maths sessions, where we have focused on the value of Australian coins and notes, ordering the coins and notes according to their value, and identifying if they have enough money to purchase an item up to a cost of $100.

9/10 C

We have had another excellent term full of learning!

The highlight has been within our Money unit in Maths. A central part of this has been our 'Earn and Learn' Program, bringing all our learning together with a student led Market Day where they made/designed an item or experience to sell and completed a cost analysis at the end. In Reading, the students have really enjoyed the novel studying the book ‘The Wild Robot’ In Writing, they really enjoyed finalising their narratives and making their movies.

Here are some of the student's comments

I really liked making the lolly bags to sell at Market Day and shopping for the ingredients.

Trey

The Wild Robot ended up being good to listen to and use my Writers Notebook to sketch the main parts of the story.

Kira

I enjoyed the preparation for the Market Day, organising the costs of the items and preparing for my hair designs to make a profit.

Sarina

I liked learning about Extreme Environments and how plants, animals and people make changes to manage this.

Owen

9/10D

We hope this newsletter finds you well! As we near the end of Term 3, we want to take a moment to celebrate the fantastic programs and activities that have kept our class buzzing with excitement and learning. Here's a snapshot of what we've been up to:

Our class has been hard at work preparing for the end of term Market Day. We've put our creativity and teamwork to the test by organising a Fairy Floss stall.

The 'Earn and Learn' program has been a hit in our class. Our students have been getting a taste of real-world responsibility by earning rewards, bonuses, and even facing fines. This hands-on experience has helped them understand the importance of budgeting and financial management.

Our creative juices have been flowing freely as we've delved into the Imagine 'Create Belong' program. Students have come together to invent fun and engaging characters, settings, and stories. This imaginative journey has not only sparked their creativity but has also enhanced their social understanding by allowing them to respond to and navigate various social situations.

Staying active and healthy is a priority in our class. We've been participating in the 'Fit for Life' programs, exploring a wide range of activities like bowling, boxing, gym sessions, interschool sports, 'walk and talk' sessions, and outdoor games. It's been a blast watching our students embrace physical fitness with enthusiasm.

We had the honour of running our own assembly this term and it was a memorable experience for both students and staff. As part of the assembly, we hosted an epic handball competition, pitting staff against students. It was a friendly yet spirited competition that brought our class even closer together.

As we wrap up Term 3, we couldn't be prouder of the progress our students have made and the wonderful community we've built in our class. We want to thank all the parents for their support and encouragement throughout this term. Your involvement is invaluable in our students' growth and success.

9/10E

Secondary 9/10E have had a term where coping with change has been a key skill students have been working on. With Mike teaching the class for the first half of the term while I was away on family leave, students learnt to adjust and problem solve when working with different people. Since my return, we have been learning about money in Maths, including completing an 'Earn and Learn' program. We have also continued to study the book ‘The Wild Robot’ in reading. In Writing, students have created a narrative and are in the process of filming a short film about their stories.

Riley

In Maths we’ve been doing an' Earn and Learn' program. I have enjoyed trying my best to earn as much money as possible for different tasks such as being on time to class, assisting others and being in my school uniform. I am looking forward to spending all of my money at the upcoming 9/10 Market Day. I will be working the cash register for the BBQ stall we are running.

KLD

In Writing, we’ve been writing stories that we will then go on to film. We have used different settings to create atmosphere that helps tell our stories. We have been working in small groups and have created interesting characters that interact with each other. We have recently been experimenting with a stop motion app to film our stories ready to present to the rest of the 9/10 section. I am looking forward to seeing what other classes have done too.

Dakoda

9/10F

Secondary 9/10F have enjoyed a very productive term!

In Numeracy, we started looking at patterns through numbers and shapes, by further developing our skip counting skills. We’ve also been learning about money in Maths, counting amounts of money, calculating change and have extended it through the 'Earn and Learn' program, leading into the 9/10 Market Day where the students sold and bought goods. In Literacy, we have been studying the book ‘The Wild Robot’ in reading and further developing our comprehension and syntax abilities. In Writing, the students have done a great job in unpacking the structure of narratives in order to write a compelling storyline. Students have also been developing clay characters, settings and scripts in order to complete our own claymation films.

Well done 9/10F and I’m looking forward to camp and a great end to 2023 together.

9/10G

Secondary 9/10G have enjoyed learning about money in our 'Earn and Learn' program. It was a shock to budget, balancing our Concord Bucks income with expenses. We have explored ‘needs’ versus ‘wants’ in spending to see if it really is worth buying lollies or extra treats, as we try to save for market day.

9/10G will hold a cinema event for our ‘stall’, selling popcorn too. We collated information from different classes to establish which movie was the best to screen.

In 'Imagine Create Belong' we have started writing our scripts for our movies, based on the clay models we made. We added extra details to make our characters interesting, created problems in our stories and explored a number of different solutions to see what would make for the best ending to our movies.

9/10H

Secondary 9/10H have had a big Term 3. We’ve been learning about money in Maths, including an 'Earn and Learn' program, studying the book ‘The Wild Robot’ in reading and completing our own films in Writing. As always, I’ll let the students tell you a little more about it.

Elise

In Writing, we’ve been making movies. We used our backgrounds of New York and food shops. We had to make these so that they wouldn’t be annoying and fall down. We had a bit of a practice before we started filming and we said "Action"! when we started recording. We’ve been saying our lines and we’re nearly at the end. I’ve felt excited making our own movie.

Matty

I’ve enjoyed 'Earn and Learn' and saving up the cash. I’ve learnt you need to pay your rent and bills and not to spend your money on everything you see like the lolly jar. Our class has done an Arcade for the Market Day. In our arcade we have drinks, Wii games and a Pie the Teacher. I can’t wait for that!

Michael A

I’ve enjoyed the Friday tournaments. We did table tennis, basketball and Gaga. It was challenging and was good to get together as a 9/10 group. They’ve been really fun and I’m excited for the next one.