DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - TEACHING AND LEARNING

INDEPENDENT LEARNING - TERM 3

There has been a change in the dates of the two Years 11 and 12 Independent Learning Days in Term 3.

The Independent Learning Day scheduled for Tuesday 2 August (Week 3) has been moved to coincide with the Years 7-12 Learning Conferences on Wednesday 27 July (Week 2). This Learning Conference Day has been previously published as a student free day. Students are expected at school as usual on Tuesday 2 August.

The second Independent Learning Day scheduled for Tuesday 30 August (Week 7) has been pushed back to Tuesday 6 September (Week 8). Students are expected at school as usual on Tuesday 30 August. 

ENTERPRISE AND INNOVATION WERE ON SHOW THIS WEEK IN YEARS 8 AND 9...

Year 8 students concluded their Change Makers journey this week with a Shark Tank style pitch presentation in the RNDM Theatre. The ‘Sharks’ were our loveable Assistant Deputy Principals and they challenged our budding socialpreneurs to dig deep and explain how their products or services would make a difference.

Over this semester, students have dug into the Sustainable Development Goals and selected one that their research and observation tells them has relevance in our local context.

They have also developed an understanding of social enterprises as business with a dual focus – to make profit and to give back. They worked through the design thinking process as part of identifying a user problem and designing a socially conscious, sustainable solution.

Some fantastic ideas were pitched: apps to help students get more sleep; recycling bins that offer incentives when used; devices to clean the bottom of the river; an eco-formula to create clean drinking water in flood affected regions; a service to connect unwanted, renewable tech with the homeless; and a smart desk to streamline the study experience at home and ensure that the busy student gets more sleep.

And that was just the start…

Year 9 GATE students have been working with Mrs Tanya Atherton and mentor Lainey Weiser in the Just Start IT program to design, develop and streamline their technology start-ups. Students have been challenged to work in a real-life environment and, not to just pitch a fully realised business plan, but to offer proof of its viability through market research, modelling and testing. Students had to reach out into industry and business to offer this proof. The teams selected after this Sacred Heart round will progress to the final next term – watch this space for the announcement!

Mrs Susan Carrick

Deputy Principal - Teaching and Learning