Faculty News

Mathematics

These motivated Year 10 students attended a two day Financial Literacy course held at school - run by the Smith Family. These students were awarded with a Certificate 1 in Financial Services for all of their hard work. This would make a great contribution to their financial skills in the future.

English

Year 7

Year 7 have studied some really fun units in Fiction and Non-Fiction this semester! In Term 3 we looked at a unit called 'Out of Africa' where students learned all about the value of storytelling, particularly focusing on the African culture. The most enjoyable part of the term was the assessment task where students were required to create their own picture book on ‘Survival’. In Term 4 we studied 'Money Matters', a thought provoking unit that required students to think deeply about the value placed on money and whether it leads to happiness. It was incredible to see the students' maturity come through in this unit as they completed collaborative activities and independent writing tasks to express their opinions. Their efforts were reflected in the Yearly Examination that required students to write a discursive piece on the topic. Students enjoyed and learned a lot from these units this semester.

Year 8

This semester was eye opening for Year 8 English students as we studied two units very applicable to daily life. Students conducted a novel study on 'Wonder' by R.J. Palacio in Term 3 and extended their analysis by comparing the novel to the film, which they really enjoyed. The focus of the assessment was all about the significance of kindness and acceptance towards oneself and others. In Term 4 we studied an array of poetic texts with a focus on the environment. We really aimed to raise awareness for students on the destruction of the environment and the actions we can take as individuals to minimise it, all through the power of language. The discursive piece they were required to write in the Yearly Examination truly reflected their passion and vision for future generations.​

Year 9

It has been a busy semester for Year 9, filled with engaging activities and lots of learning. In Term 3, we delved into the world of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Sometimes bloody and morally ambiguous but always interesting, Macbeth had the students engaging in debates, acting key scenes and developing their writing skills. The assessment for the unit required students to argue their perspective on reasons for Macbeth’s change in character through an extended essay response.

In Term 4, Year 9 completed a short film unit, focusing on a variety of topical issues such as the environment and technology. Students practised identifying a variety of visual and language techniques and explaining the effect on meaning. Students enjoyed writing discursive texts this term, taking the opportunity to communicate their opinions and perspectives on current issues. They developed their ability to engage the reader in their writing, employing a range of language techniques to do so. In the last few weeks of term, students worked to create magazines and blogs on topics of their choice.

Year 10

In Term 3, Year 10 did a comparative study of The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare and the film 10 Things I Hate About You directed by Gil Junger. They focused on attitudes towards gender and gender roles and how these have transformed over the centuries as represented in the two texts. Students were enabled to think critically about attitudes towards gender and current realities in terms of opportunities, expectations and attitudes towards gender that exist within contemporary societies around the world. For their formal assessment task, students wrote an essay examining the intertextuality between the two texts around ideas related to gender.

In Term 4, Year 10 studied a unit focusing on the concept of Consumerism. Students examined varied ways in which this concept manifests in everyday life, gaining a deeper understanding of the complexity of the concept and how it impacts on the individual. Students studied a variety of types of text, including print and visual texts, examining the variety of perspectives represented in each text. It was a great way to gain a deeper appreciation of varied perspectives and excellent revision of the ways in which language, visual and film techniques can be used to represent ideas. The writing focus for this unit was discursive writing. Students had multiple opportunities to build their ability to use discursive writing techniques and to practise expressing their opinions and viewpoints around the concept of consumerism. These skills were assessed formally in their Yearly Examination in both the unseen short answer section and their extended discursive response.

Year 12

In Term 4, our new Year 12 Standard and Advanced English students studied their Common Module: Texts and Human Experiences. This module focuses on exploring the complexity of what it means to be human and the impact that life experiences have on our understanding of who we are and the development of a range of traits and character qualities. Students examine a range of short texts to deepen their understanding of the ideas in the module as well as engaging in an in-depth study of a prescribed text. Standard English students studied the film Billy Elliot directed by Stephen Daldry and Advanced English students studied The Crucible by Arthur Miller. The formal assessment task for this module was a multimodal task in which students composed a speech and a PowerPoint presentation analysing a chosen idea from their prescribed text and a related text of their own choice. The comparative analysis of the idea in both texts provided an opportunity for students to explore the complexity of this idea in human experience.