Junior School
Welcome to the 2020 school year.
This is a new start for our Year 7 students, a number of students in Year 8 and 9 and all of our Junior School leaders. For those who have been with us for a while, it is a chance to continue to grow or to make a fresh start.
I have been at the school since 2010 but this is my first year as Head of the Junior School. I’m an English teacher and Humanities teacher and managed the Year 10 group last year. With twenty years in the teaching profession, I’m committed to making the Junior School a positive learning environment for students, teachers and families.
In taking on this role, I am keen to continue many of the excellent programmes and initiatives introduced by Miss Jackson. We want to reward positive behaviours and encourage student voice. My main aim is to ensure that your child can learn in a safe environment. Your child will be taught at their point of need so that they can develop their skills and reach their goals. We also have a number of strategies in place to ensure that everyone feels like they belong at Healesville High School.
We have a range of important learning and assessment tasks throughout the year. These will help your child build their skills and develop confidence. Students will write, draw, calculate, read, build, explore, practice, question and more. There will also be regular homework tasks that connect with the learning being done in the classroom. You can see the classroom and homework tasks on Compass and can read teacher assessments once the Common Assessment Tasks (CATs) are completed.
As well as classroom learning, students will participate in a range of engaging curricular and extra-curricular tasks. Through excursions, sports, music, field work, camps, public speakers and team building activities, students will learn important information and continue their personal development.
We hope that all students have a positive experience at school but recognise that – sometimes - things can be difficult. If at any time you have a concern about your child’s learning or safety, please contact the classroom teacher. They are happy to modify or differentiate the work if your child is finding it too hard or too easy. T
If you feel like more help is needed, please contact:
Mr Tyson Biffin at Year 7
biffin.tyson.w@edumail.vic.gov.au
Mr Shane Coady at Year 8
coady.shane.c@edumail.vic.gov.au
Mr Mahendra Mehra at Year 9
mehra.mahendra.k@edumail.vic.gov.au
These people are the Year Level Managers and they are keen to respond to any challenges.
If you still need more help, feel free to contact me.
I wanted to add that I am especially pleased with the way that students have responded to the state-wide change to the mobile phone policy. On the whole, the response has been mature and exemplary. I have also been pleased with the approach to uniform. Again students and families have worked with the school to support the changes.
All the best to students in Year 7, 8 and 9. I hope you get the most out of 2020.
Scott Fisher
Head of Junior School
fisher.scott.a@edumail.vic.gov.au
Year 7 Science
Without being too biased, Science is the best subject available at high school. You get to investigate how and why the world works the way it does and then understand how the atoms of the Periodic Table interact with each other to produce everything you can see, hear, smell and touch.
To begin their Science journey, Year 7 students must understand how to work scientifically and so this is our first learning outcome.
Students are introduced to some of the equipment we use and how we use it. They learn how to behave and interact in the laboratory and what risks they need to be aware of. Once this has all been clarified and they have shown that they can work safely with the lab partner, they are taught about our Bunsen Burners.
Students must demonstrate that they can follow the correct procedure to safely light their Bunsen Burner and carry out some basic investigations.
There were plenty of excited noises and a few gasps of astonishment as one by one they were given the opportunity to showcase their new-found skills.
Happily, all passed with flying colours and as of this week, will be the proud owners of an official Healesville High School Bunsen Burner Licence!!!!!!!!!!
An extremely exciting first step in what will undoubtedly be many years of amazing science exploration.
A massive thank you to our brilliant lab tech Kerry, without whom, none of this would be possible.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Aemelia, Maddy, Isabelle and Ru. They're about to head to Barcelona to participate in an international Futsal clinic. We wish them well!
Collingwood Football Clinic
This week all of the Year 7 students and 8A gathered on the oval to participate in a football clinic provided by the Collingwood Football Club.
We were fortunate to have Taylor Adams and Levi Greenwood come and visit, supported by three game day officers’ from the Outer Eastern AFL.
The players joined in a game of Octopus before umpiring a couple of mini games.
After this, all students were given the opportunity to ask a few questions and get photos of themselves with the players.
Some students even brought along some memorabilia for the players to sign.
Thanks to all the staff who enabled this to happen, it was a very enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.
I still can’t wipe the smile from my face.
Kerry Davies
AFL Ambassador in Schools
Year 8 Ceramics
The Year 8 ceramic artists have made a wonderful start to 2020. Our ceramic artists have been focussing on exploring basic hand building techniques and developing their ability to shape, join and decorate clay. I am incredibly impressed with how well they have worked together and the level of enthusiasm from everybody in this class so far. I have no doubt that some great ceramic work will be achieved across the semester and look forward to working with all my young artists to get there!