Term 3 Parent-Teacher-Student Learning Conferences

Our Term 3 Parent-Teacher-Student Learning Conferences will be held on Tuesday 21st August between 12 p.m. and 7 p.m. on the Helen Fraser Campus of the College. There will be no classes in the morning. However, your child is expected to attend the Conference with you. Teachers will be having a short break between 2 - 2.20 p.m. and a dinner break between 4.25 - 5.15 p.m. and you will not be able to make a booking during these times.

MAKING A BOOKING ON COMPASS

BOOKINGS OPEN: Tuesday 14th August at 9 a.m.

BOOKINGS CLOSE: Monday 20th August at midnight

You can make a booking using Compass – go to the Community icon (the two people) and select Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences. Students cannot book interviews using their accounts.

During the next few weeks you will be emailed a list of our teachers and the rooms they will be in on the day. There is also a handout which explains how to make a booking on Compass, a list of where teachers are located and a map of the Main Campus.

Please be mindful that each Learning Conference goes for 10 minutes only. If you would like to arrange a more in-depth discussion with a particular teacher, then please make another appointment with that teacher.

We look forward to seeing you at this event and discussing your child’s progress, learning and goals. Please contact me at the College on 4243 0500 or at toussaint.damien.a@edumail.vic.gov if you have any questions.

Pathways Expo and STEAM Maker Programs

While our Year 9 and 10 students were thinking about their future subject and pathway options at our annual ‘Subject and Pathways Expo’, our Year 7 and 8 students were at their creative and collaborative best on Tuesday 17th July. Angel Patri, an Italian teacher and educator, once said in 1917 that ‘Playrooms and games, animals and plants, wood and nails must take their place side-by-side with books and words.’

This was our fourth annual ‘Invent to Learn’ day, underpinned by two important ideas – ‘hard fun’ and collaboration. This year, we have further refined our STEAM focus (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) and this was weaved into each challenge. Our Year 7 students had a whole day to create an educational board game for children and many students incorporated the use of LED lights and electrical circuits to have a functional buzzer (or parts that buzzed) as part of their game. Our Year 8 students had a different focus – thinking deeply about homelessness and creating ‘Winter Homelessness Kits’ as well as creating a shelter and bedding out of cardboard. The photos tell the story!

Year 7 Invention Challenge

First you’ll need to come up with an idea for your team’s game. Here are some questions to consider:

What age is your target audience?
What will be the ‘educational’ focus of your game?
What’s the goal of the game? (How do you win?)
How will your game be challenging?
Are there characters? Who are they?
Where is the game set (the future, outer space, a fantasy world)?
How will your game be different from other games?
What are the rules? How many people can play?
What will your team need to be successful? What are the success criteria for this task?

______________________________________________________________________________________

PARTS, PURPOSES AND COMPLEXITIES

Think about games you like to play. Are there ideas from those games that you could incorporate into yours?
Think about educational games that you know of - are there ideas from those games that you could incorporate into yours?
How about a game you don’t like? How could you improve it?

______________________________________________________________________________________

Now that your group has an idea of what your game will be, sketch out some ideas. How will it look?
Think about the playing board and any other pieces you may want to include, like a spinner, dice, a buzzer, flashing lights, playing pieces, cards or flashing lights. The sketching phase of invention is a good opportunity to try out lots of different ideas.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Now you’re ready to create your game!

Gather all of the supplies and resources you think you will need.
You could use a large piece of cardboard for the playing board. Using pencil first, draw out the board design. Once you have it the way your team decides, bring the board to life.
Create any pieces you will need to play your game – make your own.
Write out the rules for your game and create set of instructions/cards/booklet. Whether they play to reach the last space on the board, trap all of the other players, or win a certain amount of points, the goal of the players is what keeps them either in competition against or in cooperation with each other.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Once the game is made, it’s time to try it out! Play the game with your team and test it out.
Use this as a chance to test out your rules and to explain how the game works for your target audience.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Not all inventions – even games – come out right the first time. After you play one round, consider ways of improving your game and making it even more:

Interesting
Challenging
Fun
Educational

______________________________________________________________________________________

Now it’s time to name your game and consider how you are going to sell your game to the interested Toy Company.

What slogan or catch phrase could help sell your game and enhance its appeal?
In no more than 50 words, how would you describe and sell your game?
What three words best capture the ‘essence’ of your game?
What would your target audience say about your game?
Think about and discuss advertisements you’ve seen on TV – what makes them persuasive and appealing?
- http://thefw.com/classic-board-game-commercials/
Your ‘sell’ could be multimedia and include sound/music, text and images.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Links:

Squishy circuits: http://courseweb.stthomas.edu/apthomas/SquishyCircuits/
Board game inventing: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Your-Own-Board-Game

Year Level Curriculum Handbooks

Year 7 Curriculum Handbook

To assist our students with the Pathways and Subject Selection Process, we have created a Curriculum Handbook for each year level. These provide important information for our students (and their parents/carers) about our core and elective subjects and possible pathways. These Curriculum Handbooks are downloadable as pdf files from our College’s website.

https://www.mfgsc.vic.edu.au/our-learning/

Breadth Stage (Years 7-8)

Our girls are exposed to a broad range of subjects in Years 7 and 8 to open their minds to a range of ideas, topics and possibilities.

Year 7 Curriculum Handbook

Year 8 Curriculum Handbook

Mr Damien Toussaint, Assistant Principal (Learning and Teaching)

Tuning into Kids

Tuning in to Kids