Around the College

Literacy News

Mid-year exams are currently happening for Senior School students and for many, the greatest challenge may not have been the content studied but the ability to write under time limits.  For some students this may be due to simple time management during the exam while for others it may stem from an inability to write for an extended period of time.  However, the good news is that one of the best ways for a student to improve their writing is to simply write more!  One useful way to practice writing is called freewriting, which some students may already be familiar with.

Freewriting, put simply, is a process where students write on a topic for a set period of time.  Usually to freewrite is to write without ceasing, neither stopping to erase or correct, the main thing is to focus on writing whatever comes to mind for as long as prescribed.  It is an excellent exercise for a writing journal, a brainstorm technique or a warm-up activity.  Prompts may be selected by the student, but extensive prompts exist on-line in addition to those which can be provided by teachers.  It can be beneficial for any subject for which there is extended writing involved.

Freewriting reduces stress for students about the entire writing process and removes the mental block that stops many students from beginning the writing process (and therefore wastes valuable time) during an exam or other formally timed assessment.

While it is never too late to start freewriting, it is also never too early and if this is something that you feel may be beneficial, a dedicated writing journal might be a great place to get started.

Michael Kelty

Literacy Coordinator

Year 8 - Have Sum Fun Online (HSFO) Maths Competition by MAWA

In term 2, four students - Ben Matthews, Cherishma Teddu, Clea McKeown and Sam Chau from 8C participated in Have Sum Fun Online (HSFO) maths competition.  HSFO is an online maths competition organised by the Maths Association of WA (MAWA). This was the first time Glen Eira College students experienced this style of multi-round competition spread over three weeks.

I would like to acknowledge their hard work and team effort they put in for this competition. This group scored 20.8 points out of 30 with a difference of 8.8 points from the winning team. They also gained a good understanding of the structure and demands of this style of competition.

As per the feedback received from the students, all of these students enjoyed this competition and wish to participate next time as well, with more preparation. All of these students will receive a certificate of participation from HFSO. I would like to congratulate this group for participating in this competition and for their time, effort and hard work.  

Best of luck 8C group for next time!!!

Parminder Kaur

Year 8C Maths Teacher