Religious Education
In Religious Education we have experienced another fabulous term of learning and personal growth. Our classrooms have been havens of interesting dialogue, exploration and engagement; where students and teachers work together to achieve great knowledge and understanding.
Year 7 Religious Education
Year 7 ConnecTED - RE have been immersed in the ‘Life, times and the person of Jesus’. Students completed their assessment task on a chosen marginalized group in Australian society and considered ways in which they, like Jesus, could promote inclusion and acceptance. We were thrilled with their approach and some of our student work was selected to be included in the Australian Catholics ‘Young Voices’ Competition. Students became experiential learners discovering much about life at the time of Jesus, engaging in workshops; designing clothing from Jesus's era, playing games, writing a skills based resume, developing a biblical recipe and even selling Jesus’ house! We were delighted to welcome Ms Emma Shearer, our new College Counsellor into our space to discuss strategies for adolescents to manage and resolve personal conflict.
Last week, each of our Religious Education classes conducted a classroom prayer liturgy and undertook valuable learning, in acknowledgement of Reconciliation Week. Thank you to Mrs Streckfuss, Mr Jolley and Ms Rooke for sharing your expertise and wisdom. Through greater understanding and education we will work to build an authentic culture of reconciliation and respect.
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Year 8 Religious Education
Year 8have been contemplating the ways in which people make God real for themselves, within their Unit ‘Images of God’. Experiencing God moments in the everyday has highlighted the need for personal reflection and prayer to further develop this relationship. Tapping into popular culture and trends, students prepared a ‘tik tok’ style prayer, demonstrating their understanding of the attributes of God and completed a faux Instagram post, taking a photograph and captioning it to reflect how they see God in nature.
Year 9 Religious Education
Year 9 have recently completed their ‘Image of Jesus’ Unit. Famous images of Jesus from Art and History were explored to encourage the development of a framework of reference. In their assessment, students were encouraged to contemplate a characteristic of Jesus from Scripture and bring this to life, portraying a contemporary image of Jesus. Their creations were as varied and unique as our students themselves and just a few are highlighted above as our Newsletter banner. Congratulations to our Year 9’s for producing such wonderful work this term.
Year 10 Religious Education
Year 10 have spent much of this term inquiring into the history and contributions of ‘Mary and the Saints’. In the classroom, we focused our attention on Mary, the Mother of God and in turn, students explored their chosen Saint for their assessment task. During the month of May, students learnt about traditional and contemporary forms of Marian devotion and prayers. Our unit culminated with each class preparing and leading their own Marian themed liturgy, on site in the Marian Centre.
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Many assessment tasks across Years 7 - 10 have been completed over recent weeks. Most of these tasks have now been returned to students via CANVAS. As valued partners in your child/ren’s learning I encourage you to take the opportunity to review their progress over the term and discuss their results. At Mater Dei we celebrate learning growth in all its forms and encourage you to highlight and acknowledge something positive about your child/ren’s work this term. We are sure that they will enjoy telling you all about it!
Studies of Religion students have completed their Preliminary Course and recently commenced their HSC course of study. Students are currently learning about the changing nature of the religious landscape in Australia; citing Census data as evidence of change and considering reasons for the emergence of our multi-faith, multicultural nation. Soon they will complete their first HSC Assessment Task on Contemporary Aboriginal Spirituality and Ecumenical and Interfaith Dialogue events and their positive contribution to our way of life.
Year 11 and 12 Religious Education
Studies in Catholic Thought Year 11 students are exploring the emerging understanding of the nature of the Trinitarian God and the nature of Jesus, as being both human and divine. Students have had the opportunity to develop this understanding conceptually through the creation of an artwork which reflects the symbolism of the Trinity. We are looking forward to seeing their ideas take shape in their finished products.
Studies in Catholic Thought Year 12 students are learning about all aspects of Christian living in the ‘Common Good’; developing an understanding of the ethical formation and moral development that is necessary to navigate life today among the society and environment of a secular world. Students have the opportunity to select and research one influential Christian who promotes The Common Good and using this knowledge, create a story book for a primary school student.
Mrs Amelia Bright | Leader of Religious Education