Middle Years
Year 7 Final Day - What a Blast!
The Year 7 students were treated to a Carnival for their final day of Year 7. Bouncy castles, a jukebox, games and activities were all provided for the Year 7s, and when they needed refreshment – popcorn, fairy floss, hotdogs and slushies were super popular. After a year which has produced many trials and tribulations, it was fantastic to go out with an awesome day of fun and frivolity.
The fact that we were able to bring this day together in a COVID safe manner was definitely worth celebrating. We are super proud of the effort of all Year 7 students this year and wish them all the best as they move into Year 8. A special thanks to all staff who helped out on the day.
Rod Dissel
Year 7 Year Level Leader
Personal Organisation and the School Diary
Independence is an important capability in Endeavour College’s Vision for Learners. We want our students to be increasingly independent as they grow and develop through their high school years.
One of the key characteristics of independent people is a strong level of personal responsibility. Students who are learning how to be personally responsible for their own learning often need, as adults do, tools to help them. For many years, the school diary has been one of those tools.
Today, we all have a variety of personal organisational tools available to us, and a paper diary is just one of them. Other tools our students have access to include electronic diaries, online calendars, digital planners, checklists and flow charts, to-do lists and e-diary apps.
These digital and paper-based organisation tools allow students to record homework and assessment due dates, manage their study time and projects, and track their progress. The tool that works for one student may not be effective for another. Our students are increasingly telling and showing us that the paper diary is not the only tool they are using to manage their learning lives and in recognition of this, we will no longer require students in Years 8 and 9 to use a paper school diary.
From 2021, all Year 7 students will be asked to purchase the Endeavour College bullet journal. This paper-based organisation tool combines the personal organisation features of a diary with the personal refection features of a journal. The Year 7 Core teachers will direct the students in their use of this tool for the effective development of personal responsibility and independence. The Year 7 students will also be introduced to the Canvas calendar, which is linked to our learning management system and which houses all their assessment information.
From Year 8, students will be able to choose the tool that is right for them; the paper school diary is no longer compulsory but will be available to them should they choose to use it. Our expectation is that all students will actively embed at least one digital or paper-based personal organisation tool into their learning lives. They will have access to training in how to use the Canvas and Outlook calendars throughout the early part of the year. Their goal should be to work towards higher levels of personal responsibility and independence.
This increased student choice comes with increased responsibility. It also means that the practice of having a diary signed by parents and teachers will not be carried forward into the future. However, parents and teachers can still track a student’s organisation by working with them to build their skills in using the tools they have chosen, and by discussing aspects of school life that are most important in each child’s growth towards stronger independence. With the introduction of Canvas in 2020, parents now have easy access to all assessment programs and due dates for their children. This is a useful springboard from which to have a conversation about personal organisation and planning.
Louisa Mulligan
Director of Middle Years
‘Speak Out’ - A Social Justice Project Based Learning Unit
At the end of Term 3, as part of Readers and Writers Week, Manal Younus ran spoken word poetry workshops with all Year 8 classes. The students were truly inspired by her performance and in Term 4 the inaugral, ‘Speak Out’, a project based learning unit centered around Social Justice, was completed by all Year 8 classes. The project brought together English and Christian Living and students worked collaboratively and independently to complete a Video Montage of spoken word poetry and images related to their Social Justice issue.
Students also independently wrote and performed original poems advocating for those affected by their Social Justice issue. The poems had a Christian Living theme with connections made between the way Jesus showed love and compassion and the way we as humans can learn from that. The highlight of the project was the ‘Speak Out’ Chapel where 5 students had an opportunity to share their original poems whilst being supported by student produced video montages relating to ‘Black Lives Matter’ and ‘Gender Equality’. The poems performed by the entire Year 8 cohort were truly compelling and impactful.
Kirsty Hansen
Year 8 Core Coordinator
"I enjoyed the teamwork part of the Speak Out task" – Fenella Healy
"I loved working in groups across classes and, learning together about how important each social justice topic is" – Ryan Nixon
"It was very enjoyable being able to use a variety of different editing software" – Alex Iona
"Learning about our social justice issue and how we could change the world was something I enjoyed" – Clare Edlington
Through Their Eyes
Through the blind eye they look fine
Through the sound we hear they sound fine
Through our mind they're great
But, through their mind nothing is ok
Through their eyes they are falling apart
Through the sound they hear they sound broken
Through the Father we are loved
Through the holy spirit we are free
Through the Son we can breathe
For ‘Speak Out’ I focused on Men’s Mental Health and wrote an original poem called ‘Through Their Eyes’. The poem is intentionally short and includes a lot of repetition to connect the audience to the notion that those suffering from mental health issues are not ok even though they might appear so. When I performed the poem I used emotion and altered the tone of my voice for each line to impact the audience. I also paused and took a breath after the word ‘Son’ to emphasise that we can cast our anxieties on God to help us through tough times. I have learned that it is important to stand up for those who struggle to stand up for themselves. It has also taught me that everyone is going through something and we need to be kind and show love to all.
Joshua Sloan
Year 8 Student
The Three Kinds
We think this world is full of harmony
But that is not the world I see
We overlook every animal right
Yet only few put up a fight.
“Anyone who does not love
does not know God, because God is love”
These are the words from the heavens above
“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them,”
says the one who does not condemn
“You must love one another”
and treat people like a sister or brother
Love like God so that you can know him well,
Behave like the animals and come out of your shell
Treat animals like people who are a sister or brother,
Behave as though there will be no other
Perhaps you are someone who doesn’t find it necessary
And believe that animals are a mere accessory
They’re either food or transport, nothing more
You turn a blind eye to the war
Or maybe you haven’t given it thought
About the animals that are left distraught
Seek a way to be educated
And like others, become more dedicated
To find a way to prevent the abuse
Leaving the world with no excuse
Then there are those few who show compassion
And believe animals are more than food or fashion
To those people, I encourage them on
To be with the animals from dusk ‘till dawn
Spread awareness, and share the message
So that we can clean up what we can of this wreckage.
I wrote this poem because I have grown up alongside animals and I am passionate about protecting them. Not enough attention is put towards protecting the creations of our world and I was hoping to spread that message.
Jemma Spencer
Year 8 Student
Year 9 Languages Lunch
In Week 8, a little part of Germany and Japan was brought to the Year 9 students by way of food! The Year 9s were due to go on the annual ‘Big Day Out’ excursion this term but unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the original plans had to be cancelled.
Nevertheless, the Year 9 German students indulged in German baked goods of pretzels, bienenstich and apricot scrolls from Tanunda bakery while the Japanese students had Obento ordered and delivered to the College from the Adelaide Central Market. Having the opportunity to celebrate in this way was a fitting end to a busy year for the Year 9 Languages students. Sampling traditional German and Japanese foods from local businesses also creates an awareness for students not only about German and Japanese food culture but the convenience and availability of it here in South Australia.
Kirsty Hansen
Languages Learning Leader