Around the Secondary Classes

Year 7 Theology and Spirituality

Our Year 7 students come to the study of Theology and Spirituality with a variety of experiences. For some, learning more about the historical and cultural context in which the Gospel stories were played out, including Jewish religious practice and purity laws, adds another layer of understanding. For others, encountering the gospel stories for the first time, they see Jesus breaking down the boundaries that separate humans from each other in stories such as The Woman at the Well and the Story of Zacchaeus. 

As well as exploring the gospels through literature review, film and Art, students took to the College grounds to stage creative retellings of these stories of inclusion and compassion.

Year 7 Writing

As the year got underway, our Year 7 students had an opportunity to express how they were feeling about the transition to “High School” in a piece of English writing. Sage Riches, wrote about her fears of getting lost or being late to class. She soon came to realise that she was not alone in having these fears, but that she also had the capacity to overcome them:

Grade Seven

I sit quietly in the car, listening to the soft hum of the engine and the sound of the wheels spinning in a constant motion. I watch the burnt, yellow hills slowly disappear behind us as we come closer to the bustling city. The traffic on the roads is hectic, vehicles everywhere. It is the first day of school, or as I see it the first day of high school. Every time I think about this frightful day, my mind falls down a crowded alley of possible scenarios that could occur. Scenarios that include; being late to class, getting lost in a labyrinth of buildings and not living up to the harsh expectations of being a ‘high schooler’. 

I gaze out the window and see familiar buildings that have greeted me every time I pass through these streets. McDonalds is packed with people, a sight that is never a surprise.  New clothes are stacked in the clear windows of Lorna Jane and the Casino rises, a pinnacle that leads into the sky. We are nearing school. I can feel waves of nervousness and fear wash side to side. 

A withered monster is slithering into my mind, a creature made of uneasy feelings. I can feel it’s cold body squirming into my wellbeing. I don’t like this creature, the sensation it dispenses makes me restless. I think of what mum said to me, “Everyone is feeling the same way you do, after this week you will think of how silly your reaction was to today”. But I feel as if I am the only one. I tell myself that everything will be ok and force my distressed brain to believe it. 

I walk down to meet the other grade 7s. I see familiar faces while I observe foreign ones. I recall strategies I created to cope with this unfamiliar routine; I need to make sure to gather all my materials for each period, to pack my bag at lunch and stay organised. After thinking about these things, the fearful monster starts to evaporate. I can feel its frozen touch thaw. I suddenly see a teacher guiding students to their clan rooms. The day is about to start. Nervous and excited, I walk up to my locker. 

As I write this, I reflect on the emotions I felt on this first day. I remember asking other Grade 7s how they felt on this first day. I have come to the conclusion that many people shared the same feelings as I did. We all had the same fears of being late to classes, not being organised and getting lost in a maze filled with rooms. To overcome these fears is to develop strategies as to how to handle them. I acknowledge their presence, I accept them and I will now be able to conquer them. I will now be able to share this with future students. 

Sage Riches

Year 9/10 Drama Production

This week, the Year 9/10 Drama class began rehearsing for their upcoming production of "The Groom Has Cold Feet". With all the fun characters of a western, and the twists and turns of a murder mystery, the play promises to be a real hoot!  The play is set in the mid-west American town of Pine Grove in the late 1800s. When a local groom turns up dead on the morning of his wedding, it's going to take all of Sheriff Tickle's investigative skills, along with his sidekick daughter Sarah and extra help from the audience, to solve this animated mystery.

Performance dates will be June 30, July 1 and 2. Stay tuned for more details.