Middle School

Film and Media Mastery Class

Year 7 – A Year of Opportunities!

(Part 4)

In the previous newsletters, we introduced a series where Year 7 students of 2017 will be advising the 2018 Year 7 students on some essential skills to make this a successful year.

Sam Chandraraj, our Middle School Vice Captain for 2018, gives the following advice:

I gained much useful knowledge in my Year 7 year. The five most important things I have learnt are the structure of a text response, the importance of organisation, how important it is to study for exams, the benefits of keeping your locker tidy, and doing all your work well without being distracted.

 

One of the many things I have learnt this year, is how to write a text response. This has brought greater structure to my writing. Learning how to write a text response has also made my writing much faster. Before I knew how to write a text response, I would always spend ages trying to figure out what to write next. After learning how to structure my writing, I have found it far easier to write down my thoughts efficiently.

 

Something else I have learnt this year, is the importance of organisation. I have found that it is far easier to get your work done when you are organised. Organising yourself is a way of being sure you will get done what is required of you, by the time it needs to be done. Another benefit of organisation is that you can spread work over a longer period of time. This means that you will not have to rush large amounts of work at the last minute, and that you will be able to complete your work to a high standard.

 

Another thing I have learnt is how important it is to study for exams. In previous years, I found that it was enough to quickly go over what I had learnt, to be assured of a good mark. However, in Year 7 the standard and volume of work increased so much that I had to put in extra time to ensure that I do well every time.

 

I have also learnt that keeping your locker tidy, makes life far easier. Keeping my locker tidy, means that I can easily get the books I need, and get to class on time. However, when my locker is not tidy, I will probably not only annoy the person in the locker above or below me – I will also be late for class.

 

The final skill I have decided to include in this essay, is that you can get far more work done if you are not distracted. This year, I have learnt to concentrate better. The result is that I am able to get more work done faster. This has left more time for me to relax and do what I enjoy at home.

 

The abovementioned skills have greatly improved my marks and my enjoyment of each day, and I hope they will do the same for you!

 

Sam Chandraraj

Middle School Vice Captain 2018

Film and Media Mastery Class

Ten Year 8 students participated in a Film and Media Mastery Class that ran for 3 days in the second week of term. We were honoured to have visiting media expert Beau Challis come in to run this class. On the first day, the students sat through an intensive overview of the stages and roles involved in creating film - the pre-production, production and post production process. Very shortly after students were split into 2 groups, and they worked on executing two short films.

They had to do the storyboard, create a shot list, plan their sound design, pick filming locations and then ultimately piece all their footage altogether on Adobe Premiere Pro, an industry standard video editing program. It was a successful 3 days, in which students thoroughly enjoyed themselves and were also quite exhausted after!

 

Charlene Lee

Media Teacher

Self Defence 

St Andrews Christian College are excited to announce the inclusion of self-defence lessons in our sports program for Year 7 and 8, and 9 and 10 (as an elective). 

The four (4) week program is an introduction to self-defence and realising our capability to defend ourselves.  Ultimate Personal Defence are Internationally qualified instructors who emphasise at a school level the following:

  • Psychology behind the 3 steps of Self Defence – Detect, Defuse, Defend
  • Self-awareness
  • ‘choosing safety first’ with assertive options to avoid conflict
  • explosive body movement
  • defensive skills
  • simplistic & realistic strikes

 

Each week the students have been building on their capabilities and knowledge in these areas.  The skills are designed to have the students think about their own capacity to defend themselves, and to avoid conflict in adverse situations.  Being prepared not paranoid and listening to their intuition as a warning signal is a key ingredient to self-awareness. 

 

FREE TRIAL TO ALL AGES

If you would like your son/daughter to explore Self Defence as a primary or secondary school student after school hours, improve their concentration, focus and get rid of some residual energy  in all aspects, we welcome you at Ultimate Martial Arts in Heathmont   (www.ultimatemartialfitness.com.au) Phone 9729 5588 for your free lesson when you mention your school.  Ages 4 to Adults. Only a 10-minute drive from St. Andrews Christian College.