Classcraft.

In Year 7 across multiple subjects, students have been introduced to an online based game called Classcraft. It is an in-class game designed to encourage teamwork, boost participation, and increase motivation in a learning environment. Classcraft is a role-playing game featuring mages, warriors, and healers that students and teachers play together. Students will still be learning the Australian curriculum, however what will change is how they connect with what they are studying. Classcraft provides a layer over a regular class structure. The students create characters that can learn special powers and level up, and how they perform in the classroom is directly tied to whether their characters and teammates survive and thrive.

The students are not playing a virtual game like Minecraft or World of Warcraft. It is inspired by those games and is browser based, it instead turns the offline, classroom experience into the adventure. Students learn to help their peers, thereby helping their teammates in the game. They learn to participate and engage with what they're learning - maths, science, english, HSIE and they will learn what is disruptive and negative behaviour in class and how it is detrimental to them.

There are some key points to Classcraft:

Students create characters that gain or lose Health Points (to survive in the game), Action Points (to use powers), and Experience Points (to level up).

Students are rewarded in the game when they perform well during class.

When a student performs poorly, their character loses Health points, which is designed to motivate them to improve.

Students do better in the game when they work together in class, forming positive relationships and learning the value of teamwork.

Parents can access their students profile via a code provided by their class teacher upon request.

Let’s Hang it! 2018

The University of New England School Acquisitive Art Prize (UNESAP) is held annually with the purpose of encouraging talented young artists in regional New South Wales. It is open to school students aged 5 to 19 years.

This year we have the following high school students entering the competition;

Year 7

Georgia Brown, Chelsea Burke, Amelia Conroy, Brydi Custance, Elly Grant, Charlie Kirkby, Toby Mather, Thomas Roach, Bella Nash.

Year 8

Jacinta Davis, Ryan Devney, Olivia Mihill.

We wish them the very best!

Writing Enrichment.

This weeks piece is by Ryan Devney, Year 8.

Falling

By Ryan Devney

As I sprint towards the near end of the riverfront, I gaze above in perplexity, wondering how such monumentally colossal structures are even created by humans. I become exhausted and overwhelmed. I gasp in all the gas surrounding my body until the smog filled air flushes into the capacity of my lungs I let all of the pollutants in my body out with a singular exhale.

I become incapacitated, unable to escape the terror trailing behind my shoulder. I feel its latching grip tug my body somewhere below my feet, beneath the earth, it hauls me into nothingness.

My legs are inundated by an unknown, unseen force, slowly congregating the energy to surge throughout the entirety of my body. I am being towed underneath the Earth’s surface. Hundreds of people stroll past me as I am being heaved into empty space, as I am non-existent, invisible to the human eye. I am halfway underneath the solid, compact material I once stood upon. As I muster the last of my strength, I stretch, reach my arms out towards the edge of the ground. My grip gasps the edge of the crust. Something feels as if it is trampling over my hands and I scream in pain. I let go and squeeze my eyelids shut.

My mind is gushing with emotions and thoughts, memories of my family and friends. I have a strong sense that these are the last moments of my existence. I feel my heart lunging against my chest as I gravitate into a void of worthlessness. I once again become unable to move my body, I truly am useless. I can hear air circulating, streaming past my ears, the sound is almost deafening. I attempt to cry for help. There is no sound, no voice is created.

I open my eyes wide, I can only see blankness. I question if my eyes are actually opened. Terror and fear floods my brain, I anticipate the most severe experiences and outcomes. I know that I am exaggerating, however I am unable to control my thoughts.

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