As we are heading towards the end of term it is a good time to reflect on your young persons achievements so far this year. Our reports will be coming out shortly along with evidence of learning from several subject areas. Please take the time to read these documents alongside your child. Asking open ended questions about the learning or about their favourite subject can often result in revealing conversations about how your child is travelling at school.

Please take advantage of our upcoming Parent, Teacher, Student sessions in both Week 10 of this term and Week 1 of term 3. These meetings are an opportune time to sit down with teachers to unpack and celebrate the work that has been happening in classes this year. It is also timely to find out what can be done to support continual growth in learning between now and the end of the year. Our conversations work best when the young person is present and able to share what is working well for them or what challenges may be limiting their learning now.

I look forward to catching up with as many parents as possible over these two evenings.

In Grade 7 English students are currently in a term-long exploration of character traits and themes through two captivating novels: Roald Dahl's "Matilda" and Gary Paulsen's "Hatchet". These books offer students opportunities to examine resilience, resourcefulness, and the power of inner strength. 

As they delve into "Matilda", students are analysing the protagonist's character, focusing on her intelligence, determination, and moral compass. Discussions revolve around themes of justice, the importance of education and the impact of family dynamics. 

Transitioning to "Hatchet", students are tracking Brian Robeson's transformation as he navigates the wilderness. The focus is on his developing self-reliance, courage, and problem-solving skills. Themes of survival, adaptation, and the relationship between humans and nature central to their analysis. They are thoroughly intrigued by the twists and turns of this novel so far and can't wait to find out if Brian makes it out alive! 

Throughout the unit, students are actively annotating the texts, constructing "quote sandwiches" to support their interpretations, and making personal connections to the narratives. They are also developing PEEL paragraphs to articulate their ideas effectively. The unit will culminate in an essay at the end of the term, that synthesises their understanding of character traits and themes in both novels. 

This term, our Grade 8 students are engaging with one of the most important and exciting areas of mathematics—algebra. Often described as the language of mathematics, algebra introduces students to a new way of thinking that goes beyond numbers. It encourages them to use symbols and letters to represent unknown values, helping them develop logical reasoning and problem-solving skills. Students are also learning to write algebraic expressions to represent real-world situations using variables, numbers, and mathematical operations. They are developing techniques for expanding brackets, which involves applying the distributive property to simplify expressions and prepare them for solving equations. They are beginning to see how algebra can be applied to everyday problems, such as calculating costs, comparing quantities, or interpreting patterns—making math more meaningful and relevant to their lives. Algebra is not only a key stepping stone to more advanced math topics in high school, but it also plays a vital role in everyday decision-making and many future career paths.

As students continue to build their algebra skills, they will soon begin working on solving algebraic equations. This important skill helps students apply logical steps to isolate variables and solve problems efficiently. With continued practice and support, students will gain the confidence to tackle equations with accuracy and independence.

During Health this term, we are focusing on the benefits of physical activity on the body and ways to be physically active in our community. Many health benefits include decreased heart rate and blood pressure, improvement in sleeping patterns and a longer life expectancy. 

In Physical Education lessons we have been focusing on games that First Nation people played. We’ve discussed what they would have used for equipment: animal skins stuffed with dry grass as a ball, using spears, and other naturally found objects to play their games and what areas of Australia these games took place. 

Exploring the Wonders of Physics: Light, Sound, and What’s Next!

This term, our Grade 9 scientists have been diving into the fascinating world of physics, exploring how light and sound shape the way we experience the world around us.

We’ve investigated how light travels in straight lines, reflects off surfaces, and refracts through different materials. Students experimented with lenses and mirrors, discovering how images are formed and how our eyes perceive them. We also explored the electromagnetic spectrum, learning how different types of light—from visible to ultraviolet—affect our daily lives.

In our sound unit, students explored how vibrations create sound waves, how these waves travel through different media, and how we detect them with our ears. From tuning forks to sound meters, we’ve had a blast (sometimes literally!) experimenting with pitch, volume, and frequency.

Coming Up Next: Electricity!

Get ready to spark your curiosity as we move into our next exciting topic: electricity. We’ll be learning about:

• Electric circuits – how they work and how to build them
• Current, voltage, and resistance – the key players in electrical systems
• Series and parallel circuits – and how they power everything from fairy lights to your phone
• Electrical safety – staying safe while working with circuits

Students will have the opportunity to build and test their own circuits, solve real-world problems, and understand how electricity powers our modern world.

How You Can Support Learning at Home:

• Ask your child to explain how a light bulb works or why we hear thunder after we see lightning.
• Explore simple circuit kits or online simulations together.
• Discuss how electricity is used in your home and how we can use it more sustainably.

We’re excited to see our students continue to grow as curious, capable scientists. Stay tuned for more updates and discoveries!

Students in Grade 10 have been exploring the causes and effects of events, developments, turning points or movements in 20th century Australia and internationally, leading up to and through the Second World War, and the post-war world. They describe social, cultural, economic and/or political aspects, including international developments, related to the changes and continuities in Australian society over this historical period.

Students have been developing and modifying a range of questions about the past to inform historical inquiry. History promotes the understanding of societies, events, movements, ideas and developments that have shaped humanity from the earliest times. It helps students appreciate how the world and its people and environments have changed, as well as the significant continuities that exist to the present day.  

What an amazing day at the All Schools State Primary Cross Country event held at a Symmons Plains, Tuesday 17th June. Our amazing sports leaders did a terrific job completing several jobs in rain, hail and shine conditions, making the day run smoothly and effectively throughout the course of the day. We could not be more proud of our students who continue to excel in our community events and shine brightly for our school. Our Queechy High leaders were the only representatives assisting at the carnival, which highlights the outstanding contributions that we make at sporting events in our northern region - a wonderful recognition for the efforts they continually put in.