Year 8 Parent Learning Group

Term 1 2019

Today’s Parent Learning Group

• Important Dates• Welcome to Year 8 – An organisational focus• Maths and Science for Year 8• Learning Reflections – Looking Back and

Forward• Thinking and Writing– Our School Priority Areas• Science and Maths This Year• Assessment Program and Support

Dates to note!

5th March – School Photos (Catch Up 12th March) 7th March – Athletics Carnival 11th March – Year 8 to Luna Park 14th March – Pi Day!!! 21st March – SRC Harmony Day 25th March – CAPA Ensemble Night 4th April – Brainstorm Production (Hurting Game) 12th April– Term 1 concludes 1st May (term 2, Wk 1) Cross Country Blackbutt 8th May– Elevate Education Parent Session pm 3rd June– Wk 6 term 2 Yr 7-9 Exams Commence

What’s New and Old

• New Curriculum • Settling in well • Electives • New classes• Guidance Focus – Term 1

RESPECTFor All

A letter to my future self

UPSTANDER NOT

BYSYANDER

Our Challenge

May have many

Developed through training, practise,

repetition

These impact on how we show or develop talents

Working on Mindsets

Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset

• fear failure• “I am good at maths but can’t

write essays”• “things should be easy “

panic when they aren’t• if I fail I am a failure• perfectionists

• qualities can be developed

• failure brings on learning

• less stressed and persist with efforts

• frequently do better

Have you had a look??

Term 1 – Organisation/Goal Setting/Using Diary

Suggest a “spot” allows for sharing

GET IT OUT THERE AND

VISIBLE!

Day by day recording of things to do, H/W, reminders

Place to record, review and reset goals –AFIRMING

Term Planner, School Calendar, School term by term.

Policies, Study Tips, Proof Reading, Referencing

Guidelines

How successful is it? Are they marking it off, transferring dates…..

Time Management!

Revisit GOALS – discuss them, amend them, LET THEM GROW, Celebrate achievements!

Let this be your record – transfer all assessment dates, excursions and

events…. THEN ONTO HOME CALENDAR

Also for you as a guide – reinforce prior to submission may provide a new

focus or direction

LEADERSHIP PASSPORTS

LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES

• There a five Leadership Challenges students need to engage in.

• Challenge 1 – School Carnivals - attend and participate in the swimming, athletics and cross-country carnivals

• Challenge 2 – Academic Achievement - attain 20 merit certificates for Junior Leadership Passport and 10 for Senior Leadership Passport.

• Challenge 3 – School Representation and Service, which may include activities such as debating, choir, band, SRC, sports, competitions etc. Two areas of service need to be completed for the Junior Challenge, three for the Senior.

• Challenge 4 – Community and/or School Service, where students volunteer their time for the benefit of others. This may include Clean Up Australia Day, Red Shield Appeal, library service, blood donations, coaching teams, Landcare etc. One area of service to be completed for the Junior Challenge, two for the Senior.

• Challenge 5 – Attitude and Commitment, the relevant Deputy Principal signs off on the student’s outstanding work ethic, uniform, attendance and behaviour.

Learning Reflections Small Group Interaction and sharing – supportive, positive suggestions and commentsThe beginning of a process examining

What can I do?

What can’t I do?

How does what I do compare with

others?

How can I do better?

Task reflections, goals set and shared and identifying strengths and weaknesses

in learning and task management

Feedback sheets generally outlined what was shared, discussed and how they interacted. Did they discuss with

you??

Organisation Focus

A Learning Space – Co-design. Harder to build as each year

passes!

POSTERSCHECKLISTS

GOALS

Move dates and deadlines along – part of a plan.

Reaching GOALS – don’t just have them, how will you get from AB

Revisit – RENEW, REDO, IMPRINT!

Daily /Weekly MOODLE Check

Summaries WEEKLY Update

PACK for TOMORROWSet time and Plan

SHARE YOU PLAN FOR THE WEEK

It’s OK not to achieve a target…re set the target

HOW EFFECTIVE WAS LAST

YEAR??

LEARNING REFLECTIONS Outcomes

What are we as a staff doing this year??New HSC Becoming familiar with new syllabus content, planning, developing

units, rethinking assessment. Preparation ready for first examination in 2019.

Student Learning Acting on the work of our executive during our Executive Planning Day

(Learning Skills Audit) to further develop our students 7-9 in articulating, explicitly teaching and developing skills as successful learners ready for senior studies 10-12.

Creative Critical Learners 2018-2020 our key focus is building writing and thinking skills in all of our students. Faculty writing plans, whole school focus on the development of quality student

writing. Utilising a variety of thinking tools across KLA’s to lead students to think deeply

before analysing and responding.

Staff are explicitly teaching skills in these areas. Feedback for class activities, homework and assessment shoul dbe geared around these learning practices.

Our School Writing Focus• Developmental Program through all KLA’s• Writing Continuum established over yr 7-12• Writing for purpose and audience• Concentration on building style and complexity• Emphasis on structure, punctuation, complex

sentences and appropriate language• Incorporate aspects into assessments and feedback

What can you do!!Engage in their writing, look at their books for punctuation, capitalisation, paragraphs, spelling…. Can they make their sentences and language more

sophisticated?

We endeavour to design learning activities incorporating Thinking Tools which use KLA specific content as a vehicle to build key skills of

• Problem Solving• Critical Thinking • Creativity

Assessment Calendar 2019• Issued last Tuesday (purple)• Forward Planning Tool (may vary slightly)• Indicates weeks of tasks, not days or details• Notifications with task outline issues a minimum of

two weeks prior to date diary, fridge…..share the love!

• Awareness exercise• Be ready to receive notifications – time to ask

Do the transfer!!