Curriculum News

HASS Department

Year 7:
Year 7 students have begun the History component of their HASS course by investigating the Ancient World. Students are currently being introduced to some of the concepts and skills required by the History discipline. They will shortly choose an area of focus to study which might include Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, India or China.

Year 8:
Year 8 students have begun work in the Civics and Citizenship component of the HASS curriculum. They are currently examining some of the freedoms, rights and responsibilities enjoyed by Australian citizens including Freedom of Speech, Movement and Association.

Year 9:
Year 9 students are currently studying the Geography component of the HASS curriculum. Students are looking at the importance of waterways as a part of both human and natural landscapes. Students will evaluate the importance of waterways and investigate how pollution and poor waste management threatens this important resource.

Year 10:
The Year 10s are currently studying the History component of the HASS curriculum with a specific focus on the Second World War and the development of civil rights movements around the globe. Students follow on from their study of the First World War in Year 9 to investigate how the resolution of that conflict set the stage for the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany and the beginnings of the Second World War.

The tragic consequences of the racial ideologies underpinning Nazi Germany, most devastatingly, the Holocaust, also form a basis of study. Students will investigate how the Holocaust led to the development of human rights doctrine which, in turn, fuelled the Civil Rights movement of the 20th century.

Year 11 Geography:
The Year 11 Geography class is currently studying the rise in globalisation over the course of the 20th and 21st centuries. Students will specifically focus on the music industry and will investigate how the spread of American culture and values, assisted by new technological developments, has lead to the music industry acquiring a truly global reach.

Daniel Matthys
Head of English & HASS

Secondary da Vinci Club - Term Three

This term in da Vinci Club, there have been a few fresh opportunities to engage our students with additional academic opportunities. On Tuesday 3 September, 18 students attended the annual ‘Big Ideas Challenge’ held at St Catherine’s College at Curtin University, run by Future Anything through the Bloom Centre for Youth Innovation for Year 7 to 10 students.

The students had a wonderful time, examining the process of designing and creating a unique product that provides a solution to a problem currently affecting them. The students worked in various teams, including small groups with students from over 20 different schools, developing their communication and innovation strategies. At the end of the day, the students were required to make a product pitch in a ‘Shark Tank’ style of delivery to a small group of judges, gaining an insight into marketing and entrepreneurial skills. The students gained many skills and have already implemented a number of these skills back at school, including being able to make a pitch in a confident manner.

In addition to completing this program, our da Vinci Club students have been working through a range of activities under the theme of ‘Space Science’. Early in the term, the students investigated seed germination and plant growth using different soil types. Specifically comparing the difference between seeds grown in dehydrated limited nutrient soil (imitating Martian soil) and soil rich in moisture and nutrients, referred to as our seeds grown in ‘human excrement’, mimicking the potato growth in the movie ‘The Martian’. Our students very quickly realised the difficulties in growing plants in poor soil types, making references, not just to off-world locations, but making recommendations for many soil types found locally.

Earlier in the term, the students completed a communication challenge, which developed clear speaking and active listening skills. The session culminated in a challenge, where the ‘mission control’ team had to communicate via two-way radios to the ‘off-world’ team, located in a different classroom to negotiate a course containing obstacles to complete a specific task. A challenging session indeed, and one that will be developed further in the future.

The students also investigated Astrobiology, examining concepts in Celestial Astrobiology, specifically to explore how to identify an exoplanet orbiting a distant star. To do this the students used a Vernier light probe and measured the light intensity being emitted under normal conditions and then as objects transit in front of the star, blocking some of the light at our end. From this, and a few calculations, we have a process to work out the size and speed of very distant objects in space. All we then need to decide is, are they habitable?

This then took the students to examine conditions in off-world locations and the study of Exo-biology. Students used the conditions to design and build the type of alien life form you may encounter in various locations, such as very cold, thin atmosphere, a water world with undersea vents, with many students creating some interesting organisms you might find in the seas of Europa.

As the students discovered, there are always procedures to follow when surveying a location. This meant the students looked at the processes behind remote sensing and what types of data can be generated from analysing distant objects. After a practical involving everyday objects, the students then experimented with a range of equipment that can be used to explore and prepare for mining operations. We would like to thank Australian Earth Science Education, who recently donated equipment which enables students to conduct gravitational and magnetic survey work in the classroom.

The students will further develop concepts and skills in these areas when we return to our da Vinci Club program next term.

Mike Hillyer, Mark Bundock, Nita Budas and Mark Gargano
Secondary da Vinci Club staff

Year 12 Food

The Year 12 food Science Class studied Preservation methods as their last topic in Food Science this year. As part of the task, they were asked to produce a Preservative to enter into the Northam Show Home Industries Class.

We had 4 Prize winners:

2^nd place - Nathan Ward and Braedan Lane with their Dill Pickles

2^nd place - Lilian Fergusson with her Beetroot Pickle

3^rd Place - Summer Skelcher with her Tomato Sauce

3^rd Place - Hugh Rocas, Ryan Nieuwoudt and Jack Kaszanski with their Raspberry Jam

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all the Year 12 Foods Class congratulations on their Graduation and I hope they keep on developing their Cooking Skills.

Carol Farson
Teacher

Sporting News

On Wednesday 18 September, we entered 2 teams into the Freo Dockers School Girls Cup - the Saints and the Swans - and both teams beat Northam Senior High School. 

The girls did the school proud. They were hard but fair and showed equal measures of sportsmanship and skill. It was a warm day and some girls played 3 games of footy back to back.

Best player awards:
Saints - Henna Garnet
Swans - Hayley Cox

Coaches awards:
Saints - Isabelle Dymnicki and Kayla Wall
Swans - Genevieve O'Driscoll and Marley Ferguson

Unfortunately, at the end of the day only one team could win and the SJS Swans, captained by Jess Bishop, took the crown.

Massive thanks to Michelle O'Driscoll for all her help and Jake Roberts for umpiring for the day.

Ryan Sinclair
Teacher

News from the VET Office 

Congratuations to Demi Collins on the completion of her work placement at Northam Regional Hospital. 

After completing her Certificate IV in Nursing Prep earlier this year, Demi requested a placement in a hospital to see what real-world nursing was like. Demi worked in the Wound Clinic, Theatre, Chemotherapy and Maternity during her placement and loved them all. 

Demi has just been accepted into Notre Dame University for 2025 to complete her Registered Nursing qualification and will ultimately work in multidisciplinary settings in the public or private health sectors. Congratulations, Demi!

Congratulations to Gunners Reineks-Parker on the completion of his Certificate II in Automotive Vocational Prep. 

Gunnars has been completing this course one day a week for 2 years and has demonstrated skills in inspecting and servicing engines and maintaining workshop tools and equipment. He also followed environmental and sustainable practices while completing the course.

Gunners intends to apply for an apprenticeship for 2025.