Year 8 News – Thursday 14 September 2023

Week 10, Term 3. What a busy and fulfilling term for students, staff and parents. Across the term, there was a focus on uniform, positive interactions and the 3Bs: Be Kind, Be Respectful and Be Responsible. It has been great to see an overall improvement across the board in all these areas.

A reminder that next term, students will be in summer uniform, with PE only on scheduled PE days. In Term 4, Hats are also compulsory. Please ensure that uniforms and hats are checked during the break to ensure enough time to source any further items.

Congratulations to all Year 8 students who have participated in school sporting activities this term. We have had wonderful feedback about participation, interactions and success.

We would also like to congratulate all students who participated in the Mercy Junortoun Sporting Precinct Blessing Ceremony. The music was captivating with the performance of the Wide World of Sports theme song, continuing to be a talking point around the school. The sporting demonstrations showcased the variety of talent we have across the school and how the facilities will be utilised by our CMC students.

Physical Education

This term, students have been participating in Invasion Games and net/wall sports, including basketball, handball, tchoukball, Newcombe and volleyball. Throughout this unit, students have used feedback from different games and sports to improve body control, coordination and positioning through certain movements and games. It has been wonderful to see improvement in skill development and participation across all games and classes. Next term, it is hoped that we will continue to improve our skills while utilising the new MJSP space.

STEAM

At the start of this term, Year 8 students investigated the geology of the area that the school is located on. They discovered that this area was formed at the bottom of a deep ocean approximately 470 million years ago. Year 8s have been learning about cells and have been using microscopes. They completed a study on microbes and designed an experiment to test the effectiveness of different soaps.

Veritas

Students have developed their historical enquiry skills by examining the expansion of the world’s great civilisations during the Middle Ages. Students have explored the early Church and the spread of Christianity, medieval social structures, and how major events such as the Black Death changed history. Students concluded this unit by completing a research assignment on a medieval civilisation of their choice: Europe, the Vikings, Japanese shoguns, or the Spanish conquest of the Americas.

Mrs Hannah Johnston and Mr Ashley Day, Year Level Learning Leaders – Year 8