Wow, what a busy term for our Grade 9 students. They have been continuing to explore careers in Pastoral Care including writing a resume and participating in mock interviews. We also had a presentation from the University of Tasmania with general information about university life and the opportunities it offers. Students greatly enjoyed their excursion to Burnie Arts Centre for the YFCC Youth Expo where they were able to interact with external support providers and deepen their knowledge of support services available to them in the local region.

In English we have been exploring archaic texts, students have been engaging with the classic Greek tragedy Medea by Euripides. This powerful and thought-provoking text has sparked rich classroom discussions around themes such as revenge, justice, gender roles, and the consequences of betrayal. Through reading and analysing Medea, students are developing their skills in: Interpreting classical literature and understanding its relevance today, exploring character motivations and dramatic structure, writing analytical responses using evidence from the text and engaging in class debates and discussions to deepen comprehension. Students have also been encouraged to consider how ancient texts like Medea still resonate in modern contexts, particularly in relation to societal expectations and personal agency. We’re proud of the thoughtful insights and mature reflections students have brought to this unit so far.  

In Maths, students have been applying Pythagoras’ Theorem and trigonometric ratios to solve unknown side lengths and angles in right-angle triangles. Students have been able to make connections between theory and the real-world by applying their knowledge to problems involving application in construction industries. Evidence of their learning on this is available to families via Seesaw. In the second half of the term, students have been working on index laws and its application in science and finance. 

In History have learned about the early settlement of Australia, then the Gold Rush and the development of the colonies in the 19th century.  We have spent the last part of the term learning about democracy and how our voting system works, including a voting task spread across the whole grade.   

In Science this term, students have been exploring how the body maintains internal balance—known as homeostasis—even when external conditions change. The focus has been on the roles of the nervous system, endocrine system, and excretory system in regulating and stabilizing the body's internal environment. They also studied the structure and function of the human brain, identifying its key parts and comparing it to the brains of other organisms to understand evolutionary differences and similarities. Additionally, students learned about the two forms of reproductive systems across various species, examining both internal and external fertilization methods and how these reproductive strategies differ among organisms. 

In Health, students have been learning about relationships and identity. It has been great to see the mature and respectful way our students have engaged with this content. And in PE students have been showing off their best dance moves as part of their dance unit.    

Another busy term lies ahead for Term 4, and we look forward to celebrating our students' achievements with them in the end of year celebrations.