The end of year is fast approaching which means we are busy finalising student and staff timetables in preparation for 2017. Our faculty will be continuing with the Critical, Concepts and Core classes for Years 9 and 10.
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Year 9 English students put on a fabulous display of teamwork and creativity today for the presentation of their Term 3 Assessment Tasks. Students were asked to create and present promotional material for their chosen text across a range of multimedia and traditional platforms. Ms Hancock and Alex Taylor, an Account Manager from the local marketing agency Gorilla 360, chatted to students about their work and the real-world context of their outstanding efforts. Our visitor was astounded by the artistic and software capabilities of our students, and commended them on their industry-relevant 21st century skills.
Congratulations to our stage 4 debating teams for participating in the Premier's Debating Challenge throughout Terms 1-3. Both teams showcased commendable teamwork and made impressive progress in the 3 Ms of debating - Manner, Method and Matter. Thank you to Alexis Powell and Tahlee Jones who filled in at short notice and proved themselves to be valuable assets to both teams. Thank you also to Jessica Pelley, who was unable to participate in the final debate, for your hard work and leadership skills.
English staff are excited to meet with parents and carers over the next two nights as the library and EEE hosts our Term 3 Parent Interviews. If you cannot make either night but would like an English update for your student, please don't hesitate to give your child's classroom teacher a call at the school or flick us an email.
Term 3 Assessment Tasks are being distributed to students this week (Week 4) and can also be found in the 7-10 Assessment Resources tab on this website and Student SharePoint on the English Faculty page. 10P1 English students interviewed Ms Barron, Miss Graham and Mrs Sommerlad in week 4 and asked them a range of questions about their hobbies outside of school and why they love teaching so much. If you didn't get a chance to read them in the newsletter, check them out below:
Miss Graham interviewed by Nina Moore of 10P1 English What made you want to become an English teacher? It was my favourite subject at school and I am passionate about film and literature. What is your perfect pizza? Something very spicy with lots of olives! If you could be any age for a week, what age would you be and why? I would be 30 so I could see what my life will be like and if I need to change anything before I get there. What meal would you cook if you were in a kitchen with every type of food? I would create a ten course degustation of different Asian foods. What question do you hate to answer? This question! Ms Barron interviewed by Katelin Gibson of 10P1 English What made you want to become an English teacher? I really like reading, it was one of my favourite subjects at school. I really think young people can appreciate literature. Did you find English difficult at school? No, I really enjoyed English. What do you enjoy doing when you aren’t teaching? When I’m not teaching I like to walk my dog, go on my boat with my husband, see plays and read books. Was becoming a teacher always your dream job? No, I originally wanted to be a bank teller! Mrs Sommerlad interviewed by Honey Dela Cruz of 10P1 English What inspired you to be an English teacher? What inspired me to be an English teacher was being able to take my passion for teaching and share it with others. Has teaching English literature always been a passion of yours? Yes. It is something I’ve always enjoyed doing. Being able to help kids understand the English language and the many techniques it holds is what has drawn me to wanting to teach English. Besides from being a teacher what other profession would you consider? Outside of teaching I have a hidden talent for singing. It’s something that not many people know about me. What aspect of the English curriculum is your favourite? The fact that the English curriculum doesn’t focus on one text is what I love about it. With English, I get to teach the students many different texts, but at the same time I also benefit from the fact that I get to study those various texts as well. In your opinion, what does quality teaching mean to you? Quality teaching for me is being able to value my students, getting to know them as a person, who they are, where they come from, their cultural background, their ancestry and forming a close relationship with them. The English faculty is excited to welcome students to the 2016 school year. We hope everyone has enjoyed a relaxing holiday but it's time to get back into the classrooms and get our job done for another year.
We have developed some new learning initiatives for all our year groups which involve greater collaboration and real-world learning experiences. The student surveys from last year have really paved the way for new and improved assessment tasks, units of work and teaching practices. Student feedback is so important to us and we hope you can see our enthusiasm not only in the classroom tomorrow, but for the entire year. The English staffroom is looking a little different in 2016. We have two new members of staff who will bring even more passion and enthusiasm to our already buzzing faculty. We would like to extend a big Weebly welcome to Mrs Barron and Miss Graham! Remember to stop by our Weebly page as the term gets under way. Our Assessment Schedules and Scope and Sequences are ready for each year. These important documents can be found under each year group at the top of the website. Before you go... check out the new artwork in A10 below. Local artist Melanie Mitchell came in and whipped this up for Miss Jones and our kids. We think it's a great message to start 2016 with. Be kind everybody, see you tomorrow! We always keep our followers updated on the exciting initiatives, programs and opportunities our students have here at CCWC however, we thought it time to tell you a little bit about our English staff and their attendance at the ETA State Conference, Curiouser and Curiouser.
Mrs Muller, Miss Jones and Miss Hancock attended the state wide conference last weekend at the University of New South Wales in Randwick. As a 'seasoned veteran' of the conference, Mrs Muller assured her staff of the wonderful opportunity of being in the presence of rock star English teachers and they were not disappointed! With a slew of new novels, plans for 21st Century learning assessment tasks and refreshed eyes for 2016, the conference was deemed a success. We are super excited to implement some of these fantastic texts and ideas in our classrooms in 2016! On Tuesday the 24th November, Bailey Chapman, Jacob Findlay and Isabella Hales-Giacomel from 7L attended the Newcastle Herald Award Ceremony with Mrs George. They represented the many year seven students who made up this year’s news team. The 2015 edition of ‘The Wallsend Eagle’ was a well-rounded newspaper in which students showcased journalism, photography and illustrative talents. Jacob accepted an award for the insightful advertisement he created for the Newcastle Permanent in which he metaphorically conveyed the importance of saving money.
The English faculty would like to thank and congratulate year 9 and 10 for their efforts in their exams this week. The exams ran smoothly and it was a credit to the students who turned up prepared and ready to do their best.
Year 7 and 8 exams will be held across two periods in week 4. Students should be actively revising for both sections of their Yearly Exam. Please remember to use our Study Guide/Glossary (located in 7-10 Assessment Resources on this site) for your revision. Our junior debating champions went up against Berkeley Vale last week in the Premier's Debating Challenge Inter-Zone Final. Linh Tran, Connor Lamb, Jessica Pelley and Alexis Powell assumed the affirmative side on the topic 'beauty pageants should be banned in Australia'.
While our students had superb ideas and spoke well throughout the debate, the adjudicator awarded the win to Berkeley Vale who will progress to the next round. As always, our team were fantastic ambassadors for the school and if you see these students around our campus, please congratulate them for making it so far in the competition. Miss Hancock (the team's coordinator) is very proud of all CCWC's debaters in 2015 and has high hopes for junior and senior competitors in 2016. Bard on the Beach came to Callaghan College Wallsend Campus this week to perform 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. The acting group came from Sydney to perform to an enthusiastic group of 54 Wallsend students and 28 Waratah students. Students laughed their way through the highly creative acts and one was invited to join in on the performance as a prop. Our students have been congratulated by the group for their hospitality and enthusiasm. The English faculty would like to thank Miss Walker for her organisation and efforts on the day. What a successful subject expo for year 8 students! A special thank you to our Year 8 students, Connor Lamb, Lovette Walker and Jessica Leggett, who worked hard to promote Drama to our current Year 7 students. Likewise, Madelyn Cliff, Emily Travan and year 9 student, Hannah Fajic, demonstrated how fun and interesting Creative Writing can be. We hope lots of current Year 7 students choose these great electives in Year 8!
Callaghan College Wallsend Campus had 9 students celebrated as finalists in the Aspire Today, Influence Tomorrow writing competition at an Awards Ceremony, held at Newcastle Museum on Wednesday 12 August. 22 schools entered the competition and there were only 15 finalists, so this was a fantastic achievement!
Chloe Levoi won the Radio/Media category and Tegan Butts, former Wallsend student, won the Charity category. Both girls wrote powerful and very personal pieces about the influence they would like to have in their chosen field. Chloe and Tegan now get to spend 'a day in the life' of their category mentor. Tegan will be mentored by Rick Prosser, Rush Mentoring Service Director, and Chloe will be mentored by Tanya Wilks from KOFM. The English faculty would like to congratulate all students involved, who represented our school with pride and honour. Our Senior Debating Team has continued their winning streak, defeating Lampton in the inter-zone finals and Warners Bay in the quarter-finals of the Premier’s Debating Challenge. They will compete against Maitland Grossmann on the 24th of August in the semi-final on their home turf. The winner of this debate will go on to compete for the title of regional champions. We wish them the very best of luck.
Year 9 attended the Cultural Connections Assembly on the 22nd of June, to enrich their study of 'Cultural Connectedness' in English. Aboriginal Elders and members of the Stolen Generation, Donna Meehan and John Lockwood, captivated students with their powerful stories and echoed significant messages about reconciliation, diversity, cultural identity and pride. A big thank you all involved, especially Miss Hancock and Miss Byron for their efforts in providing such a rich and authentic learning opportunity for Year 9 students.
Our Junior Debating Team have continued the school’s winning streak in the Premiers Debating Challenge, defeating Cardiff High school both rounds at Cardiff's home-turf on Monday 15th June. |