From the Principal
From the Principal
From the Principal
OLMsCene Magazine
This time around, families will be mailed their copy of the latest OLMCsCene magazine. This magazine should arrive in the coming weeks, and I invite you to take time out to have a read to keep up to date with College activities.
Live Streams
We will be introducing a variety of livestream sessions throughout the week. These are a great way to stay up to date and connected. Links to these presentations will be sent prior to each one.
Communications and Engagement Survey
In the coming weeks, parents will receive a Communications and Engagement Survey. The aim of this survey is to gauge the effectiveness of our communications with parents and identify areas for improvement. Communication and engagement with our parents and families is as important as ever during this lockdown and beyond. The results of this survey will enable us to make decisions on how we move forward with such things as regular publications, occasional magazines, social events and gatherings, ideas for guest speakers and topics of interest, for maximum engagement with our community.
Tips for Online Learning from Ex-student
I am delighted to share with you an article from an ex-student from the Class of 2020. Daphne Fong, who is now studying Law, Politics and Industrial Relations, is part of UNICEF's Young Ambassador program helping to raise the voices of children and young people in Australia. CLICK HERE to read the article.
Message from the Governor of NSW
We were delighted to receive a special video of encouragement from the Governor of NSW. I share it with you all here below.
Lucie Farrugia
Principal
Teaching And Learning
Online Learning '21
Online Learning '21
The innovation continues with our Online Learning '21 program.
Ms Huang’s Year 11 DT class had a wonderful experience with Karen Yevenes from Western Sydney University, who led them through a hands-on workshop in industrial design techniques. What a great opportunity we have as part of our growing partnership with WSU!
Year 9 Drama worked on constructing political theatre scenes using key themes from Bertolt Brecht’s plays. They self-devised scenes about alienation, exploitation of workers, social class stereotypes and corruption. The class is becoming increasingly confident with ‘set designs’ using digital backdrops.
Year 9 students used Oreo cookies to model Divergent, Convergent and Transform Plate Boundaries as part of the module, “Disaster Planet”. They used their sense of hearing to observe the sounds of the cookie breaking and crumbling. They used their sense of touch while moving the cream as the (tectonic plates) the two halves of the top layer of the cookie collided and scraped past each other. They eventually used their sense of taste!
French classes have enjoyed playing educational online games including "four in raw" a verbs' conjugation group-based game.
Fun Friday has given rise to creative fun including playing "Guess the Song 2021 Music Quiz" in Callaghan 4 Homeroom
English and Drama Report
English and Drama Report
I would like to begin by commending our Year 12 students who have demonstrated resounding resilience throughout this period of uncertainty and have maintained their focus and efforts as we continue to revise and prepare for the HSC examinations.
Students undertaking English Extension 2 and Drama are also in the final stages of completing their Major Works, and Performances. Three students have undertaken English Extension 2 this year and all three are composing Short Fiction for their Major Works. These compositions are 6000 words, and they are accompanied by a Reflection Statement of 1500 words and students will be submitting these for their HSC on Friday 27 August.
Year 12 Drama students are also in the final stages of completing their Group Performances and Individual Projects. There is a diversity of projects undertaken this year including five students who are completing performances along with students who have chosen to create Costume Design, Video Drama, Director’s Folio, and Scriptwriting.
Year 11 have also been working hard this year beginning their Senior studies and developing their skills in a variety of ways. In Term 2, Year 11 Advanced English explored one of the Bronte sisters’ novels as part of their study of Gothic Literature, producing some amazing multimodal presentations on either Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre, while the Year 11 Standard students studied two distinctive and creative, multimodal interactive texts produced by SBS, K’Gari and The Boat.
Term 3 has seen several Year Groups study Shakespeare. Year 9 are studying Romeo and Juliet, while Year 10 is studying Macbeth and Year 11 Advanced is studying Othello, proving that remote learning is no barrier to the study of canonical texts. English teachers have been developing some amazing activities for the students to engage with including a collaborative Performance Project with Year 11 which involves students working in small groups to produce their own live performance of a scene from the play Othello, including costume and prop designs.
Christopher Ostrowski’s Year 7 English class has made book covers with a difference. They designed an original book cover for their current novel but in addition, they had to provide a written explanation of how their cover captured the idea of the current Module: The Individual Experience. They also needed to explain the symbolism in their use of colour, type of font and any other design features they created. The three novels were Chinese Cinderella, The Happiest Refugee and The Diary of Anne Frank. This is a class with both literary and artistic talent and it was reflected in their finished work.
Barbara McBride’s Year 7 class has been writing about personal experiences as part of their study of The Individual Experience, focusing on memoirs, autobiography and biography. Here is an example from Marziyah Patanwala:
The weather was just magnificent, and we had just reached a tropical island filled with colour, a part of the famous Mamanuca islands. I was so excited because it would be the first time I had gone snorkelling ever. When we got off the boat, we walked through the cooling water until we reached the sand where we were greeted by locals of the land. Before we went snorkelling, we put our gear on and then we made are way into the water. Brushing against my skin were different types of small fishes and slippery rocks. I went in with my dad and we slowly observed all the beautiful creatures and shapes of coral that surrounded us. I had never in my life felt so calm and relaxed that I wanted to explore even further. After we had gone snorkelling for 2 and half hours, I felt so happy and realised a whole new appreciation for the environment. All the reefs that I saw each had something unique about it like the depth and the types of marine life that live around them. Later, we were treated to lunch where we had traditional Fijian food such as coconda, which was made from the food resources on the land which was delicious. We watched as the natives of the land did traditional dances that I joined in later. I spent the rest of the day I explored the island with my sister and learned about their culture and we had some dessert. It was the most beautiful experience I have ever had experienced.
Cynthia Martin’s Year 8 class has had lots of fun writing small didactic stories after learning about stories with a moral which leads into their study of the Lost Child Trope. Here's one:
There once was a child who loved to read but never returned their library books. One day, there was a knock at the door. The librarian had had enough. The child opened the door and there, before her very eyes, the keeper of the books became a feathered, winged beast. The beast walked into the house, sniffed the air, and tracked the book to the child's room. She took the offending book off the shelf, holding it in one clawed hand. She growled at the child, pulling a second book from behind.
'That's not mine,' the child whimpered.
'Lies,' the creature hissed and hit the child over the head with the second book.
The child was now one of the millions of names in the book of the beast. Moral: always return your library books.
- by Avria, Caitlyn and Alicia
In Michelle Emelues’ Year 8 English class this term, they have been learning about the presence of tropes in literature and in particular, the Lost child trope. After tracing the origin of the lost child trope to fairy tales, our studies have turned to an Australian focus, exploring the trope in Indigenous stories and early colonial ballads. Year 8 recently enjoyed studying Banjo Patterson’s poem ‘Lost’, reading and discussing the poem together as a class on Zoom, identifying characteristics of the lost child trope as explored in a uniquely Australian landscape. Students scaffolded their ideas in break-out rooms, linking examples from the poem with their prior knowledge of the trope and producing a paragraph for each characteristic of the trope.
A foreboding and dangerous landscape is presented and hinted at constantly throughout the poem ‘Lost’ by Banjo Patterson. The poet has used foreshadowing in the quote, ‘the old man walked to the sliprail, and peered up the dark’ning track’ to present a possibly dangerous environment which is seen through the way that the track is dark. Usually, when a location is in shadow, it is associated with uncertainty and danger. Moreover, the fact that the ‘sliprail’ was present to prevent the man from going further outside hints at the idea that some protection had to be offered from the outside world, for one would probably not build a railing in the ‘ranges’ (mountain ranges) just to look pretty. Furthermore, it could also be interpreted to show how Willie’s mother tried to keep him in the safety of his own home and act as a border between the ‘safe world’ and a more sinister, dangerous location. It is also mentioned in the poem that, ‘He only went to the Two-mile, he ought to be back by this’. This further hints at a more dangerous place in comparison with the safe location of the ‘Two-mile’. This leaves the reader to wonder if the farmstead has areas beyond that are unsafe to the inexperienced. - Kathryn Rendulic 8ENG4.
In this poem, many unfortunate images of death and isolation can be seen. Overall, ‘Lost’ by ‘Banjo Patterson’ is quite a bleak and sad poem, and this can be seen through many events which take place throughout the piece. When it is said that Willie’s ‘comely face was battered, and his merry eyes were dim.’ It shows quite a saddening image of death as it contrasts his former traits (merry, comely) with his now lifeless being. This also shows a feeling of isolation as in this poem, he died alone out in the bush, with none of his family members by his side. This isn’t the only death in this poem, however. Willie’s mother is found one evening, ‘… lying dead. And stamped on the poor pale features, as the spirit homeward pass'd, Was an angel smile of gladness -- she had found the boy at last.’ While this is a very clear image of her death, this does not show isolation, but instead a sense of peace and finality. Willie’s mother had gradually faded away while on her quest to find her lost son and now is finally at peace after being reunited with him once again. This gives a sense of tranquil, bittersweet finality to the poem.
Amy Watson’s Year 10 English class is currently learning about the conventions of a Shakespearean Tragedy. One of the most significant features of the play, Macbeth, and any Shakespearean Tragedy for that matter, is the fatal flaw of the tragic hero. This fatal flaw, otherwise known as the hamartia, eventually leads the hero to their downfall. In Macbeth’s case, his unchecked ambition is the catalyst for his inevitable demise. At the beginning of most lessons, we engage in a quick writing workshop called ‘Lightning Writing’, and true to its name, students are given a short amount of time to write on a particular topic or concept. To consolidate students’ knowledge and understanding of the significant tragic convention, I asked them to pretend they were one of Shakespeare’s tragic heroes and asked them to write about the fatal flaw that would lead them to their downfall.
The students really enjoyed the writing prompt and responded in a way that demonstrated a level of introspection and awareness, and in some cases, brutal honesty about their own shortcomings! I lead the discussion with my own hamartia, and it was interesting to see that many of us shared the same flaws. Quite a lot of us said that our tendency to over-think things and our propensity to be too trusting would lead several of us to our downfalls if we were Shakespearean tragic heroes. It was a lovely way to bond as a class and share a few laughs, but importantly, it helped cement our understanding of the convention.
Gerard Altura has found Microsoft Whiteboard an invaluable tool to collaborate and share ideas in class. A couple of weeks ago, Year 8 engaged in understanding fairytale conventions and tropes as part of Module C. We used Whiteboard to visually represent and draw what we remember about fairytales – it was really fun, and the girls enjoyed drawing and watching each other contribute.
Katherine Bull’s classes are undertaking the following activities and learning In Year 9, students have been working in groups to create a “One-Pager” to visually share key ideas and information learned about Romeo and Juliet. They have used both visual symbols and key quotes to share their important takeaways. In Year 11, our lightning writing at the start of each lesson is a really successful way to engage with one of the ideas for the upcoming lesson, and students really enjoy sharing in break-out rooms and then discussing with the wider class. One example of a Lightning Writing is: If you had the opportunity to design your own dream house, what would it look like and where would it be located? This aligns with our study of the symbolism of location/place in Where’d You Go Bernadette. Year 12 Standard English has been using break-out rooms to share ideas and collaborate by reflecting on their essay writing skills, using a step-by-step guide to collate all feedback from their responses so far this term and identifying key skills they can improve across all Modules. Year 10 have been doing some stagecraft, such as planning the stage directions for the dagger scene in Macbeth and how they would create the most suspense and tension,
English Competition Report
Throughout Semester 1, OLMC students have participated in a range of writing competitions including
- Write4fun
- What Matters
- Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Prize
These competitions provide participants with opportunities to develop and refine their creative and analytical writing skills beyond the confines of the daily curriculum.
The efforts of a number of students will be acknowledged when we return to school. Of particular note are the achievements of the following students who were successfully shortlisted in the Write4fun competition:
Year 7: Elizabeth Samuel, Zoe Samar, Kaeshia Suthakaran
Year 8: Kathryn Rendulic, Hailey Lhotka, Nyssa Suraj
Year 9: Alyssa Taouk, Olivia Nesci, Megan Uy
Year 10: Bettyna Mostoles
These students have been invited to allow their short stories to be published in the 2021 Write4Fun anthology of poetry and fiction.
This year we have been working closely with Inclusive Learning to deliver a tailored literacy program via Reading Circles. This sees all Years 7 and 8 English classes have an Inclusive Learning teacher team that teaches one lesson every week, working with targeted students and the English teacher to focus on developing the students reading and comprehension skills. The program gives students choice when selecting their reading and small reading groups build collaborative skills as well as building their skills in inference, evaluation and creativity.
12VR has continued to feature as an important learning space and English classes from Year 7, 9, 11 and 12 have been regularly using Level 4 this year. This new learning space has also provided the English Department with the opportunity to build professional relationships within the Department and develop our pedagogy. By meeting every week to co-plan and debrief, we have been able to take four classes at once to use the space. This co-teaching model releases more responsibility to the students to problem solve, collaborate and engage in deeper learner experiences beyond the constraints of a traditional four-walled classroom setting.
We have also welcomed back Dr Felicity Castagna who has facilitated a series of writing workshops with Years 10 and 11 and selected students from Years 7, 8 and 9. This valuable incursion offers our students the experience of planning, drafting and publishing a substantial piece of creative writing.
Leanne Portelli
English and Drama Leader of Learning
