Academic Education

Digital Innovation

This year was a challenging one for the department of Digital Innovation. With the change over of staff at all levels, the continuity and delivery of new learning programmes might have been adversely affected. However, the team stepped up and came through with excellent results, given increased enrolment in the courses offered. We remained true to our department goals of providing an inclusive learning environment, upskilling staff abilities and better integration of the Code Cadet programmes with our subject programmes.

The continuation of the semester-based ‘Computational Thinking’ programme in Year 7 allowed students to understand better how to use and create applications and formed a foundation for later years. Year 8 students progressed their understanding of the previous year by adding to their coding skill set by learning ‘front-end’ application languages HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

In Year 9, the department began the integration of the IB MYP into the ‘Application Development Project.’ Through this, students learned about the development process in a student-centred environment. The department learned about key MYP methods, allowing us to fine-tune our future MYP-based programmes as the school adopts this more broadly.

Year 10 students were excited to learn about cybersecurity and machine learning. These programmes allowed students to gain perspective on these emerging fields through an ethical lens as a possible career path for themselves.

Students in the HSC Software Design and Development and the IB Computer Science courses made impressive strides in either completing the course or advancing into the final year.

The department has changed its leadership twice this year, with Michael Zampogna taking over late in Term 3. The addition of Brenton Reid in Term 4 has rounded out the staffing. His 14 years of experience as a teacher and his particular skill in cyber security will lend a great advantage to the improvement of our Year 10 programme. Christopher Lemmer has completed his first year of teaching and has commenced his effort towards the proficiency level of professional accreditation. He has proven to be a capable teacher, as seen in the results of the Year 7 and 8 classes.

The staff have engaged in multiple professional learning opportunities throughout the year, including all the internal school offerings, IB Category 1 courses, HSC exam marking and many teacher identified areas. In the fast changing world of IT, staff have been continuously developing their skill in the area of coding and methods of teaching this specialised subject.

The Code Cadets programme, while getting off to a slow start, finished the year well. The Code Cadets team, comprised of five alumni led by Damian Camilleri and Alex Cresswell, developed and delivered a range of learning programmes for all years. These programmes extended the learning in the classroom and gave students unique opportunities to express their creativity. This year’s Code Cadet programme culminated in the first ‘Showcase’ event, held in Term 4, celebrating the success of the students’ efforts. The Code Cadets programme continues to expand and prospects for the coming year are exciting.

This year in Digital Innovation was highlighted by student enthusiasm for the subject and the realisation of a more inclusive learning environment that provided opportunities for all to gain knowledge and understanding of this subject at all levels.

Mathematics

The Mathematics Department has continued its dedication to supporting and enriching all students at CGS in Mathematics during 2022.

The Mathematics Department incorporated portfolio learning for students in Years 7 to 10, allowing them to show their learning and understanding continuously throughout the year in various ways. Some assessment types included developing reports, group presentations, videos and posters.

This year, for the first time at CGS, Year 10 students had the opportunity to extend their mathematical knowledge by electing to study the Mathematics Extension Course. This course allowed students to extend their mathematical knowledge beyond the Australian Curriculum. Students had the opportunity to delve deeper into the subject and get stuck into new and interesting concepts. Two highlights for the students were: learning about different base numbers and how to apply this knowledge to solve challenging questions involving polynomials; and the opportunity to undertake a five-week personal research project where students wrote a 10 page article on a topic of their choosing.

Some other highlights and recognitions include:

• Following last year’s successful trial, Year 10 students were again placed in their Year 11 cohort for the final weeks of Term 4 based on their subject selection. Students showed excellent motivation for the last two weeks of school, and the feedback was again very positive

• 110 students participated in the Australian Mathematics Trust Challenge programme

• 40 students participated in the Australian Mathematics Trust Enrichment programme

• 113 students volunteered to participate in the Australian Mathematics Competition, with 7 students being awarded a High Distinction and being invited to celebrate their achievement at the presentation evening

• One student was invited to compete in the Australian Mathematics Olympiad Senior Contest; and

• The continued success of Mathematics Tutorials, with over 800 students attending the sessions throughout the year.

For the Mathematics Department, our collaborative focus and determination to work as a team to get the best out of every student have provided us with fresh approaches to teaching and learning. The Department will continue to develop these approaches in 2023 with an eye to the future as CGS starts to incorporate the Middles Years Programme and its educational philosophy into our Curriculum.