English

In Term 1, both senior and junior students explored a unit of ‘Songs and Poetry for change’. Students examined a range of poems and songs that explored issues such as Black Lives Matter and topics around Aboriginal Identity.

Students read and analysed a range of poetry written by Artists such as Alice Eather, Beyonce and Tupac. They experimented with poetic devices such as similes, metaphors and personification. Junior students chose to write a song or a poem, and created some beautiful art to accompany their writing.

The senior students explored their own identity through poetry and the factors and experiences that have shaped their identity. One student created a powerful poem based off her experiences at her previous school, where she struggled to find her identity and her mental health was affected by bullying. Fortunately she has since worked through this difficult time in her life and has stated she feels much happier at Girl Academy.

In Term 2, junior students have been doing a unit of Scary Stories. Students have read and listened to a variety of scary stories, including ‘The Curse’, a particularly scary story that is told in Dalabon language in Central Arnhem Land. They have continued experimenting with figurative language to describe characters, setting and develop imagery. The girls are demonstrating significant improvement in areas of vocabulary and sentence structures and have some creepy ideas in their stories!

THE HUMILIATION

The sense of alienation flushed over me.

The taste of loneliness and judgment was as sour as a lemon.

2017 became the year everyone knew my name, but not for the right things.

Some people stared, some decided on loud remarks, others seemed as though my presence was non-existent.

The stench of rumours lingered everywhere I went, following me like an invisible shadow.

It was in those times I became the thorns in everyone rose bush.

Playing with my emotions became everyone’s favourite game.

My depression was a sad song on repeat.

School became an ocean of challenge and defeat.

My friends became my enemies,

The people I once trusted only added more fuel to the fire,

Everyone’s true colours beamed through the world of grey.

My light soon faded to a shadow,

Everyday became more and more painful,

My mind, body and soul was nothing,

Worthless.

Meaningless.

Gone.

My once happy face became a temperamental bomb waiting to explode.

My body was nothing but skin and bone.

My saturated brown skin was pale and lifeless.

My happiness swept away like dust.

Rumours become everyone’s reality.

Anonymous

Students developed their character in their story using Play dough.

Murder in the hairdressing salon

After playing a game of Cluedo, students discover a “Murder” in the hairdressing Salon, and used their imaginations try to discover the motive of the killer.