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Sport
ENGLISH & LITERATURE
“In 2021, we have pivoted into a fearless and resilient mindset.” Ceri Lloyd
2021 was a year like no other with ongoing lockdowns and many weeks of online classes which has tested us all. The word pivot has been frequently aligned to our shift to online learning but in my view the pivot has well and truly been replaced by our fearless and resilient mindset to teach and learn in this online environment. Our central goal is always to deliver an engaging and dynamic learning experience for students, teaching them self-efficacy and adaptive expertise. This mindset was clearly evident in the innovative curriculum developed in the English Faculty throughout 2021.
Year 10 English Extended Research Investigation
Commencing in Term 3, this new Unit of Study allows students to develop and extend their knowledge and skills in independent research, carry out investigations focusing on rigorous research questions and write academic essays.
Years 10 and 11 Independent Learning Tutorials and Masterclasses in English
A blended model of learning was introduced with asynchronous Masterclass lectures on historical contexts, views and values and literary devices in texts, as well as writing text essays, revision for examinations and study skills. The implementation of the Masterclasses allowed the Faculty to see positive outcomes for senior students in terms of more flexibility in their learning, reinforcing their key skills and allowing for more independence as they controlled the pace of their learning.
Years 7 and 8 English Honours Class – Write a Book in a Day
Combining their passion for creative writing, the Years 7 and 8 English Honours classes took part in the innovative Write a Book in a Day competition. Students were given ten hours to write, illustrate and submit a storybook targeted to a youth audience. The completed books were uploaded to an online library and have also been included in the Barbreck and Nicholas Library fiction collection.
As I write this article, I reflect on the fact that this will be my final article as Head of English as I move into a new role in 2022. I take the opportunity to express my immense gratitude to the teachers in the Faculty for their unwavering commitment to delivering the English programs at St Catherine’s and for showing such resilience throughout 2021.
Mrs Ceri Lloyd
Head of English & EAL Project Leader: Senior Years Learning Model
student comment
English Studies Gave Me Perspective
“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.” – Henry Tilney, Northanger Abbey Throughout my years of studying Literature and English the most significant thing I have taken away is perspective. English and Literature are unique to other subjects in that you become fully emerged in another world or time and views of the author and their characters. These subjects teach you how to be empathetic, you see characters behave questionably, yet you also see the motivations behind them and the patriarchal systems that manipulate actions. One of the most interesting parts of these subjects has been exploring the themes of older texts such as Shakespeare, Euripides and Austen’s works and seeing how these topics are still applicable in modern society. Exploring these themes in a different setting has allowed me to consolidate my own views as I reflect on what I value in people and society and what I want to see changed. One of my favourite books I studied was Northanger Abbey. When I first read this book, it did not engage or resonate with me in the slightest. However, after delving into the world of early 19th century Bath, I realised that my initial dislike, specifically the focus on the mundane nature of women’s lives, is what made this text a masterpiece. It is a commentary on the lives of women and their lack of agency and escape. Indeed, English and Literature are the study of people’s perceptions of the world. Without these great subjects my understanding of relationships, societal systems and disadvantage would be considerably less rich. Studying English and Literature during school has created a love of literature for my entire life. “I have loved researching and looking into my chosen topic and I have learnt a lot about how to research and investigate a topic properly. I think these skills will be vital skills for the future.”
year 10 student
Allegra Dennison Year 12
HUMANITIES
Students in Humanities classes probably rarely think about the name of the Faculty that groups together the diverse subjects under this banner. Even though students in Years 7 to 9 study a subject called ‘Humanities’ for a whole year, they are more likely to think about these classes under the discrete labels of History or Geography. As they move through the remaining years of Senior School to VCE the Humanities branches into the many diverse subjects from History to Politics, but at St Catherine’s we also include subjects that focus on business interests in the Humanities. What then links these diverse subjects together? The central concern of the Humanities is the importance of people working individually and together to share the world around them, and how the world influences people and society. A Humanities student learns to explain and evaluate how the choices people make impact on society and other people in many ways, be it the emperors of Ancient Rome, the Indigenous owners of Uluru or economists working for governments. In 2021, the world outside of School was again more strongly perceived by students than in previous years, however, as always, the Humanities provides a window to the wider world. The Humanities show students they have a role in responding to and shaping the world based on their knowledge of past events, present challenges and future opportunities.
Mr Paul Gilby
Head of Humanities
HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION
This year, despite weeks of online learning, the Health and Physical Education (HPE) Faculty continued to provide a rigorous, relevant and interesting curriculum to our Core Years 7 to 9 HPE classes, Years 9 and 10 Electives and VCE Classes. With lockdown fatigue impacting us all and mental health issues increasing in Australians of all age groups, the HPE Faculty again implemented an online physical activity program within the Years 7 to 10 curriculums. Students participated in a Dance Unit in Term 1, choreographing their own routines and performing to the class. New units were developed within the curriculum, incorporating regular physical activity opportunities, including the ‘5 Options: Your Choice’ Program, where students had the choice of participating in one or more of the five different activity categories, such as the Energy Burner and ‘Time for Me’. The ‘Strava Art’ Challenge, allowed students to create a visual design on a digital map by physically running, walking or riding around their ‘design’ route. Within the Nutrition Unit, students applied their knowledge to complete the ‘Lockdown Dinner’ task. They were asked to reflect on significant gatherings, regular traditions or meals from their family heritage or culture, and select a meal that had special meaning to cook for their family. Ingredients had to be analysed to reflect their understanding of the six key nutrient groups, with photographic evidence of their ‘cooking experience’ included. In Year 12 PE, as part of Units 3 and 4 course work, students took part in physiological testing. State of the art Sports Science technology was used in VO2 Max Testing, a test to exhaustion measuring maximum volume of oxygen used by the working muscles. Anaerobic capacity was also tested using the Wingate Test, a 30 second all-out explosive sprint effort. The Year 10 Health and Physical Education elective investigated some of the different types of common sports injuries that occur. Some ‘creative’ bandaging and injury management were delivered to patients. Other Units of Work were game sense approaches in the team sport of Soccer and the effects of exercise on the musculoskeletal, respiratory and circulatory system. Additionally, students enjoyed their involvement in an introduction to the three energy systems that deliver fuel to our working muscles. Students in the Advanced Health and Physical Education elective in Year 9 explored the effects of exercise on the major body systems, such as the cardio-respiratory systems.
Ms Debra Thompson
Head of Health & Physical Education
