Year 8
Assessment Block – Modification
Parents of students in Yr 8 & 9 would have received a recent communication regarding the further modified Assessment Block for Term 4.
In order to enable the students to return to On-Campus Learning on Monday 25 October and also to engage in the planned Assessment Block, the following amendments have been made for all Yr 8 and 9 students:
- Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 October – return to the Senior Campus for Connection and Confidence Days
- Wednesday 27 to Friday 29 October – remain at home for scheduled online Assessment Block
We believe the modification will provide students with a meaningful assessment experience, and one that supports them to:
- Prepare for an assessment task ahead of time, utilising organisation and revision skills
- Undergo a range of tasks – students will be asked to complete quizzes, tests and assignments
- Experience a managed sense of pressure, utilising emotional self-management skills
- Receive feedback on their achievement and growth
- Set goals for future learning
On Campus Connection and Confidence Days: Monday 25 October and Tuesday 26 October
We want all of our students to enjoy the opportunity of returning to On-Campus Learning on 25 October. There will be a dual focus on these days.
Firstly, we will prioritise reuniting friends and peers, checking-in on students’ wellbeing and fortifying coping strategies so that students can successfully navigate the changes associated with returning to On-Campus Learning. An extended Tutor Session on Monday 25 October will facilitate this focus.
Secondly, students will attend face-to-face lessons, enabling them to catch-up with their teachers, who can reassuringly respond to any last-minute questions or concerns in person, engendering confidence prior to the Assessment Block.
At Home Online Assessment Block: Wednesday 27 October to Friday 29 October
We want all of our students to engage in the planned Assessment Block. These assessments have been modified to most appropriately enable them to demonstrate the learning and skills they have developed over the past term. The assessments are being facilitated via iLearn, a platform familiar and accessible to all students.
The Assessment Block has been modified so that it fits into this week, offering a maximum of three short assessments per day, for each student. Merging the assessment schedule gives us greater flexibility and allows us to return the students to face-to-face learning in the following week.
ASSESSMENT TIMETABLE – https://www.redlands.nsw.edu.au/redlandspulse2/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2021/10/Year-8-Yearly-Assessment-Timetable-2021.pdf
During the Assessment Block, students only log in to sit their assessments. They do not attend formal lessons during the Block, and they do not follow the Remote Learning Timetable.
When students are not sitting an assessment task, they should be:
– Having a break, relaxing and being active
– Revising for another assessment task
– Reflecting on how they managed a task and identifying positive strategies to take into the next task
FACTSHEETS:
10 Scientifically Ways to Reduce Stress
https://redlands.nsw.schooltv.me/newsletter-article/1375/1369
How to Handle Exam Anxiety
https://redlands.nsw.schooltv.me/newsletter-article/1376/1369
Helping Your Child with Exam Anxiety
https://redlands.nsw.schooltv.me/newsletter-article/1377/1369
Exam Stress
https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/issues/exam-stress
Strategies for Exam Stress
https://au.reachout.com/articles/coping-strategies-for-exam-stress
Surviving School Exams
https://headspace.org.au/young-people/how-to-reduce-stress-and-prepare-for-exams/
When Yr 8 returns to On-Campus Learning, things will look and feel different because we need to meet the COVID-19 Safe guidelines mandated by the NSW Government. Students will have to wear masks, adhere to staggered lesson and break times and also purchase all food through the canteen via an online ordering system. We will communicate these protocols with you ahead of Monday 25 October.
Yr 8 Visual Arts
Yr 8 Visual Arts students have been very engaged throughout Remote Learning in their exploration of portraiture. After completing investigations into representations of the human form, students considered how they wanted to portray themselves in acrylic paint. With the delivery of canvas and paints to every house, Yr 8 study areas quickly morphed into artist studios, as each student began to create a life-sized self-portrait. As you can see from these in progress photos and zoom lessons, there are some very exciting self-portraits being produced. It will be fantastic to see them all completed and together when we return to campus.
Term 4 Events
After the Assessment Block, the students will participate in a variety of curricular and cocurricular activities designed to engage and extend them in the closing weeks of the school year. Initially, they will receive feedback for their assessments, reflect on their achievements and disappointments and then set future goals. The goal setting will take place with their Tutor and be communicated to parents.
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Maths)
In November Year 8 students will engage in a STEAM Day developed to engage and extend their skills and learner attributes.
BURN BRIGHT – Leadership Starts from Within
Yr 8 will engage in a day-long program to support their self-development and personal leadership.
Ms Lisa Vale
Yr 8 Advisor
9968 9837
lvale@redlands.nsw.edu.au