MIDDLE SCHOOL Parent Group Term 1 Meeting Tuesday 28 March 2017 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

MIDDLE SCHOOL Parent Group Term 1 Meeting Tuesday 28 March 2017

Middle School Team 2017

Focus of Middle School Tea

Dean of Students Sarah Loch Head of Middle School Tammy Rees- Davies Deputy Head of Middle School Year 7 Jennifer O’ Donnell

Year 7 Connect Team

Deputy Head of Middle School Year 8 Katie White

Year 8 Connect Team

Deputy Head of Middle School - Learning Kate Nolan Middle School Counsellor Jowell Chew MSAAC Shannon Sengupta

Administrative Assistant Rebecca Carmody – Projects and Events Administrative Assistant Ruth Volanikis

Middle School Team 2017

Focus of Middle School Tea

Dean of Dean of Students Sarah Loch Head of Middle Head of Middle Head of Middle Head of Middle Head of Middle School Tammy Rees Davies Davies Davies Davies Davies Deputy Head of Deputy Head of Middle School Middle School Year 7 Jennifer O’ Donnell

Year 7 Connect Team

Deputy Head of Deputy Head of Deputy Head of Deputy Head of Middle School Year 8 Katie White Katie White Katie White

Year 8

Katie White

Year 8

Katie White

Year 8 Year 8 Connect Team Team Team

Deputy Head of Deputy Head of Deputy Head of Deputy Head of Middle School Learning Kate Nolan Kate Nolan Kate Nolan Middle School Middle School Counsellor Jowell Chew MSAAC MSAAC Shannon Sengupta Sengupta

Administrative Assistant Rebecca Carmody Projects and Events Projects and Events Administrative Assistant Ruth Volanikis

Bridging the gap

• How can we help students to learn?
• What impact can we have on improving student
• utcomes and achievement?

Teaching and Learning Health and Wellbeing

Know Guide Challenge

Student Wellbeing

The Role of the Connect Teacher

• How will I help my students learn?
• What impact can I have on improving student
• utcomes and achievement?

Teacher, teach thyself and ignore the usual advice, Ben Jensen and Jacqueline McGee

Learning in Middle School

Kate Nolan - Deputy Head of Middle School Learning: My role is to encourage girls to embrace challenge in the Middle School. We are looking to build skills in your daughters which will equip them for life beyond Pymble. ‘Begin with the end in mind… and then…make things happen.’ Stephen Covey

Looking at learning from 3 different perspectives.

• Student
• Parent
• Teacher

Learning in Middle School… what the girls say: Looks like:

• teachers helping us without judging us
• fun with lots of choice
• lots of group work
• we are more independent
• productive
• positive and happy

Learning in Middle School… Sounds like:

• productive
• collaborative and chatty when we work in

groups

• very quiet when we are concentrating
• it’s busy!

Learning in Middle School… Feels:

• friendly
• happy
• inclusive
• we are valued
• collaborative

Learning in Middle School…

Do you remember your favourite teacher?

• What are 10 facts they taught you? – that’s tricky
• But how did they make you feel? – what is it

about them that makes you still remember them?

• Balance between wellbeing and learning is

critical.

Our Learning Design Process is deliberately designed learning to KNOW, GUIDE and CHALLENGE every Pymble learner. Teachers plan and program using the Learning Design Framework. The learner is central to this

• framework. Planning, learning and reflecting.

Through the Learning Design process Through the Learning Design process

There are 3 key learner dispositions we are aiming to foster in your daughter.

• Passion
• Scholarship
• Assurance

Passion Students can discover a passion for learning when they explore creatively. Students pursue an area of passion when they think critically.

Scholarship Scholarship requires students to be disciplined. Pymble girls are expected to take responsibility to:

• master knowledge and understanding
• explore authentic questions and critically

evaluate possibilities Scholarship also demands students participate collaboratively.

Assurance

Assurance is developed as students embrace

• challenge. Pymble girls are supported to:
• set ambitious goals
• persevere with resilience

Assurance is expressed in the ability to accept agency. Pymble girls are empowered to reflect and learn from mistakes and achievements. They are encouraged to negotiate choices with increasing independence.

Middle School offers a world of opportunities. It is a time of change for your daughter as she moves from Junior School to Year 7 and establishes herself within new groups and friendship groups. This takes courage and resilience.

Learning is designed to move from surface learning to deep knowledge. We are developing skills in the girls that they will take with them into their world as future leaders. The girls are encouraged to use their voice to articulate on their learning and about their learning.

Maths: key skills and content

• Posing questions, investigating, solving and

reflecting on mathematical problems

• Communicating the process of problem-solving

tasks when working mathematically

• Demonstrating knowledge and skills using a range
• f assessment opportunities
• Manipulating materials and equipment and the use
• f ICT to show learning and understanding of

concepts

Maths: key skills and content

• Properties of plane and solid shapes
• Algebraic Techniques
• Equations
• Pythagoras’ Theorum
• Indices
• Area of Quadrilaterals
• Single Variable Data Analysis
• Number theory including directed number
• Fractions, decimals and percentages
• Probability

Concepts of Music

• Duration
• Texture
• Structure
• Dynamics and

Expressive Techniques

• Tone Colour
• Pitch

Students will explore and discover the concepts of music through the core skills of performance, composition and listening. They will gain an understanding of different genres of music, including, but not limited to, film, pop, classical and musical theatre. With a focus on keyboard, guitar, percussion and technology (iPads, notation software and sequencing programs) students will engage in a variety of learning experiences both individually, as part of an ensemble and through a transdisciplinary approach.

Year 7 Core Music

The Ancient World

Overview

Investigating the Ancient Past Rome China

The Ancient to the Modern World Overview

Renaissance Italy Angkor/Khemer Empire The Black Death in Asia, Europe and Africa

History

Focus on building knowledge and empathy.

Geography

Investigating the diversity of physical and human environments throughout the world. Inquiry to build knowledge and understanding of geographical processes, interconnections between people, places and environments and strategies for addressing geographical challenges. Topics studied will include: Investigating our local area, Deserts, Water in Australia, Mountains, Tourism, Worlds Apart (which looks at comparisons between the most and least developed areas throughout the world) and globalisation. Develop skills such as research, presenting, collaboration, literacy and numeracy as well as fieldwork techniques of collecting, interpreting and evaluating data.

Science

• Connecting with the students’ personal
• experiences, stories and news stories.
• Starting with a hook to inspire interest.
• Thinking big picture and big concepts.
• Finding the scientific facts.
• Lessons, tasks, research and inquiry are

differentiated to allow for different ability levels and topics are structured to include Personal Interest Project time.

Learning in Science is planned using the Whole Brain model. Learning using all 4 quadrants of the brain deepens our learning.

Visual Art – Year 7

• Establishing an inner confidence in every

student to interpret and make artworks.

• Working through painting, drawing, collage,

digital art, sculpture, printmaking and ceramics, students learn techniques and skills to interpret artworks and develop their own ideas.

• Artmaking is documented in the Visual Arts

Process Diary.

Visual Art – Year 8

• Looking and writing about artists and artworks
• Exploring a range of different art forms and

media, learning techniques and ways to express their ideas. The approach to artmaking gradually becomes more autonomous and knowledge of art history and art criticism is developed.

Tech

PDHPE

• Students will learn about their sense of self and

different types of relationships and recognise how they can be supported during challenging situations.

• They will explore risk-taking behaviours in drug

use, road safety, water and sun. Mental wellbeing will be investigated and strategies developed for coping with challenges.

PDHPE Cont.

• Diet and how sugar and fat impact us will be

analysed.

• Students will develop skills in a range of sports

including, netball, basketball, swimming, athletics, AFL, touch football, cricket, rhythmic and artistic gymnastics.

• Students will achieve their RSLA Bronze Star in

Year 8

English

Skills being developed:

• Composing creative and analytical responses,

both written and in other media

• Annotating and analysing texts, language and

film techniques

• Class, group and pair discussions
• Self and peer assessment of work

English Cont.

• Editing work using quality feedback
• Creating mind maps and other visual

representations

• Gallery walks and individual/group

presentations

Assessments and Rubrics

• Rubrics are the means of feedback on an assessment of

learning opportunity

• They are given to the girls (or on the Portal) as the

assessment is handed out. They are explained to the girls, looking closely at the language regarding skills/outcomes being assessed

• Middle column; ‘You’ve got it’ / sound means your

daughter is performing at ‘grade level’.

Assessments and Rubrics

• The focus is on each girl’s individual ‘growth’, not where

she sits by comparison to any other girls in her year.

• Girls are encouraged to reflect thoughtfully on feedback

given in a rubric and to then set themselves a personal learning goal to carry forward. Feedback will be written

• n the rubric and there will be ticks/highlighted sections

in the rubric grid to show how your daughter has achieved with regard to the outcomes being assessed.

How English is assessed