Year 9
Ms Emily Mattick
Leader of Wellbeing – Year 9
Year 9 have had a busy term both in and out of the classroom. As they commenced Stage 5, there was a notable increase in academic rigour which saw many students take a step up in their studies. In particular, Year 9 students have worked hard on delivering engaging, entertaining and persuasive speeches as part of the English Assessment.
They have also created models of Atoms in Science with many students finding creative and delicious ways to represent the structure and function of different atoms. Students who have chosen PASS as an elective studied the diverse needs and options for physical activity for different groups within our population and enjoyed trying Wheelchair basketball which was equal parts challenging and fun.
Outside of the classroom, but still pushing their academic boundaries and potential, students in Year 9 have been selected to participate in the Marist Mathletes, a group that works on Mathematical reasoning and problem solving at an advanced level. Our Year 9 Newman Science class and some select students also participated in a Science and Engineering Challenge and had a great day problem solving, working on team work, and meeting students from other schools. Once again, Year 9 were very well represented in the MCE Pi Day Challenge, with Aron Stapleton smashing his own record, reciting Pi to 470 places – 270 more than his previous record set in Year 8.
In Co-curricular, Year 9 continues to be well represented, trialling for a range of teams and bands and volunteering to officiate for or manage representative teams in need. We have had some excellent results in swimming with Aiden Yang, Robert Tannous and Oliver Huang representing the College in the CCC carnival. Robert Tannous has also been extremely successful in Athletics this term along with Manuel Lacson, both competing at a State Level. Robert will compete in Nationals later in the year. Jayden Gagliano has found success again this year in Bouldering, and will compete at Nationals later in the year as well. Sameer Kukade was also selected in the NSW CCC Cricket team. We wish all of these boys the best of luck. Finally, our newest Representative team at the College made up entirely of Year 9 students – the European Handball team – found great success this term, winning the SCS Conference 2 finals and will compete in the SCS Championships. We wish this team all the best in the Championship games.
During Wellbeing lessons, Year 9 have been engaging in the Resilience Project. This program is designed to enhance students’ wellbeing by focusing on Gratitude, Empathy, and Mindfulness (GEM), and hopes to develop students’ social and emotional intelligence. By engaging in this alongside the development of reflective, mindset and study skills in Enrichment, we hope to continue to support Year 9’s holistic development.
A big thank you to the Year 9 Wellbeing Team who continue to support our Year 9 students so that they can engage positively in the College and work towards their goals.