Years 5 and 6 Viewing and Representing Day Wednesday 25th November
Our award winning Linkages Program will once again bring Years 5 and 6 students from our partner schools together to celebrate the results of our collective efforts on literacy. At the end of Term 3, staff from Engadine High School worked with Years 5 and 6 teachers to further develop skills in "viewing and representing" literacy. This is a very difficult skill and one which requires constant reflection as they progress through upper primary school and throughout high school. Students are taught to read behind the obvious meaning of visual images to understand inferences. It is a vital skill for high school.
Students have peer assessed their work and students will receive awards for their efforts. Year 5 students will remain behind to participate in lessons with teachers from Engadine High School to further enhance their transition to high school. This is the eighth year that our Linkages program has been running and we have found it to be a tremendous success in easing student anxiety about high school and identifying students who are gifted or whom require additional support.
Year 6 Orientation Day 3rd December 2009
Year 6 students who are attending Engadine High School in 2010 will join us to participate in a day of fun as part of their transition to high school. The day will begin with some entertainment by our very talented performing arts students, followed by an information session for parents while students enjoy peer support activities with our trained Year 10 leaders.
Year 6 students will participate in afternoon lessons with high school staff and we trust that by the end of the day, they would have started to cement some new friendships with students from other schools. For many students, this will be the eighth occasion students have visited Engadine High School for Linkages.
Building the Education Revolution (BER)
We are pleased to be the recipient of $200 000 from the Commonwealth government as part of its stimulus package to generate employment in the community.
Following consultation with the Student Representative Council (SRC), the P&C and staff, we decided to upgrade 4 blocks of toilets for both boys and girls. This will include replacing old cisterns, toilets, tiles, painting, new partitions and the installation of water-saving taps. Whilst this is not a glamorous project, it is certainly highly desired. We have now completed the toilets in A Block and C Block and students are delighted with the results.
In addition, we constructed a 32m x 16m shade structure over one of the basketball courts to provide additional shade and protection from inclement weather.
We chose to manage the projects ourselves and use local tradesmen to ensure that the money stretched as far as possible.
Digital Education Revolution (DER)
This is a most exciting initiative for schools throughout Australia. During Term 3, every Year 9 student will receive their own laptop. They will keep these forever as long as they remain at school and complete Year 12.
The Department of School Education is upgrading wireless connection to all public high schools so that students can quickly connect to the internet. They are also providing additional support and training for staff professional learning. At Engadine High School, we have a specialist team of staff who will implement the phases of this exciting initiative. We have already adopted an e-learning management system which students will eventually use as part of the laptop program.
Latest update:
Students received their laptops and appear to be enjoying the challenge of familiarising themselves with the vast array of programs, particularly the adobe programs.
