YEAR 12 ABORIGINAL STUDIES MAJOR PROJECTS

Earlier this term, Year 12 Aboriginal Studies presented their major projects to family, friends and community. The breadth of topics this year was great to see with topics from NRL, Racism, The Uluru Statement from the Heart, Self-Determination in the Tourism Industry, Importance of Water and Bush Foods.  Students confidently presented the process they went through and the findings of their research. Overall it was a wonderful celebration of the students' learning process. Well done!!

YEAR 12 ABORIGINAL STUDIES MINI MAJOR 

Year 11 Aboriginal Studies class will spend this term completing their local case study, also known as the mini major, they will use the 2025 NAIDOC theme as the basis for their project and present a segment at this years NAIDOC assembly. This is NAIDOCs 50th Anniversary and the theme this year “celebrates not only the achievements of the past but the bright future ahead, empowered by the strength of our young leaders, the vision of our communities, and the legacy of our ancestors.” (National NAIDOC Theme | NAIDOC 2025). As part of this project students will connect with community members and organisations starting with attending Sorry Day on May 26th and Waminda Gardens on the 4th June.

YEAR 11 BUSINESS SERVICES

At The Office @ Johnnies (The OJ), students are exploring the benefits of diverse work environments and implementing ideas for sustainability. Students presented rehearsed slides with speaker notes. The presentation slides used the 5-5-5 rule of powerpoints with limited information and large fonts.

YEAR 10 HISTORY ELECTIVE

History in Film

Students presented research and a pitch into which movie has the most historic accuracy and importance. Within their research they needed to evaluate how close the movie portrayed actual events.

Some of the movies the class was interested in included The Other Boylen Girl, Pearl Harbour, Saving Private Ryan and 300 just to name a few.

Machu Picchu Excursion

In Week 3, the class travelled to Sydney to visit the Australian Museum’s Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru exhibition. Students had the opportunity to see over 130 ancient artefacts including exquisite jewellery, funerary objects from royal tombs and one of the most impressive gold collections to tour the globe.

YEAR 11 ANCIENT HISTORY

Students completed their historical investigation which included completing research and an artefact on an element of Ancient History. The artefacts created were impressive ranging from tapestries, volcanoes and Greek mythology models.

YEAR 9 GEOGRAPHY

Students have started to explore the Australian Museums Future Now exhibition for the topic Changing Places. Using this exhibition students will explore innovations in urban design which will undoubtedly change the way we live in the future. This follows on from a case-study where students watched “Eat Pray Build” a foreign correspondent episode which explores how tourism is changing Bali, including the building of a 183m glass elevator and viewing deck at KelingKing beach.

YEAR 10 HISTORY MANDATORY

Year 10 have been learning about the Holocaust. Mrs Daley led Ms Berrymans class in an active timeline activity. Students had to place individual victims of the holocaust on a timeline. They then had to look at the effect of historical events on the persecution of these individuals. Physically seeing the time line and the effect that events had on individuals makes the time period relevant for these students. Later this terms students will be travelling to the Sydney Jewish Museum where they will have the opportunity to meet a Holocaust survivor and explore many of the artifacts in the museum.

YEAR 12 SOCIETY AND CULTURE

The Personal Interest Project (PIP) is well underway for Year 12 Society and Culture Students. The PIP is a major commitment for 12SAC students, making up 40% of their total mark when it comes to their HSC. Students get to pick a topic that interests them, and then spend time conducting research, both primary and secondary, on the topic while making comments on how the topic relates back to the course concepts that are fundamental to Society and Culture.This has also seen some awesome connections made between SJE students and 11 other schools, as we have been sharing our questionnaire links in a continuous google doc in a “PIP Research Swap.”

Some of the topics that students are exploring for their PIPs include (but are not limited to!): 

• A New Age of Romanticism?, which aims to explore whether we are entering a new age of Romanticism, prioritising feelings over logic and reason, with an increased focus on the need for escapism during moments of political and social tension, such as the COVID-19 Pandemic and events following. 
• The Relationship Epidemic - a project which aims to assess/explore the impact of Westernisation and Western popular culture versus the values and beliefs of Eastern societies in terms of relationship ideals. 
• From Strength to Strain: Unpacking Toxic Gym Culture and its Impact on Society - a project which aims to explore the idea of gym culture, and whether there is a toxic undertone within a culture that promotes the ideals of health, body image and staying fit. 
• To All The Boys I’ve Never Loved Before - focusing on the unrealistic expectations and standards placed on teenagers through the lens of the teen film genre. 

Overall, students are working well, having just completed a NESA progress check. We will continue to dedicate time in-class to working solidly on their PIP’s in preparation for the final progress check in Week 8. Students are encouraged to complete their drafts prior to the next school holidays in order to obtain meaningful feedback before final submission.

Ms Sarah Blades

HSIE Leader of Learning