The age of 13 is an important benchmark in human development. Class 7 marks the birth of the intellect, with the need to experience the world in a more complex way. With the development of the capacity for reason and objectivity, we see subjects reflecting this.
In Maths we have just finished a Main Lesson of Euclidian geometry, which is training the students to develop their critical thinking, in contrast to the more artistic geometry of the Primary School years. History and Geography expand horizons, bringing expansion and depth to their knowledge of the world: from Ancient China, to our study of the continents, coral reefs and rivers. Anatomy of the human being is a look inward, to objectively understand the mechanics of the skeletal system.
The students are beginning to embed themselves in the High School, a process that will be completed in Term 4 when the two classes will become one, and their new Guardians will replace the Class Teachers that have guided them through the Primary School years.
Outdoor education, organised sport, art and music are vital to the Class 7 curriculum and great outlets for the emotional upheavals of adolescence. 7W is beginning to prepare for a week-long bushwalk in Washpool National Park, a camp which 7C enjoyed last term. This will be a challenging hiking camp with all food and gear carried by the students.
In sport, we are preparing for inter-school soccer and volleyball matches, along with lessons in tennis and golf. The students are also enjoying our TAS subjects: metalwork, digital technology, fabric design (including learning to be proficient on a sewing machine), and are building skills which will be developed over their high school years.
William Keyte
Class 7 Teacher