Year 9 Handbook

In making your choice of Elective subjects you should consider the following:

• INTEREST - What you like, or are interested in studying
• SUCCESS - What will you be best at

It is important that you consider your performance and efforts in the Year 8 subjects you have completed this year.  The academic results and subject teacher’s comments on your College Academic Reports should be used as a guide to help you determine your subject choices for Years 9.

At this early stage in your secondary education, you should not be too concerned with prerequisite subjects for tertiary course entrance, as this over-emphasis on selection for a proposed career choice made now, could lead to a poor decision for the future.  Many career-orientated courses in Years 11 and 12 can be chosen irrespective of the elective subjects studied previously.  It is only in some cases, that certain senior subjects require pre-requisite study and a list of these subjects is provided in this handbook.

In conclusion, it is important that students and parents consider the following advice on choosing subjects:

• There should be a balance in the type of Elective subjects chosen e.g. cultural and practical.
• There is an opportunity for students to pursue their special interests or develop talents which they have e.g. Art, Drama, or to speak and write a foreign language fluently.
• Choose Elective subjects that you know you will enjoy completing and can be successful at.

When choosing your Elective subjects for Year 9 do not let your choice of subjects be influenced by:

• Being told that a subject is easy.  What is easy for some students may be quite difficult for others.  A subject which is too easy for you may very soon become boring!
• Hearing that there is no homework in that subject.  Beware this advice is misleading.  Practical oriented subjects may not have regular homework, but assessment items throughout the semester will be due.
• Which teacher is taking the subject this year. There is no certainty that the same teacher will teach the subject next year.  Many schools have significant re-allocations of staff each year.

Core Subjects

All students in Years 9 and 10 will complete all these subjects.

• Religious Education
• English
• Mathematics
• Science
• Humanities
• Health and Physical Education

In Year 10, students will be placed into the appropriate level of English and Mathematics using evidence from NAPLAN, PAT-R, PAT-M and their previous results.

Elective Subjects

All students will initially choose three subjects from the group below. This information will then be used to formulate the lines for the Elective subjects. All students will then be able to choose two electives from the lines.

• Visual Arts
• Media Arts 
• Business Education
• Drama
• Graphics
• Food Technology
• Digital Technology
• Italian
• Design and Technology 
• Dance

It is important to note that Elective subjects will be arranged in groups or “lines” to allow timetabling.  Students will be able to select only one subject from each line. 

Lines will be drawn to:

• Allow students to choose an educationally sound and well-balanced course of academic and practically oriented subjects
• Cater for a range of student interests and needs
• Disadvantage as few students as possible.

‘Lines’ will be drawn up after student subject requests are submitted.

• Due to safety and legal requirements, some classes are limited in size e.g.  Design and Technology, Food Technology

Should the number of students wanting to complete a subject exceed the capacity of College facilities, the Deputy Principal in consultation with teachers of the subject areas will reserve the right to admit students to these Elective subjects in accordance with student needs and interest displayed in the subject during Year 8.

Similarly, if insufficient students nominate to take a subject, the subject may not proceed.

Student selections will be confirmed in Term 4. 

In selecting your Elective subjects, you may need to consider whether you will be eligible to enrol in the senior level of studies of the course. As all students will be completing a wide range of core subjects in Years 9 and 10, many of you will not need to consider pre-requisite studies as they will be covered by your core subjects.

Students, who may have an idea of wishing to proceed to tertiary institutions, will need to peruse this checklist to understand the process of subject selection for Senior Pre-Tertiary subjects.

As Years 9 and 10 subjects provide the building blocks for a successful senior secondary education, it is important that all students cultivate a more positive approach to these two years of schooling.

The successful student:

• Gains rewards from self-set goals
• Is an active learner and has commitment to his/her course of study
• Accepts responsibility for both successes and failures
• Accepts the challenge to overcome difficulties

To be a successful student you need to cultivate good study habits.  You should consider the following hints for more effective study:

• Formulate a homework and study plan.  It is recommended that students at this level should allocate 1 – 1½ hours per night to complete set homework, assignment preparation and study revision.
• Keep up to date in your College Student Diary with deadlines for all assessment items.
• Keep a balance between school and leisure/sporting team commitments and in some cases, part-time work.
• Regular physical exercise keeps you fit and helps to release tension.
• Make a list of things to do and indicate priorities.
• Ask for help from your teachers, parents and friends.
• Have a set-aside place for study with desk, comfortable chair and good lighting, where you can work without interruption from the television, family meals or other members of the family.

• Parents are encouraged to read the fortnightly College Newsletters and keep up to date with Subject Assessment Due Dates and Examination Schedules.
• Parents are required to check the College Student Diary weekly for regular subject teacher’s communication regarding your child’s progress in class and to monitor homework and assessment requirements.
• Parents are encouraged to help their children with their language development.  Suggestions:
  • By checking homework diaries for instructions parents can help children improve their organisational skills.
  • Encourage neatness and thoroughness in all tasks through praise not criticism.
  • Help children improve their spelling and punctuation by proof-reading their rough draft work.

Religious Education at Gilroy Santa Maria College is an important area of human culture and thus worthy of study in its own right.  Growth in faith can be nurtured by classroom teaching of Religion and is enhanced by a supportive home, school and church environment.  Religious Education presents faithfully, and with integrity, the richness of the Catholic tradition and respectfully presents other faith traditions.

The classroom teaching of religion enables students to explore ways in which religion, and especially the Catholic tradition is related to their own lives and to the society and world in which they live.

 Religious Education is a key learning area.

Pre-requisites:

Students and parents must be willing to accept the Catholic ethos and positively support the right of the College to educate in faith. 

Course Outline Junior Religion:

• Church in Action
• Preach the Gospel
• Prayer
• Understandings of God and Foundational Beliefs
• Making meaning through interpreting Biblical texts

Assessment:

Assessment will occur throughout the unit of work.  It will be in the form of the work (in-class assignments, class work, reflections, etc.) which will be completed in their folders and notebooks. 

Course Outlines:

The Year 9 English courses are designed to meet the requirements of the Australian Curriculum and are built around the three interrelated strands of language, literature, and literacy. Together, the strands focus on developing students' knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating. The course provides students with opportunities to engage with a variety of texts. These include various types of media texts, film, fiction, poetry, and multimodal texts, with themes and issues involving levels of abstraction, higher order reasoning and intertextual references. 

Students will also engage with literary texts that support and extend them as independent readers. Such texts are drawn from a range of genres and involve complex and challenging structures that may serve multiple purposes. These texts explore several themes, including that of human experience and cultural significance. The texts represent: a variety of perspectives, a synthesis of technical and abstract information, and more complex text structures and language features that include a high proportion of unfamiliar and technical vocabulary, figurative and rhetorical language, and dense information supported by various types of graphics presented in visual form. 

Students will create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive types of texts including narratives, procedures, performances, reports, discussions, literary analyses, transformations of texts and reviews.

Assessment:

In assessments students are provided with opportunities to comprehend, create and respond to a range of imaginative, analytical and persuasive texts. Assessments will take the form of:

• extended responses, and/or 
• examinations.

All assessment items are fully explained by the classroom teacher and are detailed on the task sheet. All tasks are assessed against common criteria.  

Homework:

Students are expected to complete homework daily to consolidate classroom learning and develop good study habits. It is expected that students engage in:

• daily reading
• revision of knowledge, skills and concepts in order to reinforce and consolidate classwork
• drafting and finalising assignment tasks.

How can you support your child in the study of this subject?

• Help your child to create regular routines and study habits.
• Ensuring your child has a quiet space free from distractions
• Encouraging regular reading of a variety of texts, as well as actively developing more sophisticated vocabulary.
• Encouraging regular writing will help improve their communication skills, clarity of ideas and words, and critical and creative thinking skills.
• Talk to your child about their texts – ask questions and share opinions.
• Help your child develop independent learning skills.

Mathematics is an integral part of a general education. In all its aspects, Mathematics is valuable to people by providing important skills which can be used at the personal, civic, professional and vocational level.

Course Outlines: 

In Year 9, the Mathematics classes are grouped to cater for the diversity of mathematical ability within the cohort. All Year 9 Mathematics classes will follow the Australian Curriculum that builds on previously learned skills.

It is important that students make a serious attempt at studying Mathematics in Year 9. Results will determine the Mathematics course studied in Year 10 and, therefore, Year 11 and 12.

To complete Mathematical Methods and/or Specialist Mathematics in Senior, (which are prerequisites for some University courses), students will need to achieve a B or better in the Advanced & Applied Mathematics course in Year 10.

Assessment:

Students will be assessed in the following criteria:

• Understanding and Fluency
• Problem Solving and Reasoning

Assessment items each semester include:

• Supervised Tests - 1 per term.
• Problem Solving & Modelling Tasks (PSMTs) – 1 per year

Homework:

Homework will be given each lesson to consolidate and reinforce concepts learned in class. It should range from 20 to 30 minutes of work on average per day.

Additional Information:

Every opportunity is given to all students to make the most of their Mathematics studies. Teachers are willing to help students outside of class time at the tutoring sessions so that students are properly grounded in the skills required for Senior Mathematics.

Students (and parents) who are concerned about Mathematics results should approach the classroom teacher, the Mathematics HOD or College Administration to discuss.

The Science curriculum for Year 9 is designed to build on students' existing knowledge and skills, encouraging them to explore and understand the world through scientific inquiry and critical thinking. It aims to foster a sense of wonder and curiosity about the natural world and its processes. The curriculum emphasises the importance of scientific literacy, problem-solving, and the application of scientific knowledge to real-world situations.

Course Outline: 

Key aspects of the Science curriculum include:

Scientific Knowledge: Developing an understanding of fundamental concepts across various scientific disciplines, including Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Earth and Space sciences.

Scientific Inquiry: Encouraging students to ask questions, conduct investigations, and analyse data to draw evidence-based conclusions.

Application of Science: Applying scientific principles to solve problems and make informed decisions in everyday life and societal contexts.

Science as a Human Endeavor: Recognizing the role of science in society and its impact on technology, innovation, and ethical considerations, including how scientific knowledge is validated and refined through processes such as publication and peer review.

Students explore key concepts from Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and Earth & Space Science throughout the year.

• Chemistry: Structure of atoms, elements, compounds, and reactions in everyday life.
• Physics: Properties and behaviour of light, sound, and electricity, and their practical applications.
• Biology: Microorganisms and their roles, body systems, and reproduction.
• Earth & Space Science: Interactions within ecosystems, energy flow, and the impact of environmental changes.

Assessment:

Assessment in Science includes:

• Exams to evaluate students' grasp of scientific concepts and principles.
• Assignments that explore and apply different areas of the curriculum.
• Laboratory experiments where students design, conduct, and analyse experiments, culminating in written scientific reports that demonstrate their investigative skills and understanding.

Homework:

Homework will be assigned each lesson to consolidate and reinforce concepts learned in class. On average, students should expect to spend 20 to 30 minutes per day on Science homework. This includes occasional independent research and work on assignments.

Students are encouraged to maintain neatness and thoroughness in all their tasks and to improve spelling and punctuation by proofreading their rough draft work.

Additional Information:

All students are encouraged to fully engage with their Science studies. Teachers are available outside of class time during tutoring sessions to provide additional support and ensure students grasp the necessary skills for further Science education.

Students (and parents) who have concerns about Science results are encouraged to approach the classroom teacher, the Science Head of Department (HOD), or College Administration for further discussion and assistance.

As part of the Australian Curriculum the study of History is compulsory in Year 9. The aim of this course is to provide all students with a knowledge and understanding of:

• Past events which have influenced their lives
• A knowledge of their surroundings (home, state, national and international)
• The political system of Australia and how it works

Students also undertake studies in Geography, Economics and Business. 

It is anticipated that after completing this course students will be more informed citizens and be able to take their place in society as aware and discerning adults. Humanities and Social Science will provide students with skills for living in the twenty-first century.

Course Outline

HISTORY:

• Making a Nation – Australia (1750 –1918) - from Colonisation to Nationhood
• World War I (1914-1918)     

ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS: 

• Accounting Practises and Principles
• Economic Concepts
• Australia and the Global Economy
• Innovation and Competition in Business

GEOGRAPHY

• Geographies of Interconnection - Sustainable Tourism 

Assessment

Each semester students will be required to complete a combination of the following tasks:

• A research/investigative task
• Response to Stimulus Test
• In class activities 

Homework

Students will be required to complete regular class and research work.

Additional Information

It is planned that students will obtain much of the information required for this course through library and computer technology such as:

• Databases
• Online Resources
• Textbooks and other library resources

Health and Physical Education is organised into two content strands: personal, social and community health and movement and physical activity. Each strand contains content descriptions which are organised under three sub-strands.

Focus Areas:

Yr 9 Health and Physical Education includes both practical and theory components within this subject area. Topics covered in theory may include personal and community safety, energy systems and training programs, sustainable community health and wellbeing, cultural awareness and understanding and social responsibilities and relationships. Practical activities may include; invasion games and sports, net and court games,  challenge and adventure activities and traditional games.

Unit Overview

Term 1: 

• Theory: Sports Injury Management
• Practical: Invasion Games (LLPA, APMG)

Term 2: 

• Theory: Managing Risks (Chapter 3)
• Practical: Athletics (GS)

Term 3: 

• Theory: Finding and Using Health Information (Chapter 4)
• Practical: Modified AFL (GS, FMS)

Term 4: 

• Theory: Identity, Changes & Transitions (Chapter 1)
• Practical: Tee Ball & Cricket (GS, FMS)

Assessment

Students are involved in various learning experiences either within the classroom or by participating in practical activities using the facilities provided. The health and physical education emphasis is on learning about, through and with physical activity.

The practical elements included in the course are assessed according to personal performance against standards.

Students will be assessed in all theory areas in a variety of tasks, including exams, practical skills observation, multimodal assignments and research reports.

Homework

Worksheets and assignment work for theory components. Students are also encouraged to practise practical skills at home to consolidate what is being taught and developed at school. Parents may also assist by encouraging children to participate in sporting teams. Study for theory tests is also required.

Using a range of technologies including a variety of graphical representation techniques to communicate, students generate and represent original ideas and production plans in 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional representations. These techniques will be specific to the technologies context and may include scale, perspective, orthogonal and production drawings with sectional and exploded views. Students produce rendered, illustrated views for marketing and use graphic visualisation software to produce dynamic views of design ideas and designed solutions.

Students with aspirations to tertiary careers in Architecture, Engineering, Surveying and Graphic Design, and students with an interest in trade subjects or even practical construction, whether as a career or merely a hobby, would benefit from studying Graphics. The course uses AUTOCAD, INVENTOR and REVIT and Adobe Photoshop so the students can gain the necessary computer skills need for employment.

Pre-requisites

An interest in drawing is essential.

Course Outline

The course aims to develop an awareness of the importance of graphical communication and a knowledge and understanding of fundamentals in the following areas:

• Drawing equipment and aids;
• Plane geometrical drawing and construction;
• Systems of orthographic projection, both geometrical and technical;
• Pictorial drawing – including perspective;
• Diagrams and charts;
• Developments of patterns and templates;
• Presentational graphics including linework standards, freehand sketching and
• rendering;
• An introduction to computer assisted drafting across the areas indicated above;
• Design processes and understanding; 
• Graphic Design.

Homework

Homework is an integral part of the course.  It may be given on a weekly basis and is assessed. 

Assessment

Each area of work is assessed upon its completion, either by a folio of drawings, short response test or a combination of both.  A compilation of these assessment tasks, homework and assignments makes up the semester grade.

 The students work will be assessed in the following criteria:

• Technologies and society
• Generating and designing
• Producing and implementing
• Evaluating

Tests are assessed only in the Knowledge and Understanding criteria of the course.  All homework and assignments are assessed in all criteria.

Equipment

Some basic equipment must be purchased.  This includes a 12GB USB, range of pencils, an eraser, V liner pens and coloured pencils for rendering.

Learning in Digital Technologies focuses on applying computational thinking by defining and decomposing real-world problems, creating user experiences, designing and modifying algorithms, and implementing them, including in an object-oriented programming language. Students use techniques, including interviewing stakeholders to develop user stories, to increase the precision of their problem definitions and solution specifications. They verify their solutions solve the problem by validating their algorithms, represented as flowcharts and pseudocode, and using test cases to confirm the correctness of their solutions. Students develop their object-oriented programming skills, and apply them to develop, modify and debug programs. They explain the importance of abstraction by representing online documents in terms of content, structure and presentation, as well as exploring simple data compression techniques and comparing their effectiveness.

Students will have opportunities to analyse problems and design, implement and evaluate a range of digital solutions, such as database-driven websites and artificial intelligence engines and simulations.

Students explore how bias can impact the results and value of data collection methods and they use structured data to analyse, visualise, model and evaluate objects and events.

They learn how to develop multi level abstractions, identify standard elements such as searching and sorting in algorithms, and explore the trade-offs between the simplicity of a model and the faithfulness of its representation. 

Course Outline 

• Data construction and manipulation
• Programming (Game Development)
• Digital Image Manipulation
• Mobile App development

Assessment

Students are involved in a variety of assessment techniques with an emphasis on producing products that can be published globally. This includes creation of blogs, formal exams, production of mobile apps, development of graphic design folios and construction and management of websites. 

Homework

Homework is given as required to ensure the principles being explored are understood.

Students use design and technology knowledge and understanding, processes and production skills and design thinking to produce designed solutions to identified needs or opportunities of relevance to individuals and regional and global communities. Students work independently and collaboratively. Problem-solving activities acknowledge the complexities of contemporary life. 

Course Outline

The course enables students to gain knowledge and skills in:

• Safety in workshops and industrial environments
• The nature of materials (mostly woods, metals and plastics)
• Techniques for manipulating these materials using hand tools and machines 
• Good technology practice
• Presenting graphical responses to design challenges

A hands-on approach is used in the making of artefacts which are designed to develop the skills previously outlined.

Assessment

Assessment is determined using learning outcomes based on the student’s level of competence in the tasks and associated technology involved in making each project, including: Evaluation of those designs and Workshop techniques

This creative and practical subject allows students to explore food, nutrition, and the science behind cooking while developing essential skills in design, planning, and production management. Students learn to identify and apply the steps involved in planning and producing designed solutions, creating detailed project management plans that incorporate sequenced time, cost, and action strategies.

Through a range of practical projects, students apply theoretical knowledge across the contexts of Food and Fibre Production, Food Specialisations, and Materials. They establish and maintain safety procedures that minimise risk and ensure efficiency, developing strong habits in safe work practices and responsible project management. By the end of the course, students will have built the confidence to manage projects from concept to completion—combining creativity, organisation, and technical skill to achieve successful design outcomes.

Pre-requisites:

Nil, although an interest in food and practical skills is an advantage.

Course Outline:

Semester 1

Food and kitchen hygiene and safety Nutrition and foods for health

Students will investigate each unit of study through; 

• Nutritional food investigations and exploration
• Designing and Producing Battery-based recipes
• Evaluating Designs.

Term 1: Nutritional Studies & Batter Recipes 

Students will focus on studying the importance of nutrition in the diet and how to manage food choices with positive decision making and design skills. 

They will enhance their understanding of kitchen skills and basic cookery methods through exploring recipes through batters. 

Term 2: Pasta, Rice & Cake Cookery - European Influence 

Students will explore the European influences of migration to Australia along with food production and farming of regular used kitchen ingredients. They will explore a variety of timelines from industrialization to the present; with influences to how our eating habits and food trends evolved over time. 

Semester 2

Designing and working with food & Foundational cooking techniques

Term 3: Fruits, Vegetables, Meats

Students will investigate and explore farming methods of growing and harvesting produce, and the processes involved from paddock to plate. Students will engage in sustainable farming practices involved in meat production and uses of meat in differing recipes. 

Term 4: First Nations Bush Tucker Foods

Students will explore the diverse range of bush tucker foods and how these foods sustained first nations culture; for thousands of years. Students will investigate and design recipes that uses bush tucker and learn about the medical properties and cultural customs that they represent within differing geographical areas of Australia. 

Assessment:

• Design Assessment Tasks; Theoretical Investigations (Design Assignment)
• Practical Assessments & Observations in the Kitchen  (Practical Cookery Procedures)

Each area of work is assessed either by a written exam or a written assessment/report.  Practical work will be an integral part of the course and will be assessed via observation of skills and participation.  A compilation of these assessment tasks, homework and assignments makes up the semester grade.

The students work will be assessed in the following criteria:

• Technologies and society
• Generating and designing
• Producing and implementing
• Evaluating

Homework:

This will include completion of worksheets and learning theory associated with their cookery and nutrition.  Students should be encouraged to practice skills learned at school by either repeating recipes used in class or applying these skills to similar recipes.  A recipe book should be compiled, to recognise cooking experience. 

Visual Arts:

In Visual and Media Arts students learn through direct engagement with two-dimensional, three-dimensional and four-dimensional art and design practices and concepts, theories, histories and critiques. They develop skills, knowledge, understandings and techniques as artists, designers, critics and audiences. Students learn to explore ideas through imaginative engagement, making and presenting art, craft and design works, and engaging critically with these works and processes.

Media Arts:

In media arts, students develop knowledge, understanding and skills in the creative use of communications technologies and digital materials to tell stories and explore concepts for diverse purposes and audiences. Media artists represent the world using platforms such as television, film, video, newspapers, radio, video games, the internet and mobile media. Produced and received in diverse contexts, these communication forms are important sources of information, entertainment, persuasion and education and are significant cultural industries.

Units and Assessment 

Unit 1: Making skills intensive

• A folio of making tasks which may include two-dimensional, three-dimensional, time-based art and design practices.
• An emphasis on materials, documentation and understanding of personal aesthetics.
• Students are assessed on a folio of artworks and their documentation in their art journals.

Unit 2: Contemporary Visions

• An investigation into how contemporary art and visual culture offer a unique visual experience, and how this experience may not have been conceivable in the past. 
• Focus on additive and subtractive sculpting and modelling techniques using clay and PU foam.
• Students are assessed on a finished sculpture, and their documentation and research in their art journals.     

Unit 3: Constructing Photographs

• An investigation in response to the question: How can photography capture a ‘real’ subject in a way that makes it look ‘unreal’? 
• Students explore photographic composition techniques and the use of DSLR cameras.
• Students are assessed on a folio of photographic artworks, and their documentation and research in their art journals.

Unit 4: Spaces and Experiences

• An introduction to and investigation of installation and site-specific art 
• Students design installations for a specific gallery space and present a proposal 
• Students are assessed on their proposal for an installation in a contemporary art space. Their documentation and research are completed in their art journals 

Homework

In Visual and Media Arts, class time is allocated for exploring and responding, creating and making, and presenting and performing; however, some time outside of class is necessary to complete all tasks. It is not always possible to continue artworks at home if specialised equipment is used; therefore, students must use class time effectively. The amount of homework varies depending on the assessment type and access to materials.