Our history lesson continued as we explored Palestine and used Google Earth to see what it might have been like to live in the time of Jesus. Watching a clip on ancient cheese makers in Jerusalem helped to understand the harsh conditions experienced both now and back then. Art was involved with drawing a typical house from that time and discussing why society lived like they did. Students even liked learning about the politics of Roman time and built upon their knowledge of why Jesus was such an inspiration to many.

In Term 2 we have tackled a Kindness Challenge, with each week a goal being set for the students to follow and also seek our within our College. This will be continued into Term 3 focussing on Positive Relationships. Our Kindness goals were able to be linked into our classroom lessons which was about the Ten Commandments and the Common Good. A theme of ‘Never see a need without doing something about it’ has made for some thought provoking conversations and excellent Common Good proposals. Students are developing a strong sense of Social Justice and learning about ways to make a change, which means that our planet is in good hands.

This term in Year 8 Religion the students have been comparing the three major Monotheistic Religion of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. A particular focus has been on the similarities and differences between initiation ceremonies and rites of passage including baptism. Students completed a power point assessment on these ceremonies to complete the unit. While last term, students engaged with the work of prophets from the Old Testament and applied to modern day key messages. Key aspects of this type of work in Religious Education links to the overarching goal of the LYF (Living Your Faith) Program in transcending the gospel messages in our own time and place.

Imogen commented “to be creative in your response and learn about world religions and rituals”. While Hannah indicated “it was fun to use pictures and symbols to explain and communicate your ideas and learnings”.