For Jev 

Jev Telford was a beloved member (and leader) of the English faculty.  
As a teacher, he will be remembered for the hours that he spent helping students outside of class time; for the genuine care that he showed to every student he taught (especially those from R8); and for his entertaining commentary of the sports carnivals. He truly loved working at Mooroolbark College. 

He will be remembered as a trusted colleague – someone who mentored many new teachers as they joined the team; someone who was excited to collaborate on new and engaging units of work; and someone who encouraged us to develop our craft to become the best teachers we could be. 
As a friend, he will be remembered for his unwavering loyalty and kindness; for his unique outlook on life; and for his willingness to support us in whatever way he could. 

He will be greatly missed by the Mooroolbark College community. 
 

 

The last few weeks of remote learning have again reflected the strength of our Mooroolbark College community. Students across all year levels have demonstrated a commitment to achieving their best academic outcomes in English. We continue to enter new territory and make large impacts and inroads for our collective and individual success here at Mooroolbark College.  

Through the year levels 

Year 8 
Students have been hard at work, studying Louis Sachar’s novel ‘Holes’ and diligently working on integrating quotes in academic writing. The skills developed here are paramount to their time in English over the next few years and into VCE. A larger focus of the faculty over the last couple of years involves the consideration and integration of authorial intent or ‘views and values’ of the authors/directors of the texts we study. Students have done incredibly well with thinking at a deeper level and urge them to continue this in all of their subjects.  

Year 9 
It has been a time for assessment and consolidation in Year 9 English, with students busy finishing off their remaining learning tasks as they close the chapter on James Moloney’s novel ‘A Bridge to Wiseman’s Cove’. Despite the challenge of remote learning, students have engaged with topical and provocative issues explored in the text and will continue to integrate these skills in their oral presentations later this term. The images below showcase some of the great writing that resulted from studying the text. The first is an extract from a body paragraph and the second is their conclusion of the essay. Very insightful, work! 

Year 10
Year 10 students rose to the challenge of writing their first comparative essay’s comparing coming of age classic ‘Stand by Me’ with the Verse Novel, By the River (both exploring themes of grief and the subtle beauty of rural towns). They exceeded all expectations with their time lapses and remote CAT conditions too.  

While at first the protests of needing more time were abundant, their resilience was ‘abundant-er’, and a massive cohort were able to sit and submit their essays to an incredible standard. Students are now enjoying a reprieve from writing, researching resilient individuals, for their oral presentations later in the semester. Never before have Year 10 students been able to relate so much to the person they admire, having overcome adversity after adversity themselves. A lot to be proud of in the Year 10 team!  

Years 11 and 12 
The online context has proven to be a challenge for some but our current Year 11s and 12s undertaking their VCE studies and pushing through their scheduled SACs, it seems they have all truly developed an incredible level of determination, resilience, and perseverance. The ‘online SAC’ for English assessments became somewhat of an artform. The VCE teachers want to congratulate the students who were able to manage this throughout the lockdown and emphasise that doing your best right now is the only expectation.  

 

The English department continues to gain momentum in Club 3/4, running remotely each Thursday from 12:45pm – 1:30pm. With the support of academic teaching staff and tutors, students have access to assistance where they might require help in certain areas. The English department hopes, that with regular attendance, students begin to establish and sustain a study regimen that will become part of the natural academic landscape at Mooroolbark College.  

 

Neologism of the month… 
A neologism, from Greek meaning ‘new speech/utterance’ is a relatively recent or isolated word or phrase that is emerging into common or frequent use. 
 
June Neologism: ‘Awe walk’ 
 
Definition: Taking a walk outside and making an effort to look at the things around you.  

“Awe walk” hasn’t been added to the Cambridge Dictionary yet – but they have noticed it’s been used quite a bit. The word “awe” means a feeling of respect. So, when someone says they will take an awe walk, it means they’ll notice – and feel grateful for – all the small things around them. 

The word was actually coined by the authors of a recent psychological study, which found older people who took awe walks felt more positive and less stressed over time.  

English encourages more awe walks! 

 

English Recommendations: 

Film: Enola Holmes
TV Show: Community 
Novel: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas  

 

Tyrone Ingham
English Key Learning Head