As the Year 8 Co-ordinator it is my role is to coordinate the learning, pastoral care and behaviour management programmes for the Year 8 students to ensure all our students achieve the highest possible levels of achievement. I am supported by a fantastic team of teachers including House Leaders Jason Naidoo and Christina Just.

In Year 8 we continue to develop the ‘Life Long Learning Skills’, to ensure our students feel confident when they transition to High School next year.

These skills include:

• Communicating confidently & thoughtfully with a range of people
  
• Having an awareness & appreciation of other cultures
  
• Being a critical & reflective thinker
  
• Being a good team player
  
• Being optimistic, resilient & having a can do attitude
  
• Being flexible & adaptable
• Having a sense of community

These are the skills of the Life Long learner

Here at Heaton we offer excellent learning programmes which engage our students but it is the combination of these programmes with cultural, sporting and extra curricular activities which allow students to practice these skills.

This term our students travel to Raincliff for their 3 day camp. They will learn how to abseil and kayak, and develop water safety skills. Students can also look forward to skiing at Mt Hutt in Term 3.

Year 8 offers many positions of responsibility. Our students learn the importance of time management, a sense of responsibility and the feeling of what it is like to be part of a team.

Heaton would not be the school that it is without the contributions from our Road Patrol Monitors, LRC Monitors, Canteen monitors, Bell Ringers, Sports and Cultural leaders, Student Leaders and the Recycling team to name a few.

I am always amazed how our students grow into their positions of leadership. Often a group of students will come up with an idea. Leadership just seems to evolve.

Then before you know it the high schools are holding Open Nights and enrolments are being completed. One of my major roles is to coordinate the Year 8 transition. Our Year 8 teachers spend a lot of time completing the high school forms and meeting with the Year 9 Deans from the respective high schools to ensure the students have a great start at their new school.

Year 8 is about building on the skills learned in Year 7, enjoying positions of responsibility, making new friends, feeling challenged, investigating the answers to their wonderings, and setting goals so that when students leave Heaton they have the knowledge and skills to set them up for high school and beyond as life long learners.