Olivia’s Portfolio

Math Goal Reflection and End-of-Semester Check-In 😁

January 9, 2026 / Liv

Last unit, I set the goal to improve my time management skills to to complete assignments. I did very well with this goal, because I handed in all of my homework on time. I made sure to achieve this by finishing assigned homework, so I don’t need to worry about it later. However, I sometimes struggled with finishing especially long homework because of procrastination or distractions from social media.

Three strengths I have shown last year is participating in class discussions, being able to collaborate with anyone in class on group projects, and improved my communication skills when asking for help from teachers. Three areas I still want to improve is better time management (avoiding social media), better study techniques to better memorise material, and balancing academic responsibilities with extracurricular activities better.

In the next unit I want to enhance my understanding of complex topics in math by dedicating more time to review and practice. What might get in the way of this goal is limited time due to other commitments and homework, lack of motivation, and distractions from social media. If I ever need help, I can ask my math teacher or classmates for assistance, and also use online resources.

Slope and Solutions – Unit 2 Linear Equations and Relationship Check for Understanding

January 9, 2026 / Liv

In Unit 2 on Linear Equations and Functions, we took a Check for Understanding Quiz to see if we meet the required standards for the unit.

I chose Question 3a, which was “The scatter plot shows the distance many golf balls travelled, along with the cost of the golf club used to hit each ball. Describe the association of the scatter plot in context (use DOTS).” as evidence of my best thinking because I struggled a little bit with describing the association of a scatter plot when we first started learning it. This was mostly because I was overthinking about what I needed to say, since there were so many aspects from DOTS and things we needed to remember that I was scared I would miss something. However, getting this question correct helped show me that I could do it, and that I’ve grown from the start of the unit.

I also chose Question 4, which was “A store receives 12 boxes that contain many different numbers of lemons. They weigh each box and then count the lemons. The data is in the scatter plot. A new box weighs 30 pounds. Approximately how many lemons are in the box? Given the line of best fit, what does the slope mean in this context?” as evidence of my best thinking. This is because these were skills that I improved on when working on the “Create Your Own Problem” project, and me applying those improved skills made me feel triumphant.

Throughout Unit 2, I improved the most at describing a graph’s association and using DOTS, as mentioned earlier. One skill from this explaining correlation vs. causation while using correct vocabulary, since I got a 2.5 on Critical Thinking because of this mistake. The biggest challenge for me on this assessment was either trying to use DOTS, or determining what line of best fit would suit a graph on one of the questions the best, since I needed to draw it myself. One strategy that helped me on this test was reminding myself of what each part of DOTS stood for, so that I remembered what to mention when describing the association on a graph.

Designing A Story Problem (Piecewise Function Project)

January 8, 2026 / Liv

In Unit 2 of Math, we needed to design a problem involving a piecewise function, and a question we needed to solve regarding linear equations and functions.

Describe your story and what real-life situation it modeled?

My story was about a girl named Alexa who was swimming a 1500 meter open-water race to an island and back. She had tracked her heart rate during the race, and wanted to see how she could test her cardiovascular limits for a longer period of time. Thus, I created the question, “If Alexa maintains the same rate of heart rate increase as Interval 4 from this race, when would she reach 200 bpm?”

Olivia McCreath – L4 Unit 2 Design a Story Problem – 3759631 Download

What part of your project are you most proud of? Why?

I’m especially proud of the graph I made for this situation, since it was a problem I made myself and I was able to show my improvement since the start of the unit by being able to create a whole graph for it.

What was the hardest part of creating your piecewise function?

The hardest part was trying to figure out the function of each interval, because I kept messing up the numbers from other intervals with each other. This made the figuring out a bit messy at the start, but it wasn’t that hard after figuring out the correct slopes and y-intercepts for each function after that.

If you could revise one part of this project, what would you improve and how?

If I could revise one part of this project, I would probably diversify the intervals a bit more to have more obviously different slopes, since in the graph, the line looks like linear, and not different intervals with different slopes (even if it’s realistic).

What did this project help you understand better about piecewise functions?

It helped me better understand how slopes worked in a real life situation, and helped me understand them better in general, since I had to graph them out on a graph I designed myself.

L4 Mixed Media Self-Portrait

December 10, 2025 / Liv

What key message do you want your audience to understand about you as they view your artwork? How did you communicate this message?

The key message I wanted my audience to know about me is the connection between my childhood and the future, and the journey of life that comes along with it. The visuals, such as the red bottlebrush flowers, cinnamon rolls, and autumn leaves all connect to my childhood in Australia and give me a sense of nostalgia. This is because they involve what I used to see in nature while I played as a child and what I used to eat.

The “journey of life” that I also wanted to represent is seen through the squiggly lines and circles which represent journey and perseverance while facing the ups and downs of life. The starry purple and white backdrop is also meant to replicate a starry sky, which represents hope and new opportunities since I live internationally in different places. The text and writing I added in my hair and around the artwork are all related to the same idea of the “journey of life” and perseverance, so this idea is supported by multiple aspects in the artwork.

During the creation of your artwork, how did you take risks and experiment in order to effectively express your intended message?

During the first stages of the planning and making of the artwork, I had planned to not add text (only from newspapers) and only add visuals, because I thought it would make my artwork look “tacky” or overdone. However, after adding the visuals, I realised my artwork actually looked a bit “bland”, if that makes sense. To make it more interesting, I decided to take inspiration from Rob Draper’s art style where he wrote text in the hair or background of his mixed media portrait. I took quotes from online and wrote it in my hair, and wrote words relating to life in the spaces in the background of the art. This was an experiment I made to help effectively express my intended message, because I had never done it before, and wasn’t planning to, but in the end made my artwork look more complete and meaningful.

Mixed Media Self-Portrait Planning

Unit 2 Biological Evolution Reflection

December 2, 2025 / Liv

Composition Reflection

December 1, 2025 / Liv

The tools I used with my group for this was mainly brainstorming ideas within the group and making it work with the music through musicality – if the movement didn’t really work, we either adjusted it or changed the movement. The process was rather quick, as everyone in my group had ideas and we built off of them, rather than only wanting to put our own movements into the composition. It was a good example of effective collaboration and listening.

I contributed quite a few movements equally with my other group members, and gave lots of suggestions and shared thoughts I had on whether or not the movement could be switched. It was a positive environment to grow from others while still contributing yourself, especially since my group members would actually listen to the feedback I had on our composition.

I personally was satisfied with the composition that we made, as at the start I was kind of stumped that we probably wouldn’t have very unique movements. However, as soon as we started, my mindset changed as we were adding onto our composition quite quickly and frequently with movements we made ourself and used some from previous dances – and we finished within the first class. It was very fitting for our dance intention, which was to convey the meaning and emotion from our chosen song (Exile – Taylor Swift) from the teacher. In the future, I don’t think I would change anything, except for the fact I would like to do the recorded dance again since the song started too early, so the rest of the dance was messed up.

However, I was personally quite happy with it and wouldn’t really change it. 😀

Soccer Unit PE Reflection

November 25, 2025 / Liv

This year, I consciously participated in every drill and scrimmage, which improved my conditioning and helped me read the game faster. I embraced working with whoever I was partnered with, adjusting my style to complement their strengths, and that flexibility made me a better teammate.

While I could have practiced dribbling more, it never became a major weakness. My passing and positioning improved enough to compensate. This unit taught me that improvement comes from showing up, staying engaged, and being adaptable—and I’m proud I went from a hesitant player last year to an active contributor.

Water Polo PE Reflection

November 25, 2025 / Liv

In the water polo unit of PE, I learned how to do basic swimming without goggles and how to play the game. I improved throughout the unit to stay above the water and treading water for the entire game. I also improved since the start of the unit in shooting goals and working with my team to win a game.

This water polo unit pushed me far beyond my comfort zone, teaching me that endurance and strategy matter as much as strength. Overcoming my hesitation with contact play was challenging, but it built my confidence and trust in teamwork. Water polo was a fun unit in grade 8 to have fun and be resilient.

Expressions in Motion – Contemporary Dance

November 6, 2025 / Liv

What have you learned about Contemporary Dance from our technique classes?

I have learned how to be more expressive in contemporary dance, and how to convey feeling. Most importantly, I think I have gotten better at dance overall with these technique classes, as well as getting more flexible and increasing my skill in the movement we learn in class. I especially like the floor routine.

How is Contemporary Dance different from other styles of dance?

Contemporary dance is unique compared to other styles as you can mix it with any movement. While styles like ballet and jazz have specific moves you need to do, contemporary dance encourages the exploration of new movement, and challenges the traditional “rules” of dance. This can include unique body movement, unconventional poses, and innovative use of space (which we have been doing) – contemporary dance also include lots of improvisation, which we are currently focusing on in dance as it is at the start of our new choreography.

If you were to evaluate yourself today (1-4) what would you give yourself? Do you think you have challeneged yourself and developed your technique in Contemporary Dance?

I would give myself a 3 or meeting for myself, as I have been trying harder than before to try and convey the movement. I’ve definitely challenged myself through doing my best in the technique and strengthening exercises, and I have improved since last year when performing on stage. While I used to laugh in performances last year, this year I did not repeat my past mistakes, so I see this as proof of my improvement.

PTC Semester 1 Reflection

November 3, 2025 / Liv

Last Friday I had my PTC conferences with my core and encore teachers. One thing in general that I learned from all of them is that while I sometimes feel behind, most of them don’t think so about me themself, which is rather helpful in my case. For example, when I admitted to my parents sometimes I don’t finish all the work in class in Social Studies, leading me to have to do it at home, my teacher emphasised that it wasn’t much to worry about, and that it wasn’t at an extreme level.

Olivia's Portfolio