Vice Principal News – 25 July 2019

Term 3 has started well.  Students are engaged in a range of learning activities to promote their growth.

Teacher professional practice

As you are aware the first day of Term 3 was a student free day.  Teachers were engaged in a range of professional learning activities associated with curriculum planning including:

• Semester achievement level rubric refinement
• Course documentation
• Differentiated assessment task and rubric development
• Differentiated learning activity development

Teachers worked collaboratively in groups for this curriculum planning.

All curriculum design is centred on our focus on offering a differentiated learning program for students.  Our framework for differentiation has 5 key components:

1. Teachers knowing the students in their care as learners
2. Students knowing themselves as learners
3. Students offered clear achievement standards at multiple levels
4. Students offered opportunities to demonstrate their learning at multiple levels
5. Students engaged in differentiated learning activities

Results

It is pleasing that we are seeing some positive results in terms of student achievement:

• Year 8 and 9 assessments in Semester One highlighted above expected growth for students from Year 7 to 8 and Year 8 to 9 for both reading and numeracy
• Continued growth in above standard achievement

Parent Access Module of PAM

I hope that parents are enjoying the many features of PAM.  If you are having any difficulty accessing PAM please email pamsupport@sfx.vic.edu.au.

The College is liaising with a business who is developing an app for PAM. Plans are progressing well and we hope to be able to offer exciting news around this shortly.

Planning for 2020

Lots of planning is taking place for 2020. This includes matters including:

• The laptop devices for Year 7 and 10 2020 students
• The 2020 College calendar
• Student subject selection
• Staffing

Year 12 students

This is an important time of the year for Year 12 students.  Teachers are working hard to support VCE and VCAL students in Year 12 as they approach the completion of their secondary studies.

VCAL students will shortly have a final work placement.

VCE students will have trial exams (last week of this term) and revision lectures (second week of school holidays).

Term 3 Student Progress Meetings

The dates for Term 3 student progress meetings are:

• Thursday 5 September (2pm – 8pm)
• Wednesday 18 September (2pm – 8pm)

The online booking system will open at 6pm on Thursday 22 August.  Cycle 1 Reports will be published on Wednesday 21 August.

Subject Selection for 2020

Thank you to parents for their support of the 2020 subject selection process.  Student assemblies and parent information evenings have been run, curriculum booklets published, student online preference websites opened and subject selection meeting booking sites opened. 

I encourage parents to continue discussing their child’s pathway with them.

Please be mindful of the following key dates for 2020 subject selection.

Year 8 and 9 2020

• • Subject preferences online by 26 July

Year 10 2020

• • Initial subject preferences online by 19 July
  • VCE Acceleration interviews Thursday 1 August
  • Bookings close for subject selection meetings 5pm Tuesday 30 July
  • Subject selection interviews (student, parent and teacher) Officer Campus, 2pm – 8pm Tuesday 13 August
  • Subject selection interviews (student, parent and teacher) Berwick Campus, 2pm – 8pm Wednesday 14 August

Year 11 2020

• • Initial subject preferences online by 29 July
  • Bookings close for subject selection meetings 26 July
  • Subject selection interviews (student, parent and teacher) Burgess, McDonagh, Schneider and White Houses, 8.35am – 8pm 6 August
  • Subject selection interviews (student, parent and teacher) Gallagher, McKenna, Synan and Thomas, 8.35am – 8pm 7 August

Year 12 2020

• • Initial subject preferences online by 29 July
  • Subject selection interviews (student and teacher) 8 August

Blessings for the next fortnight!

Timothy Newcomb

Vice Principal