From the Curriculum Office
Well done to all students on getting through Term 1!
Year 7 have settled in well. Year 12 and Year 11 are half way through their respective courses. Year 10 will be starting the process of Stage 6 subject selection next term. Students in Years 7-10 will also have their formal assessment weeks in the middle of next term. Whilst the holidays are a time to refresh the mind, body and spirit it is also a good time to reflect on Term 1 and make the necessary adjustments to support continued learning growth in Term 2.
Reminder About Assessment Task Requirements
Lately, we have had a number of students missing assessments (particularly in Years 10-12). The requirements around assessments are pretty clear and have been shared with students and families via the assessment manual distributed at the start of the year. In particular I would again like to remind everyone.
Family holidays are not a valid reason for not completing an assessment task, especially in years 10-12). We appreciate that time can be limited for families but the NESA guidelines schools need to follow are pretty clear. If you choose to take your child away from school and they miss an assessment task there is very little we can do to accommodate. Dates for assessment tasks are distributed in the assessment manuals so please check and work around them as much as possible. Any students taking extended leave also need to complete the application for Principal’s Approved Leave.
If a student is absent or unable to complete an assessment task they need to complete the Illness/Misadventure form and submit within three days of their return to school (earlier if possible). This should also be affixed with documentation supporting the reason for absence such as a medical certificate. If you are unable to get an appointment at a GP on the day of your absence you can get one from a pharmacist which we will accept. We do not accept online generated medical certificates. Again, not providing the necessary documentation can in some cases lead to a mark of 0 being awarded for an assessment task. If unsure we suggest you contact the Curriculum Office on the day of absence for guidance/support if required.
Students are required to be at school the day before a formal assessment task is due. This is the case for both hand in and in class tasks. It is not fair if students stay home to prepare while other students complete work, it also negates the opportunity for last minute in class preparation for these tasks. Students absent the day before a formal task will again need to complete the Illness/Misadventure process and obtain the appropriate documentation as outlined above.
Students in Years 10-12 missing any in-class assessment tasks need to come to the Curriculum office on the first morning they return to school to organise a time to catch up/complete the task. Students in Years 7-9 should approach their class teacher. Hand in tasks should be submitted as soon as is practically possible via the means indicated on the assessment notification. This could include a relative bringing the completed task to school for the student if required.
Our job in the Curriculum Office is to support students through the entire learning process including assessments. The guidelines from NESA are pretty clear and we put our procedures in place to reflect these requirements. We ask for the support of students and families in following these processes to allow us to provide the highest level of support to students as possible.
Yr 11 2024 Subject Selection Process
The process of meeting with Year 10 regarding choosing subjects for Year 11 2024 will begin early next term. Students and their parents/carers are encouraged to spend time over the holidays thinking, discussing and researching potential pathways beyond Year 10 eg: University, TAFE, apprenticeships, etc, and start investigating the requirements needed to assist in achieving those outcomes. To get started students may consider looking at online career aptitude sites/quizzes to get an idea of careers that they may be interested in/suited to. Examples can be found on websites such as:
TAFE and University websites also have information on the courses they offer and potential careers that are linked to those courses.
Whilst we are not expecting students to 100% lock in their future career aspirations at this point in time, exploring and having an idea of the possible options you are considering does make the process of subject selection a lot easier in most cases.
Mr Brett Moran
Curriculum Coordinator