A warm welcome back to our students and their families, especially those who are new to our school community. So far it has been a smooth start to the year with students stepping straight into their classes. Yr 7 have had 2 days of orientation and other activities and have settled in well. Year 12 are starting the 2nd term of their HSC studies. Year 11 are taking the first steps along their Stage 6 coursework. Years 9 and 10 starts the year with new electives added to their timetables while Year 8 have settled into their new class structures.

This year will be an exciting year as there are a number of changes happening around curriculum and the teaching and learning structures at St Joseph’s. From a Curriculum perspective the goals we are focussing on for 2021 are:

• Reviewing and implementing clear guidelines and expectations for students around expectations for learning.
• Adopting a greater focus on differentiation of learning strategies in our classrooms.
• Collection and use of data to develop a greater understanding of our students and their learning potential.
• Greater collaboration amongst staff to support individual and class learning.

One change to be aware of this year is the introduction of our Leaders of Learning. These positions replace what were formally known as KLA Coordinators. The reason for the change is to align with a change in approach to the leadership and management requirements for these positions. There is one associated Leader of Learning, or LoL for each Key Learning Area. 

If you have any questions regarding the learning needs of your child then your first point of call will generally be an email or phone call to the relevant classroom teacher. You can also contact the appropriate LoL or the Curriculum office at any time to discuss other matters should the need arise.

Changes to Assessment Procedures 
This year there has been a range of changes to the assessment procedures across all year groups. These changes largely consist of processes to follow when students do not submit hand in assessment tasks or miss in-class assessments such as exams. These changes were made to better reflect NESA guidelines on assessment for each stage and to encourage students to seek and implement feedback from teachers to improve their assessment grades. These updated procedures will be reflected in the assessment manuals that will be distributed to students over the next two weeks. ALL students and parents are strongly encouraged to read these procedures to ensure they understand the processes and individual requirements regarding assessment.

Year Group Updates 
Year 12

Timetables - Once again this year most Year 12 students do not have scheduled classes on Pds 5/6 Friday - Week A or periods 1-6 Friday Week B. There are a number of reasons for this with the main one being the potential ongoing threat of a Covid-19 breakout impacting the school year. Structuring the timetable in this manner allows for greater opportunity for students undertaking courses with large major projects such as in TAS, CAPA and HSIE the opportunity to complete their major works to the best of their ability by using the time available as much as possible. It also provides students with greater opportunity to work on their formal at school assessments which make up 50% of their HSC mark as well as time to catch up on work they may miss due to illness or other absences.

Whilst no classes are scheduled, the days are not automatically free days to stay at home. Students will be required to attend on these days to:

• Complete in-class assessment tasks as required
• Attend class study/revision sessions planned by their teacher
• Engage in any other activities organised by the school

Students not attending as required will be marked absent and may jeopardise their capacity to meet HSC course requirements. Students are also free to come to school during these times (in school uniform) to make use of the school facilities such as the library and other areas in consultation with the appropriate teachers/ LoL.

Flexible Attendance - Year 12 students do have flexible attendance provisions available. The arrangements for flexible attendance are:

• Students with study periods period 1 may choose to arrive at school before the start of period 2 (students must sign in at the office at least 10 mins before the start of recess or they will be marked as late).
• Students with study periods period 1 and 2 may choose to arrive at school  before the start of recess (students must be on the school grounds and sign in at the office before the start of recess or they will be marked as late).
• Students with study periods in periods 3 or 4 must stay at school and go to the classroom allocated on their timetable.
• Students with study periods 5 and 6 may sign out at the front office at the start of lunch.
• Students with study periods 6 may sign out at the front office at the end of period 5.

It is important that students sign in and out as requested so as our attendance records are accurate and also to ensure we have an accurate record of who is and is not on-site in the event of an emergency (lockdown/evacuation etc).

Please note Year 11 students undertaking Year 12 Pathways courses do not have flexible attendance privileges, usual school attendance policies still apply.

Stage 4 (Years 7 and 8) Mathematics 
Big changes are currently taking place in regards to our delivery of Mathematics in Stage 4. This year we have introduced a new program, Maths Pathways, to make differentiation of the curriculum more effective in support of the explicit teaching of content and skills. 

Some students can find maths difficult, or on the other hand, not challenging enough. Our Maths faculty is working very hard to address that and Maths Pathways is designed to meet each student at his/her level. We will be building on students fundamentals as learners and how they approach discovering and exploring new mathematical concepts. These are some of the things that will happen in the classroom: 

• Classwide rich learning tasks that aim to get your child engaged in problem-solving. 
• Tailored mini-lessons for smaller groups of students. Teachers can focus on specific mathematical topics with students who will benefit most from that lesson.
• Each student will work with their teacher and have their own maths program tailored to what they’re ready to work on. 
• Regular check-in tests and goal setting. 
• Explicit teacher instruction and demonstrations. 
• Access to an online portal – parents will be able to see their child’s progression and work ethic.

At the moment students are engaged in a range of diagnostic activities to determine their level of knowledge and understanding. The results of these activities will be used to determine each students starting point in the program. From week 3 students will be introduced to the online component of the program which can be accessed both at school and at home allowing students to work at their pace and do extra work to catch up or move ahead if they wish. Parents are strongly encouraged to take time to explore this program with their children and encourage them to use the platform as much as possible to enhance their understanding and application of Mathematics.

Again any issues or questions surrounding this initiative can be directed to your child’s teacher or our Leader of Learning Mathematics Mrs Davis. Also a reminder that maths tutoring is available for ALL students every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 8:20 – 9:00 in Room A2.

Mr Brett Moran
Leader of Learning Curriculum