ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS’ REPORT

Mrs Julie Andrews, Mr Paul Dawson &

Mr Bradley Headlam

Assistant Principals

MOBILE PHONES 2020

With the impending Department policy arriving at all schools in 2020 there are a number of questions around how NGSC will manage this transition. Fortunately, our current management of smartphones in school, is not that different to what will be required in 2020. Currently, students are expected to keep their phones and headphones hidden and switched off. Next year, the Department requires all students to be offline throughout the school day. We have drawn up a policy that has been shared with School Council, and subsequently, with parents and students.

Essentially, if students are needing to bring a smartphone or smartwatch device, then they will be required to store the device in their own locked locker. Students will not be permitted to use phones whilst at school. Obviously in the event a parent has a need to contact their child, then, as is best practice, call the College and the appropriate staff can manage the situation.

The full Mobile Phone Policy is available on the College website.

Booklist

Thanks to all students who have completed their booklists.  Parents/guardians should ensure that they order all of their child’s books at https://www.campion.com.au.  If you have any questions about the ordering of your children's books and learning materials, please contact the College.

Oxford Value Bundle will be the online textbooks for the core subjects (English, Mathematics, Science, History and Geography) for all students in Years 7 to 9 next year. This will be an annual subscription of $107.95.  It is pleasing to note that this is 40% cheaper than in previous years. Payment for this can be made from 24 January to 15 February, 2020 at the College Administration Office or by calling the College.

Exams

This week saw Years 7- 10 students complete their exams.  Feedback from staff has been overwhelmingly positive in the way that the students conducted themselves.  It has shown that students understand the importance of these exams and will serve them well for their exams in their senior years.  Students are hopefully beginning to understand how to prepare for these exams and the importance of constantly revising during the year.  Parents, please discuss the exam results with your children, looking at how they can improve these marks next year.  This could be around the focus of exam preparation during the year and not just before the exam.

2020 Courses and Pathways

In the last two weeks students have had an opportunity to participate in Orientation Programs that have given them valuable insights into the subjects, but also the workload ahead of them in 2020. Students have engaged in this fantastically and staff have provided stimulating activities to continue to spark their interest. In some instances, conversations at home about where a particular subject fits in a child’s scope of interest or whether it was what they thought it was going to be, has prompted further investigation into their chosen pathway. In all of these cases, we are flexible with working with students and parents and or other family members as required. Many students and parents have spent time with teachers, coordinators, careers staff and other College leaders in exploring their subject options.

We encourage these conversations right through the holidays to the start of the school year in 2020, so please discuss with your children their pathways. In the event there is some rectification required, please email Brad Headlam over the holidays and we can see what options might be possible. Having said that, given that most of our courses are in place, there will not be as many options as there were at the beginning of the process. So please be mindful of this.

Grade 6 Transition Program

As the rest of the College is completing their final classes for 2019, the new Year 7 (2020) students are about to begin their Orientation Program. At NGSC we conduct a two day program full of class activities that promote the building of new friendships and to become familiarised with the layout and expectations of this school. We encourage new families to NGSC to embrace this important milestone of your child moving into Secondary College and to know that they are welcome to speak with staff about the transition period and any concerns they may have.

New Students in Years 8 to 10 for 2020

On Wednesday, 11 December, all new students to NGSC (Years 8-10) are invited to an Induction session from 9:30 am to 11:00 am. The Assistant Principal will take the students on a school tour and follow up with all matters related to being prepared for the new school year. If you would like to know more, please contact one of the Assistant Principals via the school office.

Immunisation program - Year 7 and Year 10 Students

All immunisations have been completed for this year. If your child missed the visit this week, you can access the Barwon Health Immunisation service at various health centres in Geelong. See attached brochure.