Learning and Teaching
Jane Goddard
Assistant to the Principal - Learning and Teaching
VCE 2019
Congratulations to our Dux, Gauri Aerry, and Dux Proximus, Thanh Nhi Vuong, for their outstanding results. Furthermore, we congratulate the whole 2019 VCE Cohort on their very strong VCE results and ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank) outcomes. 100% of our Year 12 VCE students successfully achieved their Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) and have been offered a tertiary placement.
The VCE is primarily for those students focused on tertiary entry and the ATAR is the ranking used for this purpose. Over 40% of our students achieved an ATAR of over 70, placing them in the top 30% of the state. Over 78 % of our students were placed in the upper 50% of the state. At this stage, at least 80% of our students have been successful in gaining an offer to their first, second or third preference tertiary course.
We are also happy with our comparative ranking improvement when compared with other schools in our local area. Our students achieved above the state average in a wide range of subjects and we were particularly pleased with the increased percentage of students gaining Study Scores of 40 and over, meaning that they did better than over 91% of students in that Study.
While the focus is on Year 12 students, we also congratulate our Year 11 students who successfully undertook a Unit 3 and 4 Study, with four students achieving Study Scores above 40. The majority of our Year 11 students, who completed a Unit 3 and 4 Study, now have an excellent foundation to build upon as they move into Year 12 in 2020.
Academic Assembly
The achievements outlined above were celebrated at our Academic Assembly, following our Opening School Mass. Our 2019 VCE high achievers were recognised and it was wonderful to hear about the success of these inspirational young women who have gained entry into a wide range of tertiary courses. The 2019 College Dux, Gauri Aerry and our VCAL High Achiever, Tanya Doan, provided some insightful advice for our current students. They are fine examples of assessment-capable learners. An assessment-capable learner is one who knows where they are in their learning, where they want to get to and, most importantly, how they are going to get there.
It is essential to note that the skills of assessment-capability, that enable VCE success, are developed through application and effort over the years at Marian from Year 7. At our Assembly, we also presented Academic Excellence Awards for students from Years 7 to 11 in 2019. These awards recognise all-round academic achievement and were calculated based on assessment tasks reported in Semester 2, 2019.
Other students, who have demonstrated exemplary effort and application, have been recognised through commendation letters from the Principal, Mr Pisani. Congratulations to all of these students for their achievements and for developing the skills to maximise their progress.
The progress or growth of each student over the year is the real measure of success. Every student should achieve at least a year’s worth of progress for a year of schooling. To enable this to happen, we are focused on ensuring students develop their assessment-capability and a love of learning. Parent engagement is another essential ingredient for maximising student progress.
Parent Engagement in Learning
The Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) has just released an Australia-specific implementation guide on how schools can enhance their relationships with families to improve student outcomes. Based on years of research, the guide states, “parent and family engagement is one of the most powerful predictors of children’s development and educational attainment.” Parental engagement means being positively involved and active in your child’s learning. At Marian College, we are always looking to implement strategies to increase parent engagement.
It was wonderful to see so many families at our recent Year 7 to 9 Parent Information and Meet-the-Teacher Evening and we hope to see similar numbers at our very important Year 10 to 12 Evening, this week. We are also looking forward to working with families at our forthcoming series of SEQTA Engage Parent Workshops. The dates are listed below. Please indicate your attendance via Try booking https://www.trybooking.com/BHZUY
- Tuesday 18 Feb at 6.00 pm
- Thursday 20 Feb 9.00 am
- Thursday 20 Feb at 3.15 pm
We would like to highlight the value of the parent portal, SEQTA Engage, as a tool enabling greater levels of engagement. SEQTA Engage provides access to coursework, student goals, assessment results and feedback, enabling parents to be more informed. This should assist you to talk constructively with your daughter about her learning and progress. We suggest that parents discuss learning goals and that you have high yet achievable expectations. Also, discuss assessment tasks and the teacher feedback provided. Most importantly, talk about your daughter’s reflection and her feedback in relation to her achievement and progress. Can your daughter then explain her next learning steps or strategies that she will implement to improve in the future?
These are examples of ways that parents can engage in their daughter’s education Parents should work together with teachers and the school to ensure we achieve our target of developing assessment capability and at least a year’s progress for every year at school for all of our students.
Thank you for your support. We are looking forward to an exciting and successful year of learning ahead!
