Junior School

Upcoming Activities

Beginning Monday 18 July

HPE Dance Program**

Friday 22 July

Year 8 Boys Soccer Regionals

Wednesday 31 August

Year 7 Sport Round Robin

Friday 16 September

Year 7 Assembly, period 4

** The HPE Dance program is a compulsory curriculum event. We have organised high-quality and well-regarded dance instructors to inspire our students. If you are yet to provide consent and payment through Compass please do so ASAP.

Welcome to Term 3!

In the AFL world, the third term is the premiership quarter. We hope that this term sets up all students for success and celebration of growth at the end of the year. Students are encouraged to work hard at picking up the learning behaviours and study routines that could have had a break over the last two weeks. Check out the Study tips below.

Year 7 Camp

We are EXCITED to announce the postponed Year 7 camp dates at Camp Weekaway for 2022.

• Camp 1 will be Monday 21 to Wednesday 23 of November
• Camp 2 will be Monday 28 to Wednesday 30 of November

Please note, closer to the time, Year 7 Form Groups will be allocated to Camp 1 or Camp 2. Cost of camp is $415 and payment will be made through Compass in future weeks.

Uniform

The uniform expectations and requirements are listed in the school planner or outside the Junior School office. If students need to get a uniform pass please ensure it is collected before period 1.

Attendance

Late last term you may have received an email from the school regarding your child’s attendance over Semester 1. We are implementing a range of processes to ensure that students and families are supported by the school to maximise learning growth. Attendance is a part of this important work.

Over the coming semester we will continue to implement strategies to maximise attendance and we also understand that certain absences are unavoidable such as when a child is unwell or sick.

Thank you for partnering with us around this important work.

Celebrations

On the last day of term at the Year 7 Assembly and later this week at the Year 8 Assembly. We have been able to celebrate student achievements in a range of areas. We ask parents/carers to check in with their child about their experience at these assemblies. How did it make them feel?

With semester reports soon to be released, we encourage parents/carers to celebrate 'usually' and 'consistently' in their students learning behaviours. We know that when a student consistently displays maximum effort, learning growth occurs.

Drew Hanna

Positive Climate Learning Leader

Study Routines

Organisation is the key facet of learning. The best way to start is by creating study routines. Understanding what works best for you takes time, therefore it’s really important not to wait until VCE to adopt these routines but to start in the Junior Years. 

The expectation at DSC is that students devote regular time to each subject. This doesn’t mean just finishing off a task or studying for a test the night before. Study routines are about creating habits of revising and seeking feedback. 

Here are some tips on helping to create a good study routine.

Study Tip 1: Create a study/revision schedule

Decide on a good time each night when you will commit to doing some study. For example, you might commit to study on Mon-Thurs and Sun nights. 

Study in an open space such as the kitchen table away from distractions (phones, games etc). Before you start, make a list of the tasks that need to be completed. Highlighting what you’ve achieved motivates you to keep going with the remainder of the tasks.

Here are some suggestions on what you can do for each subject: 

• Reading your textbook 
• Rewrite or rephrase information into your own words from the reading you completed 
• Teach what you are learning to someone else 
• Quiz yourself with flashcards 
• Use learning platforms such as Education Perfect, Jacplus LearnON or Quizlet 
• Reading a book 
• Practising your language subject by having a conservation 

Study Tip 2 : Create your own summary notes

Summary notes are a great way to think about all the relevant information for each subject. Building those notes into creative forms such as mindmaps, flashcards, etc. allows you to break information into smaller, relevant pieces and then make connections between those pieces. Doing summary notes along the way is like creating a cheat sheet. 

Study Tip 3: Ask questions

Both in class and at any time prior to assessment tasks, ask questions. Ask one hundred questions. Your teacher won’t care and in fact will again be impressed by your diligence and desire to do your best. You can ask your teacher after class, through MS teams chat or email. 

Study Tip 4: Test yourself

Whilst it’s important to make summary notes and re-read information, the best way to better grades is practising. As part of your revision and study routine, make sure you do some test practice questions. This might mean doing the summary questions at the end of each chapter or completing online tests. 

Study Tip 5: Analyse mistakes and seek feedback

As the saying goes, ‘you learn from your mistakes’ but only if you identify those mistakes.

It’s really important to take time going over the feedback provided from your teacher in the flagged tasks. Reflect on this feedback and set a goal for the next task. 

If you are unsure of the feedback, as your teacher to explain this. It’s okay to get clarification as this shows a lot of maturity in wanting to make change. 

Study Tip 6: Balancing the workload 

Make sure during the week you take time to connect with friends and family, exercise, eat well, sleep well and enjoy some restful breaks.  

Sarah Emanuel

Learning Specialist