Learning & Teaching

Learning News

Congratulations to all students for the effort they have put into their studies in recent weeks. As the semester concluded students were involved in multiple assessments of student learning. This is intended to be a very positive experience for students requiring organisation, focus and concentration. The feedback from exams and SACs is an integral part of the learning cycle.

Term 3 is an exciting time with the opportunity for students to consolidate their learning and the opportunity to engage with new concepts and skills. With the benefit of results from Semester 1 students are encouraged to reflect on what they have achieved and set new goals for their learning in Semester 2.

End of Semester Reports

Semester 1 reports will be available on July 24. The details providing access to parents and carers online will be communicated soon.

The reports provide feedback from each subject teacher (and pastoral group teacher) regarding your daughter’s achievements during semester one.

One element of each subject report is the student’s approach to learning. Approaches to learning are viewed as important behaviours that when carried out to a high level help students to achieve their best.  The approaches to learning that teachers provide feedback on are:

• Effort
• Behaviour

The factors considered for ‘Effort’ are persistence, presentation of work and application to tasks.

The factors considered for ‘Behaviour’ are engagement, concentration and contribution.

It is important to have a conversation with your daughter about the report highlighting particular strengths and areas of improvement.

Subject Selection Process 2018

The process of subject selection is designed to equip students with the information to make decisions about the elective subjects that they select. At the start of Term 3 students from Years 8 to 11 will be involved in the process of selecting their subjects for 2018. It is important that students be informed about the available subjects and that the selection of courses is suited to their interests and abilities. An integral part of the process is that parents discuss with their child the subject choices they wish to make for the following year. Information to students will be distributed at Year Level Assemblies. Students will be informed about the pathways selection process and how to complete the selection guides.

Subjects should be selected largely on the following basis and should be done in consultation with parents, teachers and the careers counsellor:

• The student’s personal interests
• Known ability and past success in a particular area of study
• Prerequisite and recommended studies for entry into Higher Education courses (Tertiary and TAFE)
• Career aspirations

Year 11 2018 Subject Selection

For Year 10 students, the transition into the Senior School is an important one, and marks the beginning of a significant phase for students at Mount St. Joseph Girls' College. The process will include student and parent information sessions, course guidance and formal interviews. It is the start of a very personal journey for each student, as decisions about which courses of study to pursue are made. As with all journeys, some will have a final destination clearly identified and subject choices will be clear. For others, the pathway will not be as smooth; it may take some time to reach a point of certainty about which choices to make.

The Course Selection Handbooks will be available from the College website to assist students to make well informed decisions about their elective program.

For current Year 10 students, parents and carers please make a note of these dates:

Thursday July 27 - Year 11 2018 Parents/Carers Information Evening and Domain Expo

• 7.00pm: a general information session for students and parents covering the subject selection requirements, procedures and timeline.
• 7.30pm – 8.30pm: Domain Expo – Domain leaders and subject teachers are available to discuss subjects.

Thursday August 10 - Year 11 2018 Students/Parents/Carers Interviews

• 2.00pm – 7.00pm interviews will be conducted for students and parents. Each interview is scheduled for 10 minutes and designed to support students and parents to clarify any concerns regarding VCE/VCAL subject selection.

Pathways Planning

Is your daughter considering studying at university in the future? It has been estimated that 1 in 2 people from Generation Z will gain a Bachelor degree qualification. With more people than ever before studying at university, many young people are wondering if there will be a job in their profession or interest area when they graduate.

Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel AO has written a thought-provoking article that all potential university students should read. The main points he covers are:

• It is increasingly unlikely that your profession will be the same as your degree
• The most reliable predictor of success is the capacity to ‘pivot’.
• STEM degrees are extremely useful for problem-solving in all types of jobs
• Expect to be job-capable rather than job-ready.

It is more important than ever to carefully plan your post school pathway. Please read the article here:

Parent Access to CANVAS

Over the last two years, teaching staff have been working towards making curriculum, student feedback and results available on our Learning Management System, Canvas. This has given students the ability to not only access a vast amount of lesson resources, but also become more informed about their learning.

As feedback is one of the most powerful tools students can employ to improve, a major focus for teachers this year has been in making assessment results and written feedback available through Canvas. Students have had access to this information since the start of the year, and parents now have the ability to stay updated with their daughter's learning progress.

For each formative assessment (tasks at the end of a learning cycle), Canvas will provide parents with access to:

●      Teacher feedback

●      Marks

●      Descriptions for each assessment task

●      In some cases, a copy of your daughter's submission

Comments within Canvas will now take the place of comments on semester reports seen in previous years. These comments will relate more directly to the assessment task and provide your daughter with feedback she can act upon immediately. By providing access to up-to-date information on your daughter’s assessment tasks, you will be better equipped to support her at home.

Please see the attached document for login details and instructions to view marks and feedback online. As your daughter has been using Canvas in every class, she will be able to show you her subjects, and the work she has been undertaking. We encourage you to do this regularly together.  

If you have any questions regarding logging in or accessing Canvas, please contact our IT Helpdesk at helpdesk@msj.vic.edu.au.

For some handy tips to help you in getting started, please see the guides below from the Canvas Support Website:

How do I navigate a Canvas course?

How do I set my Canvas notification preferences?

How do I change the language preference in my user account?

Joanna De Bono

Deputy Principal - Learning and Teaching