Learning Assistant Principal's Report

Semester 1 reports

As our Year 9 – 11 students enter into their examination period and the final weeks of Term 2 are upon us, Semester 1 summary reports of student progress and achievement are being compiled by staff.  The Semester 1 summary reports will be available via PAM to parents/guardians during the final week of Term 2 on Friday 28 June, noting that parents already have access to feedback on your child’s progress through the continuous reporting accessible via the Learning Areas section of PAM that details their achievement on every assessment task (within two weeks of completion).  In conjunction with the continuous reporting feedback, the summary reports provide an ideal source of parent-student conversation on student achievement and areas for improvement, particularly in subjects where achievement is below the Promotions Policy requirement of a 60% average.  The release of the Semester Reports provides an excellent starting point for identifying areas of strength to pursue in future years, ahead of the 2020 Subject Selection period that launches early in Term 3 with the Applied Learning Information Evening on 23 July followed by the Careers Expo & Subject Selection evening on 31 July.

We ask all parents to check PAM regularly and to please ensure that email addresses are kept up-to-date to ensure smooth communication between the College and home.

A taste of EduTech 2019 and the digital challenge

From 5 – 7 June, Principal Mr Sam Cosentino, Director of Operations Ms Rinku Arora and I were privileged to attend the EduTech 2019 International Congress in Sydney. Thousands of delegates and presenters from across the globe gathered to share the latest research and trends in leadership, education and eLearning.

While more from the conference will be disseminated in various forums later, one image struck us as particularly relevant to our Nazareth teachers, learners and parents.  Cyberpsychology researcher Jocelyn Brewer spoke about the issues of our current generation of ‘screenagers’, using the following analogy (pictured below) to point out the new challenge that they face: where we as parents and educators could separate our learning (the much-needed broccoli!) from our entertainment (the ‘sometimes food’ of the sprinkles/lollies), our young people’s greatest sources of learning and entertainment are both now delivered via the same media.

For some of Brewer’s tips on how we assist our learners in their ‘Digital Nutrition’ please visit her website at www.digitalnutrition.com.au or view her TEDx talk on Digital Nutrition. 

VCE Unit 3 & 4 Examination Timetable & GAT

The 2019 VCE Unit 3 & 4 examination timetable has now been released by VCAA. It is vital that all students undertaking VCE Unit 3 & 4 and/or scored VCE VET units check the timetable for their external examinations in October and November 2019, available on the VCAA website here. 

VCAA examination rules and materials and equipment approved for use in the GAT and VCE written examinations are also outlined on the VCAA website and will be included in the VCE Exams Navigator 2019, which will be distributed when released by VCAA in Term 3.  

Mr David Broadbent

Assistant Principal - Learning