Senior Campus

Dear Senior School Parents/Carers and Students

The Year 11 and 12 students should be congratulated on their positive first month of studies this year. The Year 11 students have transitioned well into their VCE or VCE Vocational Major program and the Year 12 students have shown great leadership and maturity. We wish them the best of luck as they commence their first round of assessments (VCE) and work placement (VCE VM).

In this update, I have included a brief outline on the exciting things occurring on the Senior Campus and important items to make note of:

Update on the Pastoral Care Programs of the Senior School

As part of Year 11 Student Agency Workshops, students have completed their VIA Character Strength survey to identify their top strengths. Research shows when individuals tap into their character strengths, the positive personality traits, they are happier, less stressed, more engaged and find more meaning. The Year 11 Student Agency Staff include: Ms Kerryn Elrick, Ms Jessica Bambridge, Ms Cindy Bryant, Ms Andrea Carron, Ms Brittany Harvey, Mr Anothny Keane, Mr Alex Trickovic and Ms Sarah Bahramis.

Year 12 students have now met their ‘Voice Mentor’ and have commence the Year 12 ‘Voice vs Voice’ Competition. The Year 12 Voice Mentoring staff include: Mr Andrew Batchelor, Ms Jessica Bambridge, Ms Kate Burgess, Mr Jack Barbour, Ms Sarah Bahramis, Mr Brendan Murray, Mr Isaac Bakker, Mr Mitch Land, Ms Sharon Bourne and myself. Students have completed their ‘letter to yourself’ that they will open on their end of year Celebration Day.

Students have received their SAC Assessment Calendars which are also available to parents/carers via the Compass newsfeed. This calendar should be used by students to help them forward plan and prepare for upcoming assessments. Year 12 students have also been provided with an A2 wall planner. Students are encouraged to record their assessment on this calendar and display them in their study spaces at home.

Attendance

In Year 11 and 12 students are required to maintain 90% attendance to be eligible for a Satisfactory ‘S’ result. Attendance is a key enabler to ensure students do not have gaps in their learning. There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes. Absences from assessments need to be supported by authorised documentation (medical certificate or approved school excursion). It’s vital that holidays are planned during school holidays where possible, and not during the term. If you are planning to go on holiday during term time, make sure that you contact the Attendance Officer in advance, and work with the school to develop an absence learning plan.

September Holiday Year 12 Practice Examinations

The September Practice Examination Program is an integral component of preparing our students to do their best in their end-of-year examinations. These examinations are supervised by VCAA supervisors and mostly marked by paid VCAA assessors. For this reason, the examinations are compulsory. The practice examination timetable will run over:

Wednesday 25 September
Thursday 26 September
Monday 30 September
Tuesday 1 October
Wednesday 2 October
Thursday 3 October.

The timetable is currently in development and will be communicated with families in the upcoming weeks.

How much study should my student be completing?

Year 11 and 12 students should be undertaking approximately 14–22 hours per week of study. An environment conducive to study supports focused and productive study behaviour. This includes sufficient lighting, a desk and suitable chair that is faced away from the bed and resources that encourage good organisation.

Students are encouraged to utilise the resources and study spaces available at school. The Presentation Space and Silent Study Space are available to students before school and after school if they wish to complete homework and study.

The Presentation Space is available for collaborative study. This space has whiteboards where they’re encourage to practice the skill of dual coding – using images to help consolidate and strengthen concepts.
The Silent Study Space is available for independent study.

Year 12 Leadership

Thursday 15 February was the first carnival for the year which kick started the enthusiastic competitive house spirit between Brim, Barrbunin, Yawa and Tir-rer. We are proud of our Year 12 students for their leadership. They made significant contributed to the vibrant atmosphere of the carnival, particularly our House Captains.

Helping students prepare for their upcoming assessments

Evidence-based tips on enhancing memory

Tips for students to improve their memory
PAY ATTENTION This means do not do two things at once like study whilst watching TV or talking whilst teacher is giving instructions. Remove distractions from your study space, this will include your phone! Hand it over to your mum/dad/adult in your house and say 'please do not give this back to me till...' Make sure your study space is calm & quiet. If not, think of using the Year 12 presentation space after school.	AVOID CRAMMING People do not train for a marathon in a week, people don't learn a new skill in 1 training session, nor do people learn the material before a SAC in 1 night. A carefully planned study routine that is balanced is best! Keeping learning session to 40 - 45 minutes with a tech free study break of 10 minutes and then another 45-minute study session. This means 45 - 10 - 45.
NOTES ARE STRUCTURED & ORGANISED Structure and organisation in your learning notes is important when it comes to memory. Your notes should follow your study design using the key knowledge dot points as headings. Loose leaf paper is important so notes stay in order if you miss a day or need to go back and add more detail in revision.	USE MNEMONIC DEVICES Mnemonic devices are tools that you can use to help you remember things more easily. Essentially, mnemonics are shortcuts; they give your brain tricks that allow it to encode and recall information in a snap. Come up with a rhyme, song, or joke to help remember a specific segment of information.
USE ELABORATIVE REHEARSAL An example of this technique would be to read the definition of a key term, study the definition of that term, and then read a more detailed description of what that term means, link it with information you already know and provide meaningful examples that relate to you. After repeating this process a few times, you'll probably notice that recalling the information is much easier.	VISUALISE INFORMATION & CREATE VISUALS Many people benefit greatly from visualising the information they study. Pay attention to the photographs, charts, and other graphics in your textbooks. If you don't have visual cues to help, try creating your own. Draw charts or figures in the margins of your notes or use highlighters or pens in different colours to group related ideas in your written study materials.
READ OUT LOUD Research published in 2017 suggests that reading materials out loud significantly improves your memory of the material. Educators and psychologists have also discovered that having students actually teach new concepts to others enhances understanding and recall. In your study periods form effective study groups!	VARY YOUR STUDY ROUTINE Another great way to increase your recall is to occasionally change your study routine. If you're accustomed to studying in one specific location, try moving to a different spot during your next study session. If you study in the evening, try spending a few minutes each morning reviewing the information you studied the previous night. By adding an element of novelty to your study sessions, you can increase the effectiveness of your efforts and significantly improve your long-term recall.

Tips for students to improve their memory

PAY ATTENTION

This means do not do two things at once like study whilst watching TV or talking whilst teacher is giving instructions. Remove distractions from your study space, this will include your phone! Hand it over to your mum/dad/adult in your house and say 'please do not give this back to me till...'

Make sure your study space is calm & quiet. If not, think of using the Year 12 presentation space after school.

AVOID CRAMMING

People do not train for a marathon in a week, people don't learn a new skill in 1 training session, nor do people learn the material before a SAC in 1 night. A carefully planned study routine that is balanced is best! Keeping learning session to 40 - 45 minutes with a tech free study break of 10 minutes and then another 45-minute study session. This means 45 - 10 - 45.

NOTES ARE STRUCTURED & ORGANISED

Structure and organisation in your learning notes is important when it comes to memory. Your notes should follow your study design using the key knowledge dot points as headings. Loose leaf paper is important so notes stay in order if you miss a day or need to go back and add more detail in revision.

USE MNEMONIC DEVICES

Mnemonic devices are tools that you can use to help you remember things more easily. Essentially, mnemonics are shortcuts; they give your brain tricks that allow it to encode and recall information in a snap. Come up with a rhyme, song, or joke to help remember a specific segment of information.

USE ELABORATIVE REHEARSAL

An example of this technique would be to read the definition of a key term, study the definition of that term, and then read a more detailed description of what that term means, link it with information you already know and provide meaningful examples that relate to you. After repeating this process a few times, you'll probably notice that recalling the information is much easier.

VISUALISE INFORMATION & CREATE VISUALS

Many people benefit greatly from visualising the information they study. Pay attention to the photographs, charts, and other graphics in your textbooks. If you don't have visual cues to help, try creating your own. Draw charts or figures in the margins of your notes or use highlighters or pens in different colours to group related ideas in your written study materials.

READ OUT LOUD

Research published in 2017 suggests that reading materials out loud significantly improves your memory of the material. Educators and psychologists have also discovered that having students actually teach new concepts to others enhances understanding and recall. In your study periods form effective study groups!

VARY YOUR STUDY ROUTINE

Another great way to increase your recall is to occasionally change your study routine. If you're accustomed to studying in one specific location, try moving to a different spot during your next study session. If you study in the evening, try spending a few minutes each morning reviewing the information you studied the previous night. By adding an element of novelty to your study sessions, you can increase the effectiveness of your efforts and significantly improve your long-term recall.