Teaching and Learning

Our leaders have been out and about visiting classrooms, and are continuously commenting on what a calm and focused start all classes have had so far this year. It has been especially wonderful to see our Year 7 students settling into the rhythms and routines of secondary school and challenging themselves as learners in positive and enthusiastic ways. At the Senior school end, we continue to add new and exciting subject offerings such as Politics and specialised Science streams to allow students to follow their strengths and passions.

As we begin to head into the first assessments of 2025, we encourage both students and families to welcome the challenge that can come with new learning areas, and support their children to keep focusing on learning growth and resilience. To reach their potential, all students should continue to focus on:

Attending all classes on time and with the correct resources
Engaging with the learning tasks presented in every class
Receiving and acting on feedback from the teacher regarding their learning progress
Submitting assessment tasks on time and to the best of their ability
Reinforcing their learning at home by completing unfinished tasks, regularly reading their independent and class texts and completing assigned homework

High Ability Learners at ECSC

Tiffani Meier is now in the role of Learning Specialist for High Ability learners and visited Balwyn High School earlier this term to discuss what an extended learning programme may look like here at Edgars Creek Secondary College.

We are very excited to be launching our Year 7 SEAL (Select Entry Accelerated Learning) and Year 8 High Ability programs in 2026!

We will be spending the first half of this year developing our enrichment curriculum and building the capacity of our classroom teachers to cater for all students who require extension in years 7 - 10.

For our incoming 2026 Year 7 families, please see the graphic below, or click here to register your child's interest for the SEAL program. Please note that the testing will occur in August of this year and there will be a fee to sit the high ability test.

More information to come - watch this space!

NAPLAN

Information regarding NAPLAN has been posted on Compass for all families so please ensure you are familiar with dates and expectations for Year 7 and Year 9 students.

PAT Testing

Students in Year 7-10 have been completing PAT Reading and PAT Numeracy testing. PAT testing is used to measure literacy and numeracy skills of students, to show growth and development in key areas over a period of time, to identify areas of concern, and to guide our teaching and learning.

PAT testing results will now be added as a Compass Learning Task and will be communicated to families and carers. Results will be categorised as one of the following:

Working well above level: the student’s PAT result exceeds expectations at the time of testing.
Working at level; the student’s PAT result meets challenging but reasonable expectations at the time of testing.
Working towards the level: the student’s PAT result indicates they are working towards meeting expectations at the time of testing.
Working well below the level: the student’s PAT result indicates they are not achieving the learning outcomes at the time of testing, and are likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily.

We will also be going through PAT data with students in classes in order for them to understand where they are at with their learning - what areas they are performing well in and areas for improvement - along with strategies to support their learning growth.

Below are some example Reading and Numeracy questions you can try!

Tutor Learning Initiative

This year ECSC will again be providing support through the Department of Education Tutor Learning Initiative (TLI). This initiative provides intensive literacy and numeracy support to selected students to help ensure they have the skills they need for future work or study.

Our team will provide targeted teaching by a tutor to students identified as needing the most support, such as those who may have missed out on large areas of learning or students who are identified through NAPLAN and PAT testing.

During each semester, members of the tutor team will support students directly in class to guide collaborative group work, or work with them in small group sessions outside of the classroom. Through the learning activities covered during tutoring sessions, we will develop key literacy and numeracy skills that students will be able to use in all subjects.

This year, our TLI program continues to grow, with over 100 students receiving this additional support. We are excited to see the impact this has on our students’ confidence in the classroom and their growth towards achieving the academic standard.

We asked a group of our students who were part of our TLI program last year and who will continue to work with our tutoring this year to provide us with some feedback on the program and future goals.

“Being part of this program has helped me to gain self confidence in my ability to complete challenging work. I have been able to improve on concepts that I know, but need more practice on for example multiplying and manipulating fractions.”

“I am excited to continue my journey towards writing better in the Literacy Program this year. Specifically, I would like to write in more detail to fully express my thoughts and ideas more clearly when answering questions.”

“The TLI sessions were different because it was not set out in a classroom setting, and the group was much smaller. Sessions were interactive which made it more enjoyable. The topics taught in the sessions were straight to the point, which gave me clearer understanding and made it easier to apply these topics in my class work.”

“The TLI sessions were more fun, I was able to engage in these sessions because it was more hands-on and tutors would get me involved by making me answer questions on the whiteboard. My sister is in Year 7 this year, and is similar to me, sometimes she tries to skip classes. But I think she would really benefit in this program, as she is smart but needs encouragement to do class work – I know she will enjoy working in smaller groups and be able to participate in tasks that help her to focus”.

Homework Club

It has been fantastic to see an increase in students attending our Homework Club each Monday afterschool in order to receive additional support from staff, catch up on missed learning, and develop essential study skills with their peers.

Please see the details in the flyer below.

Food Technology

A Delicious Start to the Term in Food Studies!

The Food team has had a busy and exciting start to the term, with students eager to sharpen their skills in the kitchen and expand their knowledge of food. Year 12 students have been hard at work preparing for their first SAC, diving into the digestion of macronutrients through practical activities. Meanwhile, Year 11 students have explored the origins of food, creating dishes using ingredients from early agricultural societies. Year 10's have been learning about the environmental impacts of food production, fostering awareness of how our food choices affect the planet.

Our younger students have also been getting hands-on in the kitchen. Year 9's have been cooking and tasting dishes from around the world, broadening their culinary horizons and appreciation for different cultures. Year 8's have focused on developing their kitchen skills, gaining confidence in food preparation and cooking techniques. It's been fantastic to see students so engaged in their learning, and we look forward to another term full of creativity, skill-building, and, of course, delicious food!

Here are some photos of our students and their excellent skills!