Learning  

Dear Parents /Guardians,

I would like to firstly congratulate students on the way they have returned to school and the effort they are putting into their learning. I would also like to thank the teachers for their efforts in getting to know their classes and providing a productive and rich learning environment.

Tips for learning

In the last newsletter, I mentioned the Homework guidelines for Year 7 – 12. Homework is an important part of the learning process; it provides students with an opportunity to recap,  consolidate and practice what they have learned during the day and throughout the week. All students are invited to come to homework club in the library on a Monday and/or Wednesday from 3:10 – 4:10 if they would like some support with their homework, a quiet and productive place to study or an area to study with their peers.

A highly effective way for students to remember what they have learned and retained knowledge is using ‘spaced practice’. 

Spaced practice is based on the principle of Ebbinghauser’s forgetting curve which shows that the more often we review the learning the more information is retained. 

Spaced practice is the practice of reviewing what has been learned several times, usually on the day of learning, again on the next day, then again at the end of the week, then one week later and once more a couple of weeks later.  

Further information about Spaced Practice can be found here

Year 7 and 9 NAPLAN Testing

NAPLAN testing for Year 7 and 9 takes place between Wed 13th March – Friday 15th March. Students complete online tests in Writing, Reading, Conventions of Language and Numeracy. They are not expected to revise or prepare for these tests, however we ask that all students do their best. Year 9 students who perform in the highest band for Reading and Numeracy will receive a certificate of achievement.  On Thursday 29th February, Year 7 and 9 students took part in a practice NAPLAN test to become familiar with the types of questions they will be asked and to learn how to use the NAPLAN online browser. It was noted that many students came to these tests without headphones, please can you ensure your child has wired headphones that can be plugged into the laptops and brings them to each of the NAPLAN tests.

STEM Workshop – Plug-In and Drive

Today 25 Year 9 and 10 students were given the opportunity to test their engineering skills and were part of a global community. Students learned how providing methods of electrical energy to vehicles can sustain communities across the globe, and with support from expert engineers and NASA presenters they designed and built their own test electric vehicle. Thank you to Ms Daniela Lupone and Mr Mark Molino for organising this event.

Please look out for more information in upcoming newsletters about this and more STEM opportunities.  

If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to contact me.

Ms Lucy Neil

Deputy Principal, Learning & Teaching