Learning and Teaching
Subject Selection
At St Bede’s College, we're currently working through 2024 subject selections for students in Years 8 to 12. This is a rich and involved process that draws students and families into conversation around hopes and aspirations, and also provides the opportunity for our College to see how we can make this become a reality.
In its truest sense, it's where all three parties - Parents and Carers, students and our College - work together to develop a long-term plan for success. As staff, it makes real the privilege we have in supporting the ambitions of our students, a privilege we don’t take lightly.
Making choices that may not yield a benefit for some time can be a challenge. As adults ourselves, we probably recognise the time when we started to take a longer-term view. Whilst in contrast, for many students, this perspective may still be foreign. I’m confident that, with the benefit of hindsight, many Parents and Carers would make changes to the decisions made at school (and beyond) if they had their time again. We all want the best for our young people, which is why we enquire, encourage and motivate, helping in any way we can. Our endeavour is to pass on what we now know as best we can.
One of the beauties of this process for students is that it provides them with legitimate agency whereby they are well informed, get to make a ‘real’ decision and then act on it. Naturally, this brings about consequences of their choices - both positive and negative - and an authentic experience from which they will undoubtedly learn. In taking this perspective, it allows us to see what education is; a journey where we get things ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, however it gets us to where we are now, with much to be grateful for.
We encourage every family to talk and engage in the subject selection process and share in the hopes and dreams of our students.
As a College, we're here to support each student. Ultimately, they are the ones who make the choices for their future through their actions. Should any family need assistance with any aspect of this process, please don’t hesitate to get in touch - we're always here to help.
Unit 3/4 VCE Trial Exams
September 21 to 28 2023
Whilst a significant proportion of the school is looking at what 'next' might look like, we're getting closer to the time when our Year 12s begin their final journey as St Bede's College students. For our VCE students, this occurs on the back end of the Exam Period that runs across October and November, with some significant rites of passage to occur prior.
As part of that process, all Unit 3/4 students will complete Trial Exams in their chosen subjects during September school holidays. These are conducted at our Mentone Campus from Thursday 21 September until Thursday 28 September.
The importance of these Trial Exams cannot be overstated. As the Final Exam in October/November is the major determinant of the final VCE study score, all students enrolled in Unit 3/4 subjects have the opportunity to see what they know and, most importantly, what they don’t know. This is determined through completion of the Trial Exam. Any improvement in marks that a student can gain between the Trial Exam and the Final Exam is beneficial and has the potential to positively impact others in the class or year level.
It's expected that all Unit 3/4 students prepare for and attend their Trial Exams in all of their subjects. There is no doubt that this is a challenging time for students and families, however the Trial Exams form a significant part of the learning required for ultimate success in VCE.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us.
Brenden Mair
Deputy Principal - Teaching and Learning