Ignus

Principal's Report

College Policy Information

In term 4 of 2019, the College will be part of the School Review Process.  As part of the process, schools are firstly audited by the Victorian Registration and Qualification Authority and then undertake planning with ACER to complete a school plan for the upcoming four years.  In preparation for this process, we are updating policies and procedures for our school to ensure ease of use by all key stakeholders of the community. 

 

Policies can be located on the SEQTA Engage Home Page, underneath the College Calendar using the Google Folder Link. Families will be notified in the College Newsletter when new policies or procedures can be located in this folder.

 

We have commenced our review on the Complaints Resolution Policy and this can now be located in the drive for families to review. This information can be clarified with your child’s homegroup teacher at any time.

Compulsory Trial Examinations

Thursday 26 September - Friday 4 October 2019

VCE Unit 3 and 4 Trial Examinations are a compulsory requirement for all students undertaking a scored VCE at Catholic Regional College Sydenham in preparation for the VCAA Examinations. The compulsory trial examinations provide students with timed practice in completing exams in the same environment as the final exams. The trial examinations also ensure students receive important feedback in relation to their examination preparation. Staff use these examination results to inform the structure of the revision program as well as providing information about student achievement which assists in finalising derived examination scores. The College provides scores of this nature to VCAA for this purpose. The compulsory trial examinations are an essential and required aspect of the scored VCE program.

 

The trial examinations will commence on Thursday 26 September (please note Friday 27 September is a Public Holiday no examination will be scheduled) and conclude on Friday 4 October 2019 during the non tuition period.

 

The timetable for these examinations will be available to students via SEQTA. Students who have a clash of examinations will be able to reschedule one of their trial exams.

 

External supervisors will oversee the examinations. All students will be provided with feedback on each exam completed, with a special summative report available through SEQTA providing the examination results. Staff will develop revision programs to meet the needs of students based on their trial exam result. Catholic Regional College Sydenham staff will be present at the College during the examination time. The College will be open from 9.00am-4.00pm including the Learning Common for students to access during the trial exam times. Students are required to wear full College uniform for their scheduled examinations. The Bakery will not be available during this period.

 

Attendance at all scheduled practice examinations is compulsory for all students undertaking a scored Unit 3-4 subject. This includes any Year 11 student undertaking a Unit 3-4 subject. Students who fail to attend these examinations will be transferred from a scored to an unscored program unless a medical certificate is provided. Please note that the College verifies all certificates with relevant surgery's due to some fraudulent documents having been submitted to schools in recent years.

 

Other consequences for non-attendance may include:

  • Detentions/ Suspensions;
  • Not receiving an invitation to the Rites of Passage program including the Year 12 Breakfast, Year 12 Graduation and Year 12 Formal.

A copy of a letter outlining all of the College’s requirements in relation to these examinations will be mailed to all families in upcoming weeks, along with a Compulsory Trial Examination schedule and the official 2019 VCE Exam Navigator which contains the 2019 VCAA examination schedule, examination rules, regulations and special provision information.

Pathway Planning

On Wednesday 31st July the College showcased a great variety of subject offerings to our community as well as allowing student to engage with tertiary institutions to gather information to assists with pathway planning. The Future Student day was the official kick-off to pathway planning and subject selections for both Year 11 and 12, 2020.

 

In upcoming weeks, a focus will be upon providing guidance and pathway education to all enrolled students for 2020. Students are required to submit a course selection booklet by the 12 August 2019. On August 10, current year 11 families will make an interview with staff to review the intended course for 2020 and confirm enrolment through payment of levies and subject selections. 

  

Year 12 students are currently working through a process of pathway planning during their pastoral periods. This process involves investigation of tertiary programs and the whole range of pathway options available. Students are being guided through the VTAC application process, which opened on August 5 and closes on September 30. We encourage parents to discuss this topic with their sons/daughters and to assist them in embracing a wide network of support in this very important process.

 

Current year 12 students considering an application to a tertiary institution (University, TAFE or Alternative Education Program) are required to attend a compulsory VTAC assembly on 5th August at 9.00am in the college hall.  This assembly will provide guidance into the entrance application process as well as special entry schemes into universities that the College has developed partnerships with.

 

We remind students that when they are considering their subjects or pathways for 2020, that they should choose options:

  • that they enjoy;
  • that they achieve in;
  • that interest them; and
  • that are pre-requisites for their future pathways.