ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Year 11 2022 Course Confirmation Day for Current Year 10 Students

Bookings are now open for Year 11 2022 Course Confirmation Day on FRIDAY AUGUST 20th . All current Year 10 students are required to make an appointment to finalise their learning program for 2022. Parents and carers are encouraged to also attend. Due to Covid safe restrictions, these will be taking place online. Course counsellors will share links for video conferencing closer to the date with bookings using Google Meet. Students book through the ‘Conferences’ tab on their Compass Homepage. Course confirmation forms are located at the rear of the Curriculum Handbook- of which every student is scheduled to receive Tuesday 3rd August. Regular Year 10 Classes will not run on August 20th to allow Course Confirmation to occur. 

Year 10 2022 Course Confirmation Day for Current Year 9 Students

Bookings are now open for Year 10 2022 Course Confirmation Day on THURSDAY AUGUST 19th . All current Year 9 students are required to make an appointment to finalise their learning program for 2022. Parents and carers are encouraged to also attend. Due to Covid safe restrictions, these will be taking place online. Course counsellors will share links for video conferencing closer to the date with bookings using Google Meet. Students book through the ‘Conferences’ tab on their Compass Homepage. Course confirmation forms are located at the rear of the Curriculum Handbook- of which every student is scheduled to receive Tuesday 3rd August. Regular Year 9 Classes will not run on August 19th to allow Course Confirmation to occur. 

GAT (General Achievement Test) TBA

All students who are completing a Unit 3 and 4 subject are required to sit the General Achievement Test. The GAT is an important tool used by VCAA in determining students final assessments for their VCE. GAT results are used to check that your VCE external assessments and school based assessments have been accurately and fairly assessed. The GAT is used because its results are a good predictor of final assessment for VCE studies. 

Students can take an English printed dictionary into the GAT but not a thesaurus. Electronic dictionaries and calculators are not permitted.

VCAA Tips for doing the GAT

• Read all information carefully
• Read each question and try to pick out the key ideas and information
• For the multiple choice questions, try to quickly reject choices that appear to be wrong, then read the question again and select the answer most likely to be right
• Attempt all questions and do not spend too much time on any one question
• Take time to plan for writing tasks, being prepared makes writing time more productive and purposeful

For more information; https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/GAT/2021GATBrochure.pdf

Warwick Lamb 

Assistant Principal 

Engagement, Inclusion and Wellbeing

Social and emotional is and remains a key priority of learning at WHC. Through our mentor program, School Wide Positive Behaviours Approach (SWPBA), Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) as well as our curriculum programs, we endeavour to ensure that your child/children and our students are best equipped to address any challenges they may face. We also know that outcomes from positive social and emotional learning lead to improved learning outcomes. 

In the current and other lockdown contexts, staff and the wellbeing team continue to monitor your child/children’s wellbeing. We are fully aware of their need for direct social connections and are fortunate to witness the joy as students catch up with their friends and teachers each time they return to the site. To maintain connection to the college and their peers we remind all students that they are expected to login to their mentor meeting each morning. This enables the mentor and learning community leader to check in on them. We ask that parents and carers remind students of this requirement. It is also important that students attend each of the nominated online classes and upload their work to the relevant Google Classroom. This is important for continuity of learning but again to maintain that very important connection. 

Teachers, mentors and learning community leaders monitor student attendance in individual classes and overall. Their process includes calling or emailing parents/carers to determine ways in which we may support online attendance. Parents/carers are also encouraged to contact the college if you are requiring support in relation to the attendance and participation of your child/children. The 2021 learning community leaders are:

• Year 7   Marli McCarthy
• Year 8   Stacey Marriage
• Year 9   Gary Beasley
• Year 10 Roger Conron
• Year 11 Brett Bullock
• Year 12 Susan Harrington
• VCAL   Sarah Pitman

We are very aware that individuals respond in different ways to situations including the disruption to school. Following are details of supports and contacts that may be of assistance in supporting your child/children. 

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us should you require any support and, take care and stay safe

Tami O’Hare

Assistant Principal 

EVERY DAY COUNTS 

Secondary School Attendance

Going to school every day is the single most important part of your teenager’s education. 

Students learn new things at school every day – missing school puts them behind. 

School is better when your teenager is there

Why it’s important

We all want our students to get a great education, and the building blocks for a great education begin with students coming to school each and every day.

Students develop good habits by going to school every day – habits that are necessary to succeed after school, whether in the workplace or in further study.

Missing school can have a big impact on students academically and socially. It can affect their test results, including VCE & VCAL, and, just as importantly, it can affect their relationships with other students, and lead to social isolation.

There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes.

Each missed day is associated with falling behind in subject topics and assessment tasks, and lead to fewer subject choices and may impact on achievement in years 11 and 12 and post-school pathways. 

Getting in early

It’s never too late to improve attendance. Even in the middle years, when school can seem the most challenging for students and when attendance rates can be at their lowest,  going to school more often can make a big difference. Every day counts. 

Schools are there to help – if you’re having attendance issues with your child, speak to your school about ways to address those issues.

In Victoria school is compulsory for children and young people aged 6 – 17 years

Student Absences 

The main reasons for absence are:

Sickness – There are always times when students need to miss school, such as when they’re ill. It’s vital that they’re only away on the days they are genuinely sick, and setting good sleep patterns, eating well and exercising regularly can make a big difference.

Family holidays - 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 talk to your school in advance, and work with them to develop an absence learning plan.

“Day off” – Think twice before letting your teenager have a “day off” as they could fall behind their classmates – every day counts.

Truancy – This is when students choose not to go to school without their parent’s permission or skip out of school during the day. There can be many reasons for truancy; the best way to address this is for schools and parents to work together.

While all absences can effect academic performance, DET’s statistics show that unexcused absences are a much stronger indicator of lower reading and maths achievement.

School refusal - School refusing children experience significant emotional distress not only when going to school but also at the thought of going to school; they may be absent from school for weeks or even months at a time. School refusal differs from truancy as children generally stay home with the knowledge of the parents and despite their best efforts to encourage their child to go to school. See: My child or teenager has anxiety

Being away from school for 1 day a fortnight equals missing 1.5 years over 13 years of school

 If your teenager is away

If for any reason your teenager must miss school, there are things you can do with your school to ensure they don’t fall behind:

• Inform the school via your teen’s Form/Home Room teacher or Year Level Coordinator
• Find out what work your teenager needs to do to keep up.
• Develop an absence learning plan with your teenager’s teacher and ensure they complete the plan.

Remember, every day counts. If your teenager must miss school, speak with your home room teacher or year level coordinator as early as possible.

Openly communicating with your teenager’s school about all absences is a good way to prevent attendance issues being escalated to a School Attendance Officer. A School Attendance Officer is a Department of Education and Training Regional Director who has authority to follow up attendance issues. Chronic or ongoing attendance issues that are escalated can lead to an Infringement Notice being issued to parent/s.

If you’re having attendance issues with your teenager, please let the year level coordinator, wellbeing coordinator, principal or other relevant staff member know so you can work together to get your teen to school every day.

Top attendance tips for parents

• Schools want to work in partnership with parents – act early if you have any concerns by contacting your child’s school and asking for advice and support
• Remember that every day counts
• There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes and their social connectedness
• Talk positively about school and the importance of attending every day
• Open and prompt communication with your child’s school about all absences is a good idea
• Avoid making routine medical and dental appointments during the school day or planning family holidays during the term
• Seek help from your school if you are concerned about your child’s attendance and wellbeing. Schools want to work in partnership with parents to support student attendance and wellbeing.

Further information 

For more information and resources to help address attendance issues, visit:

www.education.vic.gov.au/school/parents/behaviour/Pages/studentattendance.aspx

Tami O'Hare 

Assistant Principal