CHANGES TO THE HSC MINIMUM STANDARD

Many parents would by now be aware that Year 9 students in New South Wales who do not reach a minimum standard in their NAPLAN tests will no longer be at risk of failing to get their HSC. NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes announced the changes on Wednesday, following a backlash from parents and teachers over concerns that linking NAPLAN to the HSC placed unnecessary pressure on young students. "NAPLAN should be a simple check-up, not a major operation," Mr Stokes said. "It is one tool used to assess educational progress - not a high-stakes test." Under the previous policy - announced in 2016 - in order to obtain a HSC, students sitting the exam from 2020 would be required to achieve Band 8 scores in their Year 9 NAPLAN reading, writing and numeracy tests, or resit the tests in subsequent years until they passed. Mr Stokes said parent groups across state, as well as Independent and Catholic schools, had indicated that the system was confusing and was causing "unnecessary stress and confusion among students in the middle of adolescence, when there's a lot going on in their lives." Therefore, under the changes, all HSC students will now meet the HSC minimum standard through online tests in reading, writing and numeracy from Year 10 onwards.

MINIMUM STANDARD LITERACY AND NUMERACY STUDENTS IN CURRENT YEAR 10 COHORT

The Minimum Standard Literacy and Numeracy Students in Year 10 who did not meet the minimum standards in NAPLAN in 2017 will have a number of opportunities to attempt the online tests in 2018. Apart from our whole school approach to literacy and numeracy across all subject areas via the Gr8 Thinking Comprehension Project, the College is also monitoring each student in preparation for these online tests with various new initiatives led by the Literacy Team and the Numeracy and Literacy Action Team.

The plan forward includes:

• Identifying those students who have not met the minimum requirements in any of the three key areas, Reading, Writing and Numeracy.

• Determining growth of students since taking the NAPLAN test in May 2017 by looking at each student’s data.

• Providing opportunities for practising the test online will allow students to feel more prepared and confident.

We are very mindful that this process overwhelms some students and therefore, we will work with individual students to determine the best time for them to sit the test

Every Day Counts!

5 EXCELLENT LESSONS FOR EVERY STUDENT

EVERY DAY

Despite this alteration to policy, some simple principles remain for all students in all years. I again suggest to all students the importance of every minute of every lesson. We are striving as a staff to provide 5 excellent lessons for every student every day. We are striving at Marian Catholic College to ensure some predictability for each of those lessons. Students should know what is expected of them and what they need to do to move their learning forward. I urge parents to converse with their sons and daughters about their learning experiences at MCC.

SUCCESS FOR LEARNING AT MCC

Your ability is not fixed. Acknowledge that learning is sequential and developmental and expect to get better at it!

Welcome the push to improve writing, reading, vocabulary and numeracy. There is indisputable evidence that an intensive focus on improving teacher capability to assist each student in these areas and on initiating specialist intervention for those seeking extra support is working. Don’t miss out!

Never interrupt the learning of others or the work of a teacher. Rather, join and contribute to the “team” that is each of your classes.

Students will be given every opportunity and a great deal of support to go as far as they possibly can with their learning in 2018 and beyond. The best way to respond to this offer is to say ‘Yes’.

Therefore, I urge students to remain mindful of three foundational, basic principles for success which are embedded and evident in Marian’s School Community on a daily basis:

· We must provide students, staff and families with a range of opportunities to build their faith and come to know and love our Lord, Jesus Christ

· We must make Improved Student Learning the focus for all College activities and events

· We must work collaboratively, together, in teams, to achieve our common goals

There is no doubt that Marian Catholic College is a very complex and diverse campus. The founders of the College would, I am sure, be incredibly proud that their vision and their hard work has manifested itself into the great place we all enjoy today. So, whilst we must never forget our Marist and Mercy heritage, we must continue to forge our future in a contemporary world. Honour the past and build a bright future!

HONOURABLE SUSAN LEY VISIT

Guest Speaker, the honourable Sussan Penelope Ley, Australian politician, visited our Year 9 Commerce Students and our Year 11 Business Studies and Legal Studies students. In the two sessions, Ms Ley related her personal and political life experiences to the various Syllabus topics being studied by these students. The students also had opportunities to ask her a number of questions and from this Q and A time, our students were able to identify various authentic examples that related to their current learning.

Ms Sussan Ley has been a Liberal Party of Australia member of the Australian House of Representatives since November 2001, representing the Division of Farrer, New South Wales. She was the Assistant Minister for Education in the Abbott Government from 18 September 2013 until 23 December 2014, when she entered the cabinet and was appointed Minister for Health and Minister for Sport. She retained the portfolios in the Turnbull Government, and on 30 September she also picked up Aged Care.

The students and MCC staff present at the sessions, found Sussan’s early years and background very interesting and quite intriguing.

Sussan was born in Kano, Nigeria to English parents. When she was one year old, her family moved to the United Arab Emirates, where her father worked as a British intelligence officer. She attended boarding school in England until she was 13, when her family migrated to Australia. Her parents bought a hobby farm in Toowoomba. They then moved to Canberra, where her father worked for the Australian Federal Police. She was educated at Campbell High School, Dickson College, La Trobe University, the University of New South Wales and Charles Sturt University, and has master's degrees in taxation and accountancy.

When Sussan was 19 she enrolled in flight school and gained her commercial pilot's licence when she was 20. She has been a waitress, cleaner, air traffic controller and commercial pilot, and later a farmer and shearer's cook. She was also the Director of Technical Training at the Australian Taxation Office in Albury from 1995 to 2001 before entering politics.

We sincerely thank Ms Susan Ley and Mrs Lindy Golden for taking time out of their busy schedules to visit our Commerce, Business and Legal Studies students and to provide them with valuable insights on how a politician can positively influence policy, legislation and decisions for rural business and for the legal system in today’s society.

TRANSITION PROGRAM 2018 HAS COMMENCED

Our successful Transition Program for our Catholic Primary Schools – Saint Patrick’s Griffith and Saint Mary’s Yoogali from 2017 will continue in 2018. In Week 4 of Term 1, Marian Catholic College teachers, Brittany Crofts and Tonetta Iannelli visited Year 6 classes at both schools. The visits involved observing the learning of the Year 6 students during various teaching sessions. This experience, provided valuable insights of how these students like to learn.

The next part of the Transition Program involves the Year 6 students from both schools visiting Marian Catholic College to experience a snapshot of what learning may look like in a secondary school setting. This will involve each school’s students coming to the College on three separate occasions, one session in each of the next three terms.

I would like to extend my thanks to the respective Principals of St Pat’s and St Mary’s, the Year 6 teachers and all the beautiful Year 6 students for providing us with the wonderful opportunity to visit their lovely schools, and to witness quality teaching and learning in their own environment. We look forward to a continued partnership with our Catholic Primary Schools. We are already planning the students’ first visit to the College with the Year 6 teachers, scheduled for Week Five of Term Two.

AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES - COMMON LANGUAGE

From 2019 (which means the current Year 12 students) the Australian Universities have been directed to use a common language with reference to applying to University places. This will mostly affect some terminology such as bonus points. The highest, median and lowest ATARS accepted to any course the year before, will also most likely be published.

Please find below a link which will direct you to specific information for parents and students.

https://www.education.gov.au/admissions-transparency-implementation-working-group-0

YEAR 6 INTO 7 2019 INFORMATION NIGHT

Parents and Carers of current Year 6 students, we welcome and invite you to our Year 6 into 7 2019 Information Night, where the College Leadership Team will present a snapshot of the quality learning and essential pastoral care and faith formation your child will receive within the Marian family.

The Information Night is scheduled for Tuesday 6th of March, commencing at 6pm in the College Marcellin Hall. We look forward to your presence at this very important evening.

NAPLAN 2018 FOR YEAR 7 AND 9

Wishing you all the best for a safe and happy weekend.

Mrs Tonetta Iannelli

Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching

Calendar and Canteen