Learning & Teaching News
Remote Schooling
As we find ourselves in lockdown once again, I am increasingly aware that lockdown fatigue is very real for many in our community. We find ourselves challenged yet again to face another season of isolation, and we need to be sure that the wellbeing of our students is foremost in our minds as we continue with our business as usual approach. Tutor group allows Learning Advisors to monitor the wellbeing of their students and parents are asked to ensure their children attend these sessions at 8.50 am every morning. It is such an important start to the school day and allows us to continue with our pastoral approach to learning. At St. Peter's College, pastoral care is a whole-school strategic approach to improve our learners’ attendance, and to foster an atmosphere that is conducive for learning and promotes resilience, fairness and equal opportunities for all. It has never been more important for us to work together to ensure that our young people are provided with the best opportunity to thrive. Parents should communicate with their child's Learning Advisor if they have any questions or concerns.
We are conscious that remote schooling is incredibly demanding on parents also. In particular, the increased screen time for students makes it more difficult for parents to monitor their children’s online behaviour. The article Parent Tips During Lockdown provides some useful information.
Futures Expo
Futures Expo took place this week online, Students from Years 8-10 met via Zoom and learnt more about the subject offerings available to them at St. Peter’s College. Students in Year 9 and 10 will already have been allocated a time to meet via Zoom with a House Leader or a member of the curriculum team, together with their parents, to discuss their learning pathway for 2022 and beyond. The Careers Expo page available on SPACE provides students with all the information they may need to make good choices about their future studies. The curriculum handbook is also available on this page. This is an essential resource for students as they discover what is on offer at St. Peter’s College.
Unfortunately, the Year 11 & 12 excursions and opportunity for parents to come on to the campus to explore subjects being offered and potential pathways had to be cancelled owing to remote learning. However, the flexibility and speed with which staff were able to present an completely online experience was a credit to our Learning & Teaching Pedagogical Coaches (Ms Sarah Turner & Ms Louise Mansfield) and our Careers Counsellors (Ms Robyn Cardamone & Ms Melissa Dillon).
Try A VET Day
On Thursday, 15 July 2021 our Year 9 students participated in Try A VET Day. Vocational Education and Training (VET) is a great opportunity for our senior students to gain industry experience and a qualification in a chosen field. VET is designed to teach knowledge and specific practical skills to help in the workplace. It's delivered in a number of ways – through schools, TAFE institutes, and private registered training organisations. St. Peter’s College offers a significant number of VET subjects on and off campus and those Year 9 students who would like to study a VET in Year 10 are encouraged to discuss this with their Learning Advisor or the Careers Counsellor. The VET offerings can be viewed on the Careers Expo page and it should be noted that there are two new offerings at St. Peter’s College next year:
- VET Health Support Services
- VET Hospitality & Kitchen Operations (previously only Hospitality was offered).
The day proved to be a huge success with over 12 different VET courses being presented to the students on both campuses. Thanks to our Careers Counsellors (Ms Robyn Cardamone & Ms Melissa Dillon) who did a huge amount of organisation for the day. Also many thanks to our VCAL students, under the direction of the VCAL Coaches (Mr Paul Woodbridge & Mr Chris O’Hara) for preparing the hot lunches for all Year 9 students. It was an amazing achievement and a credit to the staff and students in VCAL.
VCE and School Assessed Coursework
As we work through the second half of the year students are beginning to prepare for or complete assessment tasks. Many of our VCE students are currently undertaking School Assessed Coursework (SACs). Parents are encouraged to use the online portal, SPACE, to regularly check for work tasks and access student results for assessment tasks including SACs. Teachers provide students with feedback on their assessments. This may be in the form of an attached rubric, written comments on the task or as teacher feedback through SPACE. This feedback is about improvement and acting on feedback from teachers allows students to move forward and become more independent learners.
Important Dates:
Subject selection Interviews. Parents and their child will be provided with a time to meet with a member of staff to discuss subject options for 2022:
Year 9 into 10: Wednesday, 21 - Thursday, 22 July
Year 10 into 11: Monday, 26 - Tuesday, 27 July
At the end of the interview, students will be sent a login code to submit their subject choices via web preferences. Subject selections are due on Monday, 2 August. The subject selection receipt should be scanned or photographed and returned electronically via Operoo to the Learning Advisor by parents. This will assure us that you are aware of your child’s subject choices for 2022.
Wishing you all the best and hoping you remain safe during lockdown.
Ms Clare Tipping Mr David Hansen
Learning & Data Systems Coach Deputy Principal - Learning & Teaching