Principal's Report

Return to School 

It was a welcome return for all students and staff to onsite learning today. The place certainly came back to life with the energy and excitement of students resuming classes and catching up with friends. We are always impressed with the ease with which Brentwood students have been able to pivot into remote learning and back to site effortlessly. Thank you in a large part to the support of parents to ensure students are ready to learn and manage the challenges that lockdowns and restrictions have presented us all with. 

Semester One 

A reminder that Semester One has been extended due to the recent lockdown and will now end on the 18th of June. This decision has been made to ensure students have every opportunity to complete assessments as units of work and semester subjects come to an end with the support of teachers back in classes onsite. This will ensure that the assessment of students’ learning in the upcoming reports reflects their learning progress to date.  

Parents may notice an increase in the time children are spending completing significant assessment tasks over the coming week. If so, we encourage you to start a dialogue with them about the workload they may be required to manage over this period, in particular what tasks they are working on currently, have only just begun or have yet to complete.  Ways in which you may consider supporting them further include; 

• checking Compass learning tasks for upcoming assessments noting due dates and task descriptions   
• developing a study calendar to prioritise tasks and include time for social activities to ensure a healthy work and life balance 
• breaking tasks into smaller more manageable parts over time 
• encouraging your children to develop their independence as learners by accessing class Teams posts and OneNote pages for resources and/or seeking further support from teachers if required. 

GAT Trial 

Just days prior to the lockdown students studying Year 11 VCAL, Unit One Biology and/or Maths Methods as an advanced placement were among a small number selected by the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority to undertake a trial General Achievement Test as part of its redevelopment in preparation for its widespread introduction in 2022. 

The trial involved students completing an expanded GAT that tested their literacy and numeracy competencies against standards. This new look GAT is a response to the reforms to Senior School Pathways announced earlier this year by the Department of Education and Training with plans to issue students with competency certificates to share with prospective employers and/or tertiary institutions.   

This trial has been a valuable opportunity for our students to see the test 12 months ahead of its release, receive feedback on their performance, have a simulated GAT experience to build their capacity to perform well next year, and influence the creation of the test to be introduced next year. 

Sonja Ardley 

Associate Principal