Strategic Development & Organisation
Ms. Jodie Connell - Deputy Principal
With the term coming to a close, I am sure we are all grateful for the upcoming Easter break. Upon reflection of this term; there has been a lot going on, assessments have been in full swing and students have been challenged in their understanding of the key concepts taught across a range of learning areas, and have had the opportunity to demonstrate to their teachers what they understand and know and what they are ready to learn next.
Working together to achieve success is vitally important. We keep you informed of your child’s progress via our continuous feedback model. You can check your child’s progress anytime through the Parent Access Module (PAM). You can see upcoming tasks, overdue tasks, task results, calendar events, excursion permission, and attendance all in one place. As the term draws to a close, I encourage all parents to ensure that they have logged into PAM and are checking how the students are progressing with their learning. All students should have feedback on at least one task they have completed this term.
Throughout the Term, we have encouraged students to take ownership of their learning. Many of the students should see the interim report as validation of their hard work and commitment to their learning journey. Sharing the report with your child and having a discussion about their learning, hopefully leads to the student thinking deeply about what they are doing well, and where they need to make improvements. To achieve success we must, however, have high expectations of ourselves, develop resilience strategies, be courageous and through this, as a College, we can build a culture of high achievement. These high expectations come in many forms; how we treat and value one another, how we wear our uniform; and the discipline we show in our studies.
Research and evidence strongly suggest that parents who are connected with the school their child attends and who also connect with their learning at home have a positive impact on student learning outcomes. As parents, we often ask the question “How was school today” or “What did you do at school today”. The response is usually “It was good or ok”, or “Nothing much”. As a suggestion next time why not try asking your child “What challenged you in your learning today” or “What do you know now that you didn’t know before today”. It’s a great concept as it introduces the concept that school and school work can be challenging and students need to be challenged in their learning.
NAPLAN Tests
Congratulations to all Year 7 and 9 students on starting their NAPLAN tests, I was extremely impressed at the way most students have conducted themselves so far during this testing period. NAPLAN Testing continues next week.
NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process – it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance. NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities, and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether students are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.
What does NAPLAN assess?
NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy skills students are learning through their regular school curriculum. All government and non-government education authorities have contributed to developing NAPLAN materials. Students are assessed on the same literacy and numeracy curriculum content, regardless of whether they complete the tests online or on paper. Results for both formats can be reported on the same NAPLAN assessment scale.
Now that the test is completed what can I do to support my child?
On its own, NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for, and students were not expected to do so. You can support your child by reassuring them that NAPLAN is just one part of their school program. A reminder to continue to review teacher feedback on PAM and to discuss these results with your child. Discussing strategies with them and their teacher for achieving ongoing improvement is a meaningful conversation to support their learning.
Parent – Student – Teacher Interviews
Many thanks to the parents who attended parent-student-teacher night on Thursday night. A final reminder there is one more parent-student-teacher night opportunity next week on Wednesday 27th March between 4.00 pm and 6.30 pm. Bookings for these will close at 5.00pm Tuesday 26th March.
Elevate Education Parent Webinar Seminars
Elevate Education continues to provide parents of Mary MacKillop Catholic Regional Student College exclusive access to their Parent Webinar Series for Term 1, 2024.
To reserve your spot, you can register for free below
Wednesday 13th MarchHow You Can Help Improve Your Child’s Memory
Click here to register for free
Here’s what Elevate will be covering on the night:
✅ Understanding how your child’s memory works
✅ Optimising your child’s environment for memorisation
✅ 3 practical memory techniques to use with your child this term
The webinars are run live online from 6.30 pm – 7.30 pm (AEST) where the presenter will share Elevates key research and skills, and will conduct a live Q&A so you can ask them questions directly. If you are unable to make the webinar, don't worry! If you sign up to attend, you'll receive the webinar recording on Thursday morning.
Should you have questions or would like to contact Elevate directly, their details are listed below.
✉️ auscoaching@elevateeducation.com
💻 https://au.elevateeducation.com
👍 https://www.facebook.com/ElevateEd/
Additional Fees – Edrolo, Vocational Major (Year 11 and Year 12) and External VET subject
A reminder to parents that the following subject uses an Edrolo Textbook.
Year 11 – Biology, Business Management, Chemistry, Legal Studies, Physics, Psychology.
Year 12 – Biology, Business Management, Chemistry, Legal Studies, Physics, Psychology.
As advised on the booklist, the fee for each textbook will be added to your College fee account, the cost is $70 per subject.
For students studying Year 11 and 12 Food Studies the cost of the online Food Ed Assist is $35 per student.
For Year 11 Vocational Major (VM) students the cost of the online Educlick digital resources for Work Related Skills and Personal Development Skills. As advised on the booklist, the fee for the digital resources will be added to your College fee account, the cost is $127.90 per subject.
For those families with a student studying a VET course at Tafe Gippsland or Apprenticeships Group Australia (AGA) there is a one-off parent contribution of $500 per course.
Both Edrolo, Educlick and VET fees will be added to the College Fee accounts in the coming weeks.
Wishing everyone a safe, happy and holy Easter break.