Curriculum and Learning

Reporting Student Learning Attributes in the Semester 1 Report on Years 5 to 11

Within the College’s Strategic Plan it states, “Education should liberate our community of learners, challenging them to excellence and allowing them to discover and fulfil their potential.” During 2024 the College has been focusing on this Liberating Education Touchstone of Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA).

For many years parents/carers, students and teachers have been familiar with the recording of Learning Practices in both the Semester 1 Report and Yearly Report. Across Years 5 to 12, course or subject reports have each identified five Learning Practices providing a level of achievement for various demonstrable attributes of student application, attitude, and conduct.

The College wanted to give more gravitas to the learning attributes within the Learning Practices and has devised a new initiative aimed at more effectively tracking and recognising student progress in their learning.

This initiative is called the Student Attribute Average or SAA which will give parents/carers, students, and teachers quantifiable data in relation to student application and performance in the classroom. The SAA not only aligns with the College’s Strategic Plan but also with the College’s Learning and Wellbeing Frameworks.

Hence, the upcoming Semester 1 Reports will mark the introduction of the SAA. The Student Attributes will replace the Learning Practices on the course reports. The SAA extends the existing information in student reports by providing a numerical average across a student’s application in all their courses.

The SAA is the average result of all attributes assigned in the Semester 1 and Yearly Reporting periods. The SAA is generated by establishing a numerical conversion for the Student Attributes, where student achievement in their learning is reviewed and measured by classroom teachers based on an established continuum of criteria. Teachers will use the College-developed SAA Matrix to measure and ascertain student achievement in five categories or descriptors: Application, Commitment to Study, Conduct, Engagement and Responsibility. Five levels or indicators of performance will be applied: Rarely, Occasionally, Satisfactorily, Usually and Consistently. Each of these five indicators will be assigned a numerical value of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively.

For example, a Year 9 student undertaking eight courses in a semester would have forty Student Attribute entries within his report which when added up and divided by forty will give a numerical average, the SAA, with the maximum possible being 5.00.

SAA_Matrix.pdf

There are multiple benefits associated with utilising the SAA initiative:

It will foster a growth mindset and develop a school-wide culture of excellence.
It will provide a quantifiable measurement of what is valued in our student’s approach to learning at the College.
It will provide quick numerical information and feedback for students and parents/carers on how they have performed in their application to learning, not just a mark or grade based on academic performance.
It will enable more effective opportunities to acknowledge student excellence in their application to learning. Not every student can achieve ‘first place’ but they can demonstrate “their best”.
It will provide more effective opportunities to track student progress - those that have improved during a semester and those whose application has declined.
It will provide opportunities to inform conversations relating to student wellbeing, identifying students of concern and enabling a process of supports and interventions to be implemented.
It will provide opportunities for more effective recommendations on course selection in conjunction with other measurement tools and subject prerequisites.
It will provide opportunities for students to develop resilience and to exhibit pride in their application to learning.

Consideration and adjustments will be given to students who have identified learning needs and/or provisions.

More information will be provided in due course regarding the upcoming Semester 1 Reports for Years 5 to 11 and subsequent Parent/Teacher interviews in a future issue of the Especean.

Michael Cutrupi Robert Simpson Alexandros Sinadinos

Director of Curriculum Director of Senior School Director of Middle School

Market Day 2024 – Year 9 Commerce

The Junior School yard was bustling with excitement on Friday 24 May when our Year 9 Commerce students ran the annual Market Day stalls. Throughout the term, the Year 9 Commerce cohort have been studying the topic of 'Running a Business' which involved the creation and promotion of their own business. In groups, the boys spent a number of lessons working on the human resources, finance, marketing and operations functions of their business, in preparation for the selling of their products on the day.

It was great to see the organisation and commitment put in by each group as well as the support from students and staff. The profits, which were made on the day, will go to the College’s Charity partners.

Market day this year taught me a lot about how even if you have everything planned out for the day that when all the customers are there and you have to put it to practice, some adaptations have to be made. Dominic Moses

Market Day was has given me a small taste of how to run a profitable business effectively and how proper planning is essential whenever conducting a new business. Samuel Naccarella

Market day was a fun and memorable experience for all the boys as we learnt how to run a business and deal with the elements of finance, marketing, operations and more. Antony Di Gori

Well done Year 9 Commerce!

Constance Lukas

HSIE Teacher | MIC of Basketball

Hosting Opportunity for Italian Exchange Students at St Patrick’s College, Strathfield

Next term, from 4 - 20 September, St Patrick’s College will welcome students from our partner school, Liceo Blaise Pascal in Pomezia, Italy. These students, aged 16, are eager to experience Australian school life and practice their English.

We are looking for families interested in hosting these Italian students during their stay. Hosting exchange students has been a long-standing tradition at our College, offering a rich, intercultural experience that broadens students' worldviews. While this is particularly beneficial for students studying Italian, it is a valuable opportunity for all.

Exchange Me, the organisation arranging this tour, has a history of successful collaboration with our Languages Faculty, including the SPC Study Tours to Italy, the most recent of which was in 2023. As we explore the possibility of another Study Tour to Italy in 2025, hosting an Italian student this year will help build lasting connections and friendships. It’s also a great way to reciprocate the hospitality shown to our students by Liceo Blaise Pascal.

If you are interested in hosting a student or would like more information, please contact me at stephanie.darcangeli@spc.nsw.edu.au.

We encourage all families to consider this rewarding opportunity to foster intercultural exchange and positively impact our students' development of the Italian language.

Stephanie D’Arcangeli

Head of Languages