From the Principal 

Class Team 

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have had a wonderful start to the Term 1 with students and staff returning and rekindling that warm, welcoming sense of community that defines Mount Ridley College. Our Preps have now settled into full time schooling. As our learning programs continue, we are now seeing our senior Vocational Major and VET students go off to TAFE and their work placements. Preparations are continuing for our Year 10 Work Experience program. Students are finalising employers and workplaces for the first week of Term 2 where they will be immersed in the world of work and be visited by their teachers.

Scholarship Morning Tea

Our College is renowned for the community partnerships we foster with a wide range of organisations and companies near and far. It was with great pleasure the College hosted our business partners for a morning tea on Wednesday 6th March. Congratulations to the students that were awarded the scholarships and I look forward to seeing the amazing work they continue to do in the future. A very big thank-you to our College Captains and College Vice Captains for hosting the ceremony and to our business partners and families for their continued support.

GPA

The buzz word of the fortnight must be GPA – Grade Point Average. Students, teachers and families alike, have been talking about the progress of our students and able to set goals to make real improvements in student learning. Student’s GPA scores give families an indication of how the student is travelling in relation to their effort and behaviour in classes, which has a clear correlation to the outcomes of student’s grades. We understand that families may have questions, and we encourage you to contact your child's teachers to discuss and clarify the GPA. The second GPA cycle began this week. As always, the GPA provides a sound foundation upon which to reflect on your child’s/children’s learning behaviours and the College’s expectations.

WeShare:

WeShare interviews will take place on Wednesday 27th March. WeShare interviews are a valuable opportunity for a three-way conversation between parents, students and teachers. In preparation for the conversations, we encourage you to read the comments for Learning Tasks and review the latest cycle of Grade Point Average (GPA), both available on Compass.  It may also be beneficial to discuss with your child their learning progress to date and identify questions you may wish to ask of teachers when you meet. Appointments can be made using Compass. As active participants in their own education, students are expected to attend the WeShare conferences with you. Students are encouraged to reflect on their efforts and discuss future learning goals and challenges with both you and their teachers. We look forward to this opportunity to meet to discuss your child's learning.

NAPLAN:

Next week the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) for Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 students is scheduled to commence. In 2024, the NAPLAN Online test window is between Wednesday 13th and Monday 25th March 2024. NAPLAN tests assess student knowledge and skills in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.

Detailed information of the process including the testing schedule are explained in the letters below:

College Photos:

Our Colege photos will take place:

• Friday, March 15th, for students in Years Prep-7.
• Monday, March 18th, for students in Years 8-12.

To order photos, please open the documents below for instructions.

Family/sibling photos will be taken in Term 2. Instructions to order these will be provided in Term 2.

Mobile Phone reminder

A friendly reminder that the Department of Education has in place a mobile phone ban that requires students who bring mobiles phones to school to have them switched off and securely put away during school hours.

The Department of Education is requiring all schools to ensure this ban is in place and enforced from the start of the 2024 school year.

The ban applies equally to all government schools right across the state.

This helps ensure that school is a learning environment free from unnecessary distractions and disruptions.

By ensuring mobile phones are kept away during class time, recess and lunch times, students can interact with each other face-to-face, without the distractions and social pressures that mobile phones can cause.

I ask for the support of all our families, staff and students in continuing to support the implementation of this policy in our College.

Further information

Emergencies: In the event of an emergency or if you need to immediately contact your child, I ask that families contact the main office who will pass on a message as required.

School mobile phone policy: A copy of the College’s local mobile phone policy, which implements the government’s mobile policy in line with our local context, is available on the College’s website. 

Please take the time to browse the remainder of the newsletter for key upcoming dates and events that have taken place so far this term.

We hope you all have great weekend.

Mr Cameron Woollard

Deputy Principal: College Operations/Communications