From the Senior School Assistant Principal 

Welcome back!

What a wonderful start to the year! Senior school is buzzing as students experience their new programs for 2024. 

Our Year 10 students have started their Senior School journey, leaving their Junior School programs behind and embracing their new classes for Semester 1. We are also excited to have our first Vocational Major cohort at Year 11 who are studying Numeracy, Work-Related Skills, and a VET subject as part of their VCE. Connection between Year 10, 11 and 12 is embraced with many of our students accelerating in one subject in 2024. We find that this build understanding of our Senior School programs as well as opening mentoring opportunities as students learn from each other.

Our Tutor Group teachers have been focused on attendance and uniform this first few weeks, supporting our students to start their days with routine. I have been pleased to see many Tutor Groups receiving DARE posts for their collaborative commitment to being on time in full school uniform each day. 

Well done to most of our Senior School Tutor Groups who have maintained 90%+ approved attendance for the first three weeks of Term 1. With 10A at 94.7% we have a strong competitor for the free lunch that is up for grabs at the end of term. When students are absent, we ask Senior School families to obtain a medical certificate or statutory declaration to approve their absence. This is preparing them for VCAA and IB requirements where students must satisfy 90% attendance to be successful in their program.

The green DARE posts are also collecting House points in the Senior School. Well done to 11D who have been recognised 149 times for demonstrating Diversity, Aspiration, Respect and/or Excellence in their lessons and in our school community. It is these positive daily actions that support us to reflect on our behaviours and develop ourselves holistically. I look forward to monitoring more of these posts throughout the term. 

Feeling the pinch

Summative assessments known as SACs (VCE & IB) and CATs (Year 10) have begun. As we end our first teaching phase students enter a period of revision for these tasks. This can create a sense of urgency and sometimes overwhelm. This is normal as they adjust to their new programs and there is always support. We encourage student to use our Auburn Learner Quality of communication to speak with their teachers about their progress and what supports they need. If they have been referred to our Homework Centre students can seek clarity about the tasks they need to complete and advocate for themselves if they need scaffolds. We encourage parents and carers to monitor Compass and discuss key dates (found on Compass) with their child to support forward planning throughout the semester. Opening up a conversation shares any worries and can strengthen the partnership we have as students, parents and teachers.

Study Success Seminar Days

Year 10 & Year 11 students are about to experience their Study Success Seminar Days. They will hear from external speakers from Success Integrated who will support students the motivation, organisational systems, study habits & resilience required to achieve academic excellence. The day will also include a BBQ lunch as well as protected time for reflection and goal setting (using our Auburn My Learning Growth tool), with team building and sport in the afternoon. Payment and consent are now live on Compass. We are looking forward to these days with our students!

Special Provisions in Senior School

A reminder to all families that special arrangements can be out in place for a student in a Year 10, VCE and IB program. While the school does have records for your child, we understand that circumstances change over the years and that we might not have the most up to date information. This can prevent us from supporting your child the best we can with their Senior School program. 

VCAA & the IB have a Special Provision policy so that students in defined circumstances are provided the opportunity to participate in and complete their secondary level studies. The underlying principle is to ensure that the most appropriate, fair, and reasonable options are available for students to demonstrate their capabilities in their learning and assessment programs. We are also modelling this process internally for our Year 10 and Year 11 students.

Categories in which students may be eligible for provisions include:

• Mental Health Condition (disorder or illness that affects thought process, judgement, perception of reality of emotional and social wellbeing)
• Health impairment or physical disability (injury, illness, condition)
• Specific learning disorder (impairment in reading, written expression, mathematics due to cognitive processing deficits)
• Language disorder (reduced vocabulary, limited sentence structure, impariments in discourse)
• Motor coordination disorders (motor skill deficits)
• Deaf and hard of hearing (moderate, severe or profound)
• Vision impairment (moderate or severe)

We encourage you to look at more detailed information on VCAA's website here.

Students studying a Units 3 & 4 subjects (Year 12) will need to complete a formal application to VCAA, by the end of Term 1, for the General Achievement Test (GAT) (June) and VCAA end of year examinations (October-November). For Year 10, Units 1 & 2 subjects and internal assessments at Year 12, Year Level Leaders will oversee this process and liaise with teachers.

Year Level Leaders will be communicating with families at the moment about these provisions. Please do not hesitate to contact them (Craig McPherson – Year 12, Luke Dellorso – Year 11, David Felbel – Year 10) if you have any questions. 

School Photos

Thank you to our school community for working collaboratively to support the smooth running of an annual photo day last Wednesday. The catch-up session will be held this week to finalise portraits for students who were absent on the initial day. 

Our school photos will be used on 2024 student cards, concession cards and Compass profiles. Once the photos are processed and received, our IT department will distribute these to students. 

Families can still order their photos through MSP Photography on Compass. Please contact them directly with any questions.