Teaching and Learning

Term 4 is in full swing as you will read throughout this Newsletter! Currently, our students are in the midst of tacking ALTs, revision and end-of-year examinations. And of course, our 2024 Headstart program is on the horizon and runs from the 27th November until 9th December. All in all, a busy but very productive time!

Many Sandringham College teachers are engaged in the arduous but rewarding task of assessing the unit 3 & 4 examinations for the VCAA and this proves to be a rich source of professional development which ultimately benefits our students and I thank all of our VCE and VCAL staff for their hard work and dedication. 

With a view to constantly updating and improving our curriculum to ensure that it is viable, rigorous and engaging for our students, teaching staff will be collaborating in Professional Learning Teams in many dedicated sessions in the coming weeks. Writing new and updating existing curriculum takes time and team work, and new Study Designs require new approaches that allow key knowledge and skills to be accessible for our students. We are fortunate to have such professional staff with incredible expertise and knowledge. 

Ms. Jennifer Howard - Acting Principal Teaching and Learning

Gifted Education

The Victorian High Ability Program (VHAP) for Term 4 is well underway and we have students completing Maths and English extension courses online. We will be sending out a survey to students towards the end of the term. Student voice is important to us and the survey will assist us in capturing their thoughts and experiences about this offering. 

In Week 8, a series of Masterclasses will be offered for selected students who have shown excellent work ethic and strong skills in these areas. These masterclasses are designed to enrich student learning. The Year 7 Masterclass is facilitated by Mr. Denholm Pickering and will feature guest author James Islington who will discuss his approach to creative writing. Students will be able to ask James questions and gain an insight into his work as a fantasy author. Mr Pickering will also work with students to develop their own short piece of writing, extending literacy skills.  

Selected Year 8 students will be invited to a Masterclass full day program, featuring sessions with our expert Science and Math staff. These will be hands-on practical sessions with enrichment activities to develop critical thinking skills. More information about this will be available via Compass.

Ms. Laura Washington Learning Specialist - Gifted Education

Literacy at Sandringham College – Term 4 Update

Literacy remains an area of focus at Sandringham College. 

In Year 7 and 8, the Reading Program is entering a period of conferencing. Students will have short, informal 1 on 1 meetings with teachers to discuss their reading and set themselves reading goals. Keep an eye out for these goals, as students will set themselves reading targets for the summer that will be recorded in End of Year reports. 

At Year 9 and the Senior campus, many students have been using a variety of revision strategies that use good literacy to help students understand what they are learning and make sense of content for their exams. Teachers are focusing on giving students strategies that revolve around analysing the command words that appear in VCAA exams and answering accordingly, using Standard English to write in a formal style, and studying effectively. 

Mr. Denholm Pickering Learning Specialist - Middle Years Literacy and Numeracy Support (MYLNS)