From the Deputy Principals

NAPLAN Online

NAPLAN Online will commence for all Year 7 and Year 9 students next Wednesday, 13 March. To ensure our students are well-prepared for these assessments, they have been actively engaging in NAPLAN practice tests. During these practice sessions, we have noticed an essential requirement for plug-in headphones among our Year 7 and 9 students. As bluetooth headphones are not compatible with the NAPLAN browser, it's crucial for all students to have plug-in headphones for the NAPLAN Online assessment. Plug-in headphones are a necessary item listed on both the Year 7 and Year 9 booklists. Students must have access to them before the start of the tests. A summary of the schedule is below:

• Writing:  Wednesday, 13 March
• Reading:  Thursday, 14 March
• Conventions of Language: Friday, 15 March
• Numeracy:  Monday, 18 March

We understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise, preventing students from attending school on the day of the test. Therefore, catch-up sessions will be scheduled during the NAPLAN assessment window to ensure all students have the opportunity to complete the assessment. Further information about the NAPLAN testing can be found on the SCSA website and NAP website.

WACE Checker

Students can determine whether they're on track to achieve the WACE in Year 12 using the WACE Checker. 

Using the above link, students in Year 12 can enter their course achievement (including VET certificates and endorsed programs) from Year 11, as well as their predicted grades for Year 12 courses and track their progress towards the WACE. 

Year 12 Externally Set Tasks

All students enrolled in a General Year 12 course and/or a Foundation Year 12 course are required to complete the Externally Set Task (EST) developed by the Authority for that course. The EST is compulsory and forms part of the school-based assessment and is included as a separate assessment type with a weighting of 15% for the pair of units.

The ESTs are administered in schools under test conditions on designated days between Monday, 6 May and Friday, 24 May.

The ESTs are assessment tasks which the Authority develops and distributes to schools for administering to students for each Year 12 General and Foundation course. The aim and purpose of the EST is to:

• Help ensure fair assessment of student achievement in Year 12 General and Foundation courses.
• Has an educative role in establishing common understandings among teachers of the course standards and related content.
• Provides access to feedback, which will encourage teachers to review and, where appropriate, adjust their marking.
• Model best assessment practice which teachers can apply to other school-based assessment tasks.
• Helps inform the Authority’s other moderation activities.

The ESTs are marked by the teacher/s delivering the course using a marking key provided by the Authority. The College then provides the total raw mark for each student to the Authority. The EST is administered in the following way:

• Is a written assessment task (not practical, performance or oral).
• Is constructed to be completed in 50 minutes.
• Is based on selected syllabus content from Unit 3.
• Can comprise several items or components/parts
• Is developed to provide discrimination between students of differing abilities.
• Can require students to refer to stimulus material.
• Can require students to refer to work/activities they have completed during Semester 1 (particularly in courses with a significant practical component).
• Is provided in a question/answer booklet.
• Is developed in conjunction with the marking key which will be used by teachers.

The College’s 2024 EST schedule is currently under review and will be published to students as soon as it is finalised. Students must attend as the EST will contribute 15% of the course mark for each General or Foundation course.

Further information about the ESTs can be found on the SCSA website. Please contact the College if you have any questions regarding these important assessments.

Access to Year Group Assemblies Through SEQTA Engage

As part of our ongoing efforts to keep parents and students informed and involved, PDF versions of our Year Group Assemblies are now conveniently accessible through the 'Documents' section of SEQTA Engage.

This means that both parents and students can now easily refer to the content covered in these assemblies at any time. Whether you want to revisit important announcements, catch up on discussions about upcoming events, or simply stay updated on student related initiatives, these PDF versions provide a valuable resource. 

Mr R D'Almeida

(Deputy Principal Years 9 & 12)

Open Day 2024

On Friday, 1 March, the College hosted a wonderful Open Day with a large number of visitors in both the morning and afternoon sessions. It is a day when we proudly show how our College operates on a normal day with tours led by students from different year groups. We received positive feedback about the classes observed and glowing reports about our friendly and knowledgeable student tour guides. Our visitors thoroughly enjoyed their experience. Thank you to our staff and students who assisted and contributed towards this successful event by living out our College motto ‘Prepared for All Good Works’. As we have healthy enrolments in all year levels and a waiting list, it is vital that enrolment forms are submitted as soon as possible and prior to the end of Year 4.

Year 7 Social and Parent Night

The Student Representative Council (SRC) will be hosting the Year 7 Social on Thursday, 21 March in the Fr Peter O'Reilly Centre. The event is based on the popular television programs 'The Amazing Race’ and 'Minute to Win It' and requires students to work together in teams in order to complete a variety of fun activities. 

Aside from providing all Year 7 students with the opportunity to celebrate their first term at the College, it also gives them the chance to further develop friendships and get to know their College Captains and SRC members. It’s a wonderful evening and great fun.

Invitations have been sent to parents and guardians via Consent2Go. Please complete the Consent/RSVP before Monday, 18 March.

Rather than dropping your child at the Year 7 Social and going home, only to have to leave the house for pick up, Year 7 parents and guardians are invited to the Year 7 Parents Night hosted by the Parent Committee. Please refer to the Notices and Reminders page for more information.

Winter Uniform and Uniform Shop Opening Hours

A reminder that Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews are being held on Monday, 15 April with students commencing Term 2 on Tuesday, 16 April in winter uniform. Parents are reminded to check their child's College winter uniform and tracksuit.

The Uniform Shop will be open by appointment only on the following dates. To make an appointment, please go online to jfe.net.au and enter the St Norbert College code, 6548, to select and date and time. 

• Monday, 18 March - 3pm to 6pm
• Tuesday, 19 March - 3pm to 6pm
• Wednesday, 20 March - 3pm to 6pm
• Monday, 25 March - 3pm to 6pm
• Tuesday, 26 March - 3pm to 6pm
• Wednesday, 27 March - 3pm to 6pm

The Uniform Shop will also be open in the second week of school holidays, on Monday, 8 April and Thursday, 11 April between 10am and 5pm. No appointments are required on these dates.

A reminder that normal operating hours for the Uniform Shop are Mondays and Thursdays between 1pm and 4.30pm.

Parking

With the safety of everyone in our community at the forefront of minds, we ask that you do not drop off or pick up your child from the administration carpark or the staff carpark next to the pool at the beginning and end of the school day. There is parking on Treasure Road and at the Xanten Performing Arts Centre.

Miss C Abel

(Deputy Principal Years 8 & 11)

Student Review

Teachers completed a Student Review at the mid-point of Term 1 for all Year 11 and Year 12 courses. It offers feedback to students regarding their progress in the categories of Achievement and Application. The attribute Achievement considers the academic results of students, their quality of work and completion of homework, whilst Application considers the organisation of the student, efforts and personal attitude towards learning.

Parents and guardians will receive a letter if a student has received several commendations from their subject teachers or if there are concerns in multiple subject areas.

The purpose of these letters is to provide initial feedback on academic achievement and effort, and to facilitate communication with the respective subject teachers to address any concerns or additional learning needs. Based on the Student Review and Interim Report for Term 1, parents and guardians can book meetings with subject teachers at the Parent Student Teacher Interviews on Monday, 15 April. The Deputy Principal for Year 11, Miss Carrol Abel, and the Deputy Principal for Year 12, Mr Roger D’Almeida, may also contact parents and guardians to discuss the academic progress of students.

Mr P Ah Fong

(Deputy Principal Years 7 & 10)