Student Learning Culture and Growth

It is an exciting and nervous time for our Year 12 students and their families as they enter their final days of classes and learning. I am certain all Year 12 students appreciate the support of our staff,  and as a school community, we also acknowledge the thirteen-year educational journey that our parents have also endured with their young person during this significant milestone of each students life. We congratulate all Year 12 students and look forward to sharing the memories of your experiences as a Marist-Sion Student over the coming weeks. 

The College would also like to wish our senior students great success with the commencement of their VCE examinations next week. Our staff will continue to be available to support you throughout the coming weeks with additional guidance and mentorship.    

VCE Units 3 & 4 and VET Soiree Evening 

The College would like to congratulate all the Unit 3 & 4 and VET students who achieved success at the Soiree held on Monday evening. The Hall showcased a range of displays of students works by our Art Making and Exhibiting, Art Creative Practice, Media, Visual Communication Design and Applied Learning students. All families then moved into the Marian Theatre for presentations as well as Music and Drama performances. Our students were accompanied by their extended family and friends and everyone was appreciative of the efforts our students made with the high quality of works exhibited and performances. 

We would also like to extend our gratitude to the students and the staff team in the Unit 4 Food Studies class for their outstanding preparation of the supper and refreshments, along with their fine service to our wider College community.  The College would also like to thank the team of staff across many areas who prepared such an inspirational and entertaining evening. 

We now look forward to showcasing our students LEAP Projects, works and Performances at the Junior Soiree, being held at the College on Thursday 9 November from 6.00pm. 

Preparing learners for the School Day 

Our teaching staff are seeing a number of students arriving to class without a fully charged laptop to engage with the learning program.  On several occasions, I have asked students who have experienced this issue the following question – is your mobile phone fully charged?  

The College would appreciate those gentle reminders from home to ensure all students are well prepared for the day ahead by fully charging their devices in preparation for the school day. 

Curriculum update for Year 7 to 9 students 

As the Students will be coming to the end of the semester which will finish with last day of scheduled classes on Thursday 23 November, students from Years 7-9 will be embarking on some important assessments. 

Year 9 Students have important semester examinations of their Mathematics and English occurring on Wednesday 22 November and Thursday 23 November, respectively. Students will need to start reviewing their semester’s coursework before the exam to be well prepared prior to each of the two exams. 

As the results from these exams will appear on their end of Semester Report, it is important that Year 9 students avoid having appointments or other out of College events on these days and that they have had adequate rest and sleep prior to each exam to achieve their best. 

PAT Test (Years 7 – 9)

All students in Year 7 to 9 will be taking PAT tests during the week of Monday 13 November to Friday 17 November These assessments will cover English, Science, and Mathematics. The PAT tests evaluate students' knowledge and comprehension, ranging from Foundation to Year 10, across various subject areas. They also help in tracking their progress over time.

The College utilises this assessment data to determine students' starting points for learning, tailor teaching methods to individual needs, and monitor their academic growth. Assessing a student's knowledge, skills, and understanding in a particular subject enables us to identify where they are in their learning journey and what steps are needed to help them progress.

All PAT tests will take place during regularly scheduled class sessions, led by their respective Mathematics, English, or Science classroom teachers. These assessments will be conducted during a lesson chosen by the teacher within the week of Monday 13 November to Friday 17 November. 

The three PAT Tests the College is using includes: 

Mathematics Adaptive (Progressive Achievement Tests in Mathematics) 

Assess mathematical literacy and understanding across three strands and four proficiencies with test content personalised to each student. 

Measure’s mathematical ability across three content strands: 

Number and Algebra 

Measurement and Geometry 

Statistics and Probability 

Addresses the proficiencies of fluency, understanding, problem solving and reasoning 

Reading Adaptive (Progressive Achievement Tests in Reading) 

Assess reading comprehension and measure growth from Years 1 to 10.  

Assesses reading comprehension, covering four broad strands: 

Retrieve 

Interpret implied 

Interpret explicit 

Reflect 

Science (Progressive Achievement Tests in Science) 

Assess science knowledge, scientific literacy, and understanding and application of scientific principles. 

Measures the application of science skills and knowledge in three content strands: 

Science understanding 

Science as a human endeavour 

Science inquiry 

The last week of Semester 2: Monday 20 to Thursday 23 of November

All Year 7 to 9 classes will be finishing off classwork tasks and assessments tasks in this last week. Students need to pay careful attention to due dates and end dates for tasks and be aware that the last possible end date that the teacher can choose to set for work is Friday 24 November. 

Head-Start

All Year 7 to 9 classes will transition into their 2024 Head-Start classes from Tuesday 28 November. This is the official start of their 2024 School Year. Students will find themselves with new classmates, teachers, and subjects. 

To help have the best possible start to this Year, it is important that students have their stationary restocked. They will need the following for each class: 

• Refreshed pens, pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners, glue sticks, 15 or 30 cm ruler, coloured pencils or textures, several display folders, spare looseleaf paper, pencil case. 
• A workbook: Each workbook should be dedicated to one subject (class) only. Some books come with dividers; these should be used only for topics in that class. If teachers collect up workbook it can be up to a week before being returned, hence other subjects should not have work in the same book. 
• A lined exercise book (workbook) and a grid exercise book: Mathematics only 
• Functioning laptop: Some laptops may be experiencing diminishing charge life as they get older. These laptops are under warranty, please go to the IT office for any battery, software, or mechanical issues with the laptop so that they will be in good condition for Head-Start. 

Mr Tim Morrison

Deputy Principal: Student Learning Culture and Growth