Assistant Principal (Years 11/12) Report 

Report from Assistant Principal  Yr 11/12

Jason Tickner

Senior School Reflection

As we move ever closer to the half-way point in the term, I would like to encourage our senior students to continue to work with their teachers to successfully complete their Semester 1 studies. Our Year 12 students will transition to their Unit 4 studies in Wk7, with the completion of their final Unit 3 school-based assessments and coursework throughout weeks 5 & 6. Our Year 11 VCE mainstream students should be preparing for mid-year exams which will take place in Wk8, prior to their transition to Unit 2 studies in Wk9. This exam period provides these students with a great opportunity to plan for, and prepare for exams, as a dress rehearsal for VCAA exams coming in 2026. In Wk8 all of our VCE-VM and VPC students will complete a work experience week, enabling them to gain credit for their academic programs and build upon their industry and employability skills.

Most of our senior students continue to be great role models for our younger students within the school, consistently displaying our iCare schools’ values in all aspects of school life. They have led the way in wearing the school uniform with pride, and continue to maintain a high level of attendance. Feedback from senior teachers suggests that our students are consistently displaying positive learning behaviours, which contributes to a focused learning environment within the classroom. Application in these areas will contribute to continued success throughout the remaining weeks for our senior students this semester. 

Semester One Reports and Awards Assembly

As Semester One draws to a close, students will be finalising assessments across their subjects. Consistent school attendance, along with the completion of classwork and homework, plays a vital role in helping students achieve their best possible outcomes during this reporting period.

VCE, VCE-VM and VPC students will finish their Semester 1 units transition to Semester 2 studies. Additionally, Year 11 VCE students will sit their mid-year exams in Week 9. The exam timetable will be finalised and shared with students and families in the coming weeks.

Semester 1 reports will include grades for Common Assessment Tasks (CATs) for Years 7–10, as well as School-Assessed Coursework (SACs), Essential Learning Tasks (ELTs), and other relevant assessments for VCE, VM and VPC students. Semester 1 Reports will be available via Compass on Wednesday 2nd July. Please note that while reports will show grades, detailed teacher feedback for CATs, ELTs, SACs, and SATs will only be accessible through the individual task comments and rubrics on Compass. Parents and carers are encouraged to review these comments for a deeper understanding of student progress.

Our Semester 1 Awards Assembly will take place on Thursday, 26th June in the school gymnasium. This event will celebrate students nominated for Overall Academic or Personal Best Awards in their year levels. The top three Westall Points recipients from each year level will also be recognised for consistently demonstrating our iCARE school values throughout the semester. The event will also recognise other student achievements throughout the Semester. Award recipients and their families will be contacted by their sub-schools in Week 9 with further details about the event.

Course Selection for 2026

As Semester 1 draws to a close, it also marks the beginning of the course and subject selection process for 2026. This is a pivotal time for students as they make important decisions about their educational pathways and subject or elective choices for 2026. Research shows that when students select programs and subjects that align with their interests and strengths, they experience greater success and engagement at school.

Our current Year 10 students will choose between the VCE (mainstream) and VCE Vocational Major (VM) or Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC) programs. This decision plays a key role in shaping their future educational and career opportunities. In addition, Year 10 students will select two electives as part of their program. Year 9 students will choose one elective, while students in Years 7 and 8 will select an iCreate subject for their 2026 timetable.

For Year 9 students interested in pursuing the VCE VM or VPC pathway in their senior years, there will be an option to choose two core subjects more closely aligned with these senior programs stream: Vocational Pathway (VP) Work Related Skills (WRS) and Vocational Pathway (VP) Personal Development Skills (PDS). These subjects will replace Science and Global Literacy, offering a more tailored learning experience that supports a future VM or VPC pathway, where the focus is further vocational training, apprenticeships or employment post-secondary school.

It's essential that students actively explore future career and study options to make well-informed decisions. The school will provide comprehensive support throughout the selection process, including a subject expo, program information sessions, ‘Future You’ program (Yr9), work experience (Yr10) and individual course counselling interviews. These initiatives aim to help students make choices that reflect their interests, strengths, and long-term goals.

An onsite Course Counselling Parent Information session will be held on Thursday 24th July. This session will include presentations by Ms Alice Paget (Assistant Principal - Junior School), Mr Travis McIntosh (Assistant Principal - Middle School) and Mr Jason Tickner (Assistant Principal Senio School), who will provide valuable insights into the available programs and subject options.

Professional Learning Community (PLC) Update

Throughout Term 2, our dedicated teachers have continued to meet and collaborate weekly as part of a structured 7-week cycle focused on enhancing the implementation of our Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) model. During this time, teaching teams have analysed student learning data to inform goal setting and guide the work of our Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).

As part of this cycle, all teachers have participated in classroom observations, where a teaching and learning coach has provided feedback on practice observed in the classroom, with the overall aim of refining classroom practice.

This important work has been challenging but equally rewarding. The images below are of our final week of our PLC cycle where teams provided feedback on their individual focus and impact they saw in the classroom. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all staff for their commitment and thoughtful engagement in this important work.

Students ‘at risk’

While Semester and Progress Reports offer a clear overview of your child’s achievement and engagement—measured through assessment results and the five key learning behaviours across all subjects—there are additional indicators available throughout the year that can help identify if your child may be ‘at risk’ subjects or their overall program.

One of the most effective tools for parents and carers is regular monitoring through Compass. By checking Compass weekly, you can stay informed about your child’s school attendance, view assessment results, and read academic observation chronicle entries made by subject teachers.

In the Senior School, ‘at risk’ letters are issued mid-term to notify families when a student is at risk of not meeting the requirements for a specific subject or for their overall VCE, VCE-VM or VPC program. These letters serve as an important prompt for early intervention.

If you are concerned about your child’s academic progress, we strongly encourage you to attend the upcoming Parent/Teacher Conferences set down for Week 4 of Term 3, or contact the school directly to speak with a relevant staff member or Coordinator.

By taking these proactive steps—monitoring Compass, reading reports and teacher feedback, attending conferences, and communicating with the school—parents and carers can stay engaged in their child’s education and, when needed, contribute to timely intervention strategies to support their success.

Mr Jason Tickner

Assistant Principal (Year 11/12)