Assistant Principal (Years 10-12) Report 

Report from Assistant Principal Jason Tickner

Congratulations to all students across Yrs 10-12 for making such a positive start to the year. With the opening of our Senior Learning Centre our Yr11 & 12 students are flourishing in their classes enjoying the state-of-the-art facilities.  A big thank you to our teachers and support staff for transitioning their workspaces quickly and efficiently.

In the first week of term both our Yr11 and Yr12 students participated in the study program and study camp respectively. The students engaged in all activities and presentations across these programs setting the tone for a successful year ahead. A massive thank you to Ms. Anna Papagiannopoulos (Director of Learning – Senior School), Ms. Helen Ifandis (Year 12 Coordinator) and Mr. Kristian Gropel (Year 11 Coordinator) for planning these events, and for the dedicated staff that attended and supervised our students in these key events in the academic calendar. 

Study Habits and Routines for Success!

To ensure that our Yr10 and senior VCE students make the most of their academic year the below study habits and routines have been proven to assist in achieving learning success.

Creating a study schedule

At times it can be difficult to complete work requirements and study regularly. Especially, when students are socializing and engaged in a range of activities, including part-time work. However, the evidence is clear that successful students make time for regular, planned study periods outside of school. In the creation of a study schedule time should be allocated for both work completion (teacher driven) and revision of content (student driven). Those students that excel in exams can commit to their study schedule efficiently and effectively throughout the year.

Creating a designated study area

Creating a dedicated study area is a great way to assist students to switch to ‘study mode’ and avoid the many distractions at home that can have a negative impact on periods of study and work completion. Critical is having this area free from the distraction of your mobile phone, which should ideally not be within arms to avoid temptation.

Always asking questions

Students that are proactive in class and ask questions of their teachers and/or peers are usually better able to clarify certain concepts or fill gaps in their knowledge. This can be done in class or outside of class and often also further reinforces the student-teacher learning relationship.

Engage in study groups

Many studies have shown that learning with and from your peers is a great way to engage with material and gain understanding of complex concepts. Generally, when you can teach an area of content knowledge or skill this further builds your capacity to recall that piece of information which is important in an exam situation. Study groups can be formal or informal and can be organized both in and outside of school.

Listening to hints and taking notes

Leading into assessments and or exam periods it is important to listen to and take notes from your teacher on what key concepts and what are going to be included or that will likely appear in exams. For Yr12 students preparing for VCAA exams this may entail registering for exam preparation workshops or programs.

Avoiding cramming

Leading into assessments and or exam periods students that cram their study tend to not perform well. This approach to study puts the brain under stress which means that it is less likely to process information and limits the understanding of concepts. Cramming usually increases stress levels and sleep patterns which can have a negative overall impact on mental health.

Setting goals

Once again, the evidence is clear that when students set SMART goals, they have a better chance of achieving success in their learning. SMART goals are clear and specific, can be measured and ticked off once completed, are achievable, are relevant to the task and feature a deadline that is realistic. You should write down your goals and have them accessible. They should be constructed at the beginning of every term. 

Getting plenty of sleep

Many studies have pointed out how important sleep is to achieve success at school. Deep sleep can improve memory retention by between 20-40% and the ability to solve problems by 15-20%. A student’s overall mental health can also be negatively impacted by a lack of sleep. That is why it is important to get plenty of deep restorative sleep throughout the term and especially at exam time.

MENTORING PROGRAMS

Looking ahead our VCE students will be engaged in an internal and external mentor program throughout this year. Once again, partnering with Monash University our Access Monash Mentor Program will run this year as students from both Year 11 & 12 engage with a student mentor from Monash University. Running parallel to this our Internal Mentoring Program Pairs Year 12 students with an experienced Westall staff member. The aim of both programs is to provide our students with an opportunity to discuss challenges faced throughout the year in their studies, and collaboratively generate strategies for improvement in how they learn best. In past years these programs have been popular and hugely successful and hopefully this year our senior students who take within these programs will make the most of this great opportunity.

EFFECTIVE STUDY PROGRAMS & TECHNIQUES

Throughout the year our senior students will engage in programs delivered by Elevate Education. The ‘Ace Your Exam’ and ‘The Finishing Line’ programs allow students to build their knowledge and skills to prepare for VCE exams. In small groups our students work directly with Elevate presenters who specialise in providing students with a tool kit to achieve success in learning, specifically targeting the VCE exam period. We are once again thrilled to be partnering with Elevate Education in 2023.

PROGRESS REPORTS

Term 1 Progress Reports for all students will be made available in the final week of the term in Compass on Wednesday 27th March. Progress reports provide students and parents with feedback in five Learning Behaviours areas. Teachers will provide a letter grade (A-E, UG, NA) to report on these learning behaviours. The five learning areas are: effort, behaviour, use of class time, meeting deadlines and homework/preparation. 

It is expected that parents take the time to view these reports and have a conversation with their child about the feedback provided by their teachers in each subject area. Parent-Teacher interviews will take place in the third week of Term 2 and the progress report feedback provides students and parents with information to be used within these conversations.

The attachment below (How to View Your Child’s Report) also provides parents and carers with instructions on how to access progress reports from Compass.

Mr Jason Tickner

Assistant Principal (Year 10-12)