The Arrow

Senior Assistant Principal

Ella Price

Inner East Principal Forum

 

Yesterday I attended the Inner East Principal Forum where we heard from David Howes (Deputy Secretary, Schools and Regional Services at the Department of Education) on the achievements and future priorities for the Education State. 

We celebrated leading NAPLAN results in writing across Year 5, Year 7 and Year 9. We discussed the social forces that leading to lower reading levels in male students and lower numeracy levels in female students. We observed an increase in health and wellbeing measures on the Student Attitudes to School Survey and increases in all sections on the Staff Opinion Survey having higher endorsement compared to 2023.

With five key priorities of: excellence in teaching and learning; every student matters; lifting secondary school student engagement and achievement; expanding, supporting and recognising our school workforce, and schools at the centre of communities. These priorities have been designed to promote consistency and continuity of the achievements we are seeing in Victorian education. 

 

Auburn High School will align the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model with our GANAG Instructional Model with a specific focus on how we implement evidence-based strategies to increase instructional minutes and engagement in our classroom.  We want our students at Auburn to feel that their secondary schooling promotes belonging and fosters agency, so they can forge their identity and can pursue the pathway of their choice. This will enable students to follow their passions and explore different career and education pathways through TAFE, apprenticeships, traineeships and university. I am excited to lead the Teaching & Learning Team next year as we continue to strengthen our diverse programs for students across the Junior and Senior School and look forward to the expertise of our new Careers and Pathways Manager, Anna Langley. 

 

AHS Internal Exams

Our students start their internal examinations next Wednesday 13th November. The calendar as been distributed to students so that they can plan their revision across Week 6 and Week 7. This final internal assessment supported students to demonstrate their learning from Semester 2 and provide a valuable data set for their 2025 teachers to plan a responsive teaching a learning program. All Year 7 – 10 students will also complete their PAT Testing for Reading and Numeracy allowing us to triangulate the exam data with CAT data (teacher judgment). We encourage all students to see this as an opportunity to celebrate what they have developed and can demonstrate, as well as identifying areas they would like to focus on next year. We have seen our Year 11 students already reflect in this way as they sit the VCAA examinations for their accelerated subjects. I have spoken to them about how next year they will use this insight to embed their learning and revision strategies across all of their subjects, plan for revision earlier in the year and practise time management more precisely. 

 

Headstart

In Week 8 all of our students begin their 2025 learning programs. This enables our students to meet their new classes and teachers, as well as starting the new curriculum for 2025. We find that Headstart always come at the perfect opportunity for a change for our students at this point in Term 4. The respond positively to the change and expectation that they have been promoted to their next year level. Students will be introduced to their new year level statement by their new Year Level Leaders in Headstart assemblies. More information will be shared via Compass.

  • Headstart dates:
    • 2025 Year 11 & Year 12 students: Monday 25th November – Friday 6th December
    • 2025 Year 8 – 10 students: Monday 25th November – Friday 13th December
  • Work Experience dates:
    • 2025 Year 11 students: Monday 9th December – Friday 13th December

 

We will ensure our senior secondary pathways continue to enable students to follow their passions and explore different career and education pathways through TAFE, apprenticeships, traineeships and university. We will ensure the new VCE Vocational Major continues to deliver skills-based learning in schools for those who see a future for themselves in a chosen trade or industry. We will continue to expand partnerships with industry and employers and ensure VET in schools is aligned with industry needs, helping our state to meet skill needs in a changing economy. The STEM education centre network will grow with 6 new Tech Schools soon to open. This will increase access to hands-on, high-tech, immersive STEM learning, inspiring thousands of students from across the state to become the next generation of technology and industry leaders.