Student Wellbeing

End of Term in the Senior School

Term 2 in the Senior School has been an enriching and dynamic period, marked by exceptional achievements and engaging activities. Students showcased their continued growth as independent learners in both formative and summative assessments. The whole school came together to commemorate Anzac Day and celebrate National Reconciliation Week, reflecting our shared values and commitment to history and culture. 

In the Performing Arts, students had numerous opportunities to shine. They brought laughter and entertainment with the Senior School play ‘Clue’, captivated audiences with their passion and skill in music concerts and displayed remarkable teamwork and talent during the House Performing Arts competition.

Our GSV sport teams demonstrated remarkable skill and teamwork, showing true dedication by attending early morning and afternoon training sessions despite the shorter, cooler days.

As we reflect on a successful term, we look forward to the continued growth and achievements in Semester 2. I wish all our families a wonderful break and look forward to welcoming our students back on Tuesday 16 July.

House Performing Arts – Around the World

Last Friday evening, our students and staff took us on an extraordinary adventure around the world during the final House Performing Arts (HPA) event. The HPA Captains worked tirelessly to write scripts, choreograph dances, design and create sets and props, and plan music programs for their grand showcase. This impressive effort was even more remarkable given the tighter time frame they had to work within due to changes this year.

Each House spent numerous weeks rehearsing, but last week saw the Senior School fully immersed in HPA preparations. The school transformed into a hub of creativity and hard work: drop sheets covered floors, furniture was rearranged, dressing rooms were set up, and cardboard constructions were seen being carted around. Glitter sparkled, costumes were trialled and adjusted, musical instruments were tuned, and whole House songs echoed throughout the school.

On the night, the ‘Shelly Spirit’ was palpable as we were entertained by Blundell, Langley, Lloyd, and Thomas. Each House received a category award, but there could only be one ultimate winner. Congratulations to Langley for their outstanding performance!

GAT

On Tuesday, our senior students participated in the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) General Achievement Test (GAT). The GAT is an essential component of the VCE assessment process, designed to evaluate general knowledge and skills in written communication, mathematics, science, and technology. This important test helps ensure the fairness and accuracy of our students' final scores, playing a crucial role in their academic journey. Well done to our students for completing this important step in their VCE journey.

Semester Reports

This week semester reports will be available on Shelly under ‘Academic Reports’. When reading these reports, we encourage our students to reflect on their progress and celebrate their achievements. While our focus can sometimes be drawn to ‘grades’ alone, it is important to view these within the context of a student’s journey as a learner. During the semester they have received important feedback from their teachers and been encouraged to develop a ‘growth mindset’. 

The Learner Attributes section of the report provides feedback on a student's development in the areas of collaboration, reflection, and engagement during the learning process. It's important to remember that these attributes can vary within a subject or between different subjects. This variability is influenced by several factors, including the difficulty of the content, the student's understanding of connections between concepts, their ability to self-reflect and act on feedback, and their capacity for collaboration and communication.