Farewell and good luck to Year 12s

We are well and truly underway in Term 4 as our Year 12 students (and many Year 11 students!) undertake their Unit 3/4 exams. We are immensely proud of the wonderful young adults they have become and wish them all the very best as they embark on their exams and the next chapter of their lives.

Student Opinion Survey

Earlier this year, students across Years 7-12 completed the Attitudes to School Survey. Recently we received the summary reports on this data and we are very happy with the feedback students have provided. Our leadership and teaching teams have been unpacking this data to reflect on our strengths but also identify opportunities for growth in our learning community.

The table below is a brief summary of the key highlights of the survey:

Criteria	Positive	Neutral	Negative
High Expectations for Success	76%	18%	6%
Effective Teaching Time	68%	24%	9%
School stage transitions (Year 7 & new students)	71%	17%	12%
Attitudes to Attendance	71%	16%	13%
Sense of Confidence	59%	26%	15%

Hats

As the warm weather heats up, families are reminded that Term 4 is a sunsmart term, meaning that all of our students are expected to wear a Horsham College Hat at recess and lunch. All new students to the college are issued with a hat upon enrolment. For students needing to purchase a new hat, these are now available from our Administration Office. Year Level Teams will be following up with students who are not wearing a hat during recess and lunch. We would appreciate your support in discussing the importance of hat wearing with your child.

Screen time and digital technology use for teenagers: part of a healthy lifestyle

Screen time and digital technology use can be part of a healthy lifestyle when it’s balanced with other activities that are good for development and wellbeing. These activities include physical activity, extracurricular activities and socialising. Getting the right balance also includes making sure screen time doesn’t interfere with sleep.

You can help your child balance screen time and digital technology use with other activities. One of the best ways to do this is by working together on family expectations. These might cover:

Where your child can use digital technology – for example, only in family rooms, not in the bedroom at night, or not in the car
When your child can use digital technology – for example, mealtimes are free of TV, computers and phones, or no social media until chores and homework are finished
How your child can use digital technology – for example, for making a podcast or watching a TEDx talk, but not for doing things on multiple devices at once
How you handle digital technology use for children of different ages – for example, there might be some games that your older child can play only when their younger sibling is out or has gone to bed
How your child can stay safe online – for example, by talking with them about upsetting and inappropriate content, privacy and location settings and personal data safety

For more advice and information on screen time for teenagers, visit https://raisingchildren.net.au/teens/entertainment-technology/screen-time-healthy-screen-use/healthy-screen-time-teens

Year 7 News

Cam Bruce & Gareth Hose | Year 7 Coordinators