Life continues to be very busy in the 9-12 Community.

This week, the Year 9s hopped on a bus and travelled to Camp Jungai, in Rubicon. We look forward to sharing their account and photos in the next newsletter.

Years 11 and 12 students have been focusing on completing their coursework and assessments for Units 1 and 3 across all of their subjects.

This week, the Unit 3 Biology students completed an interesting practical assessment on cellular processes and how living organisms change and respond to challenges.

June 15th will see the Years 11 and 12 students undertake the General Achievement Test (GAT), an important examination in the overall VCE journey for our students. In preparation for the GAT, students will have the opportunity to complete a practise test next Monday.

Turning their attention to career pathways in the agriculture and primary industries fields, 35 students from Years 9-12 travelled to Dookie College, last Friday, to participate in the annual Food & Fibre Careers Day. The day included a talk from Warwick Long, of ABC's The Country Hour, a huge range of hands-on workshops and a farm skills relay challenge at lunch time. While the team didn't manage to take home any ribbons, the St Augustine’s team put in a terrific effort! And, Mia Lagana and Kirby Conolan represented the College eloquently when interviewed by ABC radio, with their interview airing nationally on The Country Hour.

Year 11 students attended the Victorian Careers Expo at Melbourne Showgrounds. The students took the opportunity to explore a wide variety of career and study options while also attending seminars on tips for their Units 3 and 4 subject studies. It was very pleasing to see how engaged the students were in looking towards their future pathways.

Rounding out the Careers Program for the term, last week the Year 10s travelled to Bendigo for the Tomorrow Bound Careers Expo. As they turned their minds to the possibilities of their senior secondary years, the group took great interest in the career information and guidance provided by the many universities, training providers and employer group exhibitors.

The recent focus upon pathways and careers for our Years 9-11 students links well with the subject selection process which was outlined at our Senior Secondary Pathways Information Session that took place last week. It was gratifying to see over 170 of our 9-12 Community in attendance, taking the opportunity to speak with VCE subject teachers and the region’s VET and TAFE providers in preparation for 2024 subject selection.

Students should ensure that they have submitted their subject selections by next week. The Where To Now? 2024 link below is a valuable resource for Year 10 students as they consider their pathways as they enter the final years of their secondary studies.

Where To Now? 2024

We are excited to announce that our Years 9 and 10 students will engage in seminars presented by Darren Pereira, a keynote speaker from Success Integrated, next week, on 8th June. Year 9s will participate in a presentation titled Power to Persist. This program is designed to develop resilience and grit in students. Research suggests that students who are equipped to deal with setbacks, disappointments and failure in a healthy way, are able to handle the pressures they face socially, academically and emotionally; both within and outside of school.

Our Year 10s will be involved in the highly engaging program Pathways to Success. This seminar is specifically designed to help students to identify and align their innermost desires to their talents and unique abilities and to crystallise their dreams, set goals and develop a plan of action to achieve it.

Students will discover ways to develop powerful strategies to become and stay motivated during their senior years and how to boost their confidence. This workshop will provide valuable information to help our students plan and decide on their pathways for the future.

We are delighted to advise that Darren will also be presenting a seminar for parents. Parents and caregivers are invited to attend the Parenting Strategies for Teenage Success Seminar from 7.00-8.30pm. Details have been sent home via OPEROO.

This is an excellent opportunity to help support your child/ren to become well organised, develop positive study habits, set practical ground rules to manage work ethic and social media distractions and to effectively assist communication with your child in learning confidence for academic success.

The presentation will be in the Auditorium and is suitable for parents and caregivers who have children in Years 7-12.

Please join us for some light refreshments and conversation at the conclusion of the presentation in the College Cafe.

Michelle Downie Brad Downie

9-12 Community Leader 9-12 Community Leader

Wellbeing Student Learning and Professional Practice

2023 General Achievement Test (GAT) session times

The 2023 GAT will be held on Thursday 15th June as follows:

Section A of the GAT will start at 9.00am, providing a break of two hours between sessions.

All students enrolled in one or more VCE or scored VCE VET Units 3–4 sequence are required to sit Sections A and B of the GAT. Students enrolled in one or more VCE VM Unit 3-4 sequence or Senior VCAL unit are required to sit Section A only.

Examination rules

https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/assessment/vce-assessment/Pages/ExaminationRules.aspx

Authorised materials and equipment

https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/assessment/vce-assessment/materials/Pages/index.aspx

VCE examination timetable

https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/administration/Key-dates/Pages/VCE-exam-timetable.aspx

Sharon Darling

VCE Coordinator

Performing Arts

St Augustine’s College Performing Arts Recital - 6th June

Festival of the Sacred - 14th June