Assistant Principal (Years 10-12) Report 

Report from Assistant Principal Jason Tickner

In this the final week of term I wanted to congratulate most of our students for the effort they have shown over the past 9 weeks. In VCE (mainstream) and VCE (Vocational Major) students completed their final CATs, SACs & SATs in week 7. Similarly, our Yr10 students’ have completed their final CATs after returning from Middle School Camp, which was a great success. This week our Yr11&12 students have transitioned to Semester 2 content across all subjects, while our Year 10 have engaged in a week of work experience. A big thanks to our sub-school teams and support staff for their hard work this term in planning for, and implementing a range of curricular and co-curricular programs. 

Reminders:

Semester One Reports / Awards Assembly / Course Counselling

Last week our teachers commenced writing Semester 1 Reports across all subjects. Semester 1 Reports will be available to parents, on Compass, in the second week of Term 3 (Monday 17th July). Instructions on how to access student reports can be found below.

On Monday 16th June we will hold our Semester 1 Awards assembly at school in the gymnasium. After completing final assessments for the term all teachers have nominated Academic Excellence and Personal Best Awards for every subject. Families are welcome to attend and join in this celebration. Students and families of award winners will be contacted by their sub-schools in the first week of Term 1 leading into this event.

This week also signifies the commencement of the course counselling process for all Westall students. For our Year 9&10 students this a particularly important time as decisions will be made regarding pathway programs and subject/elective choices for 2024. During this time, it is important that students engage positively and attentively to the information, and supports that are provided to them predominantly, throughout Term 3. Over the holiday period all students are expected to read the informationprovided to them with thesub-school handbooks, which can be found as attachments below. These publications provide program and subject specific information that will assist students to make informed program and subject selections. Parents are also encouraged to take the time to read this information and discuss the programs and subjects that best suit your child’s passions, capabilities and future career ambitions.

We will be running an onsite Course Counselling Parent Information session on Thursday 13th July, Term 3 Week 1. This will provide an opportunity for parents to listen to information presented by Ms Alice Paget (Assistant Principal 7-9) and Mr. Jason Tickner (Assistant Principal 10-12) regarding the programs and subjects on offer across the school in 2024. It will also create a forum to ask questions and clarify changes to programs, so that parents can better support their children in choosing the right program.

Importance of Completing Homework?

Many parents worry that their child is doing too little or too much homework. Across different year levels and subjects’ homework volumes may vary somewhat. At Westall the expectation is that all student’s complete homework on a daily or weekly basis. Recent studies have shown that on average Australian 15-year-olds in Government schools spend an average of six hours a week on homework. The data in independent schools appears slightly higher where the figure is closer to nine hours a week. The link between completing homework and achieving academic success is very clear. Basically, when students complete regular homework they perform better in the classroom.

According to the Department of Education the setting of homework is seen as an effective way of:

-complementing and reinforcing classroom learning 

-fostering good lifelong learning and study habits

-develops self-regulation processes such as goal-setting, self-efficacy, self-reflection and time management

-supports partnerships with parents/carers by connecting families with the learning of their children

Education systems around the world, recognise that homework is a “valuable part of schooling” that “allows for practising, extending and consolidating work done in class. Additionally, it establishes habits of study, concentration and self-discipline.”

Our own homework policy at Westall SC outlines information relating to the purpose, shared responsibilities, supports and communication of homework at the school. When factoring in all this information, when students are set and complete purposeful, and targeted homework on a regular basis, they generally achieve greater growth with their learning at a subject level.

Below is a guide to how much homework Westall students should be completing on a regular daily basis. As we know it's not simply quantity of the work that is completed. The quality of the time spent is also vital, ideally in a space that that is free of technology distraction. Brain breaks should also occur every 15-20mins which assist students to remain focused throughout the duration of the homework.

Year 7: 0.5-1hr

Year 8: 1hr

Year9:  1-1.5hrs

Year10: 1.5-2hrs

Year11: 2-2.5hrs

Year12: 2.5-3hrs

Want to Read more:

How much homework is the right amount?

https://schoolexpo.com.au/blog/how-much-homework-is-the-right-amount/

Department of Education Homework Policy

https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/homework/policy

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Education at Glance report,2014

https://www.oecd.org/edu/Education-at-a-Glance-2014.pdf

Every Minute Counts

Punctuality and attendance are critically important for student progress and learning; the data in the attached table shows the extent to which students miss out when they are late and/or away from school!

Jason Tickner 

Assistant Principal (Years 10-12)