Senior School 

Senior Sub-School News May 18th 2022

Crucial Coursework!

With the halfway point of term approaching we already have one eye firmly on the end of semester because for our VCE and VCAL students this signals the end of Units 1 (year 11) and 3 (year 12). 

Both Unit 1 and Unit 3 end on Friday June 10th (week 7): it is crucial that students ensure all coursework for Units 1 and 3 is submitted before this date. 

All coursework is listed on Compass under ‘Learning Tasks’ can be identified via the orange Assignment tab. 

New Senior Study Spaces: Now Open!

The College dedicated spaces for students in year 11 and 12 to complete coursework and study. These remain open to students every day after school, including a brand-new study area in the recently refurbished library. We strongly encourage students to make the most of these spaces both during study periods and after school. 

Celebrating Student Achievement

Last week students were recognised for their demonstration of the College’s Positive Learning Behaviours in Term 1. The following students received the best grade-point averages of their Home Group class on the Term 1 Progress Reports: 

Last week we also hosted a celebratory lunch with Mr. Barut for the top-performing students from VCE and VCAL. The lunch was a great opportunity to acknowledge the great start these students have made academically and to encourage them to continue this commitment throughout the year. 

Student Voice and Feedback

The Senior Sub-School conducted small-group conversations with a number of Year 12 students over the past week to garner their ideas and feedback as to how the experiences of Senior students could be improved as ESC. The conversations were also an opportunity for students to reflect on their own progress thus far and discuss with us the challenges and barriers they are currently facing. We learned a lot about what is working well for our students in their classes and also what they may need from a wellbeing perspective. Some of the themes that emerged were: 

• Many students are finding it difficult to stick to a study pattern outside of school hours. 
• Many students felt a strong connection to their teachers and appreciated the differing styles of instruction on offer at the College. 
• Some students indicated that they learned well from teachers who provided modelled examples to demonstrate how challenging exam-style questions could be approached. 
• Many students were open to the idea of staying back after school to work in small groups to complete coursework or complete revision.
• Study skills and techniques were identified as an area that students would like to know more about.
• Students identified that they were less motivated to do work when they got home after school.

We look forward to implementing some new strategies to support students in response to their feedback and will be conducting further conversations later in the term. 

Looking ahead… 

Year 11 Exams will take place during Week 7 (June 6th – 10th) with a dedicated study day on Friday June 3rd (no year 11 classes will run on this day). Please find the Year 11 Exam Timetable on Compass (posted May 8th) and check that you do not have any clashes in the timetable. 

If you are a Year 10 in a Year 11 subject, then you must attend the exam for that subject. You will be excused from attending classes that clash with your Year 11 exam/s. 

If you are a Year 11 in a Year 12 subject, then you must attend your Year 12 subjects during exam week. If you have a Year 11 exam that clashes with your Year 12 subject, then please see the senior school to reschedule the relevant exam. 

That’s all from us for now. Once again, a huge congratulations to our students mentioned above and well done to all for your ongoing dedication to your studies. 

Senior Sub-School Team

Jack Talbot, Bri Holder, Sema Yildirim, Margaret Gogerly