Senior School Report
EVERY DAY COUNTS
Just a reminder that attendance is essential for continuity of learning especially as we begin to consider senior school pathways. Please provide a medical certificate if your child has been absent to the front office.
Celebrating 96 -100% Attendance
Seadat, Jovan, Chris Bobby, Phinix, Kenji, Bibhuti, Gwain, Reym, Jorgia, Mikhayla & Milan.
Great work.
EXAMS
Well done to all students for respectfully completing exams in selective and core subjects. Detailed feedback will provided through conferencing with each student early next term.
VCE / VCAL / VET Explained
Our Senior School offers students pathways to achieve success with comprehensive programs in VCE/ VCAL and VET. For students at Edgars Creek College the Senior School program involves a two-year course in either the:
· Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) or
· Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) subjects and a VET (Vocational Education and Training) course.
VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education)
The VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education) is a certificate, which is primarily designed to give students the opportunity to apply for tertiary education. Students study subjects also called Studies. This program is academically challenging.
It requires a high level of commitment, completion of regular school assessed coursework (SACs), exams and 95% school attendance. Each semester students complete a unit of work.
The academic workload and level of difficulty increases significantly from Year 10 to Year 11. Check your Semester 1 school report and results to see whether you are performing at the expected level. Your teachers will also be making recommendations about your study choices.
The main requirements to obtain the VCE are:
- Minimum of sixteen semester units satisfactorily completed.
- Minimum of eight units must be at unit 3 & 4 level (Year 12). These units MUST be four 3/4 sequences.
- Minimum of three units of the English area of study. Units 3 and 4 must be satisfactorily completed.
Most tertiary education offers are based on a student’s ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) which is obtained using scores from Unit 3 / 4 English and the next 3 best scores at Year 12 level. Students can also gain a 10% increment for up to two more subjects. A total of six subjects can count towards a student’s ATAR. More information about the ATAR can be found at http://www.vtac.edu.au/results-offers/atar-explained.html
VCAL (Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning)
If you like applied learning and want to go to a TAFE institute or university, do an apprenticeship or traineeship, or start a job when you finish school, the VCAL may be a good choice for you.
The VCAL provides you with practical work-related experience, as well as literacy and numeracy skills that are important for life and work.
Like the VCE, the VCAL is a senior secondary qualification and a pathway to many careers and future education.
The course is flexible and enables you to undertake a study program that suits your interests and learning needs in a variety of settings, including schools, TAFE institutes and Adult Community Education centres.
The VCAL can be undertaken at any of three different levels. Students attend school for 3 days per week. They spend 1 day attending their VET course, and 1 day in work placement. You must complete 10 units of study that includes at least five units from four compulsory strands:
- Literacy and Numeracy Skills
- Industry Specific Skills
- Work Related Skills
- Personal Development Skills.
Industry specific studies are the VCE/VET units such as VET Automotive.
VET (Vocational Education & Training)
Vocational Education & Training (VET) is a fully integrated component of the VCE and the VCAL. This allows students to combine their VCE and VCAL with targeted vocational training and experience in the workplace.
A VET subject is compulsory for VCAL students and optional for VCE students. VET subjects have a vocational focus, providing students with a nationally recognised or state accredited qualification in a range of industry areas. Students wishing to study a VET subject should have a vocational pathway and be prepared to undertake extra work outside of school hours. Please go to the ECSC link to see more details of available VET courses. Costs will be published as they come to hand.
We seek you support in taking time to do research with your child. A very comprehensive Subject Guide is available at:
https://online.anyflip.com/rokbb/dlcc/mobile/index.html
Course Counselling and Information Night for Year 11 2022
We look forward to working with you and your child in planning the course of best fit.
Wednesday 14th July 6 - 7pm. Booking information to be provided soon.
Course Counselling for all Year 10 students will be held on Thursday 15th July between 11 - 6pm. Students are expected to attend with parent/carer. There will be no classes for Year 10 students.
To book for Information Night please go to:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/year-10-into-11-information-night-tickets-161186100967
Careers Wrap Up – Term 2
It has been a busy term in Careers and Pathways for the Year 10s. The students have had multiple highlights this term, including completing a study skills unit and starting their Senior School Pathway and 2022 Subject investigations.
During the study skills unit, the Year 10s have completed multiple practical lessons about forming effective study habits and techniques. The students also participated in two Elevate Education incursions. During these sessions, the students participated in workshops facilitated by students from local universities. In the workshops the facilitators gave the Year 10 students hints, tips, and the science behind how to study effectively. The Year 10 students were then able to put their skills into practice over the following weeks as they prepared for their end of semester exams.
In the second half of Term 2, the Year 10 students have started the process of Senior School Pathway and Subject investigations. This unit is an invaluable opportunity for the Year 10s to get prepared for their Term 3 2022 subject selections. In this unit, students have been encouraged to explore the differences between VCE and VCAL and have worked closely with their Careers Teachers (Angela, Glen, George and Belinda) to investigate their pathway preferences and subject options for 2022.
Over the past weeks, many of our Year 10s have developed greater confidence in their subject and pathway preferences for Year 11 and Year 12. To help your child get the most of career counselling in early Term 3, I encourage all parents/guardians to speak with their children about future career aspirations and their preferences for different pathway and subject options offered by Edgar’s Creek in 2022.
If parents and guardians would like further information on subject selection and the VCAL/VCE pathways, the Year 11 2022 subject guide is now available online. Please visit the following link to view the ECSC 2022 subject guide.
Year 11 2022 subject guide: https://online.anyflip.com/rokbb/dlcc/mobile/index.html
CONGRATULATIONS
Zeek Tambo, for being a successful recipient of the Transport Portfolio Aboriginal Scholarships Program 2021 intake. This is the first year that the Transport Portfolio Aboriginal Scholarships Program has run. Zeek has gained a secondary scholarship
to the value of $ 4, 500 over the next 3 years.
VICTORIAN BRAIN BEE COMPETITION
Progressing to Round 2 of the Victorian Brain Bee Competition are the following Year 10 students Alyssa Darrage, Atar Singh, Sajad Alfahdawi and Talha Yurtsver. Well done.
The competition has had record numbers of students in Round 1, and our students are 4 out of over 1000 successful students through. The next round will again have multiple choice questions, but also include questions of the annotated text format where students are given a piece of text and then asked a question on that text; and of the drag-and-drop type.
This event is supported by Education Perfect. Usually students would travel to Melbourne University Dax Centre for this round, but COVID restrictions have impacted this competition. Good luck for the end of July, when all students across the country will compete in Round 2.
Vic Roads
On Thursday 24th June the Year 10 cohort participated in the Vic Roads Road Smart incursion. In this session, facilitators from Vic Roads spoke to the Year 10 students about the transition form getting their learner permits (L’s) to becoming probationary drivers (P-Plates).
The students covered a range of topics that young drivers may face on the roads and discussed strategies that can be used to avoid dangerous situations when learning to drive. As part of the session students were given a unique code to redeem a free driving lesson. If you would like more details on how your child can redeem and book a free driving lesson please visit: https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/safety-and-road-rules/road-safety-education/secondary-schools/road-smart/students-and-learners
UNIVERSITY TOURS
Book a VIP tour of a Fed campus these school holidays
During the June/July school holidays, Federation University welcomes secondary students to our Ballarat, Berwick and Gippsland campuses for a VIP tour.
Students are welcome to bring a parent or friend, however, online bookings are required to avoid disappointment as tours are limited due to COVID restrictions.
Please pass on our VIP booking link to your students and we look forward to meeting some of them these holidays.
SNAPSHOT OF LA TROBE UNIVERSITY IN 2021 – one of the local universities that ECSC may like to consider in the future!
- La Trobe is just over 50 years old having enrolled its first students in 1967
- La Trobe University has been ranked in the world’s top 1.1 per cent of the world’s universities in the Times Higher Education Universities Rankings, and is one of the world’s
- La Trobe University is now ranked in the world’s top 250 universities by Times Higher Education World University rankings 2021 - Rankings & Ratings
- La Trobe has more than 36 000 students and over 3 000 staff, with many courses on offer including numerous double degree options
- La Trobe has a number of campuses and residential facilities
- Over 55% of students who study at the Bendigo campus come from outside of Bendigo - La Trobe -
- La Trobe offers many scholarships including access and equity scholarships, as well as academic merit
- Student Exchange opportunities are extensive at La Trobe
- La Trobe ensures that there are opportunities for students to develop skills beyond the knowledge
Senior School Team