ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS’ REPORT

Paul Dawson, Bradley Headlam &  Julie Andrews

Assistant Principals

Booklists

Parents and students are reminded that they need to have their booklists returned and ordered  by 8 December.   Booklists can be ordered online or the list can be returned to the school by the above date.  Home deliveries can only occur through ordering online. Other orders can be picked up from the school between 9:00 am and 3:30 pm on Thursday, 21 January.  Students in Years 7 to 9 will use the Oxford online textbooks for all core classes and families will be invoiced for the costs of these books.  Please note, it is much cheaper than individual books for each core class.

Student electives for students going into Year 9 have been published and shared with students. Please contact the Sub School Leader for any questions.

Exams

This week saw Years 7 to 10 students complete their exams.  Feedback from staff has been overwhelmingly positive in the way that the students conducted themselves. This was particularly pleasing, given it was the first exam period for Year 7 students.  It has shown that students understand the importance of these exams and this will serve them well for their exams in their senior years. Students are hopefully beginning to understand how to prepare for these exams and the importance of constantly revising during the year. The exams were held in classrooms this year to overcome the Covid restrictions and the exams were adjusted to cater for the students' learning, whilst working remotely during the year.

Year 11 Orientation 

The Year 10 and 11 students have been completing their fortnight-long Orientation Programs in preparation for their schooling  in 2021.  This is a compulsory aspect and is the beginning of their 2021 VCE and VCAL courses for these students.   Students will be given holiday homework that will be expected to be completed over the break. This work is not designed to consume their holidays, but gives students an idea of what is expected next year and ensures they do not start the school year behind their peers.  

SUBJECT CHANGES

Following Orientation, or through conversations at home, you may recognise that the identified pathway is no longer suitable for your child. This might require some subject changes and the process is to contact an Assistant Principal to discuss alternatives. In that circumstance we can investigate what changes need to be made in order for your child to be moving in the right direction and also support some critical reflection on the workload and specific needs of that pathway.

Year 10 and 11 Parent Teacher Conferences

This year, the College has offered Parent Teacher Conferences for Year 10 and 11 students in Term 4. The date for the Year 11 Conferences was Thursday, 26 November. If you were not able to take up the opportunity with a Year 11 teacher, please contact them to find an alternative time. The Year 10 Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, 3 December. Bookings can be made through the Compass online booking system. All Conferences are being conducted remotely through Google Meet and the teacher will provide the relevant meet code prior to the booked time. Similar to the Year 11 Conferences, if a Conference booking cannot be made, please contact the teacher to make arrangements.

Grade 6 transition

With the multiple changes to the restrictions in how schools manage their COVID safe plans, the nature of the Year 6 to 7 Orientation Program has also changed a number of times.

The Orientation Day will be held on Tuesday, 8 December. This year, it is a one day program. Information is being emailed to our new families about the day. To replace the Parent Information Evening, the school will host a number of zoom events to welcome families to the school and provide further information. 

Any concerns regarding transition to NGSC for 2021 can be directed to Stan Koullas, Transitions/Pathways Leading Teacher, or Julie Andrews, Assistant Principal.