Especean

Curriculum

Year 11 Semester 1 Reports and the Parent/Teacher Interviews

The Semester 1 Reports on students of Year 11 were posted online last Friday to parents/carers via the TASS Parent Lounge.

 

The purpose of the reports is to provide parents/carers with mid-Preliminary HSC course feedback on the academic progress of their sons and how they have settled into the routine of senior study.

 

It is worth noting a few key features of the reports which include:

  • Completed Co-curricular participation thus far
     
  • Attendance up to and including Friday 13 May, including attendance to key College events
     
  • The homeroom teacher’s Pastoral Profile which describes the student’s general school and homeroom practices associated with grooming and uniform, co-operation, manner, punctuality, and responsibility. These profile elements are described as Always, Usually, Occasionally or Rarely.
     
  • The student’s academic achievement in each course over the first semester which include marks, ranks and Overall Achievement grade
     
  • The class teacher’s report on the student’s level of achievement in key Learning Areas of the course associated with the knowledge and understanding of content and the application of acquired skills
  • The class teacher’s report on the student’s Learning Practices associated with the student’s application, commitment, conduct, enthusiasm, and responsibility associated with his classwork and study. These Learning Practices are described as Always, Usually, Occasionally or Rarely.

The upcoming Parent/Teacher Interviews on Tuesday 7 June are an opportunity for parents/carers to meet their sons’ teachers and to discuss aspects of the Semester 1 Report with respect to their sons’ progress and adjustment to study routines, including strategies and recommendations for improvement for Semester Two.

 

As I mentioned in the Wednesday 25 May issue of the Especean, online bookings for interviews via the TASS Parent Lounge will close at 5:30 PM, Thursday 2 June and parents/carers are to book interview time slots themselves. The College will not be allocating interview times. For parents/ carers encountering difficulties logging on to the TASS Parent Lounge, please contact the College’s IT Department via College Reception on 02 9763 1000.

 

A reminder that all interviews will be conducted on site and are for seven (7) minutes only. There is a three-minute break between each interview to allow the interviews to run smoothly. Please note that parents/carers cannot double book a teacher for a longer interview. Should more interview time be required, parents/carers may arrange with the teacher another mutually suitable time.

 

Michael Cutrupi 

Director of Curriculum

Year 10 English Program - Semester 2 2022

As all students and parents/carers will be aware, students in Year 10 will be involved in the subject selection process for Year 11 early next term. Two units of English is a compulsory component of the HSC, and all students will need to select from the three courses available: English Studies, English Standard or English Advanced. These decisions are made after you have received a recommendation from the College as to the most suitable course for your son. This will take place in Term 3.

 

Each year we have several students who seek to make a choice that is contrary to our recommendation. Sometimes this is because they are not fully aware of the academic demands of English Advanced at HSC level. As a guide, unless a student has consistently achieved B grades or higher in English Years 7 – 10, he will most likely find the demands of Advanced English, particularly the amount of reading required, beyond his capacity.

 

In addition to this, we are seeking to extend our boys in Year 10 English this year. There is quite a jump from some of the work in Year 10 to what will be expected in Year 11. To bridge this gap and provide challenging engagement for all students through to the end of Year 10, we will be trialing a new approach in Semester 2 for all students in English.

 

Students will be given a choice of two different programs of study. An advanced pathway will pursue a critical study of the Booker Prize winning novel, Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Some students and parents/carers may be familiar with it, if not the original novel, perhaps the film. We will be studying the novel, however, which is quite different to the film and a demanding prize-winning literary work of post-modern fiction. It is a novel that engages with the meaning of story itself, and exercises the reader in questions of philosophy, theology, culture, myth, and language. Studying this text will also involve a considerable amount of independent reading, not only of the novel itself, but also of related academic articles. Students who elect to study this text would be expected to have read it themselves before the commencement of Term 3. It is expected that students in 10EN1 and 10EN2 will study this novel. Students in other classes should follow this pathway if they wish to be considered for English Advanced in Year 11. This will give the boys the opportunity to be extended and to experience what will be expected of them in the higher levels of English in Year 11. This will enable them to be more informed of the expectations.

 

The second pathway will pursue a film study that aligns with the fact that in English Standard in Year 12 we also study film as a close study. The film that we will be studying is Run Lola Run, an experimental German thriller written and directed by Tom Tykwer. This is not an easy option. The difference is that it does not involve as much reading and is not quite so heavily philosophical in nature, but it will still present academic challenge for the boys.

 

I will be speaking to all of Year 10 about these opportunities and they will shortly be sent a survey where they can indicate their choice for Semester 2. This does mean that there will be some reorganisation of classes at the beginning of Term 3 to accommodate the choices that the boys will make. If you would like any advice as to your son’s suitability for either of these programs, please contact your son’s English class teacher in the first instance.

 

Adam Leslie

Leader of Learning - English

Year 11 PDHPE First Aid Course

On Wednesday 25 May, Year 11 students undertaking Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) along with their class teachers, participated in a First Aid Course as per the Stage 6 PDHPE Syllabus. In completing the course, the boys attained a Senior First Aid Certificate which reinforced the necessary skills, knowledge, and confidence to successfully treat and manage injured casualties. It also provided them with effective skills in managing a range of situations that could occur at home, on the sporting field, in the workplace or within the community. 

 

Students practically applied their prior knowledge from class in small groups and on mannequins to further reinforce crisis management skills. Some of the topics covered included assessment and management procedures i.e., DRSABCD and STOP Action Plans, performing correct CPR procedures, using safe procedures when moving casualties, identifying signs and symptoms of medical conditions, primary management of certain injuries and applying bandages/slings. The day culminated with a multiple-choice examination, with all boys successfully achieving a perfect score. 

 

Overall, the course proved to be very beneficial as the team from St John’s Ambulance Australia gave our students the opportunity to have a hands-on and interactive experience which really solidified their learning experiences in class.

 

Alex Sinadinos

Leader of Learning- PDHPE

Year 10 Philosophy Excursion

On Friday 27 May, the Year 10 Philosophy students travelled to Rosebank College for a day of Ethical Explorations. This involved a presentation on artificial intelligence and the impact of this in our world, both now and in the future. Whilst listening to this presentation, the students created deep inquiry questions to be used in the next session. After morning tea, the students from 10 different schools were mixed and moved into smaller groups in which communities of inquiry were conducted to discuss the inquiry questions created by the students. Each group reported back to the wider group about the key ideas that were discussed. Our students were involved in a number of these presentations, and they were very impressive. The day finished with a ‘crossing the floor’ activity in which the groups had to think about the implications of androids replacing jobs done by cleaners, waiters, nurses, childcare workers, lawyers, and many others. There were some very interesting discussions as the students put forward their arguments for and against a series of changes to workplaces as we currently know them.

The day was a wonderful opportunity for the boys to get back to meeting students from other schools in person and engaging with them in ethical discourse about issues in the world in which they are growing up.

 

Mrs Janine Timillero

Diverse Learning Coordinator | Philosophy teacher