From the Deputy Principal ELC-12

I hope that all of our community had a wonderful and memorable celebration recently for the Fathers or significant person in their families. We pray that God continues to bless them, nourish and empower them with love, so that in faith they become a positive influence in the lives of others.

NAPLAN Results

A letter and a report of your son’s achievement in the NAPLAN tests held in May this year has been mailed home earlier this week. The report shows your son’s achievement in comparison with all other students in Australia who sat the tests.

The report also shows:

The national average
The range for the middle 60% of students, and
Whether your son has achieved the national minimum standards.

Student achievement is reported against a common national assessment scale which continues from Year 3 to Year 9. This means, as a student progresses through school and sits the NAPLAN assessments every second year, their progress in literacy and numeracy is clearly indicated.

On the back page of the report is a table that describes what is typically achieved at each band. If a student’s result is at or above the national minimum standard, they have generally achieved the skills described in the relevant band as well as those skills described for the bands below.

This information will complement the broader assessment and reporting information provided by your child’s teachers in reports, interviews, profiles or other means. All this information supports teachers and parents to provide the best possible educational experiences to assist student learning. Your child’s individual results will be treated with the strictest of confidence.

Should you wish to discuss any aspect of your son’s results, please contact Mr Carl Todman or Mrs Johanna West on 8169 3900, or via email at ctodman@bps.sa.edu.au or jwest@bps.sa.edu.au

If you would like further information on the Student Report please go to the following video and Information Brochure link:

https://www.nap.edu.au/results-and-reports/student-reports/student-report-video

http://www.nap.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/naplan-2017-student-report-information-for-parents-brochure

Reports

Reports will be distributed to students during Home Group on Friday 29 September 2017 at 12.50pm. The school reports will provide you with information regarding your child’s progress in all subject areas, their attitude and conduct in class. We encourage you to discuss the report with your child by highlighting their strengths, discussing the areas that need improvement and inviting them to share their reflections on their performance and any concerns they may have. The student reports are an essential element in the partnership between teachers and parents. I encourage families to contact individual teachers at any time during the school year if they have any concerns about their child’s education.

Our aim is to always strive for excellence, to earn trust, to build and strengthen relationships, especially with the boys, their families and the wider community. Therefore, the school encourages parents to maintain open communication with Teachers and Curriculum Leaders to discuss their son’s progress and achievements.

As with any human endeavour there is always room for improvement and as such I encourage families to email me with any feedback regarding how we can improve our communication with parents or the service we provide to the community. My email address is: amirasgentis@bps.sa.edu.au

Information will be released shortly regarding our new 2018 SEQTA Reports.

Timetable Construction

Students over the last few weeks have finalised subject selections for 2018. It is anticipated that through the Course Counselling process, in collaboration with families, students have selected subjects that will provide them with the best opportunity to shape a pathway of success from school to further education, training and/or employment.

Mr Jeffrey Gray and I have collected student choices from EDVAL Webchoice and are in the process of constructing the subject lines for the 2018 Timetable.

EDVAL Webchoice is closed and no subject changes can be made until after the construction of the lines. Students who did not submit their online subject choices on EDVAL Webchoice will select subjects from the line structure once it has been finalised. Their Subject Selection Form must still be returned to me as soon as possible.

Mr Jeff Gray and I will work behind the scenes constructing the Timetable for review early in Term 4.

SATAC Applications

Please ensure that your son has entered his tertiary preferences on the SATAC website. The first significant deadline of the 2018 university admissions cycle is on Friday 29 September 2017. This is the early closing date for most undergraduate university courses. After that date any new SATAC applications will be subject to a late fee of $130.00 in addition to the processing fee of $35.00.

Friday 29 September 2017 is also the final closing date for Creative Arts (Drama) at Flinders University and for Medicine/Surgery, Dental Surgery, Oral Health and Veterinary Bioscience at the University of Adelaide. Late applications will not be accepted for these courses.

Please note that Tuesday 31 October 2017 is the deadline for applicants to pay their STAT fees and be guaranteed their results will be available for the main offer round. Apply and pay for the STAT by this date to save paying an extra fee.

Monday 4 December 2017 is the equal consideration closing date for most undergraduate courses. New applications after this date are not guaranteed equal consideration for selection. Check with SATAC before applying after this date.

Students who require support in lodging their applications should see Mrs Daniela Piteo or myself as soon as possible.

Year 12 SACE Examinations

The SACE Stage 2 Written Examinations for Blackfriars Priory School Year 12 students will commence in Week 4 Term 4, from Monday 6 November and conclude on Wednesday 22 November, 2017.

The letter, examination schedule, together with the examination procedures will be distributed to families in the Report Envelope that students will receive on the last day of Term 3, Friday 29 September 2017. For your convenience, these documents will also be published on the school website.

I encourage students to go to the SACE Board Website for Examinations and Study Information: https://www.sace.sa.edu.au/students/assessment-and-results/examination-information#title#section1

On the subject minisite you will find:

available past exam papers
sample exam papers
Chief Assessors' reports give an overview of how students performed in their school and external assessments in the previous year. Chief Assessors' Reports can be found under Support Materials on the relevant subject minisite.

Click on the link above to go to the Stage 2 Examination Timetable for 2017.

Please note in 2017, Students are not permitted to wear smart watches, fitness tracking watches or any other device that connects to a smart device in the examination room.

Catholic Education Wellbeing and Learning Statement:

It is the first-time Catholic Education has created a learning statement, which was developed in consultation with key stakeholders, including parents and school leaders. The Catholic Education Wellbeing and Learning Statement was launched during Catholic Education Week. The statement, which is addressed to “every child” in Catholic schools, describes the student as capable and competent and speaks of the school’s “high expectations for your learning progress”.

Catholic Education South Australia Assistant Director Monica Conway says it is important to acknowledge the fundamental principles of learning in Catholic schools in a statement.

“The statement of learning commitment is grounded in our mission and vision but is deliberately directed at every child in our schools,” she says.

“We are making a commitment to them based on our image of the child and belief in their capabilities.”

“We want to clearly say: you matter to us. In partnership with you and your family your education and personal growth is our core focus.”

The statement reads as follows:

To every child in a Catholic School:

We are committed to knowing you deeply.

We value you as a capable and competent learner and will support your active engagement in the learning process.

In partnership with you and your family we commit

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