ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS’ REPORT

Mrs Julie Andrews, Mr Paul Dawson &

Mr Bradley Headlam

Assistant Principals

Mobile Phones 2020

With the impending Department policy arriving at all schools in 2020 there are a number of questions around how NGSC will manage this transition. Fortunately, our current management of smartphones in school is not that different to what will be required in 2020. Currently students are expected to keep their phones and headphones hidden and switched off. Next year the Department requires all students to be offline throughout the school day. We have drawn up a policy that will be shared with School Council and subsequently with parents and students.

 

Essentially, if students are needing to bring a smartphone or smartwatch device, then they will be required to store it in their own locked locker. Students will not be permitted to use phones whilst at school. Obviously, in the event a parent has a need to contact their child, then, as is best practice, call the school and the appropriate staff can manage the situation.

Screen Time Is Not Downtime

Managing mobile phone use at home can pose some challenges for parents, particularly as most of us did not experience this when we were growing up. Immediate access to social media is an enormous issue faced by our children and without our own experiences to draw from, it can pose some difficult scenarios. A common misunderstanding is that it is good for downtime. This is incorrect as the brain is highly stimulated through the visual representations, repeated notifications and also the complex thinking patterns in interpreting various messages through social media. Therefore, using such smart devices prior to going to bed can have a significant impact on sleeping, making the next day more challenging. As a parent, it is important to consider a plan for appropriate use in the household. Fortunately, there is an abundance of advice online (Google it outside of family time). Some of the tips to consider:

  1. Conversations around what time is appropriate - organise and publish this.
  2. Discussion about what apps or programs are appropriate and put restrictions in place.
  3. Turn on apps that measure usage.
  4. Be in the same space to be available for concerns or questions that might arise and for immediate support.
  5. Leave the devices out of the bedrooms, including to charge up (alarm clocks are cheaper anyway).
  6. Factor in family time and homework time before tech time.
  7. Ensure that technology is not used inside the last hour before going to bed.
  8. Have discussions on what it is being used for, if no real response, then no real need to use it!

Homework Advice

Often parents can feel a bit out of the loop when supporting their children with their studies. The access to information via Compass is helpful, however, does not yet outline exactly what students should be doing to maintain or improve their understanding of the content taught. It can spark conversations and often it may lead to the child stating that they were not given homework. Bluff or not, we can still support parents with encouraging their children towards utilising time at home for some structured work. Here are some suggestions:

 

1. Negotiate the time of evening that will be allocated to homework. Times per core subject are recommended as follows:

  • 70 minutes per week (Year 7)
  • 80 minutes per week (Year 8)
  • 90 minutes per week (Year 9)
  • 100 minutes per week (Year 10)
  • 110 minutes per week (Year 11)
  • 120 minutes per week (Year 12)

2. Advise your child on avenues to find work:

  • Learning tasks have deadlines - check these
  • Encourage your child to email classmates or teacher
  • Google Classroom

3. Keep up the momentum! In the event there is apparently ‘nothing to do’ then try the support your child by suggesting the following in their organised homework time:

  • Go through the notes of the day
  • Do some chapter questions
  • Read a chapter
  • Organise diary and plan ahead
  • Read and reread the English text
  • Plan the next assignment
  • Complete subject glossary of terms

Barwon Health Immunisation Program – 25 November

The Barwon Health Immunisation Service will visit NGSC on Monday, 25 November, to provide the second dose for the Year 7 students and catch up immunisations (Meningococcal disease) for the Year 10 students. If your child is not at school on this day, you can attend Barwon Health centres to get the immunisation. See below for times and locations.

STEM at NGSC

At NGSC, we have STEM (Science Technology Mathematics Engineering) learning opportunities available within the Year 9 and 10 elective programs, as specific subjects (i.e. STEM, Robotics, Tech - Food, Wood, IT, Textiles) and a STEM project is undertaken in Year 8 each Term.

 

This Term (December 2-6), Year 8 students will have the opportunity to work collaboratively in their class to create a variety of theme park rides and activities using recyclable materials. Over the next few weeks, save cardboard sheets and rolls, egg cartons, plastic bottle lids, etc. All material collected needs to be clean and suitable for cutting with scissors, and suitable for glueing with standard PVA glue (provided by school). More information about when to bring these items to school will be communicated through Compass Newsfeed. Students will develop skills in collaboration, communication, teamwork, creativity and design, as they work together to build their park. Each class will present their creation to a panel of judges. During the week, students will also nominate other students for awards relating to teamwork, helpfulness, leadership etc.

Swimming Program - Junior Sub School

2 to 6 December

Also during the week of December 2-6, students in Years 7 and 8 will participate in an intensive Swimming Program. Each day of the week, at the same time of the school day, classes will enjoy the opportunity to develop their swimming skills and their knowledge about water safety. Permission notes have already been given to students and the activity is on Compass. Check with your child’s PE teacher if you have any questions.

 

The timetable for December 2-6 will appropriately accommodate for both the Year 8 swimming program and the STEM program.

Year 10 Exams

Year 10 exams start next week. Students are to attend all day every day as per normal. This is due to feedback to support students in learning how to approach revision, study and reflection in performing at their peak for exams. The details are as follows:

  • Monday, staff will guide students on their revision during class time.
  • Tuesday morning, students will be given a double to prepare effectively for their examination.
  • Thursday, the exams finish at lunchtime and we will have students attending normal classes so they can go through and reflect on performance with professional advice from teachers. This will continue in each subject through Friday also.
  • if a student has missed an exam, catch up exams will be arranged to be done during Period 5 and 6 on Thursday, or any time  on Friday.
  • catch up exams will be organised by the Sub School.
  • all results will be published on Compass under Learning Tasks SEMESTER 2 EXAMINATION.