Deputy Principal - Teaching and Learning

Dr Janine Biggin

As we welcome students back to term 2, it is wonderful to return after having had such a well-attended onsite function with the Parent Student Teacher Interview Function being held at the College on the Thursday. This was followed up with the remote interviews on the Friday. We look forward to the continued opportunity to have further functions with our families in attendance at the College. This term offers us the chance for students to share their performance skills in the Talent Quest – to be held at the end of Term 2.

VCE Options – What in an Unscored VCE?

In Term 1, I provide an outline of an Unscored VCE. The timeframe for making this choice is quickly drawing to a close. It is crucial that any student who is considering this choice, contacts our VCE and VCAL Programs Leader, Ms Frankie Flanagan, who can support students through the decision-making process. Please see below for a summary of the key points associated with an unscored pathway:

An unscored VCE does not gain an ATAR. An ATAR is a a rank, and this rank is used by tertiary providers to assign students to courses. To find more information about the ATAR process, I recommend that parents focus on the VTAC website https://www.vtac.edu.au/. This site provides all relevant information about how the ATAR works for tertiary entry.
An unscored VCE pathway is a legitimate option for those students not suited to a VCAL Pathway.
In nearly all cases, you cannot enter University immediately on completing VCE without an ATAR.
Students may gain entry to a TAFE course.
Students will need to complete the GAT.
Students may need to do entrance assessments for TAFE providers.
Once a student has completed a TAFE course, many TAFE institutions have an arrangement with a university for entry with credit to a degree.

Transitioning to the New Junior STEM Building

In 2022, the Year 7 and 8 Curriculum has been rewritten to suit our new learning environment. We are very excited to soon be proving our students the opportunity to learn in this new building. In preparation for the transition to the new learning facility, our teachers are working in teams to design assessment tasks and learning activities that promote independence and group learning skills. In future editions of the newsletter we look forward to providing images of our students learning in these new spaces.

The Study Skills Handbook

All students in the College have access to this resource. Please explore the many different topics that are included. There are many documents focused on a great many things such as planning, study habits, sleep, procrastination, exam preparation….

Website: https://www.studyskillshandbook.com.au/

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