LEARNING AND TEACHING

Learning Support at St Andrews

Students, Teachers, Learning Assistants… people in person back onsite! Oh the JOY of being back together and being able to learn and work face to face again! 

We are so grateful for God’s sustaining strength this year through the rollercoaster ride of lockdowns, and for the extra people that stepped in to help with onsite learning. It has been wonderful to return to some sense of normality and enjoy being together.

Term 4 is always a really busy term of testing, finishing off and planning for the year ahead.  We become excited by the growth we see in students, whilst continuing to set goals for further improvement. We look forward to a wonderful New Year, knowing that God already has it sorted. Our prayer is that as you rest and are refreshed over the school holidays, that you are able to enjoy family and friends and be renewed in your walk with the Lord.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child, you are always welcome to contact one of the Learning Support teachers:

• Shirley Gillie – Head of Learning Support   sgillie@standrews.vic.edu.au
• Wendy Punay – Learning Support Teacher – Primary   wpunay@standrews.vic.edu.au
• Kerryn Terrington – Learning Support Teacher – Secondary kterrington@standrews.vic.edu.au

Blessings

The Learning Support Teachers 

Learning and Teaching - 2021

As we approach the end of the 2021 school year, it is a good time to reflect on the wonderful efforts of our students, teachers and parents in what has been, once again, a challenging set of circumstances. 

We commenced the year with our College theme “Trust in the Lord” clearly in front of us and with the hope that 2021 would see us return to some sense of normality after the disruption of 2020. I don’t think any of us could have foreseen the magnitude of the challenges we would face this year. However, we have all learnt to trust more in God and come to see: 

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17: 7-8

I have been so impressed with the dedication of the staff at the College to guide our students through online learning; the resilience and perseverance of our students to meet the many challenges in front of them; and the unwavering commitment of parents as they supported their children’s learning while juggling work and family responsibilities.

I am thankful to be part of the St Andrews Christian College community and to see the gifts and talents of our staff and students being developed each day. I pray that each family is able to enjoy time together over the Christmas holidays and I look forward to an exciting year of learning in 2022.

Michael Swanborough

Head of Learning and Teaching

NAPLAN Online 2022

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) for Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 students is held in May each year. NAPLAN tests assess student knowledge and skills in Writing, Reading, Conventions of Language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and Numeracy. The results of the tests provide information for students, parents, teachers and principals which can be used to improve student achievement. 

In 2018, the NAPLAN tests began transitioning from a paper-based test to an online assessment (i.e., students complete the tests utilising a computer or tablet). It is anticipated that from 2022, all schools in Australia will deliver the tests online. NAPLAN Online delivers numerous benefits including: a ‘tailored test’ design that adapts to correct and incorrect student responses providing a more precise understanding of student achievement; 

• innovative use of technology, including a more engaging test design and a wider range of item types; 
• the extension of the ‘test window’ to two weeks, allowing schools greater opportunity to schedule the tests at times that suit them best and increasing student participation.

As part of the preparation to transition to NAPLAN online for 2022, a number of students from Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 participated in a School Readiness Test (SRT). The SRT is intended to enable us to confirm our technical capacity and to assist in determining the most effective way to deliver NAPLAN Online in our College next year. 

I am pleased to be able to report that we have received confirmation from the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority that we have successfully administered the SRT 2021 and will progress to delivering NAPLAN Online in 2022. 

During Term 1 next year, students in Year 3, 5 ,7 and 9 will have the opportunity to participate in a NAPLAN Online practice test so that they can become familiar with the NAPLAN Online format. It will also enable the College to execute a simulated test experience for students and test administrators that is as close as possible to the real NAPLAN Online event. Further details will be provided next year. 

For further domain specific student familiarisation, ACARA has provided a public demonstration website. The suite consists of mini-tests covering all domains for each NAPLAN year level. The demonstration site can be found at: https://nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site

 ICAS

Over the last few weeks a large number of St Andrews students have participated in the ICAS Academic Competitions. ICAS Assessments are designed to recognise academic excellence.

Students are assessed on their ability to apply classroom learning to new contexts, using higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills. Students have participated in tests for the following areas: Digital Technologies, English, Science and Spelling Bee. 

This year, students across the College completed 350 tests with a total of 34 High Distinctions (top 1% of all participants), 83 Distinctions (next 10% of participants), 117 Credits (next 25% of participants) and 33 Merits (next 10% of participants). In each test and year level, except one, St Andrews students were above the Australian average raw score – an outstanding result.

The tables below summarise the excellent achievement of our students:

Digital Technologies

English

Science

Spelling Bee

Congratulations to the following students who received either a High Distinction or Distinction:

Digital Technologies

High Distinction:

Distinction:

English

High Distinction:

Distinction:

Science

High Distinction:

Distinction:

Spelling Bee

High Distinction: 

Distinction: 

Michael Swanborough

Head of Learning and Teaching