ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS’ REPORT
Paul Dawson, Bradley Headlam & Julie Andrews
Assistant Principals
TERM 4 - RETURN TO SCHOOL
The return to face-to-face teaching will begin for all NGSC students on Monday, 12 October. The same arrangement for wearing masks, maintaining hand hygiene and physical distancing will apply.
In the first week of Term 4, all Unit 3/4 VCE students will be sitting the General Achievement Test (GAT) at the school on Wednesday, 7 October. Please check the VCE Google classroom for more details.
The school is well prepared with a COVID safe plan for the GAT and formal assessments (SACS and exams) according to the Department’s guidelines.
REMEMBER: Do not send your child to school if they are unwell.
Keep checking Compass for news items about changes to the school’s program.
SCHOOL COMMUNITY - CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU
Congratulations and thank you to all members of our NGSC community - students, parents/carers and staff - for their positive and resilient attitude to the remote teaching and learning period.
We acknowledge the difficulties that working and learning from home bring from a logistical perspective, but greater than that, is the impact on relationships and wellbeing. Hopefully, your child has accessed the google meets regularly to keep connected with their teachers and classmates and also connected with the variety of extra curricular activities that have been available. We enjoy hearing about the interesting ‘extras’ in class and the stories that surface. Pets featured again along with new baby sisters and brothers. We have seen some creative costumes for character dress up day and clever use of hair colour and design in the ISO hair day. ‘Dad jokes’ are a recurring theme in Year 7 and the Masked Singer competition has kept the staff and students occupied.
We wish you a restful holiday break and hope that some outdoor activities, in warmer weather are on the ‘to-do’ list.
We look forward to seeing everyone back on site at NGSC during week 2 of Term 4.
CYBER SAFETY - AVENUES FOR INFORMATION AND SUPPORT
During 2020, many families are relying on the benefits of the internet, for work, school, connecting families and entertainment. With the benefits are also risks to safety, mental health and life balance. The following websites can provide information to support your families in the online world.
The eSafety Commissioner website has a range of information under headings of ‘The Big Issues’ and ‘Skills and Advice’. Both sections are easy to locate and use. Topics that are covered include online safety basics, cyberbullying, online time, sexting, privacy and online gaming etc.
https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents
‘Susan McLean is Australia's foremost expert in the area of cyber safety and was a member of Victoria Police for 27 years. Widely known as the ‘cyber cop’ she was the first Victoria Police Officer appointed to a position involving cyber safety and young people. In 2003 she was the Victoria Police Region Four Youth Officer of the Year. She has also been awarded The National Medal, the Victoria Police Service Medal, 2nd Clasp and the National Police Medal.’ (as promoted on her website) She is also an eSafety certified educator.
https://www.cybersafetysolutions.com.au/parents/ - a parent section that covers similar topics is available.
Final Weeks for the Year 12 students
We have been amazed by the resilience shown by the Year 12 students and their willingness to keep attending class in such trying conditions. They will be back at school in Week 2 of Term 4 and hopefully being able to build on the diligence they have shown throughout the whole year.
It has proven very difficult for the VCAL students to complete practical components of their coursework and it has resulted in the teachers and students having to be very creative in completing set tasks. They have also had to overcome the difficulties in completing their VET requirements and coping with working remotely. They will have four weeks when they return to complete tasks and then they will be interviewed on their year’s work by a panel of three members.
The VCE students are in the process of finishing their courses early in term 4 and will spend the rest of their school year revising their course work. Their scheduled practice exams in the holidays have been cancelled as directed by the government. Teachers will be providing exam practice remotely with many teachers establishing a supervised exam practice time during the break. These exams will then be corrected by the teachers and feedback provided when the students return in Term 4. It is compulsory for all VCE students to complete these exams, as it provides teachers and the students with valuable information on their progress and areas that may need more revision. Whilst it is important that they do spend some time resting, it is important that they are preparing for the end of year exams, as they will be only five weeks away.
Booklists
The Year 10 and 11 students will receive their booklists early in Term 4. The reasoning for the early return is so that students can receive their books in early November, ready for the beginning of the 2021 Year 11 and 12 Orientation program during November. If students are going to start their senior schooling on the right foot, then it is vitally important that they have all of the materials including their textbooks. Their 2021 schooling will begin the first day of Orientation week.
Years 7 to 10 will receive their booklists later in the term ready for distribution early next year (January 2021).