Learning Support

& Enrichment

• After-School Study Program
• Maths Drop-In Centre
• After-School Courses in Handwriting & Touch Typing
• Using Windows Narrator to Improve Students' Comprehension
• SPX Provisions Program

After-School Study Program

Resumes in Week 2 of Term 2

Numbers at After-School Study have grown steadily over the term and it is pleasing to see more students in Years 7-10 attending and working on collaborative projects than in previous terms. Boys continue to enjoy the peace and quiet, the comfortable chairs, the use of senior seminar rooms and the opportunity to get ahead on their homework or study.

The staff wish to thank the students for the responsible way in which they are working in the Senior Library on the After-School Study days, and we note that a number of regular attendees were awarded with Merit Certificates for their efforts.  Well Done!

After-School Study will not run for this final week of term, but will begin with a bang next term.

Maths Drop-In Centre

Resumes in Week 2 of Term 2

Staff at the Maths Drop-in Centre are pleased with the level of interest and attendance through the term and look forward to seeing this trend continue in future. Some Year 7 and Year 9 students who have been seeking help in the lead-up to the NAPLAN numeracy test scheduled for May have also taken advantage of the targeted maths assistance on offer each Tuesday and Friday morning at the College.  Miss Offer and Ms Pence have also noted the interest of students who have requested support for their Term 1 maths assessments. The program will begin again in Week 2 next term.

After-School Courses in Handwriting & Touch Typing

New intake for Term 2:  For the interest of parents/ carers and their sons in Years 5 - 10, please see the flyers below for details about two after-school courses on offer for Term 2, 2017:

• Touch Typing Skills
• Handwriting Skills

The two courses continue to be successfully run onsite at the College with positive feedback being received from students and parents/carers. The courses are open to any student wishing to develop and improve these vital skills. They are run by our external provider and experienced occupational therapist, Anna Orchard who is highly experienced in engaging and working with both primary and secondary students. The programs begin in Week 2 of term, and run over eight consecutive weeks (70 minutes per session), and students are able to attend makeup sessions at the end of term, if required for illness or other reasons. 

Using Windows Narrator

An “easy-PC” way to improve students’ comprehension of what they read, as well as their vocabulary, spelling, speaking and listening skills

For many students, particularly those who struggle with reading lots of text, using the inbuilt Windows Narrator app on their PLDs in class and at home, may be the ideal way to assist. It may help to maximise auditory processing and visual processing of the words on a page. Whether at home or at school with the aid of earphones, your son can access this program on his PLD, through the search bar on the right of the screen, and it will allow him to hear and process the words as they are being read on the screen at the same time as he is viewing, following and decoding the words himself.

Once in the program he need only click the ‘Narrator off’ box to ‘Narrator on’ and select the preferred voice etc. in each of the settings that pop up in the list. The Narrator will then read any text that he goes to highlight and if he highlights nothing, it will simply begin reading the whole page of text in any window that he has open on his PLD, including electronic worksheets, assessment task notifications, web pages for internet research, online textbooks or other eBooks.

Encourage your son to make use of this potentially very useful feature in his PLD. It may boost his skills in: reading for meaning, vocabulary and spelling, as well as speaking and listening, through hearing the words on the screen being read without viewing to decode the words and then checking back on his understanding. With a fresh semester ahead, and therefore the chance to to improve on homework and assignments, this feature of your son’s PLDs may be worthwhile exploring.

See the attachment below for a graphic that outlines step-by-step instructions on how to use the Narrator app on your son’s PLD.

SPX Provisions Program 2017 - Overview

The Provisions Program at St Pius X College aims to assist and support students from Years 5-12 with identified learning and support needs, at the most stressful times in the school year – namely in tests, exams and timed written assessments. Approval for an appropriate provision can only be granted by the LSE Department. Our guidelines follow NESA policy and procedures, in which the basis of the application is a diagnosed disability that is physical, cognitive, sensory, or social-emotional, and which impacts the student’s ability to perform to their true ability. Provisions include small group supervision, extra time to write, rest breaks, use of a computer, reader, or writer/scribe.

Students approved for provisions in Years 5-9 are encouraged to discuss their provisions needs for particular exams and assessments with their teachers, but it is the teachers who will liaise directly with LSE staff to secure the necessary rooming, supervision and other arrangements for upcoming whole-grade, timed, written, in-class assessments.

Students in Years 10-12 with approved provisions, are required to be proactive in applying directly to the LSE Department in order to be given access to their provisions, on each assessment occasion. This process involves the use of an online eform via the school’s portal, which must be submitted 7 days’ prior to an assessment task day, as follows: https://spxchatswood.formstack.com/forms/lse_provisions_request. The eform submission alerts LSE staff that provisions assistance for an assessment task is needed by an identified student, and allows for the student’s teachers, to be confidentially informed in a timely and private manner.

Please note: the eform is ONLY required for assessment tasks; it is NOT NEEDED for exam blocks throughout the year – because LSE staff are prepared for the exam blocks well ahead of time, and will initiate contact with the relevant students across the school about upcoming exam blocks, as they arise.

The medical documentation must be no older that 12-18 months in general, and so we advise parents throughout the year to please send in to LSE staff, any fresh medical or clinical documentation including medical reports, updated diagnoses or review letters as they receive them. We thank parents for continuing to assist us, by providing the school with this up to date clinical information and advice on reasonable adjustments and accommodations so that we can best support your son’s performance in time-pressured exam situations.

The LSE team welcomes interested parents and carers who are happy to be involved as readers or scribes for approved students in a year other than their child’s own year. For further information about becoming a Provisions Helper, please refer to the School’s Parent Volunteer information on the College website, at http://www.spx.nsw.edu.au/community/dsp-default.cfm?loadref=2266 where the necessary application forms are located, for your convenience.

Direct any queries about the Provisions Program, including your son’s eligibility for Provisions, to Joanne at JRahebMol@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au at any time during this semester.

Ms J Raheb-Mol - Learning Support & Enrichment Coordinator