Staff Professional Development Day- Monday 29 April

The College staff spent the first day of the term engaging in strategies for our College Aboriginal Education Plan. “As a Catholic system, we are called to uphold Gospel values and social justice teachings to educate at the margins, and with this is a commitment to improving educational outcomes for Aboriginal children and young people.” (CEWA)

The staff worked on becoming "Culturally Competent" and were fortunate to share in the stories of our twenty Aboriginal students and our Aboriginal Teaching Assistant Geraldine Martin’s family story. We are fortunate to have Mr Shaun Nannup speak to us about Reconciliation and Healing. His message that art, song, dance, language and story are importing elements of culture but we are one. After an indigenous lunch, we walked to Sister Kate’s and were welcomed by Dr Sue Gordon who shared the history of Sister Kate’s and her own journey as part of the Stolen Generation. It was clear that she experienced love and the importance of education which defined her sense of family. The day provided opportunities for us to make connections with the community and strengthen our curriculum for whole school improvement. Special thanks to the Mrs Geraldine Martin and the Professional Development Committee.

Uniform and Personal Presentation

It was wonderful to see our students arrive back to school so beautifully presented in their winter uniforms. What a great advertisement to our College! A reminder that the College Blazer should be worn to and from school each day.

Medication

Parents and students are reminded that the College is unable to give out any medication (eg Panadol, Nurofen, antihistamine etc) unless it is an emergency. It is recommended that if students need non-prescription medication for headaches and allergies, that they keep a small quantity in their lockers.

Parent Committee Meeting

All parents and guardians are invited to attend the Parent Committee Meeting on Tuesday 14 May at 6.00pm in the Koinonia Room (Boardroom in Main Reception). All are welcome and we would love to hear your ideas for the remainder of the year. Our next Parent Seminar is scheduled for Tuesday 18 June at 6.00pm (please note the change of time). A guest speaker from Legal Aid will be providing information to parents about the new intimate image laws that came into effect on 15 April 2019 as a result of the Criminal Law Amendment (Intimate Images) Act 2018 (WA). In the case of someone under 16, the law says they cannot legally consent to an image of themselves being shared. The law aims to strike a balance between protecting young people from this harmful behaviour, and not unduly criminalising them.

As young people under the age of 16 are not exempt from this new offence, it is imperative that information regarding these new laws is shared with our students and their parents.

The key messages for young people are:

· It is against the law to take, keep, send or ask for an intimate image of a person under the age of 18

· It is against the law to share an intimate image of a person of any age without their consent.

Information will include cyberbullying, sexting, filming school fights, sex and consent. Please save the date.

Celebrating Mums and Grandmothers

The Parent Committee would like to invite all mothers, grandmothers or significant females to a light breakfast on Friday 17 May at 7:30am with their children. Please see the flyer and RSVP to aroberts@norbert.wa.edu.au with the number attending by Monday 13 May. We look forward to seeing you!

Ms S Rainford (Deputy Principal - Years 7,9,11)

Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews

Last Tuesday, the College conducted our first round of Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews based on the Interim Reports that were made available at the end of Term One. These interviews represent an excellent opportunity for parents and teachers to meet and work together to identify the best strategies that will help the learning journey of our students – especially in the lead up to the Semester One Reports later this term. Teachers always value these nights as it is enjoyable to meet the parents of our students but also to ensure that we are all ‘singing from the same hymn sheet’ when it comes to homework and study expectations. There is no doubt that our students benefit when parents and teachers work as partners in guiding, encouraging and supporting their education.

Sadly, some parents chose not to book interviews even when they had been requested at the time of the Interim Report. It is always important to take the opportunity to engage with your child’s teachers at this time as it provides the best opportunity for their ongoing improvement across their classes. St Norbert College values the close relationship we have with the families of our students as we know it reaps great rewards in the end. Whilst these parent interviews represent the best opportunity to engage with your child’s teachers, we also encourage communication at other times of the year through emails, SEQTA messages and phone calls.

The next Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews will occur on Wednesday 31 July between 12.00pm and 7.00pm. Parents will be notified about how to book interviews closer to the date.

Year 12 Information

The start of Term Two represents an important time in the life of our Year 12 students here at St Norbert College. Leavers’ Jackets have just arrived, assessment deadlines are rapidly approaching and exams are only weeks away. The Semester One exams run between Monday 27 May and Thursday 6 June. During this time ATAR students are only required to attend school when they have a scheduled exam. For non-ATAR students, however, one significant change that has been made to the exam structure this year has been the continuation of General and Vocational classes during these exam weeks. This means that non-ATAR students will be required to attend school on the Monday to Wednesday of the first week of exams (27/28/29 May) and on the Tuesday and Wednesday of the second week of exams (4/5 June). Normal College attendance procedures will apply to these students across those days. You will find below a summary of the key dates for Year 12 students this term:

Monday 27 May – Thursday 6 June: Year 11 & Year 12 Exams
ATAR students to attend their scheduled exams
Non-ATAR students to attend regular classes on the Monday-Wednesday
Friday 7 June: St Norbert Day Celebrations
Wednesday 19 June: College Photo Day (Inc. Year 12 Graduation Photo)
Tuesday 2 July: Year 12 Retreat, Integrity House (compulsory event).

Year 10 Information

This is a crucial term to begin the process of career decisions and therefore future academic pathways. There are some important events that are part of the subject selection process which are outlined below:

Thursday 16 May: Exam Preparation Session, Period 1, Xanten Theatre
Monday 27 May: Introduction to the Year 11 Subject Selection process, Period 4, Xanten Theatre
Monday 27 May - Friday 31 May: 2020 Course Information provided in subject classes
Monday 10 June – Friday 14 June: Year 10 Exams
Friday 14 June: Subject Selection Information, Period 3, Xanten Theatre
Monday 1 July – Friday 5 July: Work Experience for Year 10 Careers & Enterprise students
Wednesday 3 July: Year 10 Parent-Student Information Evening, 6:00pm, ORC
Wednesday 31 July: Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews
Tuesday 6 August: Year 10 Subject Selection Interviews, 3:30 – 7:00pm, BP Forum

The School Curriculum and Standards Authority Year 10 Information Handbook offers important advice to parents and students about Year 11 and Year 12 and has been uploaded onto SEQTA Documents.

Mr P Hawke (Deputy Principal - Years 8,10,11)

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