Brentwood Newsletter

Principal's Report

Changes to the structure of the school day for 2023 

Thank you to all parent and students that responded to the recent surveys to provide feedback on proposed changes to the structure of the school day in 2023 and our School Council members that have also discussed the implications of these changes. This has allowed us to start preparing for the new Victorian Government Schools Agreement.  

There was overwhelming alignment between the views of all stakeholders and support of the following changes which will take effect next year. Please find below the outcome of this consultation with members of the school community and the data collected to inform it. 

 

Our new Period Structure will be:  

 

 

Break times will stay at the same length, most classes will have single periods over the 10 days and start and finish times will stay close to what they currently are. However, we are currently exploring adjusting the school day to start slightly earlier to ensure we meet face to face teaching time standards, but this will be no more than 5 to 10 minutes and is dependent on the outcome of consultation with local schools and bus companies. 

Survey Data for your information. 

 

Scroll through the slides below to see results.

 

Attitude to School Survey  

 

Over the last week all students have been providing feedback on their experiences at school via the Department of Education and Training’s Attitude to School Survey in their Aspire classes. This survey is conducted annually across all government schools. At Brentwood we value student voice as a powerful means to improve student engagement, wellbeing and quality instruction. The data from this survey, the PIVOT survey run by each classroom teacher last term and the student forums that allow us to unpack this data support us to gain an understanding of our students’ perceptions and experiences and is used to plan programs and activities to improve your child’s schooling experience.

 

Some examples of improvements at the school that have been informed by student feedback are: 

  • The continuation of lesson plans posted on Teams for students 
  • Planning the construction of new courtyards with new lockers to reduce congestion around the school 
  • Our new student suggestion boxes and House Points board created by the Senior VCAL students 
  • The inclusion of guest speakers in the ASPIRE program that focus on study skills, time management, relationship and bullying 
  • Including scarves and beanies into the official school uniform 
  • Continuing to allow students in years 7-10 to wear PE uniform on days when they have practical classes 

 

Subject Selections 

The subject selection process for 2023 has now started and will run for the next few weeks. Students have been asked to enter their selections via the Edval platform, they are encouraged to use their Morrisby report, job outlook quiz, conversations with teachers, subject guide and their career action plans to help inform their decisions. Students will receive their login links next week to be able to enter their preferences on Edval. To further support your child in this process we encourage you in your conversations at home to guide your child to consider their interests, motivations, abilities, career aspirations, the syllabus requirements each subject particularly the learning activities and assessments used, the benefits of subject combinations and their commitments outside of school. Students seeking additional support are also encouraged to contact or visit the Pathways team in the new Senior Learning Centre. 

 

Launching over the weekend through television and social media advertisements will be the Department of Education and Training’s new campaign ‘Many talents, one VCE’ to promote changes to the VCE that come into effect in 2023. This will primarily include the introduction of the Vocational Major which is a two-year vocational and applied learning program within the VCE. The program aims to equip students with the skills, knowledge, confidence and agency needed to prepare for the world of work, further education, training and employment.  

 

You can learn more about these exciting reforms to the Senior school certificate here https://www.vic.gov.au/vce-and-vce-vocational-major. 

 

Sonja Ardley, Associate Principal