Principal's Message
Mrs Josie Crisara
Approaches to Learning
As part of semester assessments all students are assessed on their approaches to learning. These cover key skills and dispositions. The approaches to learning rubric:
- aligns with the College aims
- makes good learning behaviours explicit to students
- focuses on the skills that are sought by 21st Century employers
- details the progression from beginner to more advanced learning behaviours
- provides your child with a guide to what to improve in their approach to learning.
These key skills and dispositions are:
- Self improvement: Does your child have a growth mindset, always aiming to improve?
- Perseverance: Does your child continue to try and try again when tasks are a challenge?
- Respect: Is your child demonstrating respect for self, teachers and peers?
- Creativity: Does your child look for creative solutions and presentation of work?
- Collaboration: Does your child contribute by collaborating with others?
The Assessment & Reporting program at Aitken College focusses on three key areas:
- rubric-based assessment of task-specific and generic knowledge and skills
- continuous feedback to parents
- end-of-semester reports which provide summary information
College Activities
The past fortnight has seen numerous student events. These have included: Interschool sports, House sports, the Middle School Play, 'Peter Pan', and Year 4 and Year 5 camps to name a few. Each of these activities allow students to contribute as part of a team, demonstrate commitment and tenacity, develop cross-age friendships, support others and show talents outside the classroom.
Over the past few weeks the VCAL students have been pitching ideas as part of their Literacy unit for ways to improve facilities and resources, gaining important skills in developing creative ideas, providing reasoned arguments and looking at costing and/or OHS matters. It has been a delight to receive and talk through the complexities of taking an idea and working it through to a logical end.