Alba News

Senior School Report  

The end of Semester 1 is quickly approaching and Year 11 students have started their Unit 1 exams.  The exam period is from Thursday, 30 May until Friday, 7 June. 

 

There is some opportunity for students to change their Unit 1 subject and start a new subject for Unit 2.

As Year 11 is almost full, making the change might be difficult – the Senior School team will endeavour to do their best to maximise the learning opportunities for your child requesting the change.

 

Semester Two for all Senior Sub School students starts on Tuesday, 11 June.

 

The GAT (General Achievement Test) is on Wednesday, 12 June 2019. Any student who is studying a Unit 3/4 subject in 2019 (including language outside the school) is required to do the GAT this year.  It will be held in school’s gymnasium. Students were given their timetable from VCAA.

Work shops will be held during ‘Study sessions’ for preparation for the GAT.  It will be an opportunity for students to ask questions.

Year 11 students who are studying a Unit 3/4 subject will have their GAT workshop on Thursday 30th May from 3.30pm to 4.15pm.

 

On Wednesday, 19 June, once Year 11 students are in their Unit 2 subjects we will host our special yearly event to celebrate “100 days of VCE/VCAL success”. This is always an exciting event, with speakers including our alumni students providing helpful advice and sharing their successes. Students will also be receiving awards for their academic achievements.

 

On Friday, 14 June, all Year 12 VCE students will be doing their first ‘Practice Exam’ for English/EAL.

External assessors will mark this.  We do this early on in the year as it is the most crucial time for all Year 12 students to start putting in extra time and effort to their studies to get the most out their final year at school.  It is compulsory that all students who are sitting external exams to attend.

 

All students studying a Unit 3/4 subject at St Albans Secondary College will be doing most of their mid-year exams during the term break. The exam will start on Thursday, 4 July and finish Tuesday, 9 July.

Some classes will have their exams during the last week of term 2.

All mid-year exam results will be included in the Unit 3 reports for Year 12.

 

‘Study skills’ workshops were also run with all Year 12 VCE students.  Included in the workshops were: ‘what study actually looked like for students’, ‘study timetable’ and ‘what revision needs to consist of’. Students shared their ideas and what they did to study and revise.  Hopefully this will help students to start preparing for their mid-year exams.

 

Enrichment classes for Biology and English have commenced and will continue on a weekly roster for the rest of the term and into Term 3.

 

Again, we would like to thank parents who contact us when their child is absent for any reason. This is of great assistance to the Year Level Coordinators, as we call home regularly if there are any unexplained absences. The Case Management process continues to monitor closely the attendance, achievement and individual needs of all our students. Please contact the General Office on 9366 2555 and ask to speak to the Senior Sub School if you have any queries or concerns about your child. 

 

 

Stav Bekiaris

Senior Sub School Leader

VCAL

ProjectABLE

Yr 11 Students were involved in a 3.5 hr workshop on Wednesday, 15 May led by people with disability and which aims to build disability awareness in the community and promote social inclusion.  The group also introduce students to the diversity of roles available in the community care and disability sector which is one of the fastest growing workforces in Australia.

 

Students were given the opportunity to talk to facilitators and do some activities such as sign language and an activity that simulated being blind.

 

The experience was an opportunity to learn from people with disabilities the opportunities and challenges that they experience on a daily basis.

 

COMMUNITY HEALTH ADVANCEMENT AND STUDENT EDUCATION (CHASE)

CHASE is a community initiative working to improve health through education.

Their goal is to see young people empowered to take control of their own health, to then engage with their local communities to improve health awareness and outcomes. Year 11 VCAL students were given the first of six health education sessions and met their tertiary student mentors on Wednesday, 1 May. They will continue to have these education sessions during term 2 and then continue with mentors and partnerships with local community organisations and health professionals to improve community health.

 

The program is being run by a group of students primarily from the University of Melbourne, who will be assigned to the VCAL class for the duration of the year. These volunteers will act as mentors to the students, providing a positive role models and facilitating the following two phases:

 

Education Phase – Term ½

The Education Phase consists of six workshops that form a diverse health curriculum centred on the social determinants of health.

The sessions will be based around the following topics:

• Nutrition

• Physical Activity

• Sexual Health

• Drugs & Alcohol

• Mental Health

 

Action Phase – Term ¾

The Action Phase consists of six workshops that aim to teach students the skills required to implement a community-based project that addresses their chosen topic of interest from the Education Phase. The sessions will be based around the following topics:

• Action Phase Introduction

• Project Planning & Risk Assessment

• Teamwork, Communication and Conflict Resolution

• Time Management

• Leadership & Teamwork

• Follow-up & Project Showcase

 

Financial Literacy- Yr 11 Numeracy.

The Smith Family has taken selected activities from the MoneyMinded resource and developed a Financial Literacy Course consisting of five 2 hour sessions. Completion of all 6 elements of this course allows students to gain the qualification of FNS10110 Certificate I in Financial Services.

This Course will show students how to:

  • Set financial goals
  • Create a budget
  • Look at Needs vs Wants
  • Develop a savings plan
  • Recognise scams
  • Better understand credit, debt and debt traps
  • Find assistance if you are in too much debt
  • Understand taxation
  • Understand the basics about superannuation
  • Understand the role of regulators such as the ACCC and ASIC and how they can help you.

A facilitator with nationally accredited training qualifications will deliver the course in Numeracy classes over 2 days.

 

Western Hospital - Sunshine Partnership

Year 12 VCAL students started their project with Western Health late last term

Three groups are involved presenting their design briefs and having a session on the role of volunteers at the hospital.

The groups are working with the rehabilitation ward again this year, redesigning and decorating an outside balcony area with art work and games area.

 

 

Laura Gough

VCAL Coordinator