From the Head

As COVID-19 restrictions ease and we move closer to full function of daily school operations, we have been prompted to revisit several school policies, surveys and procedures to ensure our staff and students are safe and supported.

With the successful and enjoyable staging of the recent Senior School and Junior School Swim Carnivals, we feel we are heading very happily toward 'full flight'. Some timely housekeeping will ensure it continues to be a smooth return to daily school routines.  

Below is a summary of some of the school operations or policies we have been considering or recently updated that may be of interest to parents, especially those who are new to Girton.

COVID-19: 

• From 11:59 pm this evening, masks will only be required indoors at school for students in Year 3 and above and all Junior School staff. Masks are not required in the Senior School.
• Visitors to the school are no longer required to QR code to enter school grounds. We have yet to receive updated advice about school visitors’ vaccination requirements, so for now, the double vaccination requirement remains.

School Uniform and Personal Presentation Policy: 

• A copy of the policy, which was updated last year, can be found here: https://astra.girton.vic.edu.au/send.php?id=124691
• Prefects and staff members have commenced morning gate duty in the Senior School, including uniform reminders as students begin their day. 
• All hair longer than the bottom of the shirt or dress collar is to be tied back and we would be grateful if parents and carers were to support children in meeting this rule.  
• Within the end of Term 4 parent correspondence last year, a PE Uniform stipulation removed from the Student Uniform and Personal Presentation Policy was erroneously retained in the parent letter. The following stipulation, which appeared in the parent letter, was removed from the policy.

Student Code of Conduct: 

• The Student Code of Conduct and the Student Behaviour Policy, which we put on hold last year, have now been formally introduced to all students in the Senior School. The Junior School will receive an age-appropriate introduction to the Student Code of Conduct in the coming week. 
• The Student Code of Conduct summarises the eight fundamental rights of students and the expected student behaviour that supports the attainment of those rights. 
• The Code can be viewed on the school website or Astra: https://astra.girton.vic.edu.au/send.php?id=155791

Parent Code of Conduct: 

• The Parent Code of Conduct, which all schools must have, remains unchanged. However, the school recently experienced a six-hour internet failure, which prompted us to think about how parents contact teachers and the expectations of a response. 
  Section 11.6 of the Parent Code of Conduct says: Staff are not expected or encouraged to respond to concerns of parents/carers or students on holidays, weekends or in the evening. Urgent concerns should be communicated to the School by phone.
• A copy of the Parent Code of Conduct is available on our website or on Astra: 
  https://astra.girton.vic.edu.au/send.php?id=165706

School bags in the Senior School: 

• Senior School parents should be aware that students have been asked to use their lockers and refrain from carrying their schoolbags to class. The piles of schoolbags outside classrooms presents an unacceptable trip hazard to staff and students. 
• Several students have commented on the importance of having their laptops in a protective pouch as they carry it between classes. Parents may choose to consider this practical suggestion from our students. 

Use of gender pronouns: 

• A position paper on the use of gender pronouns at Girton has been formulated with input from key school stakeholders and is currently on Astra for student and staff comment. A final position paper on this important issue will be available in the coming week.

Homework and Revision Policy: 

• An updated Homework and Revision policy is currently being finalised to outline the expectations surrounding the completion of homework and revision by students. Parents should be aware that in the Senior School, subject teachers can assign homework or revision to students at their discretion, but homework should occur at least weekly for every subject in Year 7 and as often as nightly in Year 12.
  In the Junior School, age-appropriate homework is generally set on each school day, the minimum requirement being reading each night.
• There are a number of important reasons that the setting of homework for students is critical to academic success, including the augmentation of teacher-led class time with self-directed study. Homework also provides another opportunity for teachers to track a student's progress by providing an indication of whether a student is struggling with content.
• The final Homework and Revision Policy will be placed on Astra for staff and students in the coming weeks. 

Acknowledgement of Country: 

• With the compilation last year of a unique Girton Acknowledgement of Country, a shortened version of this acknowledgement now sits proudly on staff and student emails. 
  
  The Acknowledgement of Country for each House was published in the previous edition of eLink. 

2021 Perceptual Study and VCE results:  

• In contemplating school improvements for this year, we revisited the perceptual study findings from 2021 and discovered that 22% of our parents believe that Catherine McAuley College achieves "about the same" VCE results as Girton, and likewise, 22% of our parents believe that Bendigo Senior Secondary College achieves VCE results that are "about the same" as Girton. 

Clearly, we have been hiding our VCE results under a bushel!

Below is a table indicating the 2021 VCE rankings for schools in Central Victoria. There are 538 schools in Victoria providing the VCE pathway. For 2021 VCE results, Girton ranked 41st out of 538 schools, placing the school in the top 8% of Victoria, and ranking the school above some other familiar independent schools, including; 

• Brighton Grammar School (44) 
• Carey Baptist Grammar (47) 
• Camberwell Grammar School (49)
• Xavier College (65) 
• Ballarat Grammar (75) 
• And Geelong Grammar School (89) 

The table also depicts the percentage of students at each school who achieved individual Study (Subject) Scores of 40 or more (40+). If a student achieves a study score of 40, then they have performed better than about 91% of all students who took the same subject in Victoria. The maximum VCE study score is 50. The mean study score is set at 30. 

(Source: Better Education: https://bettereducation.com.au/Results/vce.aspx)

I hope that the above provides you with a valuable snap-shot of some of our school operations and achievements as we commence the 2022 school year. Updating school policies and procedures is an area of constant attention, and significant changes or new policies will be communicated in future editions of the eLink newsletter. 

Enjoy this edition of eLink and the sense of promise that I am sure you will feel when you read it. 

Dr Clayton Massey

HEAD