Viewbank College

Senior School News

Key dates

  1. The GAT – Wed Oct 7 10:00am – 1:15pm
  2. ASHA Revision Lectures – Mon and Tues Oct 26 & 27
  3. Yr 12s final day – Friday Oct 30
  4. VCAA Units 3 & 4 exams begin – Tues Nov 10

 

By riding the ebbs and flows of this final year together, I can only hope that our students have adopted and embraced a positive mindset of self-improvement, determination and resilience.  

Our roles as educators, parents and carers is to provide our young people with the structures and sense of perspective to enable them to push through into the warmth of the sun, to find their own success and to positively impact their personal growth. 

We are now heading into the final stages of content delivery culminating in final assessments, SACs and submission of SATs.  It is a pivotal time and we need to be mindful of pacing ourselves to ensure a smooth, less stressful finish for all, especially during this remote learning period.  To this end, please familiarise yourselves with the key events below.  Reinforce with your students  that we are nearly at the end, that the altered space we find ourselves in is not permanent.  Now is the time to dig that little bit deeper to ensure that we do our best to support our students to give them the best opportunities we can.  They need to be ready to give their best on their final SACs/SATs, on the GAT and on their end-of-year papers!!

 

Senior School Holiday Study Program

The September holidays are here and everyone is looking forward to a little sunshine and a well-deserved break from screens and the routine of remote learning.  However, it is not long before the end-of-year exams are upon us and students who are studying a Unit 3 & 4 study are expected to undertake a program of study during the break. I would like to thank all of the staff who will be supporting our students by conducting virtual revision classes during these holidays.

We encourage students to include an effective study program as part of their routine in order to reinforce their understanding of concepts and material covered, and to support their preparation for the upcoming practice and end-of-year exams

 

In each subject, students are encouraged to: 

  • Consolidate their understanding of work covered to date by organising their notes, reviewing class work and completing summaries
  • Review and reflect on their progress to date, review study habits and set new goals
  • Determine their personal goal/s for each subject e.g. ongoing refinement of summary notes or end-of-year goals.

In particular, students completing a Units 3 & 4 study should,

  • Engage productively in the revision classes offered by their teachers.  These will appear as ‘events’ on the student’s Compass timetable.
  • Form online study groups to help build capacity, challenge thinking and make connections they would otherwise not have been able to do on their own.
  • Complete past external exam papers, available from the VCAA website.  Whilst textbooks are good at explaining concepts and building on skills, there is no better revision tool than past exam papers.  Only by doing these, will students be exposed to the variety of questions they will encounter in their end of year exams and be able to practise and build on their skills.
  • The 2020 VCAA exam timetable can be found here.

The GAT

All students undertaking Units 3/4 Studies are required to complete the General Achievement Test (GAT), on-site at the College on Wednesday October 7 between 10 a.m. to 1.15 p.m.  

Students must sit the GAT every year they undertake a Units 3/4 study so students who may have sat it last year, will need to sit again.

The GAT plays an important role in checking that school-based and external assessments have been accurately assessed.

The GAT is a single session 3-hour test comprising two writing tasks and 70 multiple choice questions.You are here:  It is a test of general knowledge and skills in:

  • written communication
  • mathematics, science and technology
  • humanities, the arts and social sciences

Each represents a body of general knowledge and skills that students are likely to have built up through their school years.

Because it is a general test, no special study is required for the GAT. Students will already have done preparation for the GAT in past study of subjects like English, Mathematics, Science and History, where they have built up general knowledge and skills in writing, numeracy and reasoning. These are the knowledge and skills that will be tested.

Students can get a good idea of the questions by working through past GAT papers.

More information about the GAT can be found at here.

Unit 4 classes will be cancelled on the day. Students in Year 11 will be expected to attend their scheduled Unit 2 remote classes for Periods 5 & 6.

 

GAT Assembly was held via Teams on Tuesday Sept. 15.  

Mr Hiller and Ms Do engaged the students with a comprehensive session on what the GAT is, how it is used and why it will be especially important this year.  The GAT, this year more than ever, will be of greater importance as a moderation tool for school-based assessments, and will count for every student.  The VCAA has made this clear so it’s of paramount importance that students perform their best.  For absent students, a recording of the assembly can be found on the GAT/VCE Team on MS Teams.  Please familiarise yourselves with its contents.

Units 3 & 4 ASHA Revision Lectures 

BOOKINGS ARE NOW OPEN!!

 

In addition to the ongoing support students receive from their teachers, they also have the opportunity to participate in the VCE Units 3 & 4 Revision Program.  A combination of lectures and practice examinations will be held in October to support students’ exam preparation.  This year, we have partnered with ASHA Lectures who will be providing the timetable of lectures below. ASHA Lectures is a not-for-profit organisation, providing quality VCE tutoring and lecturing sessions with volunteer tutors from various universities.  They will give an overview of the course content as well as information on examination techniques and the examination format. The revision lectures will be held via video conference. 

Bookings - https://www.stickytickets.com.au/6QGHE

Cost is $15 per lecture

   

 

 

This has been an incredibly challenging year and we have all learnt so much about ourselves and how we respond to difficult circumstances.  Our students have demonstrated tremendous resilience and dedication to their studies these past few months and I thank them.  As a result, I also believe that our students will make the most of the opportunities provided for them to fully prepare themselves for the final weeks of their schooling at Viewbank College.

Thank you and stay well,

 

Sue Calder

Senior Years Leader

susan.calder@education.vic.gov.au

 

Year 10 Immunisation Update

Dear Parent/Guardian,

As the Year 10 Immunisation visit is unable to occur at our school, Banyule City Council have organised immunisation sessions to enable Year 10 students to receive their Meningococcal ACWY vaccine.  

Please book a suitable time and date by clicking on the link below.

The vaccine is also available through a GP or a public immunisation session.  

Old Shire Officeshttps://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/year-10-school-immunisation-program-old-shire-offices-heidelberg-tickets-120916415253

 

Kylie White

First Aid/Reception/Attendance7-9