Week 11, Term 1 2022
Term 1 Summary
It has been a challenging but rewarding first term with unprecedented learning and teaching conditions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite several students and staff having time away from school due to COVID related isolation, we have still made significant progress throughout the term as a school. The 3 graduate habits of respecting others, perseverance and critical & creative thinking we’re in full swing as we tackled Term 1 as a whole school community.
The Term 1 assessment window closed at the end of Week 9, followed by teachers writing the Term 1 reports throughout Week 10. These reports will be given to students on the last day of the term to bring home with a new cover template reflecting our new school branding. Families can also access the reports via Daymap or by collecting them at the front office in the school holidays. Families have the opportunity to meet with each subject teacher and Home Group teacher at the start of Term 2 to discuss the achievement and progress of their child. The Parent/Teacher Evening will be held on Wednesday 4 May (Week 1, Term 2) from 3.00pm to 6.30pm. To book an appointment with a staff member, please use our school booking system called SOBS by clicking the link here.
The Term 2 assessment window began at the start of Week 10 and will continue until Friday 24 June (Week 8, Term 2). Families will be sent snapshot reports mid-term if a student is not on track to pass the term/semester. If you would like to contact a staff member regarding your child’s learning, all staff email address can now be accessed via the school website under the ‘Contact Us’ tab. Alternatively, you can select here.
Course Counselling
In Term 2, we will begin developing our 2023 Course Handbook, which will highlight the curriculum offerings for each year level for next year. In Term 3, we will initiate the course counselling processes, supporting students with their subject selection aligned to their potential career pathway. Students in Year 7, 8 and 9 will complete their subject selection as part of the Pathways Program with their Home Group teacher(s). Subject selection forms will be completed at school and then brought home for approval by a family member. These forms will consist of subject preferences with possible reserve subjects.
Year 10 and 11 students will have a course counselling day in Week 5, Term 3, providing the student and family member an opportunity to meet with our course counsellors to get career advice before making their selections for the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) subjects. This process will incorporate Vocational Education Training (VET) pathways and School Based-Apprenticeship options and will also provide an opportunity to check the students’ SACE Pattern to make sure every student is on track to complete their SACE. Information regarding the course counselling process will be communicated towards the end of Term 2.
Assessment & Reporting Committee
An Assessment and Reporting Committee was formed this term comprising of students, teachers and support staff, aimed at reviewing, improving and innovating our assessment procedures and assessment tasks. The committee has defined what world-class assessment is, how we should assess as a school and the purpose of assessment. This is aligned to the Australian Curriculum and the SACE. The Term 2 student free day will focus on innovating and creating common assessment tasks across the school with the following features:
- Developed in collaboration with students
- Provide students with the opportunity to achieve at the highest level
- Provide multiple entry points so that all students can access the task
- Relevant to the curriculum, reflecting the language of the achievement/performance standards
- Manageable to complete under the agreed timeframe(s)\Provide multiple modes for students to demonstrate their learning
- Provide an opportunity for students to self-reflect, self-assess and peer assess
- Provide the visual, procedural and linguistic accessibility for all students to understand what is required
The committee will continue to meet in Term 2 to review the tasks that are developed during the student free day and to review the Assessment & Reporting Policy. This will be shared with families via the cultural parent groups and the Governing Council.
Key dates for Term 2
Some of the key dates in Term 1 to add to your calendar include:
- Wednesday 4th May (Week 1) – Parent/Teacher Evening
- Tuesday 10th May (Week 2) – Academic Review Day
- Tuesday 10th May to Friday 20th May (Week 2-3) – NAPLAN Testing for Year 7 & 9
- Friday 27th May (Week 4) – Student Free Day
- Friday 27th May (Week 4) – Year 12 Formal
- Monday 30th May to Friday 3rd June (Week 5) – Reconciliation Week
- Monday 30th May to Friday 3rd June (Week 5) – Work Experience for Year 10
- Monday 6th June to Friday 10th June (Week 6) – Pride Week
- Monday 13th June (Week 7) – Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday
- Tuesday 14th June to Friday 17th June (Week 7) – Senior Years Examinations for Year 10, 11 & 12
- Friday 24th June (Week 8) – Term 2 assessment window closes
- Monday 4th July to Friday 8th July (Week 10) – Naidoc Week
- Friday 8th July (Week 10) – Last day of Term 2
Long Service Leave for Term 2
I will be on long service leave for Term 2, therefore Brett Hains will be acting in the role as Deputy Principal for the whole of the term. I wish the school community and Brett the best for the term ahead and a safe school holiday period.
If you require any further information about the content of this update, or if you would like to learn more, please contact the school on (08) 8445 9833.
Luke Smith
Deputy Principal
