Term 3 has had a very smooth start so far with students resuming where they started at the end of Term 2 with the introduction of Semester 2.
The 2024 Course Handbook is now complete and available via the school website for students, staff and families. The handbook is available to support students with their subject selection for 2024. In the Middle Years, students have been working with their Home Group teacher to complete their subject selection form and enter their choices into our timetable system Edval. For Year 10 and 11 students, they attended a course counselling day in Week 5 where they met with a course counsellor to discuss their career aspirations and possible future pathways before making their selections for 2024. All subject selections for next year must be completed by Friday 1 September (Week 6).
Each year we host two Parent Evenings to provide an opportunity for Parents, Students and Teachers to meet and discuss the student’s progress, growth and achievement. This year we will be trialling a Parent/Student/Teacher Conference Day, where appointments will be available for the whole day from 9:00am – 4:30pm. This will occur on Wednesday 30 August (Week 6). Students will only be required at school for their appointments with their teachers as all timetabled lessons will be cancelled for the day. Our aim is to engage with more students and families throughout the day, rather than having limited appointments in the afternoon/evening.
The Assessment Committee has been meeting this year to determine how to future proof assessment across the school with the emergence of Artificial Intelligence; in particular generative AI such as ChatGPT. The committee is currently looking at how to develop AI Guidelines for Assessment and also information about the Ethical Use of AI at school. The committee will ensure that the information/findings are shared to the school community in preparation for 2024.
The Reporting Committee have been developing the processes and structures to transition to a continuous reporting model for next year. This means that students will receive written feedback on their tasks throughout a term, rather than having written comments on their end of term report. With the introduction of SEQTA, our new Learner Management System, we will be working with the implementation team to see how continuous reporting can be facilitated in SEQTA and how we can use SEQTA to develop our end of term reports.
The CIS Planning Committee met throughout Term 2 to determine whether we should remain as a member of the Council of International Schools. The committee reviewed the progress made since the first accreditation in 2015 and reflected on the pros and cons of being a member. The committee requested feedback from all staff via a survey and then voted as a committee following their findings. 64% (7 members) of the committee thought that we shouldn’t remain a CIS school, whereas 36% (4 members) thought we should. This was shared to the Executive Team in Week 1 this term, who decided to share the information with the whole staff and have them vote. For the whole staff vote, there were 110 responses. 80 voted ‘No’, 20 voted ‘Yes’ and 10 staff chose not to vote. The committee has reviewed the CIS domains and standards to see which aspects we would like to capture for our new strategic plan.
The mid-term snapshot reports were completed at the end of Week 4 and sent to families on at the end of Week 5. The snapshot report is to highlight if a student is not on track to be successful for one or more of their subjects. Students who receive a snapshot report are required to attend the Homework Centres throughout Week 7 as part of the Snapshot Recovery Week. Teachers, SSO’s and tutors will be available in the Homework Centres to support the students to be successful by the end of the term/semester. The last day of the Term 3 assessment window is on Friday 15 September (Week 8, Term 3). The list of the Homework Centres and their opening times is below:
| Location | Information |
| Learning Hub | Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 3:15pm to 4:30pm for all students The Hub will be open on Firday for Week 8 only from 3:15pm to 4:30pm |
| Lower Penny | Every recess and lunch time with a learning area leader rostered on to support |
| Irabina Centre | Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 3:15pm to 4:15pm for ATSI students |
Finally, a reminder that the Royal Adelaide Show Day is on Monday 4 September, followed by our final Student Free Day for the year on Tuesday 5 September. I hope all students and their families have a safe extended weekend during this time.
If you have any questions about the report and would like to speak with me about any else, please send me an email: luke.smith563@schools.sa.edu.au
Luke Smith
Deputy Principal Term 3, 2023
