NEW ACADEMIC YEAR – SENIOR SCHOOL

May 2018 marked the appointment of Justin Langer as the Australian Men’s Cricket Coach. After the ‘Sandpaper Gate’ crisis, Cricket Australia appointed Langer as the man to change the culture of Australian cricket. Upon his appointment Langer declared “what we stand for is to make Australians proud”, and to do this, he stated “it’s not just about being a good cricketer, it’s about being a good person as well. If we can do that, we’re achieving our goals.”

The New Academic Year presents an opportunity for our Senior School students to be reminded that above everything they do, it is the person they are becoming which is the most important. Senior School not only presents an opportunity to grow in one’s character, but also is a critical time to open up doors to create as many opportunities as possible for the future.

I also like to remind the students about the pursuit for excellence. I was recently listening to a podcast that involved Olympic swimmers Cate and Bronte Campbell. Cate Campbell in sharing about the 2016 Olympic campaign, challenged the perception of the general public that as an athlete, success wasn’t measured by place, or medal in a race, but rather her measure of success was the stopwatch. She went on to discuss that when success is a measurement of place, a person’s focus has moved from themselves, to someone else. Whereas, when she competed against a ‘time’, all of her focus was on what she could do to achieve success. 

In pursuing excellence, I want to challenge our Senior School students to focus on caring more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more, and expecting more. All of these traits are within ones one control. 

The Bishop’s Mandate for Catholic Education calls students to be agents of change for good in the world: “Students need to learn to challenge, and to work towards changing whatever in Australian society conflicts with the Gospels and its values. (Mandate, 14). In line with our College’s Vision for Learning, students are encouraged to develop in the global competencies for deep learning; character, citizenship, collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. It is these 21st century learning skills that will equip our students for LIFE beyond school. 

Senior School Parent Night – 3 November 2020

Parents are reminded of the compulsory Parent Information Evening on Tuesday 3 November at 6:30 pm. Important information regarding Senior School courses, OLNA, and Graduation requirements, possible pathways available and expectations for the new academic year will be presented. It is an expectation that every Senior School student attends with at least one parent or guardian. 

Assessment Policy Changes

Please note the below summary of changes to the College’s Assessment and Reporting Policy that directly impact Senior School students:

• Absence from In-Class assessments: if a student is absent from an assessment for an acceptable reason (Medical or misadventure), the assessment task is required to be completed at 8:00am on the next available school day. If there are multiple assessment tasks to complete, they will be completed on consecutive mornings. Tasks will be completed in the order of which they were missed. Where an assessment is missed for an unacceptable reason, the assessment task is required to be completed at 8:00am on the next available school day. If there are multiple assessment tasks to complete, they will be completed on consecutive mornings. Tasks will be completed in the order of which they were missed. Students will also be issued with an after-school detention. Where there is a trend of absences from assessments, a meeting will be set with the student, parent, teacher and the Deputy Principal – Enrichment.
• Submission of assigned work, process for work not handed in on the due date: Students will receive an academic catch-up. Failure to attend the academic catch- up will result in an internal suspension the next day. A trend in this behaviour will initially result in a meeting with the student, parents and a member of the Learning Leaders Team.

Homework 

Revision and long term learning habits are critical to success in Senior School. Students are reminded of the following recommended homework and study times for Senior School:
Year Ten: a minimum of two hours, five times a week.
Year Eleven: a minimum of two and a half hours, five times a week.
Year Twelve: a minimum of three hours, five times a week.

Enrichment

Enrichment periods for students in Year Eleven and Twelve are designed around the end goal of having students working consistently towards long term goals. As students commence this new academic year this is a great opportunity to address the importance of maximising the use of enrichment. 

Careers 

Parents and students are encouraged to access our College’s Careers information which can be found under the link “Careers” on the home page of our College website. 

Wellness

It is also important to embrace the importance of personal wellbeing for our students. Wellbeing is a critical factor in learning. Students are reminded they should be aiming for eight to nine and a half hours of sleep a night. Prayer, mindfulness, and hobbies are all important practices in regulating the mind for impactful learning. 

I wish all of our Senior School students the best of luck for this new academic year. May they aim high, work hard, and focus on what they can control. As our young people grow, may their learning be illuminated by the light of our faith.

Mr Ryan Shelton & Mr Paul Murphy
Deputy Principals