Teaching and Learning Report

By Director of Teaching and Learning, Mrs Julia Petrov

Review and reflection of Term 3  

Mid-semester reports provide an overview of a student’s classroom work habits, class attendance (online and at school) and academic progress for the term. Some students find studying remotely more challenging than others and this may be seen in their academic performance results.

One universal truth about remote learning is that it has been a unique experience for all involved. Every student’s home circumstance has presented a different learning environment with various distractions and temptations not found in a traditional classroom. A student’s individual attitude and aptitude to learning also influences the experience. This has meant our boys have returned with a broad range of feelings about their learning experience.

While the staggered return to school has been inconvenient, it has allowed all our students the opportunity to have some face-to-face classes and reconnect with their peers. Please encourage your son to review and reflect on his learning over the last term and to work with his teachers to ensure he has a clear understanding of what he has done well and the areas he needs to focus on.

Students reflecting on their learning over last term can consider the following questions:

1. Have I any outstanding work that is still required of me?

Over the period of remote learning some subjects provide students with flexibility and agency in their schoolwork. While time has been provided during set class time to complete the coursework, some of the tasks could be done out of school time. This is particularly true for the work requirements of senior classes. There will be some work that has not been submitted by the due date and the student has simply missed the opportunity to complete that work. In other cases, again particularly for senior students, there will be outstanding work that will need to be completed in order to show the skills and knowledge required to meet the coursework requirements. It has been encouraging to see how many boys are working with their teachers to address their outstanding work requirements now they are back onsite. Please encourage your son to catch up with his teachers to discuss any outstanding work and how he can set new learning goals for this term.

2. Have I acted upon the feedback my teachers have provided me?

Feedback has been presented in a number of ways over the term. Often through SIMON and Teams as well as any number of other software providers like Education Perfect and Edrolo. As many teachers would attest, the most valuable feedback we provide is live in the classroom – sometimes just with our eyebrows! Boys should now identify the key elements of feedback teachers have made over the last term and apply them to their ongoing work.

3. Am I where my teachers expect me to be?

Students can request individual conferences with their teachers. Email and the Teams chat function can be used to contact their teachers or they can simply catch them at the end of a lesson. It is important that boys have a clear understanding of how they are tracking in terms of their acquisition of knowledge and skills in each subject. We find that some boys overestimate the amount of work they have done and underestimate the work that is required to satisfactorily meet all the outcomes for each subject, particularly in VCE Units 2 and 4.

For some students, the interruption to their routines caused by the lockdowns has left them feeling disengaged from their subjects and not in their best frame of mind for learning. We encourage these students to access some study coaching to get them back on track ready for the end of year exams.

We have tutors available during lunch and afterschool, online and in person.

These sessions will be for any Years 7-11 students who are needing support or help with:

* Study techniques

* Study organization

* Time management for study/homework

As well as English, Maths and Humanities tutoring.

More details can be found in the daily messages.

Chess

Congratulations to the following students for once again winning the Diocesan Chess Tournament. Seven of the top players in the competition were from SPC:

Toby Clack
Charlton Hand
Justin Goodison
Leonard Goodison (Top Player – Best on Field)

Nick Eppingstall

Jacob van Raaphorst

Anton Cherry

Jesse Mattson

Jared Turner

Well done to these students for their excellent performance. Under the superb tutorage of Mr Nathaniel Winfield, we have qualified to participate in the State Championships which are held online next week. We wish them all the best.

Shout!

Hosted in the KRC, budding journalists, artists and media specialists have met regularly throughout the year to learn about aspects of publishing in the local media and to voice their opinions on a range of topics.

Our special thanks goes to Mrs Rachel Bryant who has overseen the program and liaised with the Courier to provide this wonderful opportunity for our students to be published in our local paper. Please find the latest pieces by our students on the Courier’s Shout page here.