Semester One Testing and Assessment

Assessment is a tool to guide and inform student learning and also a way of systematically gathering evidence to make reliable and consistent judgments about where a student is at in any aspect of their learning at the time of the assessment. It clarifies what the learner knows, understands or can do, and highlights what is needed to progress the learner further.

The three main purposes of assessment are:

1. Assessment “for” learning – This is a monitoring and diagnostic assessment designed to monitor and identify areas for target teaching to support student’s progress to meet learning expectations.

2. Assessment “as” learning –This occurs when students are their own assessors. Students monitor their own learning, ask questions and use a range of strategies to decide what they know and can do, and how to use assessment information for new learning.

3. Assessment “of” learning – These assist teachers at the end of a unit or set of learning experiences to gather evidence of student knowledge, understanding, and skills as described in the year-level curriculum.

As the semester progresses the following assessment and diagnostic testing will occur:

Year 7 - NAPLAN testing (11 – 13 May), On-Demand Testing and Summative Assessment of subject learning.

Year 8 – Allwell Testing (17 June), On-Demand Testing, Semester Exams in English and Mathematics, and Summative Assessment of subject learning.

Year 9 - NAPLAN testing (11 – 13 May), On-Demand Testing, Semester Exams, and Summative Assessment of subject learning.

Year 10 - Allwell Testing (9 June), On-Demand Testing, Semester Exams, and Summative Assessment of subject learning.

Year 11 and 12 – Students will have End of Semester Subject Exams. Students who are completing a VCE Unit 3/4 sequence will be required to sit the GAT Wednesday 9 June.

Parent Reporting for Summative Classroom Assessment will be released to Parents through PAM on the first Friday of Term 3 (Friday 16 July). This is due to End of Semester Examinations occurring in the last week of term, and therefore appropriate time is required to mark and provide appropriate feedback on these tasks.

Note: On-Demand testing will occur in English and Mathematics classes as it is an online tool that is linked to the Maths and English curriculum standards, and these results will be placed on the student’s report.

Student Leadership

In my short time at St Joseph's College, I have had great pleasure in witnessing the Student Leaders of the College and how they make such an important contribution to motivating, influencing, and amplifying student voice. This has clearly been supported by the staff of the College, including those who have led the Student Leadership Portfolio, the College Leadership Team and the staff who have valued the input that students have in the direction of the College and more importantly their learning.

Having been part of the recent College Open Day sessions, where several of the College Leaders had given up their mornings to walk prospective families around the College to show them our impressive facilities, it was clearly evident from parent feedback that our leaders were equally or if not more impressive. The student’s recent contribution and participation in the College’s Opening Mass, ANZAC Day Assembly, Edmund Rice Day are all examples where College Leaders have clearly set the tone, imbuing and capturing the Four Touchstones of Edmund Rice.

The College is well represented by our Leaders at a range of Community events, as well as contributing to Child Safety initiatives, Respectful relationships and even having the opportunity to have the College Captain on our recent staff position of leadership interviews, shows great insight and value that student voice has in the future direction of the school. Student voice is not simply about giving students the opportunity to communicate ideas and opinions; it is about students having the power to influence change.

Whilst the scope for student voice and agency is still continuing to grow in the College, it would be remiss of me to not acknowledge the time and effort the College Leaders have given up unselfishly to ensure they pave the way. Catching up on missed classes, diverting study time to prepare for a College event, or even missing time with family and friends at night or on weekends to give service to our school community, provides a positive legacy to ensure they have left the College in a better place.

Year 12 Renewals

Congratulations to all staff and students who participated in the Year 12 Renewals last week. The renewals provided time for our boys to reflect upon themselves, their families, their unique stories, their relationships with their peers, and their future. The program had a combination of reflective sessions as well as physical challenges, but the joy of seeing our students mingling and appreciating each other’s company after a challenging 2020 reminded us of how precious such experiences can be. We hope that the students have returned with a renewed sense of self and with a broader perspective on life and their relationships with others. Students formed bonds outside of their regular and comfortable friendship circles and enjoyed spending time with teachers in a very different environment from the classroom. It is our hope that each student experienced moments that encouraged them to be strong in mind and gentle in heart and provided them with fond memories as they near the final few months of their schooling.

EREA Adolescent Men's Project Survey

The EREA Adolescent Men’s Project survey is part of a large research project being undertaken by Edmund Rice Education Australia and a number of EREA schools in Victoria/Tasmania. The focus of the study is on being a young man in Australia today. The survey asks students about the pressure society puts on men to act in a certain way. The aim of the survey is to find out what students think it means to be "a real man". We are one of the first schools in Australia to be invited to do the survey. We look forward to using the data to help inform our wellbeing program.

Year 12 VCE Unit 3/ 4 - Parent / Student / Teacher Interviews

During Term 2 there will be an opportunity for parents and students of VCE Unit 3/4 subjects to seek feedback on their son’s learning. Providing the environment is COVID safe, we will be exploring a Hybrid model, where parents will need to book online through PAM, however will be given the opportunity to attend face-to-face or online. There will be more information regarding these interviews closer to the date, which is currently set for 7 June.

eSafety Parent and Carer's Seminar

This webinar will look at how parents and carers can set up devices and apps to help keep kids and young people safer online.

Audience: Parents and carers of children aged 4-13

The webinar will cover:

• The benefits and limitations of parental controls

• How to set up iOS and Android devices for safety

• How to set up popular games and apps like YouTube and Roblox for safety

• Using family tech agreements and other parenting strategies to manage online risks

• How eSafety can help when things go wrong

The webinar will include practical tips, demonstrations, and advice for parents and carers to help keep young people safer online.

Dates available:

8 June 2021 12.30 – 1.30 pm

16 June 2021 7.30 – 8.30 pm

Register via the website: esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars or link below:

https://register.gotowebinar.c...