I hope you enjoyed the Christmas and New Year break with family and friends. A special welcome also to the parents of the fifteen new boys that have joined the form this term. I look forward to working with you all again this year as the students’ Year 10 Academic Co-ordinator.
I am currently in the process of preparing this Year 10 News blog which will be updated each week/fortnight as news items become available. It will allow students, parents and/or guardians the opportunity to have more regular access to information pertinent to the form throughout the term, especially access to relevant documents such as Board of Studies School Certificate information, Assessment Calendars/Handbooks etc.
This year is certainly a challenging year ahead for the Year 10 boys as they work towards completing the various requirements of the Stage 5 Academic program and ultimately their School Certificate examinations held in Term 4. Students need to be focussed in class and apply themselves rigorously to their studies throughout each day, as well as utilising their evening study time efficiently. It is an opportunity for them to “strive for better things”.
NSW Board of Studies (School Certificate – 2011):
Last week I entered online, all of our Year 10 students and Year 9 Accelerated Mathematics students into their School Certificate courses at the Board of Studies. A BOS ID number has been generated for each student which they will use for their SC as well as their HSC examinations. I will get students to check their personal details and courses of study carefully on the ‘Confirmation of Entry’ forms when they are distributed next week.
It is very important that these details are kept up to date. If you have a change of address at any time, please inform me immediately so that I can update this data at the Board of Studies.
Please refer to the NSW Board of Studies website below for further information on the 2011 School Certificate. On the left hand side of the home page, there is a section for parents.
http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au
Laptop roll-out:
The process of introducing Apple Macbook laptops for all Year 10 students in 2011 seems to have gone well. Thanks must go to Mr Gary Evans (Head of I.T.) and his staff, as well as Ms Thea van Os (ICT: Teaching and Learning Integrator) for the extensive work in getting laptops ready for distribution and developing a very efficient and well-run orientation program for students.
The majority of boys have started to utilise the laptops appropriately during lessons and evening study although a few minor technical issues with a small number of boys are currently being addressed by the I.T department.
In 2011, the College will begin implementing a 1:1 Learning Program which will enable students to have their own personal laptop for use in all learning situations, whether it be for use in class, other College learning areas, boarding or home. This move towards a 1:1 learning model fosters an environment that supports students to develop skills in areas such as:
• critical thinking
• student centred learning practice
• collaborative work practices
• learning to share in ethical ways
• shared knowledge construction
• problem solving
Contemporary or 21st century learning is centred on the notion that students take control of their own learning and become knowledge and content creators in order to understand the often challenging and deep concepts that they encounter in their academic life.
The 1:1 learning environment at the College will support the development of these contemporary learning concepts. Students will learn through the iLearn online portal and make effective use of the laptops where they are able to access and engage with their learning Anywhere, Anytime.
The 1:1 Learning Program will also encourage boys to seek the links not only between their subjects, but also from year to year, building on what they have learned and gaining a richer and deeper understanding of the subjects they are studying, themselves and the world around them.
(excerpt from the ‘1:1 Learning Brochure’ sent to Parents in December 2010)
For more information on the program:
http://www.joeys.org/joeysonline/Parent_Access.cfm
The 9th of February was Safer Internet Day. This focus day has the support of the Australian Government through ACMA and aims to raise awareness of internet safety for everyone. For your information, a range of excellent cyber safety resources and more information can be found at: http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/SID%202011.aspx
Br. Anthony will speak to the form during this week’s division meeting (Wk5) about matters associated with cyber-bullying. I also intend organising a screening of “Best Enemies” to the form, which presents students with real scenarios of cyber-bullying and other issues including online privacy. It is a proactive film aimed at preventing negative behaviour by showing the consequences of certain actions.
Academic Awards:
Congratulations to the following 21 boys for an outstanding achievement in their Year 9 academic studies during 2010, in particular, those boys that received multiple awards. These Academic Awards were presented at the Academic Prize-Giving ceremony on Friday 4th February 2011.
Academic Prize-Giving Evening – Year 9 2010 Award Presentations
The following 24 boys also received Study Effort Awards at the end of Term 4 for consistent application in class, consistent completion of set tasks/homework, punctuality and preparation for class and consistent engagement in class. Each teacher nominated 3 students in each class: Congratulations to the following boys:
This year, there will be a weekly ‘Academic Co-ordinator’s Award’ presented to approx.4-5 boys during Thursday morning’s division meeting. It is an encouragement award system which will recognise boys who may not quite get the nominations for a study effort award but who have worked very hard to improve throughout the term, especially those students with specific learning needs who struggle with their academic work. This award program will start next week.
Evening Study:
Last year the school introduced a new computer software program linked to the school database, which now allows each boarding staff to check the boys’ attendance during each session via desktop computer using a dropdown menu and an organised seating plan for each study room. Apologies for the delay in setting up this program this term. There were a few I.T issues that had to be addressed before it could operate effectively.
For parents new to this format, each boarding supervisor will check the attendance during both sessions and towards the end of the evening or in the case of dayboys leaving at 8.00pm, issue a grade for their application/behaviour during study. Starting on Friday (4/3) at approx. 9.30pm all Year 10 parents and carers will receive an email with the allocated grades for your son for the whole week, which also includes the email address of the boarding supervisor that has issued the grade. If you have any concerns, you can contact them directly to receive more feedback on your son’s study habits that evening (hopefully all positive!).
The email will look something like this:
Dear Mr Stewart,
Your son Lachlan’s evening study results can be found below.
