Welcome to 2021! I do hope that after the challenges of 2020, this year is one filled with hope and promise for each member of our community.
We have now embraced the term and all students and staff have once again begun the new academic year with interest and vigour.
As we begin this new year, it is a timely reminder that your daughter/son returns to school in full summer uniform and fully compliant with all of our expectations.
Students with excess jewellery, extreme hairstyles, or for our male students, not clean shaven, will be required to address these issues as soon as possible. All parents are made aware of these expectations at the time of enrolment and we appreciate your ongoing support.
Last week, we reminded students about expectations regarding mobile phone use at school. Students can bring phones to school, as we know they are a communication tool between child and parent. However, they are NOT allowed to use them during the day (class time, breaks or in meeting situations). If a teacher sees a student/s with their phone out, they will be warned and asked to put their phone away. However, if they persist, we will confiscate their phone and be in contact with parents. Also, please be aware that if students use the cameras on their phones to film other students or staff without permission, often with the intent to share or distribute the footage via social media, they will face serious consequences.
It is also timely that I remind all parents to please be aware of our neighbours when you are dropping off or collecting your child/children. Council rangers may appear at any time and please do not park in or across driveways.
Learning is our top priority at St Agnes and it is our intention to ensure that it is tailored for the students each lesson. Most students have seen our new learning space, Alverna, and for our Years 9 and 10 cohorts, they spend many a lesson in that environment. It is a new way of being for all, as the staff and students are embracing the notion inquiry.
As everyone knows, 2020 saw our first Year 12 group attain their Higher School Certificate (HSC). We are incredibly proud of the Class of 2020 and we do wish them all the very best as they undertake a new pathway. Despite being the most challenging year for any student undertaking their final year of school, our students achieved great results across all areas. The students received a number of Band 6 and 5s, with Anthony Gagliardi being not only our School Dux, but our ATAR Dux as well!
The results and other information provided by the HSC is of such value to our school as it helps us plan. The Leaders of Learning and teachers will continue to investigate these results to help all of students achieve their personal best throughout 2021.
A special welcome to our new Year 7 students (and their families); we do hope you enjoy what St Agnes has to offer. On Orientation Day last year, our Year 7 students undertook an assessment that provided us insights into their current literacy, numeracy and academic strengths as well as areas for development. This is crucial information to us as the students start in Year 7 classrooms where we can personalise the learning. The information from these assessments, along with primary school reports and NAPLAN information, have assisted us in our planning.
Study Skills Tip for February – Why do we have to complete homework?
Homework, or Home Learning as some schools now prefer to call it, serves many purposes. It may be to consolidate or check or extend the learning from the day, or prepare for the learning to come in subsequent days. It could be to do with longer term work such as assignments or preparing for tests and examinations. Ultimately it comes back to what school is all about – learning. And learning not just about learning content, but learning and developing skills. At times students feel that the work they are doing at school is not relevant to their lives, however sometimes we need to look beyond the content to the purpose of the learning exercise. At times the content will be a vehicle to teach particular skills. Much of what we learn in Mathematics develops the problem solving circuits in our brain. When you are analysing Shakespeare you are learning not just about Shakespeare, but to think critically and expand your point of view and broaden your experience of the world through examination of different lives, emotions and experiences. The message is that everything you learn at school has purpose and value, even if you can’t always quite see it at the time.
There is much debate in the media as to the value of homework. In Primary school it has been shown that only a small amount of students actually benefit from doing homework in terms of academic achievement. The exception to this is reading at home – every student benefits from this. However, other benefits can’t be discounted: developing independent working skills, establishing study routines necessary for learning in later years, helping students master things they are struggling with and allowing parental involvement.
In secondary school homework has been proven to be an essential component of academic success in the senior years. The reality of Year 11 and 12 is that a large component of independent learning needs to be undertaken at home. One of the biggest problems for students transitioning to the senior years is that they have not learnt to work effectively and efficiently in the home environment. This is why developing good habits and learning to do at least a solid hour a day of home study is essential in Years 7-10. It is also about developing the qualities of discipline and perseverance, both essential for senior studies. Students will not like every subject equally, so students need to learn how to make themselves do the work even for their least favourite subjects.
What can you do this year to manage your homework effectively? Try these top tips:
- GET ORGANISED STRAIGHT AWAY: As soon as you get home unpack your bag before you have a break and something to eat. Lay out all the work first. It is easier to get started if you have everything ready to go.
- PRIORITISE AND PLAN: Before you start work, write a list of what needs to be done and decide what order you will do it. Focus on what is most important, not just what subject you like best! Also write down how long you think each task will take to do.
- DEVELOP THINKING PATHWAYS: Keep in your mind that it is all about learning. Try and look beyond the actual content to what type of skill this homework might be developing in you – analysing, critical thinking, writing skills, or problem-solving skills for example.
- CHUNK TIME INTO FOCUSED BLOCKS: Do your work in 20-30 minute blocks with no distractions during that time. So switch off the TV, turn off your phone for that 20-30 minutes. When you just focus on the work that needs to be done you’ll be amazed at how much work you complete. Of course if you are on a roll, you can keep going past the 30 minutes.
- ALTERNATE AND CHIP AWAY: If there is a task you really don’t want to do then alternate this with a task you enjoy doing. For example, 15 minutes on the homework you like, 5 minutes on the homework you don’t like. When you chip away at it you will be surprised how quickly you get through the work.
Learn more this year about how to improve your results and be more efficient and effective with your schoolwork by working through the units on www.studyskillshandbook.com.au - our school’s access details are:
Username: stagnes
Password: 24success
Mr Geoffrey Kemmis
Acting Assistant Principal / Head of Learning
