//We are up and running!!!
Its only 7am & almost the entire Year 7 & 8 squad were in attendance at Craigie LC for our first training session.
This is a great start to the swim program and sets a high standard!
Matt Richmond
Head of Learning Area – Health & Physical Education
//| Dear Parents and Carers:
This week’s announcement from the Premier has clear directives on some changes we must now make to the school experience for our Secondary School. Please note the following amendments to our school activities. These restrictions will be in place until further notice to minimise the risk of COVID-19 entering or being transmitted on school grounds. Masks If you have a child in Year 7 and up, please ensure they come to school each morning with a mask. Having a spare mask in their bag is highly recommended. Whilst we have a small reserve of masks for students who have a breakage across the day, it is our expectation that you equip your child with all they need to follow health directions at school. Practicing good personal hygiene at all times is imperative. Camps Our upcoming Year 7 and 8 Camps have now been postponed. These were scheduled to take place from the 23 – 25 of February. It is our intention to revive these experiences for our students later in the year, conditions permitting. Choirs, Bands, Guitar Ensembles and Orchestras No musical ensembles will be rehearsing face-to-face, until notified otherwise, or until alternate arrangements have been made and communicated through the Music department. Parents on Campus Our directive is that gatherings of parents on school sites should be avoided. Can parents please limit their presence on campus to drop offs and pick-ups only, or to visit the Uniform shop. Please remain in your car for pick-ups and do not enter Student Services. Students leaving or arriving must exit the school by signing out through Student Services as usual. Please use the AbsenteesDuncraig@ststephens.wa.edu.au email to advise the school of any absence, late arrival or early pick up. All planned parent events will either be cancelled, provided to students in class or provided online, and specific information about already advertised events will be both emailed and included in the Secondary Newsletter. Parent meetings with staff should be conducted over the phone. Should you have any queries around these recent directives, please do not hesitate to be in touch with us. Regards,
Secondary Leadership Team |
//Dear Parents and Carers
This week’s changes in Government advice regarding COVID restrictions has resulted in us having to cancel the Information Evening planned for Tuesday 15 February. Thank you to the parents who RSVP’d, this notice outlines how the information will be (and has been) disseminated.
Year 11 and 12 VET/Certificate students received their information on their Induction Day in February. Mrs Hipgrave will also email some Frequently Asked Questions to VET parents. All other information will be presented to students during Education Plus lessons, over the course of the next few weeks.
For parents who submitted a question in the online form, we will get in contact for a phone conversation. Of course, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any specific questions – please contact Mrs Cooke on 9243 2154 in the first instance and she can direct your query.
Mrs Hipgrave, Mrs Cooke and Dr Criddle
//
Four school records broken last week:
Year 12 boys Tom Anderson (Timae)
50m Breaststroke -30.75
50m Butterfly – 27.22
4 X 50m Freestyle relay
Year 7 CARANA BOYS – 2.23.62
YEAR 11 CARANA BOYS -1.54.95
Carana boys now hold 5/6 relay records!!!
Congratulations to all!
Matt Richmond
Head of Learning Area – Health & Physical Education
//A message from St Stephen’s School
Dear Parents and Carers,
Please be reminded of the following requirements from the Department of Health:
Face masks are required indoors (except at home) for everyone aged 12 years and older at all times, unless an exception applies.
If you have a child in Year 7 and up, please ensure they come to school each morning with a mask. Having a spare mask in their bag is highly recommended. Whilst we have a small reserve of masks for students who have a breakage across the day, it is our expectation that you equip your child with all they need to follow health directions at school.
Regards and thanks,
Mr Bennet Andrews
Deputy Head of Secondary (Care)
//Ellis Aitchison, Year 11, took part in the Kayaking State Championships 2022
He placed:
Gold for K1 1000, K2 500 and mixed K2 500
Sliver for K1 500 and 200
Congratulations Ellis!
//Information Evening: How to Get the Best from Year 12 AND Year 11/12 VET Requirements
Find out how to achieve success this year!
The school is hosting a combined Information Evening on Tuesday 15 February, for all Year 12 parents, as well as parents of all Year 11 and 12 VET and Certificate Pathway students.
Please note, the ability to hold this event as planned will be subject to any changes in Government advice regarding COVID restrictions. Information covered on the evening will also be presented to students during Education Plus lessons.
The evening will commence with an overview of WACE Graduation and what success looks like for our graduating students. We will then split into two pathway-focused groups: Parents of Year 11 and 12 VET/Certificate students (in the Community Room), and parents of Year 12 Direct Entry students (in Cousins Hall). Each group will be presented with targeted information relating to strategies for successful results in their specific pathway. This will include Work Experience information, how to manage workloads, and pathways to tertiary education for VET/Certificate students. Parents of Direct Entry students will hear about important dates, exam literacy, applications to University, and how the ATAR is calculated plus there will be a chance to ask questions.
Presenters will include our Deputy Head of Teaching and Learning, Careers Advisor, VET Coordinator and VET Liaison Officer.
Details: Tuesday 15 February from 6.30-7.30pm, commencing in Cousins Hall. Please RSVP your attendance here
NB: If there are any changes due to government advisories, a further email will be sent out as well as a notification in the Secondary Newsletter.
//
//
As part of our commitment to support student learning, the English Department will be running a before school English Workshop in T3 between 7:20 and 8:00 each Wednesday morning.
This Workshop can be used by students to receive support and guidance on upcoming assessments, to prepare for Semester examinations, to ask questions about course texts, to catch up with missed work if a lesson has been missed through a VET placement… or simply to use the available time to work in a quiet space. These are drop-in sessions which students can use as/when they need to.
All Year 11 and Year 12 students (ATAR English, ATAR Literature and English General) are welcome to attend. Please contact me at the school if you require more information.
Mr Howie Jakeway
Head of Learning Area: English & Languages
//STUDY SKILLS TIP FOR FEBRUARY – TOP PARENT FAQs
Having run over 5000 study skills seminars over the last 20 years, Dr Prue Salter has been asked many questions about study skills. Below are the top 5 questions parents ask.
Different schools will have different expectations, but the general guidelines are that junior students should be doing around 1 hour of self-learning most nights, seniors between 2-3 hours most nights.
In Primary school, students are used to just doing the work their teacher specifically tells them to do. Many students do not realise that things should be different in secondary school; there are actually two types of learning students should be doing. The first is compulsory work such as homework, assignments, and preparing for tests. The second type of work is independent learning work. If students have no homework that night, they are expected to undertake some independent learning in secondary school. This could be reviewing what they have learnt that week, making a mind map, reading ahead, researching an area of interest, making study notes or reviewing difficult concepts.
The general rule is that if students are undertaking learning that is not difficult, it is OK to listen to music. It makes them feel relaxed, makes them feel like the time is going quicker. However, if they are doing work that requires intense concentration or memorisation, it is best to switch the music off (or else have slower music with no vocals such as classical musical) as otherwise it will take them much longer to absorb and learn the information.
Unless students are doing something mindless like sticking things on a poster or colouring in, it is best not to do work in front of any devices such as phones or TV. Instead, students should do their home learning in an environment that is as distraction-free as possible. It works well if students do their learning in distinct blocks of time and remove all distractions during those blocks. Some students find they have the self-discipline to manage technological distractions, others need a helping hand – such as their phone in a different room for the half-hour period where they are focusing on schoolwork.
Have a discussion with students about doing schoolwork in focused blocks of time so that they can really enjoy their time away from the books (or computer). If students find it challenging to be disciplined, they can also look at self-blocking software such as Self Control (MAC) and Cold Turkey (PC). If students are still struggling, parental management programs such as Family Zone allow families to block particular sites at particular times.
Parents and students can learn more about studying efficiently and effectively by working through the units on www.studyskillshandbook.com.au.
Our school’s access details are:
Username: ststephens
Password: 100success
Sarah Cooke
Careers Advisor
