Category: Parents

We Remember Them…

May 2, 2018

Anzac Day, 25 April, is one of Australia’s most important national occasions. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.

Yesterday Duncraig held a Anzac Day Service on the Quad.

It was attended by the whole school.

“This is a day not of celebration but of national memory. It’s a day when we learn, and learn again, of the horror of purposeless war. It is a day for looking after your mates, cherishing your home, your neighbourhood and family. It’s a day for realising how rare this wonderful country of ours is and how precious it is.” – Unknown

Welcoming Swiss Exchange Student

April 30, 2018

St Stephen’s School is excited to welcome Rotary youth exchange student Chloe Aeschlimann from Switzerland to our School community later this year.

Chloe will study as a St Stephen’s School for a year. She will be studying as Year 11 student in Semester 2, 2018, then as a Year 12 student in Semester 1, 2019.

Hillarys Rotary Club is inviting St Stephen’s School families to host Chloe while she lives in Australia. Chloe will need two host families for the following periods:

  • 23rd January to 24th April, 2019
  • 25th April to approximately mid-July 2019, as students start to return home in the first or second week in July, 2019.

Chloe has already been placed with host families from July 2018 to 22nd January, 2019.

If you would like further information on hosting or if you would like to offer your support as a host family, please contact Linda Sweeney from Hillarys Rotary Club on 9305 9240 / 0449 101 720 or email linda.sweeney@hotmail.com. Linda is more than willing to meet with any family interested in hosting a Rotary youth exchange student.

We are looking forward to Chloe joining our community in just a few short months.

 

ACC Swimming – Inter-School Competition

April 30, 2018

Dear Parents of Swimmers competing in the Inter-School Competition

At the ACC Council of Principals meeting on the 5th April , we were presented with some background and history on the time frame of the ACC A Division Swimming Carnival. The carnival was originally held on a Friday evening and then in the early 1980’s was moved to an “in school” time model. During the 1980’s and early 1990’s student spectator numbers were very high with the stands usually full, but with very few parents at the carnivals. From the mid 1990’s to the current day, there has been a steady decline in student spectator numbers to the point that most ACC swimming carnivals have few or no student spectators. During the same time period the number of Parent spectators has increased and the overall standard of the meets has improved in terms of swimming and event management.

The ACC Council was then asked to consider undertaking some research with the ACC schools and community to ascertain if the general consensus is that we should consider moving the A Division Swimming Carnival back to a twilight/evening event. The purpose being to increase the opportunity for families to attend the carnival and to raise the community profile of our top swimming division.  At this point in time there is no suggestion to move the other carnival divisions. The move would also allow other divisions opportunity to swim indoors.

Community Survey

The ACC is conducting a “Have Your Say!” survey through social media channels. This is simply to provide a snapshot of community thinking on the suggestion and a rough gauge of interest in making the change. The community survey will be open to anyone to complete. Schools have a part to play in helping the ACC gauge community thoughts on this matter. Should you wish to voice your thoughts, the link to the public survey is below.

ACC Social Media Survey – Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KMH9GVZ

Bruce Titlestad

Head of Secondary School

ACCLAIMED INNOVATION

April 17, 2018

The Abydos app, developed by St Stephen’s School and Edith Cowan University, has been named a finalist in the Western Australian Information Technology and Telecommunication Awards (WAITTA) INCITE Awards for the Most Transformative Impact on Education.

The gamification app uses the theme of ancient Egypt to teach primary students about fractions, and research has shown a group of Year 6 students who used the app scored 10.5 per cent higher than those who didn’t after just two sessions a week for four weeks using the app.

Abydos has been integrated into classroom teaching for Year 6s at St Stephen’s.

The finalists were announced on Friday, with the winners to be named in June.

Congrats to all involved – such a coup for our innovative School!

YEAR 10 PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS

April 10, 2018

Parents will note that the Year 10 interviews are timed to be held at the end of Semester One. The timing of interviews is related to the process for senior secondary subject selection, which includes subject recommendations, individual subject counselling, the Careers Expo, Course Handbook and Information Evening. SEQTA feedback includes ongoing suggestions for concerns to be addressed or changes made during the term. Information about the whole subject selection process will be emailed to parents early in Term Two. If you have any queries, please contact Student Services.

Dr Liz Criddle

Deputy Head of Secondary

YEAR 7, 8 AND 9 PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS

April 10, 2018

Parents will note from the school calendar that these interviews are timed to be held at the start of Semester Two, after parents have received Semester One reports in June. Because of the rollover, the Semester One report will report on Term 0, 1 and 2. The parent/teacher interviews are at the start of Term 3. Parents have the semester break 30 June -22 July to discuss the report with their child, before meeting teachers right at the start of Semester Two. This means parents have all of Term 3 and 4 to make any changes and to work on feedback, while it is also expected that the feedback being provided in an ongoing manner in SEQTA is also being accessed throughout the whole year. SEQTA feedback includes ongoing suggestions for concerns to be addressed or changes made and is intended to ensure that there are no surprises for parents when Semester One reports are received. Information about how to book interviews will be emailed to parents closer to the date.

Dr Liz Criddle

Deputy Head of Secondary

SEQTA – what to expect and some guidelines

April 9, 2018
Dear Parents and Guardians,
 
SEQTA is an amazing tool for schools and I would encourage both students and parents to check it regularly.
 
Please note that SEQTA is a resource to supplement teaching NOT an online substitute for the relationship between a teacher and student. Your child spends 320 minutes a day in personal contact with their teachers – and your child has every opportunity to receive help, ask questions and take ownership of their work. I would encourage parents to  grow the independence of their children rather than to expect SEQTA to be the prime source of information.
SEQTA is a great insight for parents – but again, the conversations that are then initiated between parents, teacher and student are of the most value.
 
I would encourage parents and students and ensure that the are aware of the documents attached to each course: course outlines, assessment schedules and other resources are available in SEQTA for reference, saving or printing at any time
 
Teachers will on occasion deviate from their teaching plan because students may require extra time for understanding and consolidation. That is part of good teaching and might disrupt a plan previously put in place.  We all know that parents and teachers constantly adapt as the needs of children evolve. Individual teachers will decide the format or formats  for the submission of work – sometime these may be in hard copy, sometimes they might be uploaded SEQTA, emailed or handed in on USB. This will depend on the nature of the task and the format the teacher feels is best. Teachers are striving to meet the expectations below. The expectations below are our target and while many staff will go beyond these, staff are not expected to. 
 
Cover Page
The purpose of the cover page is to contain an overview of the course. It should be an easy reference for information about the entire year of work.
It contains a copy (or a link) to the assessment schedule, program and syllabus.
 
Assessments
  • The assessment schedule should be developed at the start of the year. Lower school students are to have the entire semester of assessments visible to parents and students. Year 11 and 12 are to have the entire year’s assessments visible 
  • Assessment titles should include the weighting and clear labels that are succinct.
  • Task sheet/assessment description and marking guide/rubric are to be added at an appropriate time.
  • Marks for summative assessments should be made visible, within three weeks of the assessment being finalised.
  • If there is more than one class, all marks are to be made visible at the same time.
  • Exam marks are to be released at the end of the exam period.
  • Formative assessments can be visible with a weighting of zero.
  • Assessment feedback will be placed in the Marks Book on a regular basis.
 
(Lesson) Planning
Students, parents/carers and other staff should be able to see what has been planned on a week-by-week basis (as a minimum). Clarity in lesson naming is essential.
Lesson Resources
It should be clear where students can access resources and links. Students may be required to enter homework themselves on occasion.
 
Documents Section
This is used to store documents that parents/carers might need to access at any point of the year.
Documents include anything from a Parent Information Night slide show, Curriculum Handbooks, and the Assessment Policy.
 
Bennet Andrews
Deputy Head of Secondary (Care)

Bon Voyage

April 7, 2018

Anticipation is high for some of our Year 10 students who are preparing to travel to South Africa in just one day! Students will work in schools and orphanages as part of the St Stephen’s Global South Africa Service Tour, recently taking part in a Bunnings training workshop to prepare. This amazing opportunity will see them immersed in South African culture while working to improve the lives of underprivileged children.

Follow the Tour on their blog: https://bit.ly/2q8Y24e

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9

 

UMAT & Undergraduate Pathways into Medicine Information Sessio

March 26, 2018

An invaluable event recommended to students considering a career in Medicine or Dentistry, and especially for those who already know that they will be sitting the UMAT.

Don’t miss out! Admission is FREE

Click HERE to register and secure your spot

DATE AND TIME

Friday, 20 April 2018   /   6:00pm – 7:30pm

LOCATION

Canning Vale College    |   26 Dumbarton Rd   |    Canning Vale WA 6155

ORGANISER

The National Institute of Education

Sarah Cooke

Careers Advisor/Teacher