From the Senior Years

Senior Students in Years 11 and 12 have returned to Term 2 in the full knowledge that it is an important phase of the year.

Term 2 brings with it the anticipation and expectations of performance on a range of assessment tasks and mid-year examinations. It is a time when learning comes to fruition and students demonstrate their understanding and mastery of both content and skills as their Unit 1 and Unit 3 courses come to conclusion at the end of the semester.

Moreover, it is a time when preparation and the study habits and routines built up over the course of Term 1, and over the course of students’ time at the College, are important factors in their success and wellbeing.

As part of this, it is important to recognise and value the place of VCE Study Periods as a key piece of Senior students’ timetable. These are important scheduled times for students to plan their time and use it to support their learning. It has been commendable to see students working productively in the DTIC and hear from VCE teachers about the way in which some of their students have demonstrated exemplary study habits and routines. This is something that all VCE students would want to consider as an important part of their time at the College.

One powerful strategy that has a significant impact on their learning is engaging with their VCE teachers. They are experienced professionals with years expertise and knowledge of their subject discipline who are here to support all students’ learning. A key use of Study Periods would be engaging with students at these times if possible. Using Study Periods to ask questions, seek clarification on practice exam questions and revise content with teachers who have years of experience and a motivation and desire to help their students to achieve their full potential.

Further to this focus on study habits and routines, Year 11 students will have a series of workshops over the coming weeks from Elevate Education that specifically target exam study habits and support for students to develop time management as part of the Nourish Wellbeing program in the coming weeks. These are well-regarded across a range of schools and support students, as they hear from high-performing recent VCE graduates about the strategies they used to attain VCE success. This adds another voice and perspective to the overall VCE experience for St Aloysius students to consider how they might continue to improve.

Tom Crowle
Senior Years Leader