From Year 7
As our Year 7 students move further into Term 3, there has been a noticeable shift from simply settling into secondary school to developing the skills, independence and learning habits that will support them throughout their secondary education.
Over the past few weeks, all Year 7 students participated in a Coaching lesson focused on How We Learn - Memory. Students explored how the brain processes, stores and retrieves information, considering the role of the five senses, working memory and long-term memory. Most importantly, they looked at practical strategies they can use to help information move from something they encounter in a lesson to learning they can understand, remember and retrieve later.
Students then put this knowledge into practice by experimenting with different approaches to note-taking and revision. They created concept maps to visually connect ideas and explored the Cornell note-taking method, which provides a structured way to organise information, identify key concepts, ask questions and summarise learning. Students were encouraged to choose topics from their current subjects so that these strategies could immediately be applied to their own learning.
Learning how to learn is an important part of the Year 7 experience. At this point in the year, students are familiar with their teachers, timetables and the routines of secondary school, and our expectations around independence are naturally increasing. We are encouraging students to use their school diary effectively, check SEQTA regularly, arrive prepared for lessons, manage assessment deadlines and seek assistance when they need it. These may seem like small habits, but developing them now provides an important foundation for the increasingly complex academic demands of secondary school.
This week, Year 7 students will also participate in Reflection Day on Thursday 20 August, providing an opportunity to step away from their regular classroom routines and spend time considering relationships, personal growth, community and the values that underpin life at St Aloysius College.
It is rewarding to see how much our Year 7 students have developed since they first arrived at the College. The nervousness of those early weeks has increasingly been replaced by familiarity, stronger friendships, greater confidence and a growing sense of belonging. As we move through the second half of the year, our focus is on helping students take the next step: becoming increasingly responsible for their choices, their organisation and their learning, while knowing that support is always available when they need it.
Patrice McBean
Year 7 and Transitions Leader