Control the Controllables

At our sector assembly this week, I continued my discussion of our Senior Year Success Qualities, particularly perseverance. Students in the Senior Years made a meritorious start to the year in their organisation, presentation and appearance, and their application in their classes. However, as we enter the final three weeks of Term 1, I took the opportunity to remind students that these high standards must continue until the end of term. Specifically, I discussed the importance of controlling the controllables. By this, I mean that students should be doing whatever it is within their control to maintain high standards. Such actions include:

• Arriving at school ready for the day ahead
• Completing set homework
• Arriving at class on time with all required materials
• Ensuring laptops are charged overnight
• Having a growth mindset in class
• Not disrupting the learning of classmates
• Treating all members of the College community with respect
• Going to the toilet and getting a drink before class
• Not packing up books and materials until instructed to do so by the teacher

Drafting

Drafting is a process through which students develop proficient understanding and skills for competent academic writing in extended written assessment instruments and is also used to verify the authenticity of students’ work. The College has recently revised our drafting processes to ensure that we have a stronger focus on providing feedback that students can then apply to their own work. All students have been emailed a document explaining the new drafting guidelines. The document is also available on all Canvas courses and the College website. Some of the key points from the guidelines include:

• Students in Years 7 to 12 will be provided with the opportunity to submit one draft per assessment instrument.
• In some subjects, progress checks and not a whole draft, are used to validate authenticity.
• Students are to submit drafts on the due date as stated by the class teacher by 3.30pm.
• Drafts are to be submitted through Turnitin via the Canvas LMS.
• The College has an edit line policy in place whereby the teacher will indicate any errors and comment on areas in need of improvement (Edit Feedback) in a particular section of the draft (as nominated by the student). General feedback will be provided on the remainder of the draft outside of the editing section.
• In Year 7, students will have 100% of their drafts edited by their teachers in Terms 1, 2 and 3. In Term 4, they will have a 50% edit line plus general feedback for all drafts.
• In Year 8, students will have 100% of their drafts edited by their teachers in Term 1. In Terms 2, 3 and 4, they will have a 50% edit line plus general feedback for all drafts.
• In Year 9, in all four Terms, students will have a 50% edit line plus general feedback for all drafts.
• In Years 10-11, students will have a 30% edit line plus general feedback for all drafts.
• In Year 12, for Terms 1 and 2, students will receive general feedback for one draft, with a focus on teacher/student conferencing. In Term 3, students will complete their final task independently.
• General feedback will be shared to the entire class and may not appear on your draft.

QCS Intensive Training

Our OP eligible students participated in an QCS Test intensive training this week with Matthew Rigby from Go Grammar Consulting. Mr Rigby has extensive experience with the QCS Test and has worked with many Year 12 students across the country. The training this week specifically focused on achieving success in the Short Response Test. Mr Rigby was able to squeeze a large amount into the full day of activities. We look forward to his return later in the year for a refresher course.

Matt Hodge

Assistant Principal Senior Years