Heard on the Hill Term 2, Week 2
From the Principal
Bonjour à tous, and Wanju
Term 2 can often feel stressful for us and the students. With Semester 1 exams and reporting right around the corner increasing pressure to meet deadlines can build. I urge you to take some time to layout the term ahead, the milestones that you need to hit along the way and give yourself plenty of opportunities to get these tasks done. It would be prudent to do this same task with your students.
With the lifting of union directives this week, I’m sure you will be eager to get back to collaborative planning and working with your colleagues. I imagine that learning area meetings will start this week. It is a good time to work with your learning area leaders to do the same for your team schedule.
This is also the time to build the foundation of high achievement that Bunbury SHS is known for. I was reminded by a staff member just recently of the 5 “P”s: Prior preparation prevents poor performance. While it is a colloquial phrase its words ring true. Use your colleagues, use your leaders and ask the students what they need to support them achieving their full potential.
We believe that all students can progress and succeed and some students, sometimes, need more than others. Sometimes this is not always the students that you may think of naturally. Be on the look out to help all students succeed.
En Avant
Nuts and Bolts
Well with all things COVID, no sooner had I sent out the link to the operating guidelines for Term 2, they changed. If you haven’t seen them already, you can find the new operating guidelines for Term 2 at this link.
Also the latest update can be found here.
STAFF BOARD POSITION
We are looking for a staff member interested in engaging at a whole school level to fill a vacant position on the school board. Please reply to Mike Sinagra by return email as soon as possible.
SFLL - ICT Capability
In the Western Australian Curriculum, students develop ICT capability as they learn to use ICT effectively and appropriately to access, create and communicate information and ideas, solve problems and work collaboratively in all learning areas at school, and in their lives beyond school. Students develop capability in using ICT for tasks associated with information access and management, information creation and presentation, problem solving, decision making, communication, creative expression, and empirical reasoning. This includes conducting research, creating multimedia information products, analysing data, designing solutions to problems, controlling processes and devices, and supporting computation while working independently and in collaboration with others.
Learning areas provide the content and contexts within which students develop and apply the knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions that comprise ICT capability.
The ICT capability learning continuum is organised into five interrelated elements:
Applying social and ethical protocols and practices when using ICT
Students:
• recognise intellectual property
• apply digital information security practices
• apply personal security protocols
• identify the impacts of ICT in society.
Investigating with ICT
Students:
• define and plan information searches
• locate, generate and access data and information
• select and evaluate data and information.
Creating with ICT
Students:
• generate ideas, plans and processes
• generate solutions to challenges and learning area tasks.
Communicating with ICT
Students:
• collaborate, share and exchange
• understand computer mediated communications.
Managing and operating ICT
Students:
• select and use hardware and software
• understand ICT systems
• manage digital data.
Reflection Challenge
How do you use ICTs in the context of your teaching?
Are you providing opportunities for students to engage with current technologies and build their capacity around their use and management of these ICTs?
Do you need some training around ICTs yourself, in order to better utilise these and assist students more effectively in their own usage?
Technology is evolving at an incredible pace. We need to prepare our students for the use of these technologies in the world of work. If you want to purchase some equipment or software that will enhance our students’ understanding of these new technologies, please speak to your line manager about how to apply for funding via our Finance Committee. You must be able to explain how the ICTs will be used to enhance the learning for students – see the Application for Funding attached to this article.
Classroom Observations
We know that teachers grow their professional practice and generate improved student outcomes when they teach in a school where there are clear expectations of the teachers in terms of the quality of their practice; where teachers receive feedback about their classroom performance based on evidence; and where there is professional support available in those areas of teacher need. As part of this support, at the SDD last week saw Cathy Watson provide a wonderful and engaging refresher to teachers on the Shared Instructional Framework with some clear CMS on display as well. Further whole school refreshers will occur throughout the year.
All teachers are required to participate in classroom observations once per semester. This is indicated in our PM process and there is a mechanism in our PM booklet acknowledging that teachers have participated in classroom observations. Note: there is no requirement to share what has been the agreed to focus of the classroom observation to any person other than the person observing you. In the PM booklet there are two options for classroom observations:
- By the line manager
- By a peer
Reference to ‘by a peer’ can be:
- Peer Teachers; within your LA or outside the LA
- Coffee Club Members
- Video Recordings; where teachers consent to the making of a classroom observation video they should specify the purpose for which the video is to be used. The video should be destroyed once it has served that purpose.
- EA’s
- Admin Team (unless as Line Manager).
Last year I have been invited to conduct classroom observations for teachers. We sat together to determine the goal of the observation, and what data is to be collected, then had a debrief. On two occasions I only visited the class for no longer than 15 minutes as the focus on my observation was one specific aspect of the lesson.
The Coffee Club will still be an integral mechanism to encourage staff to participate in classroom observations through peer support. This is another supportive environment within this school for staff to be involved.
The Term of Tests
Term 2 is a busy term in the sense we have Yr12 EST, NAPLAN and senior school examinations. The examination timetable has been shown to PCs for feedback and will be distributed to students very soon. Examinations requiring editing/typing should be presented to the Front Office asap with photocopying starting next Wednesday for all examinations.
Welcome to our only new staff member this Term Maria Rooney!
Here is a small bio about Maria to get to know her a bit better. If you see her around school, please make her feel welcome.
I was in Business Administration for 10 years before deciding to put my original degree and teaching skills to use. I started at Dalyellup Primary, before moving to Dalyellup College and now I have joined an awesome team at BSHS.
I love spending time outdoors. I enjoy playing tennis. I also enjoy camping and exploring the coast on SUP. I have two little girls that keep me busy and we like to get messy baking and decorating cakes (and eating them!).
Every time when I feel like I am failing, I come across a student that puts a smile back on my face and makes me believe I am doing a good job.
BUNBURY SHS INSTAGRAM
BUNBURY SHS FACEBOOK
Something interesting happening in or around your classroom? Having an incursion or excursion this term? Please let me know!
We love to share updates from the school with our community and would like representation from each area of our wonderful school; no matter how big or small.
Please submit stories for our Facebook page via the wufoo link below and include as much information as you can, plus a few images to accompany the article. If you are having trouble with the wufoo form, you can email the information to me directly.(ellie.mackay@education.wa.edu.au)
Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and check out what our students and staff get up to.
What’s OnTerm 2, Week 2
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Mike's Week
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