We are excited to welcome our Year 7 students and their families to our College. Welcome, too, to all new students and families across Years 8 to 11. Last week, these students embarked on their St Patrick’s College journey towards becoming independent and resilient lifelong learners.

For our new students and families, this article outlines some of the high school vocabulary that you will come across in your early days at the College as students begin their academic program.

KLA Coordinators – Subject Coordinators oversee specialist courses and subject teachers within a key learning area.  In primary school, students will probably have been taught in a single classroom with only a few teachers. In secondary school, students are enrolled in classes for different subjects. 

Classes are overseen by KLA Coordinators. The 2021 KLA Coordinators are:
Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) – Mrs Tarna Tannous
English – Mrs Ann Treanor
Human Society and its Environment (HSIE) – Mr Nathan East
Learning Enhancement – Mrs Eileen Kelly
Languages other than English (LOTE) – Mr Julian Nash
Mathematics – Mr Stuart Lord
Religious Education – Mrs Louise East
Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) – Ms Kelly Wallin
Science – Ms Kate Lefever
Technological and Applied Studies – Mrs Dale Reader
Vocational Education and Training (VET) – Mrs Maree Durrington.

Class codes identify the class that a student is assigned to. When logging into the Parent or Student Portal and on printed timetables, students see class codes corresponding to courses they are enrolled in. Year 7 students are enrolled in the following courses:

If you require assistance accessing the Parent Portal, please email Mr Combes, our eLearning Coordinator (eLearning@saintpatricks.nsw.edu.au).

Semester and Term – The academic year is divided into two Semesters and four Terms. For Years 7 to 11:

• Semester One includes Term One and Term Two - 28 January – 25 June 2021
• Semester Two includes Term Three and Term Four – 12 July – 7 December 2021.

NESA - The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) is an independent statutory authority reporting to an independent Board and the NSW Minister for Education. NESA mandates the NSW curriculum through syllabus documents and assessment requirements. NESA also oversees teacher and school accreditations.

Learning Stages – NESA divides the NSW curriculum into six stages of learning. Stage 1-3 includes Kindergarten to Year 6. In secondary school, Stage 4 includes courses taught in Year 7 and Year 8; Stage 5 includes Years 9 – 10 courses and Stage 6 includes Years 11 – 12 courses.

Assessment
Assessment is the broad name for the collection and evaluation of evidence of a student’s learning. A range of formal and informal assessment strategies provides information about student’s progress. This information informs teaching practice, enables teachers to make judgements on student achievement and supports students in monitoring and reflecting on their learning. Further information is provided in the Assessment Handbooks available later this term and key dates are listed in the Assessment Calendars on the College website.

Academic Reports are formal documents that communicate student achievement. In Years 7 to 10, students receive two full Semester reports at the end of each Semester and two Progress Reports - one towards the end of Term One and a second towards the end of Term Three.

If parents, carers or students have any questions regarding Learning and Teaching at St Patrick’s College, please contact me at the College via phone or email  dbourne@saintpatricks.nsw.edu.au.

Debra Bourne - Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching