Your welfare, happiness and wellbeing are our main concerns. The School has many programs such as Peer Support to help you settle into high school. For some students entry into high school is difficult. Everything is large, distant, noisy and changing. If you are unsure where to go or what to do, ask someone.
Who can help? Your Year Advisers who you will see regularly.
The main role of the Student Adviser is to identify the needs of and provide support to individual students. Year Advisers strive to resolve student difficulties and to ensure the most appropriate outcomes for the students. They encourage students to participate in a range of activities and develop their leadership skills.
Each student will have contact with their Student Adviser once a fortnight in the Pastoral Care Tutorial Program where students deal with such topics as conflict resolution, friendship and communication skills, leadership skills, drug education, anti bullying strategies, coping and problem solving skills and increasing self esteem.
The Student Advisers also organise a camp for their students and special performances and programs throughout the year.
Student Advisers are available for both parents and students if there is a Welfare concern. Where possible the Student Advisers will remain with their students during Year 7 to Year 10 providing continuity for students.
Choice Theory Reality Therapy
At GRC – Penshurst Girls Campus our school’s underlying philosophy in developing a quality school is based on William Glasser’s Choice Theory, Reality Therapy (CTRT). All staff have been trained in CTRT. Staff help students make better decisions about their behaviour. Our school environment encourages self-evaluation and self-responsibility and the achievement of quality work and quality relationships.
Staff supporting your daughter in her learning
• Eight specialist Head Teachers who develop the school curriculum
• Head Teacher Welfare
• Year Advisers for each Year 7 to 10
• Careers adviser
• Support Teacher Learning Difficulty
• School Counsellor
• SRC Teacher leader
• Librarian and the Library homework centre
• All staff trained in accredited counselling techniques from the Australian William Glasser Institute (CTRT)
Homework Centre
The Library Homework Centre is a valuable resource which is open to students on Monday and Tuesday afternoons in the library between 3.10pm and 4.10pm. Students are able to use all the library facilities at this time include access to the internet as well as have the assistance of one of our teachers from school.
HOMEWORK
The homework policy was developed after parent, student and teacher consultation.
Rationale
Homework is a purposeful learning experience, designed to:
• develop independent learning skills by building on what students know and preparing them for the next stage of learning
• develop good work habits and time management skills through the acceptance of personal responsibility for one’s own learning
• support students as they learn by enhancing the home school partnership
• assess student progress in specific areas and skills
• encourage reading for pleasure
Homework includes:
• short term tasks which could include completion, consolidation, revision, extension or the previewing of new work as set
• research/assignments which are set over a longer period, designed to develop research and time management skills and a passion for self directed learning
• study, summarising or review of class work
• reading (eg. For the Premier’s Reading Challenge)
Suggested homework times (hours per night Monday – Thursday and weekends – holidays excluded): Year 7 1 hour (approximately)
Year 8 1 – 1 ½ hours
Year 9 1 ½ - 2 hours
Year 10 1 ½ - 2 hours
Expectations
All assessment and reporting will be outcomes based:
• Teachers will give students the criteria and outcomes to be assessed for each task, and provide information as to the purpose of the task, the time needed for an average student to complete the task, format and length and marking criteria. A due date will also be stated in order to enable students to plan their work requirements. Teacher/student negotiation on assessment tasks is always encouraged.
• Students are encouraged to negotiate due dates with their teacher, where possible when a task is set, in an endeavour to spread the workload more evenly.
• Parents are encouraged to provide a quiet space and a desk where their daughter can work uninterrupted and leave their books without interfering with family routine.
Penalties for Late Work
This policy is designed to ensure fairness for ALL students.
Years 7 and 8.
A penalty of 10% of the marks available for each day late will be imposed for late work, for a maximum of five days. Weekends will count as one day eg. a task is handed in 5 days late. The task is marked on its merits and gains 90/100. The penalty for late submission is (5 x 10%) 50% of the student’s marks. The student’s final mark is 45/100.
Years 9 and 10.
A penalty of 20% of the marks available for each day late will be imposed for late work, for a maximum of three days. Weekends will count as one day eg. a task is handed in three days late. The task is marked on its merits and gains 80/100. The penalty for late submission is (3 x 20%) 60% of the student’s marks. The student’s final mark is 48/100.
This does not apply to Year 10 School Certificate Assessment Tasks. Students and parents should refer to the Year 10 Assessment Guide booklet for this information.
The following applies to all Years:
• Late assignments will be accepted under exceptional circumstances if accompanied by a note from the Caregiver and some evidence of having commenced the work is shown.
• A medical certificate should be supplied if the late work is a result of illness.
• Persistent incomplete homework or assignments will result in parents being notified.
• In the week prior to major examinations, teachers will attempt to limit homework to related revision.
This policy will be issued to students each year by Student Advisers. Penalties for Year 7 will not apply until Term 2.
Managing time effectively
• Do not leave big tasks to the night before. If you are unable to submit work by the due date, see your teacher beforehand with a verbal or written explanation.
• Students who feel they have been unfairly treated with a late work issue, should see the Head Teacher for a review of their situation.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined as the copying of other people’s work and using it as your own without acknowledgement.
Examples of plagiarism can include:
• copying from books, magazines and newspapers
• copying text, pictures, music and programs from the internet
• copying of other students’ work
If found plagiarising a student will receive zero marks for their work.
Assignments using the computer
Students have access to computer technology at school and are expected to manage the use of these resources to ensure that assignments are handed in on time.
• Always have your files clearly labelled with your name. A lost disk is not an excuse for being unable to hand in an assignment.
• If the assignment requires a disk to be submitted, then the files must be clearly labelled and easy to find.
• All assignments should be spellchecked and proofread.
• A backup copy of your work should always be kept.
• Students unable to print their work should talk to their teacher about handing the work in on disk.
Excuses such as:
• viruses
• hardware or software failure (at school or home)
• incompatibility of software versions (eg. between home and school)
will not be accepted for failure to submit an assignment on time.
Why our Tutorial Program sets us apart from any other school
Our welfare program is part of our school curriculum and is taught to our students by their Year Adviser once a cycle.
The program supports our learning and helps students with:
• Organisation
• Study skills
• Anti bullying/Anti racism
• Friendship issues
• Self esteem
• Valuing our differences
• Drug issues
• Career paths
• Self defence
• Eating disorders
• Mental illness
Good discipline supports effective learning
Every student is responsible for her behaviour.
Students are expected not to disrupt the learning of others
Penshurst students are expected to obey the School Discipline Code and wear their uniform with pride. They should:
• Contribute to their own learning
• Strive for excellence
• Care for the school and the school environment
• Avoid causing injury and damage to other people and their property
• Treat people with respect and value our multicultural differences
• Bring credit to themselves and the school community
Specialist Welfare Programs for Developing Young Women
Other specialist programs to support the welfare of your daughter include:
• ANTI Bullying program supported by Year 10 Peer Mediators
• Peer Support
• The Resourceful Adolescent Program ( RAP) teaching students how to bounce back
• Self Protection programs in all years
• Duke of Edinburgh
• Year 7 Partners in Learning program for students in Year 6 coming to our school