From the Senior Years
As Term 3 draws to a close, it is an important time for reflection and celebration of the many achievements and experiences of our Senior Years students in Years 11-12. For many, it is a time of celebration that the final round of school-based coursework in Units 3-4 subjects have been completed.
This is an important milestone for our cohort. It is a marking of time – a recognition that the academic year has moved into a new phase focused on preparations for the external examinations. It may well be experienced as an opportunity to breath – to take in new air – and to take stock of all of the learning and maturity that has been gained across the year. Much has been learned, not only Study Design content knowledge and refinement of specific academic skills, but more broadly on the maturation that comes with the realisation that students have the strength, resources and focus to take on the next phase of their learning with independence and buoyancy. I encourage Senior Years students to celebrate their final SACs – do something fun, reward themselves in whatever way they enjoy. They’ve earned it.
Academic buoyancy is a relatively new concept in educational psychology and research. The concept refers to students’ ability to successfully navigate and adapt to the challenges and setbacks that come with learning anything new. This concept is synonymous with resilience, a popular focus of research in the 1990s; however, it speaks more specifically to the way in which students can actively cultivate optimism that leads to persistence. Crucially, it is not a static amount, rather it is a learned skill and practice. In the past week, teachers have commented that they have seen a noted shift in Senior Years students. They are describing hallmarks of buoyancy: persistence, determination and application, and a maturity in their thinking that better academic outcomes are the result of combining effective learning habits with regulating their emotions and cultivating strong working relationships with teachers, peers and those around them.
Another significant ‘marker of time’ in the College year was the recent Mercy Day celebrations last week. This is the feast of Our Lady of Mercy and highlights the Mercy charism's impact in schools. Rooted in the legacy of Catherine McAuley and the corporal and spiritual works of the Sisters of Mercy, the charism emphasizes compassion, service, and social justice. Mercy Day serves as a reminder of these core values, inspiring students and staff to embody mercy in their daily interactions.
Central to Mercy Day is the symbolic passing of leadership from Year 12 Prefects 2024 to newly appointed Year 12 Prefects for the Class of 2025. I congratulate all those appointed to a range of leadership positions for next year and know that they will all serve the St Aloysius College community and live out the Mercy values, inspired by the terrific example set by the Class of 2024 who have been model leaders this year.
Tom Crowle
Senior Levels Leader
State Library Excursion
The Year 11 Modern History class went to the State Library of Victoria on Tuesday, 10 September, to investigate the resources available for their historical inquiry projects.
Students are researching a wide range of topics, from The Troubles to the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War. Each student found several resources that will prove valuable to their inquiry.
Several said they would be going back to the SLV on the school holidays to continue their work, and all are now signed up with free access accounts to utilise the online texts available through the SLV website.
Elisa Litvin
Curriculum Documentation and Reporting Leader