Throughout 2024 so far, staff at our great Notre Dame College have continued to do a magnificent job, delivering powerful guidance (both educational and wellbeing) to our students and supporting each other and the parents in our community.
In this time of severe teacher shortage, we need to remind all of the great work staff at Notre Dame College are doing and the importance of having such competent and caring staff working at our College.
I ask you all to recognise the extraordinary efforts staff at Notre Dame are going to in order to support our whole community with both their personal, professional and academic growth.
It is truly inspiring to witness.
Through the early part of Term 3, students and parents were involved in sessions that supported students to select their subjects for the 2025 school year at the Years 10, 11 and 12 levels.
The sessions were an opportunity for staff to talk about the type of subjects that are available, pre-requisites needed for tertiary studies, differences between VCE and VCE/VM (formerly known as VCAL), what factors students (and parents) should consider when making subject choices for the following year, study commitments for the following year and obviously a time when staff could answer whatever questions were raised by students and parents.
I thank all parents who were involved in these sessions, as this obviously helps support your children in making the right decisions re study programs for the following year.
Research has shown that students experience the greatest success with their schooling and beyond when education is an unbreakable partnership between the school (staff), parents and children - that is when parents share their children’s schooling journey with them, supporting them, encouraging them and helping them through any hurdles that arise.
Students undertaking Unit 3 and Unit 4 (VCE) are entering their final stages of coursework.
Term 4 essentially is revision, practice exams and then final assessments.
If any parents wish to make contact with teachers for students involved in Units 3 and 4 to discuss current progress and look at the direction regarding revision and study that is required over the next 8-10 weeks please contact the teachers and the school immediately rather than wait too long.
Obviously actual class work will be finishing up in all units by late Term 3 and then students need to dedicate themselves to revising their work, attempting many past papers (which I believe is the secret to success in VCE) and regularly catching up with their teachers and friends to discuss their work, revision, things they don’t understand or just to get some topics/themes re-explained.
It will be busy over the next 2-3 months but the rewards of hard work over this time will fantastic if you are prepared to do the “hard yards”.
I wish students preparing for final Unit 3 and 4 exams all the best regarding their preparation, the actual exams and then their final grades.
As excited as students and parents are when results come out in December, I can guarantee all students that Notre Dame College, the staff and myself are just as excited in receiving your results and seeing the fruits of our labour recognised.
My thoughts, best wishes and prayers are with you all as you prepare for final exams over the next 3 months.
John Cortese
Principal