Our Academic Care Creates Academic Achievements
VCE Results
It is wonderful to see our St Catherine’s campus filled once again with students as they return for the commencement of 2023.
It is with pride that our school celebrates once again some extraordinary VCE results. I must congratulate the class of 2022, with a median Study Score of 37 once again, a median ATAR of 92.5, and 33.16% of all Study Scores above 40. These results once again rank our school as the number one girls school in Victoria, for a second consecutive year for our median study score.
Furthermore, 36% of our Year 12 Cohort achieved an ATAR of 95 or above placing them in the top 5% of the state. Fifty-five percent of our Cohort achieved an ATAR of 90 or above, placing well over half our Year 12 students in the top 10% of the state.
Our Class of 2022 has shown great resilience and determination over the last three years and during the COVID pandemic which resulted in 263 days of lockdown. As a school we are so proud of our VCE Academic Care, centered around high levels of personalised support for students and the outstanding expertise of all our teachers.
Senior Years Learning Model
St Catherine’s is always looking at ways to implement teaching and learning initiatives that produce optimum student outcomes and 2023 is no exception.
We are now in the third year of our Senior Years Learning Model and our Independent Learning Tutorials in Years 10 and 11. These Masterclasses have provided our senior students with a learning approach that offers independence, flexibility, and agency.
The blended learning model of synchronous and asynchronous classes has gone from strength to strength as we have improved the delivery based on student and teacher feedback. The evidence we have gathered from our surveys shows clearly that students are highly engaged with the Masterclasses and appreciate the independent learning approach where they have more choice. Students are stepping into some of what is expected of them in their tertiary studies and careers.
Academic Advisory Years 7 to 12
Learn, Apply, Review
The Academic Advisory Program for 2023 is a new program written for St Catherine’s by Miss Kristy Forrest, Head of Professional Practice, and me. It aligns with our Teaching and Learning Framework, the character dispositions and learning continuum.
Academic Advisory Sessions introduce all students to specific learning and study strategies and skills. These sessions provide them with an opportunity to apply a strategy and then reflect and review their approach linked to explicit success criteria.
The sessions run every Tuesday for 20 minutes and are delivered in three-week modules by House Tutors, supported by Heads of Year and the Directors of Middle and Senior Years.
The Program has been written to align with student efficacy and agency in learning through a series of strategies, self-checking routines and explicit success criteria in every module.
At St Catherine’s our aim is to develop in every learner the capacity to clearly understand the key skills required for their study, learning, revision, and examination performance. Importantly, learning how to apply these strategies to achieve academically and review the strategies as they journey through their education at St Catherine’s.
I am excited about the possibilities of this Program which is at the forefront of student learning, informed by the latest research and pedagogies.
I take this opportunity to thank the St Catherine’s community for their continued support of the academic journey and achievements at our school as we work in partnership with families to ensure all our students excel in their academic goals.
