The aim of English at St Vincent’s College is to inspire a life-long love of reading, writing and communicating in our shared culture as engaged citizens.

Following the tradition of the Sisters of Charity, students graduating from St Vincent's College are highly confident, skilled and independent students of Mathematics, ready to use the knowledge and problem solving skills acquired through its study to serve their families and community in hope, justice and generosity.

Fostering the development of strong female scientists at school is essential to tackle the many challenges that our society faces. Genetic engineering, fuel and water shortages and climate change are amongst the many scientific issues that confront us daily in the media. These require a sound understanding of Science to better inform our evidence-based decisions.

Science also instills a sense of intrigue and triggers curiosity amongst many students. It is a fascinating, fast moving area. Science can answer many questions. Why do I see lightning before I hear thunder? What is there on the surface of Mars? What is the Universe made of? How hot will the Greenhouse world be?

Real World Experiences and Technology

At St Vincent’s College, students are offered a diverse range of scientific experiences within the classroom and in the field. They investigate explanations for the biological, physical and chemical world. Opportunities are provided to think critically and problem solve individually and in teams. Students use data probes, analyse data, plan investigations and draw valid conclusions. Opportunities, using oral and written methods as well as technology, are given to communicate their acquired knowledge.

Our central city location places stimulating learning venues within easy reach such as the Observatory, Australian and Maritime Museums, Sydney and New South Wales Universities and Sydney Harbour.

Our College is Catholic and the College community is committed to the gospel values of Jesus and charism of Mary Aikenhead Ministries. Knowledge of the world illumined by the light of faith is a basic principle of our College philosophy, as the motto states 'Scientia cum Religione' (Religion and Knowledge united).

Religious Studies strives to relate all learning to the Gospel of Jesus so that students develop sensitivity to each other, expressed in service and social justice. The worth and dignity of each person are recognised in the responsibility each has to one another.

The Religious Studies Department seeks to mentor students in their faith, providing opportunities for knowledge about the Christian story within the context of the Catholic tradition and the Religious Sisters of Charity.

Curriculum

This key learning area encompasses the subjects History, Geography, Commerce, Ancient History, Business Studies, Economics, Legal Studies, Modern History and Society and Culture across Years 7–12.

Stage 6 HSIE Electives

In Stage 6 the HSIE Department provides a choice of 8 electives:

Each of our subjects titles indicate the broad area of study yet each has its own specialities which appeal to students for their relevance to the contemporary and dynamic society in which they live. Therefore, it is not uncommon that a student may study a variety of our subjects consecutively.

The St Vincent’s HSIE teachers are passionate about their discipline. They relish the opportunities to engage the students in new and diverse teaching and learning practices which excite and challenge them to gain maximum benefit and enjoyment from these subjects.

Within the curriculum Design and Technology offers students experience of aspects of contemporary design practice. Programming strives to offer authentic design situations that require informed and realistic solutions. Each student is encouraged to reach her full potential in a safe but challenging environment. The Department has a commitment to the use of digital and graphic technologies in the communication of design ideas and solutions.

Technological and Applied Studies (TAS) Courses at St Vincent’s College:

• Stage 4 - Mandatory Technology to all students in Years 7 and 8
• Stage 5 - Design and Technology, Textiles Technology and Food Technology elective courses are offered in Years 9 and 10
• Stage 6 - Design and Technology and Textiles Technology are offered in Years 11 and 12.

In Stage 5 (Years 9 and 10) currently French and Italian are the elective courses offered from which students can choose from to further nurture their linguistic interests. Many students chose to continue their language studies during their senior years at St Vincent's College. French and Italian are currently offered as preliminary, HSC continuers courses.

• French K-10 Syllabus
• Italian K-10 Syllabus
• French Continuers Stage 6 Syllabus
• Italian Continuers Stage 6 Syllabus
  

Teaching and Learning

The teaching of languages focuses on the development of four macro skills: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. At St Vincent's, we endeavour to engage students in active language learning. We seek to create a dynamic classroom environment in which all student contributions and achievements are valued and celebrated. We take a communicative approach to language learning; from the outset, girls are encouraged to use the target language in realistic spoken and written contexts.

At St Vincent's College we are lucky to have a multitude of language-learning resources available to staff and Students. Technology is an integral part of teaching and learning at the College, and the languages classroom environment is enriched by the use of a range of digital media. Students of languages across all years are exposed to interactive computer programs and online activities, developing a variety of authentic learning strategies and using the language in realistic scenarios.

All students of languages are encouraged and supported to reach their full potential. We endeavour to extend gifted linguists and those with significant prior knowledge of the languages offered by providing extension materials, including independent project-based use of technology.

Students at St Vincent's College also have the opportunity to engage in language learning across the curriculum and becoming “leaders” in Languages. For example, students in years 9 to 11 have the opportunity to become Language Ambassadors, and promote the importance of multi-lingualism as global citizens.

Why study languages?

While studying French or Italian at St Vincent's College not only do you learn to communicate in a foreign language, but you can also learn how languages work. Learning a language opens the path towards new ways of thinking and gives you different insights into your own culture and language. By speaking another language you may even discover new sides of your personality!

At St Vincent's College, we hope to inspire lifelong learners with a passion for languages. Many students continue their language studies beyond their school years, as many universities are offering an increasing number of courses requiring one year's overseas study in a foreign language. Language skills are a valuable asset in many career paths.

Weblinks & Apps - online resources

The internet brings authentic Language Learning to your fingertips - read the headlines in French or look up the weather in Rome! It is also a great tool for independent study. Many websites offer self-correcting interactive activities. We have used the following websites in class and encourage students to practice and explore at home:

• www.languagesonline.org.uk: Click on the specific language to the left of the screen
• www.education.vic.gov.au/languagesonline/ Great resource for Year 7-10 for building initial vocabulary and grammar
• www.quia.com/shared: Over 2000 exercises for all languages = try one a day!
• www.kerboodle.com: A comprehensive senior languages online learning resource that we currently use for senior classes in German and French. You are able to trial this for 30 days free.
• www.languageperfect.com: An amazing vocabulary learning tool that hooks students into expanding their vocabulary skills in not only their language of study but all available languages on offer. Well worth a look.

Apps:

• duolingo
• babbel

Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) at St Vincent’s College is concerned with the development of the whole person and to provide all girls with the skills and knowledge to deal with the myriad of challenges faced by young people in a rapidly changing society. PDHPE aims to assist students to make informed decisions about their lifestyles, taking into account the values of the family, culture and religion to which they may belong.

The PDHPE Faculty provides the students of St Vincent's College a program of study from year seven to year twelve. Subject currently offered are:

The Performing Arts at St Vincent’s College, including Dance, Drama and Music, are offered as classroom and co-curricular subjects. The College offers opportunities for students to participate in a number of Ensembles such as Choir, Orchestra, Rock Bands, Dance Ensembles, Theatre Sports and the Shakespeare Carnival as well as the College Production.

Performing Arts students attend excursions and incursions such as Encore, Meet the Music, Open Rehearsal at the Opera House, Onstage and Callback.

Recent highlights include productions of The Wizard of Oz, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Venetian Twins, God a Play, Dusty, The Grinch, Narnia and Alice in Wonderland. Students perform at college community events such as Godparents and Grandparents Day, Spring Fair and Carols by Candlelight, as well as Performing Arts events such as Dance Night, the Wine and Cheese Music Night, Design Create Perform, the Performing Arts Awards Night, Snippets Film Festival, Musical Soirées and the Year 12 Drama Night.

Performing Arts students at the College have been nominated to perform at prestigious state-wide event such as Callback and Onstage.

The Performing Arts curriculum includes:

• Music stage 4
• Music stage 5
• Music stage 6
• Drama stage 5
• Drama stage 6
• Dance stage 5
• Dance stage 6

At St Vincent's College Visual Arts is considered as an academic discipline contributing to the complete education of the young person. The study of Visual Arts provides young women from urban and country backgrounds with opportunities to develop as confident, reflective and independent individuals.

Programming in the Visual Arts Department situates the rationale, aims, objectives and outcomes of the NSW Board of Studies Visual Arts Syllabuses within the particular Christian values expressed in the College’s Mission Statement. The pedagogical cycle of the Ignatian spirituality that underpins the Catholic ethos of the College presents us with a model of learning that moves through experience, reflection and action in a practice of education that is complementary to the aims of the syllabuses.

Art as a disciplined mode of learning is concerned with matters of quality, value and significance. Imaginative interpretations of the world and reasoned critical responses made by teachers and students foster a learning environment that is based on respect for others' points of view, shared experiences, and the individual's unique preferences. In this way the study of Visual Arts promotes a reflective sense of the self and an awareness of action underpinned by justice.

Visual Arts Courses at St Vincent’s College:

• Stage 4 - Mandatory Visual Arts is taught to all students in Years 7 and 8
• Stage 5 - Elective Visual Arts and Photographic and Digital Media are offered to students in Years 9 and 10
• Stage 6 - Visual Arts is offered to students in Years 11 and 12

All courses are structured around the teaching of conventions and techniques of making art and the exploration of materials in relation to topics and concepts that engage the student’s imagination. This firm grounding supports increasingly independent and skilful explorations of the power and pleasure of representation. Students are offered opportunities to experience the communication of ideas through the exhibition of their work. The practices of art criticism and art history assume increasing significance as students’ progress through Visual Arts courses. Their understanding of the values and beliefs which shape significance and meaning in artworks and art practice is supported by systematic teaching in the written forms through which knowledge and ideas about art are communicated.

The Visual Arts Department offers students skills and experiences in a range of forms including painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, photography, digital media and animation. The Visual Arts Department is privileged in the size of our rooms which allow for separate studio space for senior students and in our proximity to Sydney’s major art galleries.

The spirit of Ignatius is built on the belief that each person is created in the image of God. This calls us to respect the dignity and value of every individual. St Vincent’s College strives to create a caring community of students, parents and teachers with varied gifts and backgrounds. This is reflected in the ongoing commitment to assist each student to attain her full potential, including the commitment to support students with learning support needs and our gifted and talented learners.

At St Vincent’s College Diverse Learning is divided into two sections: Learning Support and Gifted Education. The Learning Support Team assists classroom teachers in meeting the needs of all students and works with these students in and outside the classroom environment. Gifted and Talented learners are recognised as students who have distinct learning requirements and the College endeavours to maximise their learning opportunities so these students are able to realise their potential.

The Diverse Learning program is offered at St Vincent’s College as a whole school approach and is guided by the: Sisters of Charity Values; Mary Aikenhead Educational Philosophy; Ignatian pedagogy; Board of Studies guidelines for Special Education; NSW Department of Education and Training Special Education Students Policy and NSW Department of Education and Training Gifted and Talented Students Policy.

Identification of Student Needs

St Vincent's will assess your daughter's learning needs by obtaining information from a variety of sources. For incoming Year 7 students, aptitude testing will take place in a group situation toward the end of Year 6 during the Year 7 Orientation Program. For all other new students, aptitude testing will take place at the College at a negotiated time after your daughter's enrolment has been accepted. Along with aptitude testing results, the following are used to help us to build a learner profile for your daughter: anecdotal evidence such as milestone achievement, formalised testing (perhaps by an educational psychologist), school based assessment, statewide testing (NAPLAN), screening tests, parent referral/nomination and interviews.

RESPONSE TO LEARNING NEEDS

The diversity of the student learning needs are met in many ways including intensive reading/maths groups, extension/co-curricula activities, a differentiated curriculum, in-class assistance, Disability Provisions for examinations, mentoring, counselling, emotional support, career assistance, profile meetings (parents, staff, external professionals), appropriate class placement, ongoing professional development of staff and referrals and links to outside organisations for assistance and enrichment.

Gifted and Talented Education

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF GIFTEDNESS

At St Vincent’s College, our understanding of the nature of giftedness is based on Françoys Gagné's Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent. The model recognises that people can possess a diverse range of gifts and that students require a supportive, nurturing environment to ensure that this potential can be realised through exceptional achievement. At St Vincent's College, the nurturing of these gifts in students is seen as central to the purpose of education and the development of well-rounded individuals. To facilitate this process St Vincent’s College employs a Gifted Education Coordinator who holds post graduate qualifications in Gifted Education.

As a part of the Diverse Learning Team, the Gifted Education Coordinator focuses on identifying and working with students who have gifted potential across intellectual, creative, perceptual and/or social domains or who display exceptional talent across a broad array of fields of endeavour. The coordinator works with staff and external consultants to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the nature and needs of gifted individuals and to encourage practical application of this knowledge across the curriculum and in the classroom.

MEETING THE NEEDS OF GIFTED STUDENTS

The learning needs of gifted students are quantitatively and qualitatively different from those of other students and thus require the implementation and maintenance of clustered groupings of students who participate in specialised teaching programs and pedagogies particularly suited to their specific academic and affective needs.

In addition to these understanding St Vincent’s College also recognises the importance of integrating gifted education strategies into all Key Learning Areas (KLAs) to ensure that the core curriculum is relevant and significant for gifted learners and will support them in developing their gifts on a daily basis, within the context of the classroom. The college strives to develop and implement differentiated programs which are appropriately paced and sufficiently challenging to encourage each student to take the opportunity to develop to their full potential based on their abilities, interests and learning style.

The encouragement of inquiry-based learning and critical thinking is integral across the College curriculum and although this pedagogy is well suited to the gifted learner, other more specialised interventions are also offered. In subjects where it is appropriate, classes may be streamed, compacting and enrichment may be provided or, for students who meet strict criteria, acceleration may be offered but only in consultation with staff, parents and students.

ENRICHMENT CHALLENGES, LINKS WITH EXTERNAL COURSES AND MENTORING

A chance for gifted girls to pursue passions and interests is offered through enrichment challenges, links with external courses and mentoring. St Vincent's College believes that gifted students have considerable capacity to take on extra-curricular activities and recommends participation in the myriad of enrichment opportunities the college offers.

St Vincent’s College students participate in a wide variety of activities such as Philosothon, Ethics Olympiad, Festival of Dangerous Ideas, Da Vinci Decathlon, Match Olympiad, Advanced Readers Book Club, Readers and Writers enrichment group, Chess Club and additional opportunities that present over the year.  All of these activities are an opportunity for selected students to engage with their academic peers, in their areas of interest, in a challenging and vibrant environment, supervised by the gifted education coordinator.

Students are offered many other opportunities to be involved in an array of competitions, challenges and enrichment days within and outside the college in areas such as Public Speaking, Debating, Chess playing, Poetry Writing, Creative Writing, Digital Storytelling, Science, Maths, HSIE, LOTE, Drama, Music, Dance, Sport, Outdoor Education as well as opportunities to use their gifts to help others in the areas of Social Justice and Mission Immersions.

Learning Support

At St Vincent’s there will be students who may experience difficulties with learning which may arise at any time throughout a student’s school life. Prime responsibility for meeting the specific learning needs of students with difficulties lies with the classroom teacher. The Learning Support team plays a key role in ensuring that the specific learning needs of students experiencing difficulties in learning are met.

Curriculum Differentiation

A differentiated curriculum caters for a wide range of learning styles, readiness and ability levels within a mainstream class. When student with learning support needs enter the College, the Learning Support team meets with parents, students, teachers and their Head of House to determine the most apporpirate modified or adjusted program for study. Differentiation in curriculum delivery and assessment is then provided by the classroom teacher in consultation with the Head of Department and the Learning Support Team.

Curriculum adjustments include:

• Reduced amount of content covered
• Explicit teaching/modeling
• Simplified/explicit instructions
• Adjustments to size
• Alternate formats
• Colour coding

Some students may require adjustment to assessments.

Assessment adjustments include:

• Adjustments to the assessment process such as additional time, rest breaks, quieter conditions, or the use of a reader and/or scribe or specific technology
• Adjustments to assessment tasks such as rephrasing questions, using simplified language, fewer questions or alternative formats for questions
• Alternative formats for responses, eg. written point form instead of essays, scaffolded structured responses, short objective questions, multimedia presentations.

Life Skills Program

A small percentage of students, particularly those with an intellectual disability, may not be able to meet the stage requirements for Board Developed Syllabuses and/or Board Endorsed Courses. For these students the Life Skills outcomes and content in each syllabus may provide a more relevant, accessible and meaningful curriculum option. The decision to participate in the Life Skills option is through an extensive consultative process.

Students may study Life Skills outcomes and content in every subject or a combination of Life Skills outcomes and content in some subjects, and regular outcomes and content in other subjects. However, it is not possible for students to undertake a combination of regular and Life Skills outcomes in the same subject.

Disability Provisions

Disability Provisions are provided for students in Year 9-12 in all formal Assessment blocks and ensure that students who were eligible for these provisions perform at their best. The College models Disability Provisions for students in Year 9-12 based on the Board of Studies (BOS) guidelines to allow students the greatest opportunities to excel in class assessments and external examinations.

Applications for HSC Disability Provisions for the external HSC examinations open in the November prior to the student sitting the external exam. All students will be notified through letter to parents of the application process in term 1 of the year they are applying for Disability Provisions. Applications are made through the Learning Support Teacher.

If the application for Disability Provisions to the BOS is unsuccessful, students can appeal to the BOS through formal BOS appeal structures. Should an appeal be made to the BOS, Disability Provisions will continue to be provided at the College until such time as the appeal is decided and communicated. On the advice of the BOS, some or all of the provisions may be removed in the formal examination blocks and the HSC.