Wednesday 22 April was allocated as a student free day as staff undertook a professional development day. The development day was based on Instructional Coaching and the newly implemented Instructional Model. Staff were able to review with our facilitator - Shane Crawford the impact of coaching and consistency of implementation for our students. Staff worked in domains to review our current practices and engage with new strategies to ensure that we might be able to meet the needs of our students more effectively.
Coaching and the implementation of the Instructional Model is a part of the College’s focus in the Annual Action Plan, which is set to align to school improvement.
Formal examinations provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate the depth of understanding of work covered over an extended period of time. It also provides students with first hand experience of formal examination procedures. Through the completion of the examinations students are provided with additional feedback relating to areas of strength and areas for improvement.
Examination information will be sent home to families in upcoming weeks. This information will outline the examination timetables as well as student conduct requirements. Accompanying this information, students will attend year level assemblies where information relating to examinations will be provided from the Learning Team.
Students from years 8 - 11 will be completing their examinations between the 9th June - 18th June period. Year 12 students will be completing School Assessed Course work and chosen unit 3 Trial Examinations.
All students must attend their scheduled exams in their full school uniform.
There are no scheduled classes for Year 11, 10 and 9 students on the allocated examination days, so students are expected at school only for their timetabled exams. Year 8 students will be expected at school on the days of the examinations as their classes will be continuing as normal.
The examinations are a compulsory component of the learning program. Where a student is unwell they have the ability to report the absence and then provide appropriate documentation which will allow for a rescheduled time.
Examination periods can be a stressful time in households and for students. With the right approach and effective strategies, the process and education from it can be quite rewarding. For families, Melbourne Child Psychology and School Psychology Services have been able to identify some strategies that can be implemented at home during this time:
1. Help them to understand their stress
Help your child identify when and why they feel stressed, and how these feelings manifest themselves, physically and emotionally (some stress can be beneficial, but when it turns into anxiety it becomes problematic). Discuss ways that they can work on reducing their stress, in the short-term and the long-term, and how you can assist them in doing that. Meditation and mindfulness can be hugely beneficial — you could get them to download a guided app on their phone (like Smiling Mind or HeadSpace), or consider meditating together. Remind them to take the pressure off themselves too, and that there is life after high school exams! Help them to write a list of ways that they can relax, and that can be their go-to guide in moments of stress, or on scheduled study breaks.
2. Help them set up a good study area
Somewhere quiet, organised, and with minimal distractions. Help them create a study plan, and break their goals into small chunks, with clear, achievable goals. Create a study timetable together, which includes breaks and times to relax and socialise.
3. Give them a break from household chores
If you can, don’t ask them to take time off studying for anything that is not urgent, and try to coordinate family time and other necessary tasks around their schedule.
4. Help them to be active, to eat well, and to sleep well
Combine non-study activities with exercise - such as making family time a walk together in the park. This has the added bonus of getting them outside in nature with fresh air, which is beneficial for mental health. If you prepare their food, try to make nutritious, balanced meals, and avoid processed foods. Encourage them to drink plenty of water, and minimise their caffeine and sugar intake.
5. Look after yourself, too
Exam periods can be as stressful for parents as they are for the students! Take time out for yourself, even for ten minutes a day. Managing your own stress will make you much better equipped to help your child manage theirs.
For further information, visit the link HERE
The GAT assesses student skills against literacy and numeracy standards. The GAT is compulsory for all year 12 students and students undertaking a Unit 3/4 subject as the task demonstrates essential skills for further study, training or employment. The GAT results are also important for checking that VCE external assessments and school-based assessments have been accurately and fairly assessed, and can be used if you have a Derived Examination Score (DES) approved.
The GAT will take place on Thursday 16 June in two parts:
Information for students has been developed by the VCAA and can be located at: GAT Information VCAA
Students will be presented information about the GAT and the VCAA rules and regulations at a GAT Chat during week 6.
Year 10 families are asked to save the date for Tuesday 23 June. On this evening, MSJ will be hosting the Subject Selection expo. The evening is for parents and students to obtain information about the senior secondary pathways. Subjects will have representatives available for discussions. Some universities will also be available in the evening to assist in pathway discussions. Further information will be provided in upcoming weeks.
Chantelle Gauci
Deputy Principal - Learning & Staff
Between 5th and 12th May, MSJ Italian, French and Japanese Students participated in the 2026 Education Perfect Global Languages Championship. This year we have seen some outstanding results for our school and individual students.
MSJ was ranked 11th overall in the State, and 36th in the global competition. Our school also placed 1st for Japanese out of the 169 Victorian schools who participated. Well done to Year 7 Japanese (2), our highest scoring class at MSJ who have earned a shared hot chip lunch for their efforts.
A special congratulations goes to our top scoring students Vivienne H and Alannah W, both of whom achieved an Emerald Award - a result of their enormous amount of hard work and dedication.
Congratulations also to the following award recipients:
Well done to all students involved in the competition on your efforts and achievements: whether your goal was to improve your skills, learn something new or score a top prize, we are proud of you!
Alice Christofi - Languages Domain Leader
Year 8 MSJ Debating teams have been debating at year 9 level. All 3 of our teams have won the debates with showcased confidence, good preparation, and strong teamwork, but three members stood out above the rest through their clear communication and persuasive delivery.
Isla E, Hannah M & Mia L demonstrated excellent public speaking skills but also the ability to engage the audience and respond thoughtfully to opposing arguments. We believe the key strength of Isla, Hannah & Mia was their confidence and projected their voice effectively throughout the debate. Their calm and composed manner helped make their arguments more convincing and showed strong preparation. Isla, Hannah & Mia impressed the audience with their rebuttal skills, responding respectfully while challenging weaknesses in the other side’s arguments.
Our MSJ: Year 8 Teams debating at Year 9 level, Year 9 Teams against year 10 teams from other colleges. Their enthusiasm and passion for the topic were evident throughout the debate. Their performance contributed greatly to the success of Teams.
Very Proud of our MSJ Students.
Anthea Heiniger & Meaghan Paul - Teachers
At MSJ, Career and Pathways programs support students in exploring their interests, strengths, and future opportunities across all year levels.
In Year 7, students focus on personal connection, investigating how they may contribute to society in the future and the positive impact they can make within their communities.
Year 8 students focus on the world of work, learning about different industries, workforce trends, and how technology is shaping future jobs and careers.
At Year 9, students are currently participating in a dedicated Careers Program. Students engage in two streams linked to Industry and Enterprise. Stream 1 focuses on preparing for a first job, workplace expectations, and employability skills, while Stream 2 explores future careers, industries, and pathway possibilities.
Year 10 students recently attended the VCE & Careers Expo in the city to support them in making senior pathway choices and will complete Morrisby testing and attend subject selection information sessions later this term.
Additional opportunities this year included the Victoria University Health Immersion Day for selected Year 9 and 10 students and work experience for interested Year 10 students with many more exciting programs still to come.
If you would like to find out more, please do not hesitate to email Ana Stafrace and Naomi Nolan the Career and Pathways Practitioners at the college via email at pathways@msj.vic.edu.au
Naomi Nolan & Ana Stafrace - Pathways Team
