Welcome to the 2023 Marist-Sion College Course Guide

At Marist-Sion College you will be provided with the opportunity to find your pathway to success. Remember that you are the reason that the College offers a wide range of subjects and co-curricular activities to develop your many talents. There are a range of program and elective choices open to you to help you build on your own abilities and strengths. This Course Guide will assist you in the course selection process and it is important that you take the time to read through it before selecting your course of study.

Our Academic and Careers staff will support you as you plan a rewarding program to achieve your goals. Evaluate the information provided as you work through your selection of subjects. The subjects you decide to study are very important in preparing you for either your VCE or post school pathways. Seek further advice if needed.

What should you consider when choosing subjects?

• Consider prerequisites for post-school pathways - the Careers Team can help you with this.

• Make your subject choices after careful consideration and discussion with your parents/guardians/carers (referred to as "parent" and/or "parents" from this point forward) and the College’s Academic or Careers staff.

• Consider the subjects you enjoy and that you do well in.

• Consider what will keep you interested and engaged in learning.
  

Marist-Sion College is proud of its learning culture. We live the College Mission to provide an innovative education which integrates faith and learning for life in a welcoming community.

Mission Statement

Marist-Sion College, Warragul, is a Catholic co-educational secondary school, inspired by the traditions of the Marist Brothers and the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion.

Our mission is to provide an innovative education which integrates faith, learning and life in a welcoming community.

Values and Vision

Our vision is that all students will:

• be invited to put faith into action;

• value learning for life; and

• flourish as people.

Commitment to Child Safety

Marist-Sion College is committed to fostering the dignity, self-esteem and integrity of children and young people and providing them with a safe, supportive and enriching environment in which they can develop spiritually, physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially.

We demonstrate this by:

• Upholding the primacy of the safety and wellbeing of children and young people;

• Empowering families, children, young people and staff to have a voice and raise concerns; and

• Implementing rigorous risk-management and employment practices.

College Structure

Leadership Team

Principal | Ms Lisa Harkin

Deputy Principal - Learning | Mrs Narelle Hunt

Deputy Principal - Pastoral Care | Mrs Janelle Burgess

Director of Catholic Identity and Mission | Mr Peter Woodhouse

Director of School Administration | Mr Christopher Russell

Director of Staff Development | Mr James Mazzolini

Business Manager | Mr Brett McKellar

Curriculum Leaders

Director of Junior Learning | Mrs Michelle Lilford

Director of Senior Learning | Mr Jason Blackburn

Student Services

Learning Adjustment Leader | Mr Peter Coghlan

eLearning and Data Leader | Mr Drew Thomas

Psychologist | Mrs Joanna John

School Counsellor | Mrs Melanie Bradley

Student Support Officer - Youth Worker | Mr David Hobbs

Counsellor | Mr Richard Dalziel

Support Specialist | Mrs Sally Pecoraro

College Chaplain | Deacon Mark Kelly

Head of Louise Humann Library | Mrs Helen Dickson

Careers and Pathways Coordinator | Mrs Elly Martin

Vocational Leader and Careers Advisor | Mr Ben Cunningham

Careers Advisor | Ms Siobhan Thomas

Learning Area Leaders

Computing | Mr Drew Thomas

English | Mrs Kelly Mills

Health | Ms Camille Cabarubia

Humanities | Ms Lesley O’Reilly

Languages Other than English | Mrs Karyn Munday

Mathematics | Ms Debra Robson

Performing Arts | Mr David Naidoo

Religious Education | Mrs RoseMarie Black

Science | Ms Nicole Vanatta

Technology | Mr Chris Senini

Visual Arts | Ms Caroline Liebelt

Heads of House

Champagnat | Mrs Eliza Robinson

Jericho | Mr Jacques Augustin

Joseph | Mrs Gabrielle Catania

Loreto | Mr Hayden Davies

Lourdes | Mrs Christine Haasz

MacKillop | Ms Sharryn Marshall

Marcellin | Mrs Jenna Green

Sion | Mrs Mandy Moore

General Information

An Inclusive Education

As part of our Marist-Sion College vision, we 'affirm the uniqueness of every human being’. Students have varying cognitive, social, emotional and physical needs according to their different capacities, qualities and aptitudes. The College takes account of this in dedicating itself to the education of each student in a Catholic environment. The comprehensive and systematic curriculum provides for these varying needs. The range of options offered allows each student to pursue an educational course, which will more than adequately prepare them for their lives after secondary school. Our futures orientated curriculum focuses on giving students the capacity for lifelong learning as well as a thorough grounding in foundation knowledge and skills and the capacity to be adaptable and flexible in a changing world.

Active Learning

The Curriculum is developed in response to the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) VCE, VM, VPC and Victorian Curriculum guidelines and the school’s Active Learning Framework. We endeavour to teach students how to actively engage in the learning process and explicitly model techniques to develop persistence, self-motivation, critical thinking and initiative. Whilst aligning our curriculum to develop the foundational skills (core knowledge, understanding, skills and general capabilities) prioritised by the VCAA. The VCAA sets out a single, coherent and comprehensive set of content descriptions and associated achievement standards to enable teachers to plan, monitor, assess and report on the learning achievement of every student.

Attendance

Students in Years 7 to 12 are expected to attend all of their timetabled classes. All absences must be explained. Students with unexplained absences or an excessive number of explained absences will be monitored to determine whether they can be considered to have reached a satisfactory standard.

SIMON – Learning Management System

Students and teachers have 24/7 access to the SIMON Learning Management System. This system provides students the ability to access class resources and tasks, assessment tasks, send emails to their teachers and receive feedback for their assignments. Parents also have access to this information through the Parent Access Module (PAM). PAM also provides parents access to their student's profile, which includes the timetable, attendance data, commendations, learning area tasks and feedback and copies of progress and Semester reports.

Homework

Homework is essential for steady progress in the self-discipline that brings success in most areas of learning. Students need quiet time set aside to review lessons, practise skills and work on projects or assignments. Where specific homework tasks are not set, this time should be spent on ongoing revision, study for tests or sustained reading for interest and pleasure. The College also supports the development of students' personal study skills by facilitating access to a Study Skills Program through the Library home page. This can be accessed through the Library catalogue on SIMON and includes a range of targeted units including; time management skills, dealing with distractions, managing workload, summarising and overcoming procrastination. Students can select from the 40 available units, working at their own pace to develop skills that interest them. Parents are encouraged to provide a time and place away from television, mobile phones and other distractions for students to complete homework tasks.

The College recommends that the following amount of time on homework/study/revision will meet most students' needs.

Year 7 | Maximum 15 minutes per subject per timetable day

Year 8 | Maximum 20 minutes per subject per timetable day

Year 9 | Maximum 25 minutes per subject per timetable day

Year 10 | Maximum 30 minutes per subject per timetable day

The Louise Humann Library is open before school every day of the week, during class times for classes and during break times for all students. From Monday to Thursday, the Library is open until 4.30pm to provide a space for students to work on their studies or to complete homework. Teachers and Learning Support Officers are available to provide assistance and support for all students.

Assessment and Reporting

Assessment of a student's academic progress reflects the aims and objectives of the College and is carried out on a regular basis, using a variety of assessment methods. For VCE students, assessment of a student's academic progress is carried out on a regular basis, using assessment methods as prescribed by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority for each VCE Unit.

Regular individual feedback is uploaded into SIMON for the student. This feedback will outline what the student has demonstrated effectively and what the student could do to improve their response to the task. This feedback will be available to parents via the Parent Access Module (PAM).

Progress Reports

At the end of Term 1 and Term 3 parents receive a Progress Report on student progress prepared by each subject teacher. This type of report provides parents with information on student progress at a point during the Semester when the student can effectively act upon a teacher’s advice about areas for improvement and future learning. These reports will be followed by Parent/Student/Teacher interviews at the start of Term 2. A second opportunity for interviews occurs at the end of Term 3. Parents may make an appointment with all of their son/daughter's teachers when interview evenings are conducted. The interviews enable parents to meet the teachers and to gain an overview of their son/daughter’s performance. Parents are also invited to make contact with the College at any time when they have a particular concern about their son or daughter. In some instances, the College may initiate this contact if concerns arise. Throughout each term, written feedback detailing what the student has achieved in an assessment task and areas the student can improve on will be regularly uploaded into the Parent Access Module (PAM) so parents can monitor how their son/daughter is progressing.

Semester Reports

At the end of Semester 1 and Semester 2, parents receive Final Semester Reports prepared by each subject teacher. Each subject report includes a continuum of five work habits and for students in Years 7 to 10, there will be a graph indicating Victorian Curriculum Achievement Standard and final grades for all individual Assessment Tasks. There are no detailed subject teacher comments at this time as they are provided throughout the Semester.