From the Director of Teaching and Learning

Happy World Womens Day for Wednesday 8^th March. On this day we celebrate all women. This year the hashtag #EmbraceEquity was used to raise awareness about discrimination. I was thrilled to read the message from our CEO Alexis Watt, who communicated with all Adelaide Education Group staff on the day, to acknowledge the amazing women across our business, in our lives, and in our communities.

Gloria Steinem, world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist once explained "The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights." (internationalwomensday.com, 2023)

During the week

Over the last week, teachers have taken students to excursions. Our unique location in the heart of Adelaide, allows the city to be our classroom. This week our students attended the Adelaide Festival Theatre to enjoy the play The River that Ran Uphill. Some of the dialogue was in broken English to show a more authentic experience of a cyclone in Vanuatu. Thankyou to Ms. Xu for organising this event.

I also thank Mr. Oakey and Ms. Nayagam for taking the English for Academic Purposes students for an urban field trip. Students collected data about green spaces for their report they are now completing.

The Learning Program

This is an important week in the learning program. During the week, students will complete summative assessment tasks which will also be levelled against the LEAP Levels or Learning English: Achievement and Proficiency diagnostic tool. We use this tool to find out how much each student’s English has grown for the assessment period. We also use this tool to work out how close a student’s English use is compared to an English as a first language speaker for the same year level. Have a look at this table below. This table is produced by the Education Department of South Australia.

Figure 1: Register Continuum (education.sa.gov.au, 2022)

So, look at figure 1 above. Level 14 shows a writing level of the average Year 10 student in Australia. A level 10, shows the writing level of the average Year 6 student in Australia.

At AIS, we usually see each student grow a least 1 level per 10-week term. Quite often, students will grow 2 levels and occasionally more.

In week 11 of this term, you will see a formal academic report for your child. This table will be in the report for students in the English for Academic Purpose Program. In addition, the senior students will have this information provided in the term report in the subject, English. Please look at the growth in English these students have made.

The following usually helps students to grow in English when they are at home:

• Talking around the dinner table. Have a topic, do a PMI or generally catch up!
• Watching English language shows.
• Have the radio on with English channels playing.
• Have a weekly catch up if the week has been so busy you have spoken to your child or homestay very much.
• All homework is completed.
• If your child or homestay has a part-time job, they are not working more than 8 hours per week so there’s time for them to complete all work.
• Help support your child or homestay by encouraging social interaction on the weekends.
• Start planning for the holidays which are coming!

The Learning Program

The SACE is a world recognised qualification allowing students into all universities around the world. A student must have at least 200 credits and C grades or higher to gain this qualification.

Moreover, the students also must have 50 of the 200 credits for these subjects:

• English (20 credits)
• Mathematics (10 credits)
• Personal Learning Plan (10 credits)
• Research Project (10 credits)

And, 90 of the 200 credits completed at a Year 12 or Stage 2 level. 20 of these Year 12 credits can be from a Certificate 3 course.

It usually takes 2 years to gain 200 credits. Students need to use English quite confidently and quickly as well as without translators for much of the work to do well in SACE.

The English for Academic Purposes students also can gain SACE credits when:

• The student is in Year 10.
• If their language use is getting close to a level 14.
• If their subjects are close to a Year 11 standard
• If the amount and type of assessment is close to a Year 11 standard.

At the moment, I am submitting applications for SACE credits for some English for Academic Purposes students. For others, their language level and amount of assessment needs to increase to be eligible for this.

The maximum number of SACE credits for English for Academic Purposes courses is 40. These 40 credits are for Year 11 credits, not year 12. They are also not part of compulsory English or Mathematics courses.

I am currently auditing the SACE Patterns of students. You may receive a communication from me regarding your student’s learning and how they will progress their education beyond 2023 if there may be any concern with gaining the 200 credits required.

Ms. Phillips.

Thank you SMP Al Azhar 1!

On Friday of week 4 we were honoured to receive and farewell our Indonesian guests from Al Azhar 1 High School and to see their wonderful martial arts performance. We were thrilled to see that they had really enjoyed the delights of Victor Harbour, Handorf Town, Tatachilla College and of course our very own Rundle Mall.

The students sang the Australian National Anthem at our assembly as well as hearing the feedback from the students on the tour. They had some time to exchange gifts and to catch up on the experiences.



Shaun Oakey