GENERAL INFORMATION FOR LATER YEARS STUDENTS
Welcome to the senior school at Belmont High School. You may be pursuing VCE studies, VET, VCAL or a combination of all three. The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) manages the curriculum and assessment for each of these certificates. You will now be enrolled in a State wide system which has its own separate rules for students. These will be distributed to you at the beginning of the school year. You should read these carefully as they apply to all students in Victoria who are studying for these certificates. The following information applies specifically to Belmont High School students. For more detailed information you should contact the following:
VCE Coordinator – Ms Milne
VET Coordinator – Mr McKenzie
VCAL Coordinator – Mr Lynch
You should make maximum use of the school’s services available for you, particularly the Career’s Room where Later Years Pathways Manager, Mr McKenzie can provide you with outstanding and important information relating to suitable subject selection and career options.
The information on the following pages relates to students studying any of the options above, but not to Year 10 studies. If you are in Year 11 or 12, or accelerating into Year 11 or 12 VCE, VET or VCAL, this organiser contains important information for you. For general information regarding Year 10 you should consult the Belmont High School Organiser for junior students.
V.C.E. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
At Year 11 level students are expected to attempt six units per semester.
At Year 12 level students are expected to attempt five units per semester.
You must include four units of English/Literature and eighteen other units to make a total of at least 22 units studied in your VCE certificate. Some units may be VET studies. Students who accelerate into VCE or VET at Year 10 level will complete VCE with more than 22 units.
SATISFACTORY COMPLETION
To gain your VCE certificate at the end of Year 12 you must:
- satisfactorily complete 16 units to complete VCE. Included in the minimum of 16 units there should be at least:
- 3 English/Literature (Units 3 & 4 required for an ENTER)
- 3 sequences of Units 3 & 4 other than English/Literature
- Other units to make up at least 16 units.
ASSESSMENT
Units 1 & 2: – Students must receive ‘S’ (satisfactory) for all outcomes in a unit to receive ‘S’ for the overall unit result.
– Assessment tasks are graded Excellent, Very Good, Good, Satisfactory and Not Satisfactory.
– Some outcomes will also be assessment tasks (SACs).
Units 3 & 4 – Students must receive ‘S’ (satisfactory) for all outcomes in a unit to receive ‘S’ for the overall unit result.
. – SACS – these will be spread through Units 3 & 4. Your teacher will give you a score for these and VCAA will convert these scores to grades (A+ to UG) at the end of the year. UG is unsatisfactory.
- NOTE: Units 3 & 4 must both receive ‘S’ before SACS will be scored for tertiary entrance.
- A school reference will be issued to students who apply for one.
VCAA RULES
As all VCE students in the state are enrolled with VCAA, there are some statewide rules for VCE. These are reprinted from the VCAA Administrative Handbook. The VCAA sets down seven rules which a student must observe when preparing work for assessment. These rules apply to Coursework and School-assessed Tasks. They are:
1. A student must ensure that all unacknowledged work submitted for assessment is genuinely his/her own.
2. A student must acknowledge all resources used, including:
· text, websites and source material
· the name(s) and status of any person(s) who provided assistance and the type of assistance provided.
3. A student must not receive undue assistance from any other person in the preparation and submission of work. Acceptable levels of assistance include:
· the incorporation of ideas or material derived from other sources (e.g. by reading, viewing or notetaking) but which has been transformed by the student and used in a new context.
· prompting and general advice from another person or source which leads to refinements and/or self-correction.
Unacceptable forms of assistance include:
· use of, or copying of, another person’s work or other resources without acknowledgement
· corrections or improvements made or dictated by another person.
4. A student must not submit the same piece of work for assessment in more than one study.
5. A student who knowingly assists other students in a breach of rules may be penalised.
6. A student must sign the declaration of authenticity for work done outside class at the time of submitting the completed task. This declaration states that all unacknowledged work is the student’s own.
7. A student must sign a general declaration that he or she will obey the rules and instructions for the VCE, and accept its disciplinary provisions.
8. A student undertaking School-assessed Coursework or School-assessed Task tests must comply with examination rules.
It is expected that students will retain work completed until the end of the year in which the work was undertaken.
COMPUTER WORK
A student who uses a computer to produce work for assessment is responsible for ensuring that:
- There is an alternative system available in case of computer or printer malfunction or unavailability
- Hard copies of the work in progress are produced regularly
- Each time changes are made the work is saved onto a back up file. The back up file should not be stored with the computer.
BELMONT HIGH SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN VCE, VET AND VCAL
VCAA ENROLMENT – Early in the year you will be required to complete an enrolment form for VCE, VET and VCAL. After this information has been keyed into the VCAA database you will receive a printout that you must check for accuracy. This is the information that the VCAA has about you and it is YOUR responsibility to make sure that it is accurate. If any of these details change during the course of the year you must notify the VCE Coordinator who will amend these for you.
ATTENDANCE - Attendance in all classes is compulsory. One missed class means that you are behind in your work. See the Belmont High School VCE/VCAL Class Attendance Policy in this Organiser.
ATTENDANCE AT SAC CLASSES
The marks that you achieve in these classes contribute to your VCAA grades and ENTER for Units 3 & 4 and your Belmont High School grading for Units 1 & 2. They also enable you to demonstrate that you have achieved the outcomes required to receive ‘S’ for the unit. It is therefore essential that you are present in SAC classes to complete this work. Your teachers will notify you of SAC class dates at the beginning of each unit and will ensure that SAC classes do not clash with any whole school activities eg. Production, Rock Eisteddfod, sport. Where possible teachers will also negotiate with you around other smaller school activities.
Please remember:
- SAC classes will only run once – you will need to be there.
- If you miss a SAC class you will receive a score of ‘NA’ (no assessment). You may also receive ‘N’ for the unit as you may not have demonstrated that you have achieved that outcome.
- If you are sick or have other significant problems when a SAC class is run you may apply to the VCE Coordinator for Special Provision (consideration of disadvantage) as soon as possible, before the SAC. This may not necessarily enable you to sit for the SAC at another time. Each application will be considered individually by your class teacher and VCE Coordinator and a decision will be made based on the supporting documentation (eg. Doctor’s letter) that you supply, and your demonstrated work ethic to date. Other VCE Approved Absences may be allowed – see the VCE Coordinator.
- Students who miss SAC classes without being granted Special Provision or a VCE Approved Absence, will have their enrolment status at school questioned.
- Students must obey school rules for the completion of SACs.
SUBMISSION OF SET WORK
If work is not completed and submitted for assessment in class, it should be submitted to your teacher by 3.40pm on the due date. As this work is very important for your assessment it must be given directly to your teacher (NOT put in pigeon holes). If you cannot find your teacher you may sign the work in at the VCE Office.
LATE SUBMISSION OF WORK
Units 1 & 2 – If the work is submitted late and it is an assessment task you will be penalised one grade per day late. If the work is more than one week late and is an outcome, unless you negotiate a new submission date with your teacher, you risk receiving ‘N’ for the outcome and consequently ‘N’ for the unit.
Units 3 & 4 – If the work is a SAC or SAT there is NO opportunity (except under C of D) for late submission. You will receive ‘NA’ (no assessment) for this work.
AUTHENTICATION- This means being able to demonstrate that all the work that you submit is your own. You must acknowledge all sources of information that you have used, even help given by your parents or a tutor. Remember that it is your responsibility to be able to authenticate your work. This means that you must work consistently in your classes, so that teachers have the opportunity to see your work in progress.
If it is suspected that part or all of the work that you have submitted for assessment is not your own, the following procedures will occur:
- Your teacher will discuss the situation with Ms. Milne (VCE Coordinator)
- If it is felt that you need to answer some questions relating to the authentication of your work you will be asked to attend an interview.
- You will meet with a panel consisting of your class teacher, VCE Coordinator and an Assisstant Principal and be given an opportunity to demonstrate that the work is clearly your own.
- If you are unable to demonstrate that the work is your own, you will have broken VCAA rules and the panel will discuss the severity of this, and assign a suitable penalty following VCAA guidelines. The most severe penalty would be to receive ‘N’ for the outcome/SAC and therefore ‘N’ for the unit.
- You will be notified at the end of this meeting of this penalty, and the panel will assist you in ensuring that you understand your mistakes and do not break the rules again.
- You and your parents will receive notification of the outcome of the meeting in writing. This letter will also contain information on how you may appeal to VCAA if you think that (a) you did not break the rules or (b) that the penalty imposed was too severe.
SPECIAL PROVISION (Consideration of Disadvantage)- This is available for students who are experiencing difficulties in completing their work because of illness, family problems, etc. Please see the VCE Coordinator if you think that you may be eligible. You will need to supply some supporting documentation, e.g. a letter from a doctor or counsellor.
HELP – One of the most important keys to success in VCE/VCAL/VET is good time management. Use your Organiser to plan workloads and deadlines. Please remember that there are people available to help you if you need it. If you begin to fall behind in your work, seek assistance before you become tempted to take short cuts in completing work. The penalties for cheating are severe (see the VCAA rules). Possible sources of support are: Form Teacher, House Leader, VCE/VET/VCAL Coordinators, Student Welbeing Staff, or any staff member you may wish to speak to.
INFORMATION FOR YEAR 11 AND 12 STUDENTS
Ms Milne is the Year 11 and Year 12 Coordinator.
LEADERSHIP – All Year 11 and 12 students are expected to be outstanding role models in all aspects of their school life and behaviour, for junior students in the school. You will be rewarded for this by achieving excellent relationships with, and maximum assistance from teachers. For Year 12 students particularly, this will result in you having a happy, memorable and rewarding final year at school.
ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOL – As Year 11 and 12 students you are accorded some privileges. Please read the Belmont High School Attendance Policy carefully.
EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES – Belmont High School offers an extensive range of very popular extra activities for students and encourages them to pursue their interests outside the classroom. However, students need to be realistic about the number of extra activities that they can commit to, without jeopardising their success in their academic program. You will need to be in class for assessment of outcomes and coursework.
COMMUNICATION
Students should check the VCE blog at http://bhsvce.wordpress.com regularly as all important information and notices will be posted here. Watch the Daily Bulletin for notices and also check the noticeboard in C Wing and VCE Office window regularly. Many notices will also be distributed at Form Assembly. There are many important deadlines to be met throughout the year. Stay alert for these. There will be several year level meetings during the year and attendance is compulsory.
The VCE Coordinator cannot accept responsibility for students not receiving important information if these meetings are missed.
PRIVATE STUDY
There are three areas available for private study during class time:
- The library – available for quiet work.
- Any vacant room – see the Daily Organiser for locations. Work in these areas should be quiet in consideration of adjacent classes.
- The study room between C3 and C5 – for quiet work only.
Normal bells are to be observed at all times.
As a rough guide, you should be expecting to spend approximately three hours at home each night on homework and revision. Careful organisation of time should allow you time for recreational activities.
Remember that it is worth making some sacrifices to achieve long term goals.
The following information applies to YEAR 12 students ONLY
Although students may turn 18 during the year, as students enrolled at Belmont HS, normal school rules still apply.
No lunch passes are issued. Students may leave the school grounds to go home for lunch if necessary.
If you have your driver’s licence, you may drive a car to and from school. Permission from the Assistant Principal is required first. Only siblings may be transported.
Leadership camps will be held in House groups for Year 12 students in February. All students are expected to attend these.
UNIFORM
Normal school uniform applies with the addition of your Year 12 jumper. Normal sanctions will apply. As the year progresses and some items of clothing may need replacing, the Parents’ Association has a stock of good quality second-hand uniform items available for sale at reasonable prices. New items purchased may be sold at the end of the year.
PARENT MEETINGS
There may be an information evening for parents of students enrolled in Units 3 and 4 early in the year. Parent-Teacher interviews will probably be held during Terms 2 and 3. Parents are invited to contact the school at any time.
TEN UNITS
As full-time Year 12 students, all students are expected to undertake the equivalent of ten units of study. In exceptional circumstances students may be able to drop a unit. This procedure will require:
- A written request from student and parent.
- A report from the subject teacher.
- Consultation between any of: Assistant Principal, class teacher, Careers Advisor, House Leader, parent, student and VCE Coordinator.
Careful consideration should be given to undertaking less than ten units as all extra marks may be required to reach ATAR entrance scores. In past years, results have revealed that students studying less than ten units had not necessarily used the extra time available for study to their advantage.
BADGES
Year 12 badges will be available for purchase in February.
