The Compass Years - Year 9 Program has Launched!

It is with great excitement, energy and passion that we have launched our The Compass Years  - Year 9 Program in 2022. This Program is the culmination of our deep research into education systems, philosophies and programs around the world, and our examination of local, national and global data and trends relating to education and employment now and in the future. The Program is underpinned also by our exploration of the science related to brain development and plasticity, adolescent development as well as the factors that shape and influence cognitive, social and emotional development. Together with this research, we have maintained our focus on developing a program of learning that delivers the national curriculum through learning design that focuses on Deep Learning Outcomes for learners.

As students move into The Compass Years, having completed their Year 7 and 8 The Wonder Years Program, they will begin to experience more options in their learning. They will start to explore learning more personally, taking increased ownership of their education, challenging themselves to find their direction and navigating their way to what will be their Year 11 and 12, The Fusion Years, Program.

In Year 9, our curriculum structure and broad range of course offerings encourage each learner to deliberately plan their course of study to suit their interests, skills and possible future goals or pathways. Extension courses are offered for those wishing to challenge themselves at a more rigorous level, while our Excellence Programs will continue into Year 9 for learners aiming to maintain their engagement in these Programs. As a College community, we will continue to build and access meaningful partnerships so our students’ learning experience is connected and contextualised. Our extra-curricular and co-curricular activities will take learning that one step further, with learners able to flourish in more personalised endeavours within and beyond the classroom, making for a richer, more holistic and balanced educational experience.

After months of planning, polishing and persistence, our teachers have embarked on their learning journeys with Year 9s as they navigate learning across the four aspects of our program:

• Prescribed Courses – studied by all students across the year for one or two semesters each;
• Personal Endeavour Courses – studied by students as elective courses for one term each;
• Activate – Global Entrepreneurship; and
• Personal Learning and Development.

Please continue to read our newsletter for regular updates about what is happening in our Compass Years Program. We will also be asking family and community members for the contribution to, engagement in and assistance with a range of activites across the year. Certainly, there are exciting times on the horizon! For more information, please read our The Compass Years – Year 9 Handbook. If you have any questions, please contact me via dnico0@eq.edu.au

Attendance

In this edition of our Newsletter, you will read some information from our SWEL Team about attendance. Can I reiterate the absolute importance of all students arriving on time to school. "On time"  means that students have arrived by 8.35am and are at their classrooms by 8.45am for the start of the school day. There is a great deal of important information that is shared during the first 15 minutes of each day, including the initial phase of learning for Period 1, so students arriving at or after 9.00am are being disadvantaged by their late arrival. In essence, they are absent for 15 minutes, and if this is repeated across the weeks, the minutes quickly add up.

When students are consistently absent, even for just a few minutes, there can be a significant impact on their engagement and learning across time. In a nutshell,

While there are valid reasons for arriving late, such as bus delays (expected) or unavoidable appointments or commitments (rare and explained by a letter, email or phone call to the College by the parent in advance), it is up to each family to ensure that their child arrives at school on time so that the start to their day is calm, organised and productive. I look forward to seeing all Year 9 students at school and to class on time so that they can maximise their opportunities for success, every day.