Applied Learning Update – October 18, 2018

As the year progresses, we are very impressed with the development of many of our boys who are exceeding our expectations.

As I write, tonight is the Celebration Evening of Applied Learning at St Pat’s and I must say it’s been an honour to acknowledge our boys with Certificates and Trophies as evidence which they can add to their resumes, for the future.

I’d like also to continue to acknowledge the hard work of the Applied Learning team as we continue the important work of negotiating curriculum.

For these boys, having the power to choose the content they study, in order to meet set outcomes, is often a challenge.

I believe this -‘proactivity training’ is a real strength of our program, as boys discover their independent learning skills. Mr Willey has been working with boys on their latest projects including making some work benches for our proposed new space in the old Boarders’ Kitchen.

Mr Weadon has provided boys with another alternative for meeting any outcomes they hadn’t yet met in Personal Development Skills, via the George Hamm Awards. Mr Procaccino is working with a small core team to finish some display cabinetry for the College. I have mainly been focused on Literacy so far this term, encouraging boys to do some reflective Writing for Self Expression and Writing for Knowledge tasks. I’m particularly impressed with the wide range of topics the boys have chosen to research, and very much looking forward to their portfolio submission later this term.

For our Senior students, their work is all but completed. I have been very proud to be a part of their learning journey at St Patrick’s. We will miss them.

We are all looking forward to the end of a busy year, none more so than the Seniors, who are already moving into the last stage of their Secondary schooling and therefore, moving in to their adult lives. We really wish them all the very best.