Teaching and Learning Report – November 19, 2015

November 18, 2015

2016 Booklists and iPad Resources Lists

The 2016 booklists for current Years 7-11 students will be distributed to the boys via their Pastoral Care groups in the coming days.- Current Years 7, 8, 10 and 11 boys will also receive the 2016 iPad Resources List specific to their year level. Incoming 2016 Year 7 families, along with all other families new to St Patrick’s in 2016, have been mailed a copy of the relevant 2016 booklist and the 2016 iPad Resources List (as required).

A PDF version of each list will be emailed to parents in the coming days and is also available on the College website.

Current Year 10 and 11 students have been notified that items ordered from the 2016 VCE English Novels list will be available for collection from 10:30am on Monday, November 23 from Student Services.

1:1 Program -“ update on 2016 devices

As previously notified, the 2016 1:1 program will operate as follows for each year level:

  • Year 7- – – – – – – – – – – (parent purchased, school supported iPad)

  • Year 8- – – – – – – – – – – (parent purchased, school supported iPad)

  • Year 9- – – – – – – – – – – (retain school owned and supported iPad)

  • Year 10- – – – – – – – – – (parent paid lease, school supported HP Spectre x360 Pro)

  • Year 11- – – – – – – – – (retain school owned and supported iPad)

  • Year 12- – – – – – – – – (given a school owned and supported iPad that will come from the return of- devices from current Year 9s)

Other points to note include:

  • To make the HP Spectre x360 Pro as affordable as possible, the College will administer a three-year lease (which will include the device, an appropriate bag and all required software pre-installed). Based on current calculations, the annual lease cost is expected to be $485.00.

  • The costs associated with this lease will be directed to parents annually and will appear on the tuition fee account.The device will be owned by the parents/student once all lease payments have been made by the end of the student’s Year 12 (or earlier by negotiation should a student leave St Patrick’s before Year 12).An option will be available for those families that require an extended finance plan to conclude beyond the third-year of the lease i.e. after the boy completes Year 12. This may be negotiated or added to any existing Business Manager’s payment plan.

  • As part of the transition to the Spectre x360 Pro, current Year 9 students will be required to return their school owned and supported iPad. This will take place at an appropriate time in December after the Year 9 exams. As part of the preparation for the return of this device, Year 9 parents are asked to ensure that their son still has the iPad charger and cord, the protective case and the neoprene sleeve provided to him at the time the device was issued. Any iPad returned without these peripherals will see the replacement cost added to the tuition fee account.

  • A Frequently Asked Questions information sheet relating to the introduction of the HP Spectre x360 Pro has been developed and will be emailed to 2016 Year 10 parents in the coming days.

  • In recent years, Years 7-10 have been using LearningField to access subject specific electronic text resources. This arrangement will continue in 2016. While the College continues to work with LearningField regarding its pricing structure for VCE and VET text resources, it is anticipated that students will continue using printed texts for Years 11 and 12.

For further information on the St Patrick’s College 1:1 program, please contact Mr Mark Holland, Director of ICT, or myself.

Use of Parent Access Module (PAM) to access end Semester Two reports

St Patrick’s uses the Parent Access Module (PAM) to provide parents and guardians online access to a range of information specific to their son(s). The Student Assessment area allows you to view and download your son’s mid-semester and end of semester reports for both the current and previous years. The 2015 end Semester Two reports for all Years 7-11 students will be available for parent access from 4:00pm on Friday, December 11.

While we are asking you to use PAM to access your son’s end of semester report instead of the College mailing a paper copy to you, we recognise that some parents may require a paper copy of this report. Parents requiring a paper copy of the end of semester report are asked to email the College (adminsupport@stpats.vic.edu.au) or phone 5331 1688 to arrange this.

A PAM Parent User Guide has been written to assist you with the log-in process and to explain the key features of PAM. It can be accessed by clicking on the link on the College’s homepage (https://www.stpats.vic.edu.au/).

PAM can be accessed by either clicking on the link on the College’s homepage (https://www.stpats.vic.edu.au/) or by going directly to the PAM site (http://pam.stpats.vic.edu.au). The PAM username and password previously issued to parents can be used again for the end Semester Two reports. Please email the College (adminsupport@stpats.vic.edu.au) or phone 5331 1688 should you require further assistance with your log-in.