The Calamvale Community College 3 year senior

Based on a review of Queensland’s Senior Curriculum by the Queensland Government, the Year 11 cohort of 2019 will be the first group of students to experience the new curriculum and tertiary entrance system that has been on the planning table for the last three years. The new system sees the end of the Overall Position (OP) and the introduction of the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) in its place. Additionally, a key change to the new system is the implementation of external examinations for all academic subjects in the Senior Curriculum.

External examinations will play a crucial role in a student’s Senior Schooling for those students on a tertiary entrance pathway. Calamvale has been preparing students by doing assessment under external examination conditions for the last two years for Years 7-10. More importantly, however, to support students’ development to be their most effective in this new context, the College has designed a 3-Year Senior course of study for Year 10s starting in 2019. The advantages of this 3-Year Senior model are numerous.

Firstly, in Year 10, students will sample the subjects that will be assessed in later years to ensure that the subjects meet the pathway choices of the students. This sampling will be done in combination with core requirements of Year 10 Australian Curriculum where relevant. In the new system, students changing subjects during Year 11 and 12 is extremely disadvantageous, so Year 10 is the time when decisions about pathways and subject choices will be finalised.

Moreover, the studying of Senior subjects in Year 10 will primarily focus on the development of 21st Century skills. These skills are those that are deployable in the changing landscape of our future generations, as the job titles of many of our young people have yet to even be named. Our goal is to facilitate the development of student skills that can be applied in any context that they are placed within in our changing world.

Overall, focusing on the underlying skills through the 3-Year model will better prepare students for the future, as well as the Year 11 and 12 external examination system that begins in 2019. Designing Year 10 as a space where students can grow and better prepare themselves for the business end of their studies is something that Calamvale believes in strongly.

Here at Calamvale, we are confident that our students are being best prepared for successful futures. If you have any questions about senior pathways or options at Calamvale Community College please contact Deputy Principal: Sean Loriaux.

Educating the Global Generation: CCC’s Multicultural Festival

On 28 June, Calamvale Community College will host an immersive, all-day Multicultural Festival. This year’s theme – World within a World – spotlights the College as a microcosm of the world, where students originate from 101 cultures and speak more than 66 languages. The festival aims to celebrate the College’s cultural diversity, boost community harmony and spirit, and engender a sense of belonging irrespective of race, religion, or culture.

With stalls spread along the College’s peace path, this vibrant festival will prove to be a true sensory delight – there will be interactive cultural lessons to try, stunning traditional dress displays to see, migration stories to read, and international culinary treats to enjoy. The College has also invited Mr Imtiaz Ali – refugee, current student, and volunteer for Red Cross Australia, to address all students as a keynote speaker at the whole College assembly.

This exciting multicultural event will not only celebrate the linguistic and racial diversity of our 2100 students and increase international mindedness and cultural awareness, but it will also provide invaluable volunteering opportunities for both school students and community members.

This is not just a stand-alone event – carefully planned by our very own student leaders, the College’s Multicultural Festival follows the United Nation’s Day of Cultural Diversity in May, coincides with in-class multicultural wellbeing lessons in June, and precedes NAIDOC Week held in early July.

Click here to download the Multicultural Festival flyer.

Sharyn Angel
Senior School Principal