Certificate II Business

The Hale School Philosothon. The boys are always impressive in their performance while they grappled with some difficult topics

Year 10 Team

The College also sent a team of boys to the three da Vinci Decathlons held this year at Wesley College. The Year 6 team, the Year 7 team and the Year 10 team each performed with enthusiasm and skill and whilst they didn’t finish in the top three schools, they were fairly close.

Another group of Year 10s was selected to attend a forum at UWA in August, on Huntington’s Chorea, as well as having some practical and hands-on experience with genetic testing and ethical treatments.

Education Support staff set a fine example for the boys as lifelong learners. Throughout the year, they attended a variety of professional development sessions addressing specific difficulties and disabilities such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and autism, programs designed to support specific skill development such as TEACH and MultiLit and behaviour management programs. The Education support Department also started a new initiative for Years 6, 7 and 8 students with dyslexia and purchased some corrective reading resources and spelling mastery programs. At Trinity, we encourage respect for differences and an appreciation that any one of us can find ourselves in need of support – we can be healthy and able one day, sick or disabled the next. Boys are encouraged to see the person before the disability.

Focusing on Causes

Too often, we find ourselves dealing with the symptoms of problems, such as difficulty with reading, writing or calculating, without addressing the causes. This year, as it was last year, a focus of the Education Support program was the auditory processing difficulties experienced by many boys. These can make it difficult for students to gain information necessary for learning, to sustain concentration and, consequently, to perform to potential. The centre purchased The Listening Program (a music-based listening therapy program), and LiSN & Learn (auditory training software designed to help students suppress background noise and attend to target stimuli). In the Junior School the Hear and Learn program was trialled for a number of weeks. This surround sound technology optimises the listening environment. The Education Support Department is also looking at providing amplification in some classrooms to improve learning and listening.

Next year, the Department hopes to have social and speech programs in both the Junior School and Middle School to support those students with needs in this area. The number of students with learning difficulties is everincreasing and the College is careful and forward-thinking in planning accommodations for these students.

Another focus was increased use of technology effective in helping students to compensate for learning difficulties. All Trinity staff were offered the opportunity to learn about Read & Write Gold through weekly tutorials. Many boys had this program installed on their laptops. The WordShark program was installed for a number of boys to help them develop phonic skills. Touch-typing programs were purchased and installed to help boys increase their writing speed.

I thank Headmaster, Mr Ivan Banks, the leadership team and all the staff, for their faith in my ability to oversee the committed work of the Education Support staff and for their support in my attempts to improve educational outcomes for the boys.

Mrs Lissa Coleman Director of Education Support