Learning Support

Learning Enhancement
The St Hilda’s Learning Enhancement department aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop the necessary academic skills needed to ensure a positive school experience. Learning Enhancement staff are responsible for arranging testing of students and the development of appropriate programs for students with learning difficulties, including individual education programs for students eligible for special funding. They work establish a close rapport with students and regularly communicate with subject teachers. The Learning Enhancement department also takes responsibility for providing English as a Second Language (ESL) support.  ESL support is available in the forms of: withdrawal (for new arrivals), support in class, or monitoring, according to each individual student's needs. Learning Enhancement staff work closely with the classroom teacher to support learning, enabling the student to achieve success while discovering strategies and structures that accommodate their learning needs.

In the Middle School there are a number of avenues available to students who need additional support.

These include:
 - Homework Help Club
 - After school tutorials - for English, Mathematics and Science

 - In-class support

 - Learning Enhancement class instead of a LOTE (Languages other than English)

Homework Guidelines
Homework tasks are a valuable component of the Middle School curriculum. They are seen as an important aid to the learning process as they reinforce and extend the learning experience of the student. The conscientious completion of homework can have a positive impact on a student's success in Middle School.

Homework helps students by:
- Complementing and reinforcing classroom learning
- Enabling them to revise and consolidate work covered in class
- Fostering good habits of lifelong learning and self-discipline
- Developing organisational skills
- Developing concentration and study skills
- Assisting them to learn more effectively and independently
- Providing training for students in planning and organising time
- Helping them take responsibility for their learning both at school and at home
- Developing a range of skills in identifying and using information sources
- Providing structured revision of each day's work
- Strengthening the partnership between home and school

Students can help themselves by:
- Writing down all details of homework they are set in their school diaries
- Using the assessment schedule to plan and help manage their time
- Recording due dates for tasks and major assignments in their diaries
- Planning their homework task completion appropriately - not leaving work to the last minute
- Seeking assistance from teachers or parents when difficulties arise
- Ensuring their homework is completed to a high standard
- Developing an effective individual study timetable; and submitting assigned work punctually

Parents can support their daughters by:
- Taking an active interest in homework
- Ensuring that there is time set aside for homework
- Encouraging and supporting the completion of homework
- Providing a dedicated place and desk for homework and study
- Encouraging her to read and take an interest in current events
- Assisting teachers to monitor homework by signing the Student Diary
- Communicating with teachers any concerns regarding homework

Homework is assigned on a regular basis in the Middle School. The following times are a guide for each year level, with consideration given to the time students spend on other activities.
Year 7:  50 / 60 minutes per night
Year 8:  60 / 90 minutes per night
Year 9:  60 / 90 minutes per night

Students are expected to allocate a minimum of 15 minutes each night to reading.

Students always have homework to complete, even if specific homework has not been set by a teacher. The following lists some ways that students can use homework time to become independent, self-directed learners.
- Reading
- Revising
- Reflecting
- Research
- Practising skills
- Completing assignment tasks and projects