The feedback from our Registration Panel last week was very pleasing. All the panel commented on what a wonderful, friendly student body we have and they were impressed with the way students engaged with them. The panel also commented on the great teaching and learning they witnessed. The Curriculum team have been given some recommendations to look at around our record-keeping in particular, and some of our assessment task weightings in the senior years, but overall we have made it through the process with great results.

Our Year 12 students are currently into the final days of their HSC Trial exams. The feedback from the students has been that the exams have been very challenging, but a good practice run for the real thing later in the year. When the students receive their exams back they should take a few moments to analyse their strength areas and the areas they need to do more work on. A simple way of starting this is to go through the exam and note which questions were from individual topics, and how many marks they received for them. For example, in Biology, there are 4 topics, each worth 25% of the exam. If a student’s results were 20/25, 12/25 18/25 and 21/25, it is very clear that the student needs to do more work on the second topic. It is essential that the Year 12 students use the feedback from these exams as a catalyst to work on improving exam technique and their study. Students should be in constant contact with their teachers on ways to improve.

Our Year 11 students should be making sure their course notes are up to date and they should begin the process of committing information to their memories in readiness for their exams at the end of this term. Students should make dot point summaries of content and constantly revise them as they prepare. Study has to be more than just reading over notes. It should be an active process with a pen in hand, making notes, rewriting facts, drawing and labelling diagrams and constructing mind maps. The more revision the students do, the better their results will be.

Parent-Teacher interviews are being held in Week 5, Monday 19 August and Week 6, Tuesday 27 August from 3.30pm until 7.30pm. These opportunities to meet with your child’s teachers are very important. Teachers will be able to provide you and your child with concrete strategies that will help them achieve at a higher level. Please go into Sentral and make your bookings. If you need help with Sentral access, please contact Kristy Ellis at the College.

John O’Neill

Assistant Principal
Curriculum and Achievement