From the Director of Studies

HSC Trial Examinations

In Week 5, Year 12 students will be completing their HSC Trial Examinations. During the two-week period, students will sit for 35 different examinations.

In the last two weeks before their examinations, students are finishing the content for their final units in each of their subjects. They are also well into the process of preparing for their examinations.

The top five things students can do to prepare for examinations include:

Create a Study Timetable – the most important preparation for any examination is to come up with a “game-plan”. This involves mapping out exactly what subjects will be studied each day and writing out a list of preparations for each subject. It also involves mapping out break times and ensuring that sleep and exercise remain part of the routine.
Finish study notes – in order to remember content for each course, students are creating their study notes. Often these study notes involve tables of information summarised in syllabus dot points. There is usually a summary page at the front with a visual or a mind map.
Revise – an essential preparation for any examination is the process of revising notes. This may involve students asking parents or friends to quiz them on important facts or quotes they need to remember. Some students record their notes and listen to them. Still, other students make flashcards and use them to revise.
Answer Practice Questions – working on practice questions is absolutely important for each subject. While this may take the form of completing essay questions in timed conditions and seeking feedback from teachers or working through Mathematics questions, students usually spend the most time on this part of the process of practice.
Visualise and Discuss – particularly for students who process information better when they picture it or discuss it, these two strategies are essential. In explaining your ideas to someone else or creating a picture in your mind of how you will tackle the examination and what your answers will look like, these two processes help to anchor content to a specific context and enable students to rehearse.

What can parents do to help?

The old saying goes: “An army marches on its stomach”. For boys, in particular, this is true during examination time. Having food and snacks ready is not only important to help replenish the nervous energy lost during this time, but it also provides a chance for your son to come down and re-engage with the family.

Students all react differently to the stresses of examinations. Some students will need to debrief with you or their friends after the examination just to get it out of their system ready for the next day. Other boys will need to spend time by themselves listening to music or switching off for a few hours after the examination. Yet other boys find the easiest way to divest themselves of the emotional baggage of an exam is to run it off or go out and exercise. For most boys, it’s a combination of these strategies.

Sometimes, examination time can be a time of heightened emotions. Particularly after a difficult examination, the first reaction is often an emotional one. As parents, we sometimes need to ride the wave and help them to rebalance and refocus on the next day.

We wish all the HSC students the very best in the lead-up to their examinations. Our thoughts and prayers are with our Year 12 students during the next weeks.

Selecting Subjects for next year

At present, our Year 10 students are in the middle of their Stage 6 Course Selections. Our Year 8 students are about to launch into their Stage 5 Subject selections in the next few weeks.

Our Year 10 students were involved in a Course Selection Information Evening on Wednesday night. Because of COVID safety, this evening was conducted as a TEAM’s meeting. While this is a completely different type of forum than we have ever organised before, it was a successful night with more than 150 parents tuning in via computer video link and our Boarders going to the Marian centre to watch the event.

Next week, students and parents will be involved in Selection Interviews and they will make their selections on 14 August. The challenge for our Year 10 students is to take the broad range of subjects offered at the College and reduce them into a study pattern that they will find challenging and enjoyable over the next two years. Students can also choose from a vast array of Vocational Education and Training Pathways offered by the school in partnership with TAFE NSW.

In the next few weeks, our Year 8 students will begin choosing two electives for Year 9, 2021. They will also be involved in sessions at school as well as an Information Evening.

We wish both groups every success as they discern the courses they will study next year.

Map out this semester

Use a term or wall planner to map out Term 3 and 4. Write in any due dates you know about and any examination blocks. Put in any other things that are happening this term and place the planner somewhere where you will see it regularly.

Mr Ric Bombardiere

Director of Studies