Senior School

Welcome Back

Welcome back to what is a critical and very busy time of year for our Senior School students.

Year 12 September Exams

I would like to thank all students and parents for the overwhelming support for the Year 12 exams which were held over the September holiday period. This program was an outstanding success and I hope it is a valuable learning experience for students in terms of perfecting exam techniques and time management. It is now important for students to act on the feedback which has been provided by their teachers to further improve their learning outcomes and examination performance.

I would also like to thank the supervisors who assisted with the exams in particular Mrs Bev Valentine, who worked tirelessly to ensure the exams ran efficiently and under VCAA guidelines. I would also like to acknowledge the extra work and dedication of our Year 12 teachers in the setting and marking of these practice exams.

Year 11 Central Australia Tour

Another successful tour of Central Australia and the Northern Territory has arrived home safely with students and staff reporting on a memorable and enjoyable trip. Congratulations to the students who were excellent ambassadors for Frankston High School. I am sure you gained an invaluable appreciation of Australian culture and will have life-long memories of this tour. Thank you to the staff involved, under the leadership of Mrs Adrienne Shepherd who gave of their personal time and worked tirelessly to ensure the success of the trip – their commitment and dedication is outstanding. Thank you also to Mrs Anne Thomson for the excellent organisation of the trip.

Congratulations to the Frankston Four Square Federation

The Frankston Four Square Federation held their grand championship early this term, where Nathanael Furlong, Year 12, was crowned champion. Congratulations to all students involved, especially Rhys De Deugd, Bailey Frey, Chris George and Dylan Stafford – over $1000.00 was raised and will be donated to Beyond Blue. A special thank you to Mr Brett Cook for all of his assistance.

Examinations

We have now reached the most critical time of year. Year 12 students have less than one week of class time left and Year 11 students have four weeks before their exams. All students should have implemented a comprehensive study plan/timetable to prepare for their examinations.

Some useful hints for exam preparation:

Prepare summaries in your own words and use pictures, tables and graphs to help you remember the theory
Highlight the key words that you need to remember and create the theory
Work with a study partner and ask each other questions about the notes or explain the concepts to another person (parents come in handy here!)
Study in blocks of time eg 50 minute blocks followed by a ten minute break
Practise as many past exam papers as possible so you get used to the timing and types of questions examiners ask
Don’t cram before exams; a bit each day is a much more effective way to learn

Establish a regular routine in studying, eating, exercising and sleeping

Study and sit previous years’ exam papers at home at the same time as the end of year exam.

Don’t stay up all night; it’s not an effective way to learn

I would like to remind parents and students of the Elevate presentations where the importance of completing past exam papers was stressed. The presenters stated that a critical component of student success in Year 12 is completing past exam papers under timed conditions and receiving feedback from teachers on their answers. As a minimum five to six practice exam papers should be completed per subject; based on research the top students in each study are completing 20-30 practice exam papers and meeting with their teachers to receive feedback. Students should also be reading the Assessment Reports on past exam papers which are available at www.vcaa.vic.edu.au.

Performance and Oral Examinations

Students in studies with a performance or oral component have been given a timetable for these examinations. Any student who has not received a timetable should see Mr Simon Cameron immediately. The examination period begins on Monday 5 October and ends on Sunday 1 November. Students should arrive at their examination half an hour before the scheduled start time and must have photo identification with them.

Good luck to all students involved.

Important Dates

Year 12 Examinations begin on Wednesday 28 October and conclude on Friday 20 November.

Year 11 students are not required to attend school on Wednesday 28 October due to the Year 12 English Examination taking place on this day.

Year 11 Examinations begin on Monday 16 November and conclude on Friday 27 November . The results from these Year 11 examinations are very important and determine subject selection and promotion to Year 12.

The final submission date for all work for senior school students is Thursday 5 November.

The early commencement program will run from Monday 30 November to Friday 4 December. Attendance is compulsory for all 2016 Year 11 and Year 12 students.

I wish all senior school students the very best for their upcoming exams

Charles Hawker Scholarships

2016 Charles Hawker Scholarships will open on Monday 7 December 2015 for interested Year 12 students to lodge applications. An application form and further information is available from www.hawkerscholarship.org . Please see Ms Wilson if you are interested.

Doxa Hollingworth Cadetship Program

This program is designed to provide disadvantaged youth who have satisfactorily completed their Year 12 studies, with the opportunity to pursue university education and gain future employment.

The current cadets are studying a range of degrees including Social and Environmental Science, Applied Science, Law, Arts, Commerce, Transport and Logistics Management, Economics, Business, Computing, Engineering, Accounting, Public Relations, Human Resources, Psychology, Arts, Urban Planning and Architecture.

The Doxa Cadetship provides:

Financial assistance
Work experience with a corporate organisation
A mentor
Book allowance
Professional and personal development

If you are interested in applying, please see me.

Department of Education and Training Student Scholarships

There are a number of scholarships available to students that the Department of Education and Training (DET) advertises but does not administer. This includes scholarships available to Year 12 students which can be applied for once their end of year results have been finalised. All scholarships can now be viewed via the DET link:

www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/scholarships

Online scholarship applications will be accepted commencing in late November 2015.

Best Wishes To The Class Of 2015

As this is the final newsletter for our Year 12 students before they embark on their final examinations, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere best wishes for their examinations and their future goals and ambitions. I wish them every success in the future and I would like to thank them for their excellent contribution to Frankston High School. They have been an absolute pleasure to work with. I would also like to congratulate and thank the excellent work and leadership of our two school captains Olivia Wood and Jacob Massey Chase.

Ms Helen Wilson, Senior Campus Principal