"You must be cheerful and happy, animating all around you." Catherine McAuley

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL LEARNING AND TEACHING

PARENT STUDENT TEACHER CONFERENCES 

Parent Student Teacher Conferences were held on Tuesday, October 12. These were organised in a different manner and were held via Microsoft Teams as Virtual Meetings.

Our data shows that 398 interviews were booked. Thank you to the families who took advantage of the opportunity to discuss their child’s progress. 

 

VO EXAMS (YEARS 9 AND 10)

Due to the events throughout the year, the college has decided that VO (Years 9 and 10) exams will not take place in Semester 2. This will allow teachers to have additional time for face-to-face teaching to cover the material that was difficult to cover remotely. Subject teachers will have the option to run end of unit or end of semester tests in place of exams during class time. Normal classes will continue until Friday, November 26.

 

YEAR 9 END OF YEAR 

The final day for Year 9 students will be Tuesday, November 30.

 

VCAL

Current Year 11 Intermediate VCAL students

Normal classes will conclude on Wednesday, November 17. 

 

The 2022 Senior VCAL Headstart Program will run from Thursday, November 18 to Tuesday, November 23.

 

YEAR 11 EXAMS 

Year 11 exams will proceed. It was deemed essential preparation for students as they move into Year 12 in 2022. Exams will take place from Wednesday, November 10 and continue until Tuesday, November 16.

 

We believe that our Year 11 students have made a magnificent effort despite the interruptions due to COVID. Our aim is to equip them for their final year of schooling by giving them the best experience possible. With this in mind, we have decided that Year 11 exams should run as normal, mindful that this is the final chance our VCE students will have to experience the exam process before their final exams in Year 12. 

 

All Year 11 student families will receive a letter regarding exams this week. If students wish to leave the college grounds after completing their exams, it is essential they return the signed permission slip. Once this has been received, students will be issued with a QR code that will enable them to scan out of the college after each exam. Further information will be provided in the letter being sent home.

 

EXAM TIPS

Exam week can be a stressful time for all students. Knowing how to properly prepare for exams is the key to avoiding stress and acing every single one of your exams. Here are some proven methods that will have you focused and better prepared for final exams.

  1. Say NO to cramming: Study in intervals! Studying in 20 to 50 minute increments and giving yourself 5 to 10 minutes in between is more beneficial than cramming.  Distributing learning over time typically benefits long-term retention more than a short period.
  2. Say YES to cardio: Science says that just 20 minutes of cardio can improve your memory. Whether you are dancing, jogging or walking, exercise will increase your energy level and reduce the effects of stress.
  3. Eat superfoods/antioxidants: Everybody knows you should eat breakfast the day of an exam. Research suggests that high-carb, high-fibre, slow-digesting foods like oatmeal are best. (Oatmeal is more filling than cereal.) However, what you eat a week in advance matters too. When 16 college students were tested on attention and thinking speed, then fed a five-day high-fat, low-carb diet heavy on meat, eggs, cheese and cream and tested again, their performance declined. The students who ate a balanced diet that included fruit and vegetables however, held steady, says Cameron Holloway, a senior clinical researcher at the University of Oxford.  When you study, your brain consumes glucose, so take a five-minute break every hour to let your body produce more fuel for your studying. Eating a healthy snack is very beneficial and can make a significant difference. (Almonds, fruit, and yoghurt are good choices.)
  4. Alternate study spots: Shake up your exam routine! Spending all night in the library can be draining. According to the New York Times, simply alternating the room where a person studies improves retention. In an experiment, psychologists found that college students who studied a list of 40 vocabulary words in two different rooms - one windowless and cluttered, the other modern, with a view on a courtyard did far better on a test than students who studied the words twice, in the same room. Why? Supposedly, the brain makes subtle associations between what it is studying and the background sensations it has at the time. Try alternating your study spots between the library, a study room and outside.
  5. Time management: Cramming causes anxiety, which lowers your ability to retain information. By creating a balanced study plan and schedule, you will be able to study each subject in its entirety and ultimately boost your exam performance.
  6. Avoid the all-nighter:  Based on a 2008 study by Pamela Thacher, Associate Professor of Psychology at St Lawrence University, all-nighters impair reasoning and memory for as long as four days. As a result, you will receive lower grades. However, that is not all; you would then be forced to wake up earlier than expected and that is bad too. According to Dan Taylor, director of a sleep-and-health-research lab at the University of North Texas, this will interfere with rapid-eye movement (REM), which aids memory. So, get a good night’s sleep and expect to perform better on tests. (Quick tip: Review the toughest material right before going to bed the night before the exam. It makes it easier to recall the material later.)
  7. MINIMISE distractions: Research shows that while many teens prefer to study while listening to music, texting friends, or watching television, they are less likely to retain information that way. If you must listen to music, stick to instrumental music and consider downloading these study tools to keep you focused!
  8. MAXIMISE practice testing: You may have thought highlighting, re-reading and summation would be effective ways to study. Think again!  A 2013 study, Improving Students’ Learning with Effective Learning Techniques, found that these techniques do not consistently boost students’ performance. Practice testing using flashcards or taking practice exams was observed to be a highly effective studying technique.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Continuing from previous traditions, the Achievement ‘Postgraduate Year 12 Award Scholarships’ and the ‘VCAL Excellence Scholarship’ will be awarded to successful graduating students of 2021.  

 

Each year, Year 12 students who achieve an ATAR ranking of 90 or above will receive a $2,000 cash scholarship.

 

Each year the student who is Dux of the College will also receive an additional $1,000 cash scholarship on top of the $2,000 received for achieving an ATAR ranking of 90 or above.

 

The Proxime Accessit will receive an additional $500 cash scholarship on top of the $2,000 received for achieving an ATAR ranking of 90 or above. 

 

The scholarships are dependent on the achievement of an ATAR of 90 or above.

 

VCAL Scholarship

There will be a $2,000 scholarship for one Senior VCAL student.

 

This scholarship will require an application process with a set of criteria to be completed. A St Joseph’s College VCAL Staff member will be required to provide the Scholarship Selection Committee with a confidential reference for the applicant.

 

Mr Greg Kluske

Deputy Principal Learning and Teaching