HSC Q&A

 YEAR 12 PARENT WEBINAR 

On Tuesday 14 September a Q&A Webinar was conducted for parents and carers of our Year 12 HSC students, to provide answers to any areas of concern regarding the end of term, examinations and graduation events. The event was attended by: 

• Principal, Dr Andrew Parry
• Deputy Principal & Head of Senior School, Mr James Boyd
• Director of Teaching & Learning, Ms Heidi Anthony
• Director of Studies, Mrs Lucy Collett
• Senior Years Coordinator, Mrs Claudia McCalman

The content of the webinar is detailed below for those unable to attend. Questions were logged by parents prior to and during the event and these are noted in italics and grouped together where the topics are related. 

Q. I’m concerned that students aren’t getting the opportunity to celebrate this end of their school life as a critical right of passage.  Could you speak about some of the plans you are looking at to achieve this? 

Q. Can students come back for a week of fun activities face to face?  

At our Year 12 Student meeting earlier this week we discussed the format for the Year 12 Mentor Farewell and Graduation - our students were keen to hold on for a chance to attend this in person and we are keen to support them. Because graduation is impossible to stage right now, there was general agreement that we should move this event to the end of Term 4 – that is, early- to mid-December. There seems to be some hope that we will be able to stage a larger event such as this later in the year. Clearly the event will still be subject to NSW Health guidelines and restrictions. There can be no guarantees on the format for the event at this stage, except that we will celebrate the Class of 2021 in the very best way that we can. With so many unknowns, the exact date and format for a mentor farewell and graduation event will be confirmed as soon as the possibilities come into clearer focus: we expect to have advice from NSW Health in early Term 4. 

Q. When will we see the individual timetables for the HSC? 

Personal HSC written examination timetables are now available via Students Online. 

Q. Just want to know what plans the school has to keep the students engaged and motivated up till November?  With the HSC start date delay, the students have a long wait to exam time, I'm concerned about study burn out and the loss of study momentum, has the school spoken to the students about a recommended study program to minimise these sorts of issues?  

Q. How are the drop-in sessions with their teachers going to work? If there is a possibility of coming onto campus would you let the Yr 12 students have some in personal drop-in sessions if Orange comes out of lockdown in early term 4?  

Q. How is this fair and equitable for students that already have employment in place? 

Academic Support 

We are working to ensure that we continue to offer opportunities for connection and engagement for our HSC students, whilst managing the academic program for Years 7-11. 

We are working on an adjusted timetable, which will see changes being made to the entire Senior School timetable to allow for drop-in sessions to be scheduled for Year 12 students. 

We are making drop-in session plans with consistency across the Year 12 cohort in mind. These are being mapped out to ensure we are being fair and equitable across all subjects. In addition to the published drop-in schedule there may be times that individual teachers make themselves available for students around their other teaching commitments. This will be managed and communicated separately by these teachers with their students. 

The drop-in sessions may be recorded for viewing at a later date, and students will be able to access these sessions via teams if unable to be there in person. These sessions are optional for all students, and as we have finished teaching content in all subjects, they will be purely for revision and consolidation. 

The School is continuing to provide for those boarding students who have limited internet by allowing them to return to campus if they wish to do so for the HSC preparation period.  

Motivation 

Students have come up with a number of suggestions for staying motivated, including study groups online. Collaborating is an important revision process. Engagement comes from those points of contact. There does need to be a sense of personal and parent motivation and urgency around continued exam preparation.  Students they have shared their ideas and suggestions with the school and have been asked to share their tips, insights and recommendations with each other – Mrs McCalman is going to facilitate this further via the MS Teams Channel. 

Collaborative work – It is possible to work together with friends via MS Teams, FaceTime, Zoom, just as long as they are honest with themselves about what is actually being achieved.  

Structured timetable – To avoid daydreaming, a carefully constructed revision timetable is vitally important. A copy posted on the fridge door or somewhere visible so all can see the routine your child has adopted offers the chance to offer encouragement or congratulations when sessions have been completed. The revision should be in manageable chunks. It could also include past paper questions under timed conditions, multiple choice tests, having someone ask you questions, testing through flashcards and even answering a question out loud. These retrieval methods are some of the most effective ways to revise. It is important to point out that there still does need to be a sense of personal drive, I know parents will continue to encourage and cajole. Speaking with students they also feel a greater sense of urgency will appear now that there is a definitive start date / timetable for the HSC.   

Q. What happens if the LGA you live/work in or the LGA that the school is in has Covid cases and is put in a snap lockdown during the HSC?   

 We are awaiting clarification of this – our current belief is that exams will cease and the affected students will need to apply for misadventure.   

Q. Would the boarding year 12’s be allowed back to study before the HSC and stay there during HSC? Especially when they are double vaccinated.  

Boarders may return from 6 October but the guidelines will be quite restrictive and there may not be an opportunity to return home prior to the examinations. It is important to note that those who return to boarding will be completing their exam preparation independently and will NOT be returning to face-to-face learning. Boarders of course may return for the examination period. There will be boarding arrangements at this time that will involve physical distancing of these students.  

Q. Have the health department given you any advice regarding whether classmates in an exam would be considered close contacts (14d quarantine) or casual contacts (isolate till negative test) should a student test positive for covid over the exam period?   

The illness and misadventure process continues to be available for HSC students who: have tested positive to COVID-19 or are under the direction of NSW Health to self-isolate at the time of an exam, are unwell or have flu-like symptoms at the time of an exam. NSW Health will advise the School based on the individual circumstances of their exposure to COVID-19 and the process that would need to be followed – i.e. quarantine / isolation. Students who are not directed to self-isolate may be advised by their school: to attend the exam at the scheduled venue as it has been cleared to operate by NSW Health; or to attend the exam at an alternative venue; or that the exam has been cancelled. Written exams will not be held online or rescheduled. If an exam is cancelled, we will lodge an application for illness and misadventure on behalf of affected students – i.e. those who: 

1. have tested positive to COVID-19 or are under the direction of NSW Health to self-isolate at the time of an exam
2. are unwell or have flu-like symptoms at the time of an exam. We have strict written exam protocols to follow and we are working closely with the presiding officer to implement these. They include:

• Mandatory face masks for students and staff, indoors and outdoors
• Check-in and health screening protocols for students and staff
• Physical distancing between students and staff at all times
• Minimising mingling of student groups
• Well ventilated exam rooms Keeping exam group sizes as small as possible
• Desks spaced a minimum of 1.5 metres apart
• Hygiene marshals and regular cleaning of exam rooms.

Students with a known illness, like hay fever, that have similar symptoms to the flu must get a medical certificate from their doctor and give the School a copy of the certificate – this can be sent to Ms Collett and we can then pass that on to the presiding officer. This allows students with existing conditions to meet exam day protocols without requiring a negative COVID test.  

Q. Where will the exams be held?  Have the health department said whether deep cleaning will be needed should a student test positive? Are you able to arrange alternative examination rooms if that happens?   

Exams will be in the DPA – masks will need to be worn for the exams – it may even be prudent to consider practising writing with a mask on – I would also add that time should be spent using a pen as part of the revision process, answering practice questions – a lot of work has been done understandably via laptops etc recently.  

Deep cleaning - we would be advised by NSW Health on this situation and the time frame for a campus closure. Contingency plans for alternative locations have been made. These include PLC and classrooms.  

 Q. Can you apply to sit the HSC in your own LGA, or another LGA? Do all exams have to be sat in the one venue? For example, could you do the majority in another LGA and then the final ones prior to graduation at KWS?   

Q. Are students able to sit their exam elsewhere, at another high school or TAFE as an alternative?   

 We will be sending information about the application for this shortly. It is unlikely though that a program can be split up, ie have some exams at one venue and others at another. The application would involve all exams being moved.   

Q. Will you be able to provide accommodation for students to isolate while waiting for a covid test result? Thinking here of respiratory signs that require a test and are unlikely to be covid - hoping that kids would not have to return home for that 24 hour period.    

Yes, we have made provisions for this and information will be shared with boarding families at the start of Term 4.   

Q. Are you able to drive through a lockdown LGA to get to school or home?   

Travelling to school for education is considered a reasonable excuse therefore students can travel to school into a Level 3 area. Students living in regional NSW without a stay-at-home order (Level 3) can travel to schools in areas that are under a stay-at-home rule (Level 4) if it is necessary and they are not able to learn from home. Students who live in a Level 3 area can travel across Level 4 LGAs to their school in a Level 3 area if this is required. They should avoid stopping over in the Level 4 area if possible. If stopping is absolutely required such as refuelling, they should wear a mask or face covering. Any student from a Level 3 area who travels into a Level 4 area will need to follow NSW Health advice. 

Q. Are any of the events on Thursday open for parents to view?   

Parents are not usually involved in these events but will of course be involved in graduation, in whatever form it occurs. In saying that, the chapel service and showcase will be online so parents may want to sit and view these with the students.  

Q. Can you apply to not sit the HSC on mental health grounds?   

There are longstanding protocols for these matters. This involves an application to NESA through the disability provisions channel. Please arrange to speak to Ms Anthony directly if you require information or advice.  

Q. Are they looking at having rapid testing prior to exams? 

We have not had advice from NESA or NSW Health on this option. 

Q. For the students who need special provisions like a reader or writer how can they be distanced from the person providing support? 

There are protocols being developed for all exam invigilators and those offering provisions, including compulsory vaccination and mask wearing. Whilst we are unsure of the exact distancing requirements for those providing provisions assistance we will be sure to communicate these requirements with the students receiving provisions as soon as we have clarity on this.  

Q. If Boarder’s have a week between exams, can they travel between school and home between exams 

Yes, this is possible, however this will be subject to the NSW Health restrictions at that time for the LGA of residence and the situation in Orange.