Learning and Teaching News

Year 7-11 end of Term 3 Exam Blocks

End of Term 3 exam block schedules for Years 7-11 will be released by the end of this week to all students and their families. Please check emails and the portal to access these documents. 

Year 12 Academic Schedule

The Year 12 mock exam block scheduled for Weeks 7 and 8 of this term will now be held from Monday 28 August to Wednesday 6 September and will include a mock external exam for every General subject. Students will return to normal classes from Thursday 7 September until the end of the term at 3:10pm on Thursday 14 September. The schedule for these mock exams will be released later this week.

Year 11 Applications for Music Extension and English/Literature Extension

Any Year 11 student who is considering either Music Extension or English/Literature Extension for Units 3 and 4 (beginning Term 4 this year) must apply via the Academic Care Team office. Applications must be in by the end of Week 7.

Year 11 End of Unit 2 Exam Block

As per the College calendar, the Year 11 End of Unit 2 exam block was scheduled for Friday 31st August – Thursday 7th September (Weeks 8 and 9). This block will now commence on Wednesday 6 September and conclude on Wednesday 13 September 2023 (Weeks 9 and 10).  The exam bock schedule will be released later this week.

Year 11 Unit 2 report cards will be released in Week 3, Term 4.

Year 10 and 11 Removal of Exam Block Privileges

Students are reminded that exam block privileges will not be given to any student who has summative work owing. Boys who have not completed the work required will be asked to remain at school until the work has been completed. This is particularly relevant for students who are undertaking Certificate courses, including Year 10 Workplace Skills and Outdoor Recreation.

Griffith University Academic Boot Camps

Griffith University Academic Bootcamps are courses designed to assist students to achieve their full academic potential. They aim to improve confidence and understanding in senior science and maths subject areas, reducing anxiety around assessment and preparing students for future tertiary study.

This year boot camps will be run both in person and online across the September holidays for the following subjects –

• General Maths
• Maths Methods
• Physics
• Chemistry
• Biology

For more information about these courses please visit Academic Bootcamps (griffith.edu.au)

Tutoring at the College 

Tutoring at the College is available for all students, and outlined below are faculties where your son can receive assistance. 

*Other faculties by appointment with the classroom teacher. 

Additionally, the CLE run touch-base tutoring for specific students in the College. For more information, contact CLE@marash.qld.edu.au.

If you would like an external tutor, please find a list of Old Boy tutors below. 

Assessment Calendars

These were released last week and form an important basis for your son's planning. Using this document, your son should be writing key dates (draft and due dates, along with exam block) into his college diary.

Please note that some subjects will conduct assessment during class time.  This will be slightly different per class. For example, Drama performances will occur across Drama classes which fall at different times. Your son will be informed of due dates for these subjects during class times.   

Year 7 Tutoring

The Academic Captains are trailing tutoring for our Year 7 boys on Mondays from 3:15pm to 4:15pm in Room 105.  This will start next Monday 14 August.  No need to sign up, just show up.

Year 11 and 12 – Registering for myQCE 

The QCAA is running a competition to encourage all Queensland students to sign-up to myQCE – a platform to allow them to access key information and results as they progress to their attainment of a QCE by the end of Year 12. The myQCE competition opens on Monday 10 July and closes on Friday 15 September. It offers Year 10–12 students a chance to win one of four prizes: a MacBook Air and three Sony WH1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones.  

To enter the competition students must:  

• follow the myQCE Instagram account  
• like a myQCE Instagram post  
• tag three friends in the comments  
• register for the Student Portal (if they haven’t already), log in and check/update their information such as their personal email address and phone number. 

Students can enter the competition and find more information at: https://myqce.qcaa.qld.edu.au/get-motivated/get-involved. The QCAA will contact the four winners by email, and their names will be published on the myQCE website, myQCE Instagram account and in the Term 4 myQCE update.

Senior Library Hours

Our senior library is open from 7:30am every morning until 5:00pm Monday-Thursday. It closes at 3:30pm on Fridays. 

Your son is encouraged to head to the library before and/or after school to complete his homework or study, free from the distractions at home. 

Study Hall   

Year 12 Night Study Sessions      

The Night Study Sessions are weekly study times available to Year 12 students who wish to work in collaboration with their peers for assessment, complete revision, revisit classwork or work on external exam preparation. 

When: Every Wednesday during term time from 5:00pm-8:00pm

Where: Senior Library

Who: 2023 Year 12’s only

Requirements:      

• Current ID card is to be presented on arrival      
• All students must sign in and out of the library      
• All standard library rules are to be followed (including no eating)      
• Normal student behaviour expectations apply; if these cannot be met, students will be prohibited from returning to future sessions      
• Students are free to wear full College uniform or plain clothes      
• Students are free to arrive and leave as they see fit. Supervision is only provided in the library between 5:00pm-8:00pm.      
• Students are to be in the library only. This is not a time for sport or social gatherings.            

A librarian will be on duty from 5:00pm-8:00pm to assist if required; however, these are not tutoring sessions. 

Accessing Student Results 

Student results and feedback for assessment items can be accessed by parents on Parent Lounge. Please follow the steps below which highlight how to access your son’s results and feedback.

1. Open parent portal and click on “Parent Lounge”   

2. On the left-hand tab select “Curricular Activities Due” and select “view all activities” on the top right-hand side of page.    

This will take you to a screen that lists of your son/s assessment to complete or has been completed.   

3. Click on a subject to view feedback.    

4. Once you click on the subject you will be able to find the following information:   

1. Task sheet for assessment – this will outline what your son needs to do to complete the task successfully 
2. Draft due dates and due dates
3. Criteria sheet
4. Feedback 
5. Result