SECONDARY NEWS
From the Assistant Principal

Miss Kim Bailey
kbailey@arm.catholic.edu.au

Year 11 2026 Family Meetings

Miss Bailey and Mr Baldwin will be holding Stage 6 Family Meetings to discuss Year 10 subject selections and pattern of study for Year 11 in 2026.

This meeting is an essential opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of the pathways available for senior school. We will cover key information regarding course structures, prerequisites, and how to make informed choices that align with your child's strengths and future aspirations. Mrs Townsend will be available if students have questions about VET subjects.

Meeting times will be 20 minutes and can be booked through Compass. Please access the booking system to secure your preferred slot. If the available times do not suit your family, please contact Miss Bailey, and we will do our best to arrange an alternative. It is important to note that these meetings are in addition to the usual Family Conferences and we strongly encourage attending the conferences to gauge current progress in all subjects.

Available time slots:

Tuesday 12 August: 12.30 pm – 2.30 pm
Wednesday 20 August: 10.00 am - 5.30 pm
Thursday 21 August: 9.30 am - 2.00 pm

Please note that attendance at this meeting is a required step for all students intending to continue into Year 11 in 2026. Your participation is vital in ensuring a smooth and well-informed transition into senior studies.

We look forward to meeting with you and supporting your child through this important decision-making process.

Please contact Miss Bailey if you have any questions or concerns.

16.05.2025 SENIOR STUDIES HANDBOOK 2026.pdf

Family Conferences

In Week 5, on Monday 18 August & Tuesday 19 August, Years 7 – 10 Family Conferences will be held in the Hall. This will enable parents to check on their child’s progress. In particular, they will have the opportunity to follow up on any issues from the first meeting this year and from Semester 1 reports. The interviews on both nights will be held in the Hall from 3.45 pm – 5.45pm. Families can book in on whatever night suits them best.

CTRL SHFT

Students in Years 7 - 10 attended presentations yesterday by Ctrl Shft.

Ctrl Shft partners with schools and youth organisations to create safer digital environments. They offer expert-led training and resources to help build safer digital environments. Instead of a fear-based approach, Ctrl Shft focuses on empowering young people with the knowledge and skills to navigate the digital world responsibly.

Congratulations…

Rural Allied Health Work Experience Program

Congratulations to the following Year 10 students who were successful in their application to attend the first program to be held in Inverell.

Sasha Bryant
Alexzel Cleary
Charlotte Harris
Halina Huynh

The Hunter New England Allied Health Work experience program is a simulation and

hands on activity showcase that allows year 10 students to engage with NSW Health

clinicians. During the program students explore various Allied Health roles and pathways

into careers within NSW Health.

In other areas, this program has been valuable in assisting students decide on a pathway to careers in health with many students going on

to study Allied Health degrees.

The program includes three underlying themes: 1. Spotlight on the student

2. Exploring behind the scenes of Allied Health roles

3. Reflecting on what careers sparked an interest and aligning this with values and skills.

Students will get to meet Allied Health clinicians who work across the various Hunter New England Health services including hospitals and community health. This exposure will give students an understanding of what the different professionals do day to day in their roles as well as hear about study and career pathways into their profession.

The progam will take place in Inverell on Tuesday 19 August.

EKKA

The Holy Trinity Show Team recently returned from a highly successful campaign at the EKKA. They achieved many excellent results across various categories. A full report with more details on their achievements will be shared in a future newsletter. Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Townsend and all students involved on another successful show campaign!

ACS Athletics

Congratulations to our students who competed last Friday at the ACS Athletics in Tamworth.

Cochrane Cup

Although defeated, our U14S Rugby League were excellent ambassadors for the school and showed great sportsmanship last week in Grafton.

Debating

Congratulations to our Year 7 debating team, who were successful in their recent debate against St Philomena's Moree. Their excellent teamwork, logical arguments, and confident delivery secured them a victory.

Chess

Our chess team has demonstrated their strategic prowess, recently defeating O'Connor Catholic College. Their win now sees them progress to the next round of the competition. Congratulations to the team on this impressive victory, and we look forward to hearing about their next challenge!

Good luck...

ICAS Tests

Good luck to the students who have chosen to participate in the upcoming ICAS tests.

Year 7 Visual Arts

Last Term in Visual Arts, Year 7 have been learning about clay and have each sculpted a pinch pot monster. To create our pinch pot monsters, we first had some help from our kindergarten class. During our visit to the KM class, we read the "The Colour Monster" book together, about a friendly monster who tries to identify each of his emotions. Afterwards, Kindergarten then drew their very own monster with the help of Year 7. There were drawings of monsters with lots of eyes, sharp teeth, long tails, spikes and wings. When Year 7 returned to the classroom, they interpreted the Kindergarten drawings and turned them into a clay sculpture. We also had the pleasure of a visit from a local ceramic artist, Gemma Pettiford, who demonstrated and helped us learn about clay building and joining techniques. Gemma also bought in a few of her pieces she had created so we could see all the possibilities of art made of clay. Thank you to Gemma and our very own Kindergarten students and Mrs Muggleton for having us. Stay tuned to see the creations after they have been fired and glazed.

Mrs Kylie Butler

Year 8 and 9 Excursions

Instalments can be paid on Compass for the Term 3 excursions to the Aussie Bush Camp (Year 8) and Sydney (Year 9).

STUDY SKILLS TIPS

Making the Most of Your Learning

Learning is not just what you do in the classroom. Study is not just what you do the night before a test. Both of these are ongoing activities that are enhanced by the correct pre and post activities. See which of these 5 Ps you do.

PREPARE: This is the stage where you ensure you have all of the materials you need for learning and have completed any pre-tasks such as reading sections of your textbook in advance or any other activities your teacher asks you to complete prior to the class.

PARTICIPATE: Engaging in your learning is the best way to start to embed it in your memory and ensure you understand. Having the opportunity to discuss and interact and complete different styles of learning activities really helps your brain to process what you are learning.

PLAN: Take the time to look at the assessments for the course and plan when you will start, work on and complete tasks. Anytime you are asked to complete work for class, plan when you will do it and even better write your plan into your diary or online planner.

PRACTISE: One of the best ways to learn is to do practise questions. When you apply what you have learnt to actual questions, you will engage retrieval and cognitive pathways in the brain and reinforce your learning and uncover areas that need extra study.

PINPOINT: After a test or assessment is returned to you, celebrate your successes but also use it to pinpoint areas of weakness. This allows you to then spend time building your strengths in these areas without the pressure of an exam looming.

GOOGLE CLASSROOM GUARDIAN SUMMARIES

Google Classroom allows teachers to create classes, distribute paperless assignments, post announcements and class questions, and provide feedback, all through an intuitive, student-friendly interface.

The flyer and link below provide you with more information about Guardian Summaries. Please contact Miss Bailey if you have any further questions or issues.

ASSESSMENT POLICIES

It would be appreciated if parents could read the information in the booklet and discuss the issues raised with their children. The assessment process is similar to that which the students will encounter in Stage 6 as they prepare for their Higher School Certificate.

Stage 4 Assessment Policy 2025.pdf

Stage 5 Assessment Policy 2025.pdf

Living Well, Learning Well

Ready2Learn

Device Policy

Students are not permitted to use their devices unless instructed by a teacher. This includes both the classroom and the playground. The students are aware of this policy and receive constant reminders in Pastoral Care, their teaching classes, and there are also many posters displayed all around the school.

If a student needs to use their device, they must first seek permission from a teacher and use it in an area designated by the teacher. This is usually under their direct supervision or outside the Secondary staffroom.

If students are unable to follow this policy, then their phone is confiscated and placed securely in Miss Bailey's office, where it is collected by the student at the end of the school day.

Teachers record each time a device has been confiscated. After the device has been confiscated for a second time, it remains at school until it can be collected by a parent/carer.