Lest we forget

A great start to Term Two for Year 7

Year 7 students have made a great start to Term 2, attending our ANZAC Day commemoration ceremony.

All students were respectful and responsible, listening to speakers highlight the importance of the day and observing a minute of silence to remember those who have sacrificed themselves so that we may live in peace. Some students also had the opportunity to contribute a poppy to the display. Congratulations Year 7!

Year 7 students are focusing on improving their vocabulary in Connect classes this term. There are many websites students can visit to improve their vocabulary, with fun games and activities. Why not try these links:

Mastering new words in no time

More learning

Word hippo

In Term 1, Year 7 students were awarded thousands of Champ points in total. Congratulations to the following three students who achieved the most Champ points in Term 1:

Alexia Severino – 72
Zach Kelly – 69
Jeremy Kheng – 62

I am very proud of all of the students who achieved Champ points in Term 1 and look forward with the Year 7 Year Advisers, Ms Fagan and Ms Preston, in celebrating students’ achievements in Term 2.

One hundred days left for Year 12

Staying Motivated

Year 12 started the term with the knowledge that they have only 100 days left of high school, having already completed approximately 2450 days since starting kindergarten. They were reminded that they are not on this journey alone and have a great deal of support.

Students know the importance of staying motivated for the busy two terms before their HSC examinations and there are many apps to provide some support. One useful app is Clockwork Tomato. It helps with time management by using 25-minute work sessions followed by short breaks.

HSC Timetable

From 29 April, Year 12 students will be able to access the 2021 HSC written examination timetable and their personalised 2021 HSC written examination timetable via Students Online. The HSC Languages Oral Examinations timetable has been released.

Assessment in Term 2

The following assessments are scheduled for Term 2:

Week	Subject
1	Earth and Environmental Science
2	Chemistry
3	Nil
4	VET Entertainment, Design and Technology
5	Geography, Visual Arts, Ancient History, Modern History, Exploring Early Childhood
6	Biology, Business Studies, PDHPE, Mathematics Standard, Mathematics Advanced, Engineering, Legal Studies
7	English Extension 1, Society and Culture, Mathematics Extension 1
8	English Studies, Mathematics Extension 2
9	English Advanced, English Standard, Music, Physics, Exploring Early Childhood
10	Economics, CAFS, Photography, Industrial Technology, English Extension 2, History Extension

Students must check these dates with their teachers and ensure they have the notification.

Most students have now completed at least two assessments in each subject, and some may be thinking about withdrawing from a subject and reducing to 10 units. UAC offers important advice on this:

find advice from UAC here on dropping a course

UAC advises that when thinking about dropping a subject, students should consider:

Will they still be eligible for an ATAR?

To be eligible for an ATAR, students must study:

8 units from Category A courses
2 units of English
three Board Developed courses of 2 units each (or greater)
four subjects.

Is the course they are thinking of dropping a prerequisite or assumed knowledge for the university course they want to study?

Some university courses require students to have studied particular subjects for their HSC.

Should they have a back-up course?

The ATAR is calculated using the best 10 units, so having additional units can provide some leeway.

Any student who is considering withdrawing from a subject should discuss this with their class teacher, Mrs Reid and their parents. Withdrawal forms are available from my office.

Julia Cremin

Deputy Principal - Year 7 and Year 12