SECONDARY NEWS
From the Assistant Principal

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

Good Luck...

Good luck to our Rugby 7s teams who will compete in Armidale on Wednesday.

Congratulations...

EKKA

Congratulations to the Holy Trinity Show Team for more outstanding results at EKKA. The team have once again excelled and we look forward to hearing more about their success this week at our assembly.

Public Speaking Winners

Congratulations to all speakers who participated in the finals yesterday. The winners for each year group are as follows.

Year 7 - Ryan Hill

Year 8 - Kate McBean

Year 9 - Charlie Parrella

Year 10 - Hannah Bourke

Thanks to Maryann Otieno for being the chairperson for the speeches and to Mr Peter Champion for adjudicating the finals.

SAVE THE DATES:

Family Conferences

In Week 5, on Monday 19 August and Tuesday 20 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 to 5.45 pm.

Please contact Miss Bailey or your child's Pastoral Care teacher if you cannot attend the Family Conferences and would like to arrange an alternative time to speak with teachers.

Families can book via Compass on whatever night suits them best. Bookings will CLOSE on Friday 16 August.

Year 10 Transition

Year 10 students have visited both high schools and are now in the process of making subject selections for next year. They have been encouraged to seek advice from their teachers at Holy Trinity, Mrs Snaith and Mr Gersbach at Macintyre High or Mr Dal Santo at Inverell High School. Please contact Miss Bailey if you require assistance regarding this matter.

Year 10 Term 3 Calendar and Assessment Outline

Year 10 were given a calendar and assessment outline for Term 3. It is a busy term, and this may help their time management and planning. They were given a hard copy, and an electronic copy was emailed. The schedule was also posted to Compass for both Year 10 students and families.

Year 10 T3 Calendar & Assessment Outline 2024.pdf

Uniform Reminders

Thank you to those students who regularly adhere to the expectations regarding uniforms. However, some students are not in uniform. The following issues are causing concern at the moment:

Students not wearing ties.
Students not wearing the correct socks.
Students not wearing their school shirts underneath hoodies.
Students are wearing black Canterbury tracksuit pants on Thursdays.

Class teachers, Pastoral Care teachers, and the Leadership Team monitor uniforms regularly. If a student is not in the correct uniform, a dated note from the family advising when the uniform can be rectified is required. This note is to be given to the Pastoral Care teacher (Secondary) in the morning.

Where the school can assist, we will endeavour to help the student correct the uniform, e.g., provide an elastic hair band, provide a container for excess jewellery, and give a spare school outerwear garment.

Many lost property items are in the secondary staffroom. Please check if you are missing any clothing. All students are advised to label their belongings, allowing lost or misplaced items to be returned.

STUDY SKILLS TIP

PROOFING YOUR ASSESSMENTS

As you gear up for your next assessment, mastering the art of proofreading is key to ensuring your hard work shines through.

1st Proof:

To begin, consider relocating to a fresh setting for a focused proofreading session. Find a place that is not your usual study space where you can concentrate on refining your work. Bring along the assessment criteria and question prompts to guide your review. Your initial proof should encompass the following key factors:

WORD COUNT: Confirm that your assessment aligns with the specified word limit. Identify any excess words that may need trimming to meet requirements.

SPELLING / GRAMMAR: While spell check can be helpful, don't rely solely on it. Look out for common errors like 'form' instead of 'from' that may slip through automated checks.

SOURCES: Verify that all sources for visuals, examples, and quotes are properly cited and listed to support your arguments.

CRITERIA / QUESTION ANSWERED? Review the assessment criteria and ensure that your responses directly address the requirements. Tick off each criterion as you confirm its coverage in your work.

REPETITION: It’s easy to repeat points, double check you haven’t done this.

USEFUL INFORMATION: It’s not uncommon to write unnecessary information. Do you have points that don’t really answer the question? Have you written clearly? Is there any information you could leave out? Is there any information that you realise needs to be added?

REINFORCE: This is where you need to finalise which words you will bold, highlight, underline, etc., so your assignment clearly identifies the main points. Bolding can let the teacher see clearly that you have covered all the parts of the question, that there is a sequence of ideas and you have organised the information well.

2nd Proof:

The next day, repeat the above steps, but this time - READ YOUR ASSIGNMENT OUT LOUD! If you didn’t print your assignment to proof the first time, now could be the time. Reading and hearing the words spoken in different mediums can sometimes give a new perspective to your writing. Note down any changes you need to make.

3rd Proof:

It’s always a good idea to ask someone to proof your assignment after you have proofed it first. It is common for the writer not to pick up typos or silly mistakes because they know what they meant and see the words they intended to write, and not the errors. So recruit a proofreader (parent, relative, older sibling or friend, etc.) to gain fresh insights.

Remember, meticulous proofreading is a valuable skill that can elevate the quality of your work and set you on the path to academic success.

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.

REMEMBER to accept the invitation to Google Classroom Guardian Summaries

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 and their teaching classes. 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 cannot follow this policy, their phones are confiscated and placed securely in Miss Bailey's office, where they are collected by the student at the end of the school day.

Teachers record each time a device is confiscated. After it is confiscated for a second time, it remains at school until it can be collected by a parent or carer.

Making Contact with Teachers in the Secondary

If you have any questions or concerns about your child's learning or wellbeing, please contact Miss Bailey, your child's Pastoral Care teacher or their subject teacher. We are only too happy to assist.