Around the School

Mathematics: Smart revision starts now

With Mathematics tests approaching, now is the perfect time to begin revising. 

A little planning now can make a big difference to both your confidence and your final results, so I wanted to share some tips. 

Step 1: Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Log in to SEQTA and open the assessment notification for your upcoming Mathematics test. This contains a complete list of the topics that will be assessed.

Go through each topic and colour-code it:

Green: I understand this well and could teach it to someone else.

Yellow: I understand most of it but need a little more practice.

Red: I don't understand this yet and need help.

Step 2: Ask for Help Early

Once you have identified your red topics, Direqt Messageyour Mathematics teacher to arrange a time for extra help. Whether it's before school, after school, or another suitable time, your teacher will be happy to explain concepts again and answer your questions or come along to Homework Help. 

The earlier you ask for help, the more time you will have to practise before your test.

Step 3: Complete Revision

Once you understand the concepts, it's time to practise.

Years 11 and 12: Complete the revision booklet provided by your teacher.

Years 7–10: Complete the revision exercises from your textbook, focusing first on your red and yellow topics before revising your green topics.

Remember, Mathematics is a skill that improves through practice. Reading notes alone is not enough, you need to solve questions yourself.

Step 4: Check Your Progress

After completing some revision, return to your traffic-light system. Have any of your red topics become yellow? Have your yellow topics become green? Continue practising until you feel confident across as many topics as possible.

It can also be helpful to think about the grade you are aiming for. For example, if your goal is to achieve around 80%, you should aim to feel confident with approximately 80% of the assessed content before your test. This can help you identify where to focus your remaining revision.

Don't leave revision until the night before your test. Short, regular study sessions over several days are far more effective than one long study session. Good luck with your upcoming Mathematics assessments! 

Ms Chloe Hewitt

Head of Mathematics

Festival of Writers sets scene for Book Week 

Book Week 2026 is set to live up to all the hype that we have come to expect from our annual Festival of Writers. This year, we will host workshops from Black Swan State Theatre Company, The Literature Centre and the Holocaust Centre, along with a diverse range of writers and educators.

The English Department is offering prizes across a range of Book Week competitions, including a Book Swap Morning, Name That Quote, Writer or Rock Star, Design Your Own Book Cover, Flash Fiction, the Book Week Quiz, and a Poetry Scavenger Hunt.

During St George's Book Week all students in Years 7-10 begin each MESH class with 10 minutes of Wider Reading. Book Week is an opportunity to celebrate the joy of reading by coming together as a school community to share stories and immerse ourselves in books across both campuses. So, choose your book and be ready to read.

This year's Book Week Dress Parade will be held at lunchtime on Tuesday, 25 August. 

The theme for this year's Book Week is A Symphony of Stories. Feel free to interpret that theme in whatever way your imagination leads you. Prizes for first and second place will be awarded in the Faculty, Senior, and Middle categories. This part of Book Week is always my favourite because it lays down the imagination gauntlet. I love seeing the creativity, flair, and ingenuity with which our students respond to the challenge. I look forward to seeing you all in costume!

Write a Book in a Day Competition 

As part of this year’s Open Day, the English Department will field three teams for this year’s Cancer Council Write a Book in a Day Competition. This opportunity is available to all students from Years 7-10. Teams must consist of five writers, who can be from different years. 

Each team is required to fundraise $270 for Kids with Cancer. The English and Languages Department will cover the cost of registering each team and will provide guidance and support on the day.

For students who are new to Write a Book in a Day, you will be allocated a timeslot between 8:30am and 3:30pm on Friday, 21 August. Working as part of a team, you will be challenged to plan, write, illustrate, and edit a complete narrative in a single day.

To make the task even more interesting, your story must incorporate a set of predetermined parameters and random words. For example, your parameters might include a council worker as the primary character, a surgeon as the secondary character, a shark as a non-human character, a forest setting, and the issue of a cat letting a bird out of its cage. You may also be required to incorporate random words such as ruby, melts, shiver, tasty, and sponge.

The challenge lies in weaving these seemingly unrelated elements into a cohesive, engaging, and original story within the time available.

Schools throughout Australia participate in this competition and raise money for a worthy cause. If you and your friends feel that you have the talent to conceive, compose, illustrate, edit and submit a story, then come and have a chat with the English and Languages Department.

Curtin ATAR workshops

Our Year 11 and 12 ATAR English and English Literature students recently attended a complete day of course-specific workshops, designed to extend their understanding of key course concepts and tasks. Our students participated in workshops addressing a compelling range of concepts, covering everything from Reading Film as a Multi-Modal Text, The Horror Genre, Over Time, all the way through to the very pointed Exam Techniques for Literature.

This year was the first time that our Year 11 ATAR English and English Literature students were invited to the Curtin Conference. In fact, they were only invited because we pleaded their case, arguing that early attendance would allow them more time to develop the skills and understandings that they drew from the experience.

Our students were immaculate in their attire, impressive in their engagement and will certainly have gained insight.

Revise Online

The English Department recently conducted an audit of Revise Online to determine the extent to which students were engaging with this support platform. The findings revealed that while some students were making excellent use of the resources provided, many were accessing the modules only sporadically and often much later than recommended.

In light of Semester One results, we strongly encourage all ATAR English and ATAR Literature students to make regular use of these modules. They provide an excellent opportunity to refine examination technique and apply the advice and feedback students have received from their teachers.

Although the approaching end-of-year examinations may feel daunting, experience suggests that action is far more productive than anxiety. Consistent practice, targeted revision, and a willingness to engage with available support are the most effective ways to build confidence and improve performance. https://www.reviseonline.com/

Mr Damien Kerrigan

Head of Languages