SECONDARY NEWS
From the Assistant Principal

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

STAGE 6 UPDATE

A huge thank you to all the families who attended our recent Year 11 Subject Selection Night. Seeing so many of you engaged in planning for your child's future learning was wonderful. We appreciate your time and commitment to your child's academic journey.

The Senior Studies Handbook is now available if you couldn't make it or would like to revisit the information.

16.05.2025 SENIOR STUDIES HANDBOOK 2026.pdf

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Subject Selection Timeline

The flyer below outlines the subject selection timeline.

Year 11 Subject Selections: Optional Family Conferences Now Open

Optional Family Conferences for Year 11 Subject Selections are now open. If you'd like to discuss your child's choices, we encourage you to book a time. We'll ensure the most appropriate staff member is available to assist with your specific inquiry.

Real Talk

Students in Years 7, 8 & 9 participated in sessions with Real Talk on Monday and Tuesday. The topics covered were:

Year 9 - Love and Life

Year 7 - Love and Life

Year 8 - Consent and Respect and Getting Real in the Digital World.

Students responded well to the sessions, with presenters particularly impressed by their active participation.

Congratulations…

Makayde Goldman

Congratulations to Makyde Goldman, who was selected for the NSWCCC Open Girls Football team as a L/R winger. This is an excellent achievement as Makayde is only 16 and attended the trials as part of the Lismore Diocesan Team. Well done, Makayde.

Year 10 Girls' Soccer Team

Congratulations to the Year 10 girls' soccer team, who recently won the diocesan competition. They have qualified for the NSWCCC Championships in Coffs Harbour.

Year 9 da Vinci Team

Our Year 9 da Vinci team performed admirably at the State Finals held at Knox Grammar School. Facing many rigorous challenges across various disciplines, our students handled the day with impressive skill and resilience. Congratulations to Brayden Le, Kate McBean, Seth O'Neill-Yee, Bethany Pearse, Tamsin Pettiford, Kaden Potter, Joseph Schwarze and Max Sweeney. Thanks to Mrs McLachlan for organising the event, Miss Green for supervising the students at the finals and to all the families who provided transport and support to the team.

Ruby Selig

Congratulations to Ruby Selig, who represented the Armidale Diocese at the U15 selection trials in Sydney last week.

Good Luck...

Under 14s Rugby League

Good luck to our U14s Rugby League team competing in the Cochrane Cup tomorrow.

Diocesan League Tag

Good luck to our U14s and U16s Girls' League Tag teams as they compete at the Diocesan carnival tomorrow.

NSWCCC Cross Country

Good luck to all students representing our school at the NSWCCC Cross Country next week in Sydney.

Chess Tournament - Round 2

Good luck to the chess team who will play TAS online tomorrow.

Online Chess Competition

Good luck to the students participating in the online Chess Competition next Friday. We hope you enjoy the strategic challenge!

Bill Turner Cup

Good luck to the Bill Turner Cup boys' soccer team, who will play their Round 3 match against Armidale Secondary College in Armidale on Thursday.

Year 8 and 9 Excursions

Please consent and pay the deposit via Compass for the Term 3 excursions to the Aussie Bush Camp (Year 8) and Sydney (Year 9).

Vinnies Winter Appeal

SRC State of Origin

Thank you to everyone who supported last Wednesday's SRC State of Origin Fundraiser. Seeing so many students and staff showing their team colours with scarves, beanies, hats, socks, and jerseys was great.

The sausage sizzle at lunchtime was a success, and the atmosphere in the Hall for the State of Origin Volleyball was fantastic.

Student participation helped the SRC raise valuable funds for the Vinnies Winter Appeal. Thank you for your continued support of these important school initiatives.

Winter Warmers

Vinnies are also promoting their Winter Warmers campaign again this year. Items will be distributed to those in need in our community.

Winter Uniform

Winter uniform is now compulsory. All students are required to be in full winter uniform. If students are not correctly attired, they are required to present a note to their Pastoral Care teacher and to remedy the situation as soon as practicable.

REPORTS

Most students have completed their assessments for the term; however, some tasks are still to be completed in the coming weeks.

Reports will be finalised in the next few weeks and distributed to parents in the last week of the term. If there are any concerns or queries regarding this matter, please contact the school.

MAKING THE MOST OF FEEDBACK

Throughout the year, you will have been receiving feedback from your teachers about your assessments. But are you making the most of this feedback? Many students are too focused on what mark they received and neglect to make the most of the feedback they are given.

It’s not just about what you did wrong, either! The feedback is a chance to celebrate what you did right, what you understood and the skills and learning you demonstrated.

However, it is also a chance to address areas you found difficult or did not perform as well in.

Below are some questions you can ask yourself when an assessment is returned to make the most of the feedback you are given.

When a test or exam is returned:

What specific feedback did your teacher give you, and how should you use that feedback?
Will you be tested on these topics again, or are they important for overall understanding in this subject?
Which areas do you need to ask for help on as you still don’t understand?
Which questions from your test paper should you re-do? Re-do them!
Should you re-write any questions or essays and re-submit?
Was there any revision work you did not complete before the test?
What topic areas do you need to review and revise, what should you do to address these?
Are there topics you still need to finalise study notes on?
Are there sections of your study notes that you need to re-do?
Did you plan ahead to give yourself enough time to revise?
What changes do you need to make in the way you study for that subject next time?
Are there students who did really well that you can talk with to find out what they did differently?

For other types of assessments:

What parts of the assessment did you do really well?
What did you enjoy about the assessment?
What can you learn from the feedback you were given?
Is there any part of the feedback you don’t understand that you need to discuss with your teacher?
Can you ask a student who did really well if you can look at their assessment so you can see what is needed to get top marks?
What could you have done differently?
Do you understand what you need to do to improve, or do you need to ask your teacher for more guidance?

YOUR DIGITAL FOOTPRINT

Focus on Digital Etiquette in Pastoral Care

Our Pastoral Care classes recently focused on digital etiquette. Students received a clear reminder about the importance of gaining consent before taking photos or videos of anyone, aligning with our school's expectations for respectful behaviour and device use.

The sessions also covered the vital role of cultivating a positive digital footprint.

Families are encouraged to continue these conversations at home. You can find helpful resources on digital responsibility below and on the following site.

1. Online Consent.pdf

2. Digital Footprint_1.pdf

3. Digital Footprint_2.pdf

4. Digital Footprint_3.pdf

Year 10 Term 2 Calendar & Assessment Schedule

This schedule outlines some of the key events for Year 10 this term. Assessment dates may change, but students will be given appropriate notice.

Year 10 T2 Calendar & Assessment Outline 2025.pdf

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.