Learning and Teaching News

Year 10 2023 Subject Selection 

Today, parents of current Year 9 students were emailed instructions on how to book each student’s Academic Conversation with a member of College staff. These meetings will commence this week and run for two weeks. These interviews provide a time for each student, their parents/carers and a teacher to discuss the student’s selected subjects and future pathways. There is an opportunity at this interview to change subjects if needed. If meetings with parents have not been booked by Week 5, students will meet with a member of staff during school time to have this conversation without their parents/carers.

Year 12 Night Study Sessions

Last week we held our first Year 12 Night Study Session with 35 boys attending. The weekly session is available to all Year 12 students who wish to work in collaboration with their peers for assessment, revision, classwork or external exam preparation. They are held in the Science Centre form 5:00pm-8:00pm. Please note this session is supervised by a member of staff in this location only. Students are required to make their way to and from the Science Centre directly and not loiter around or in other areas of the College. Normal student behaviour expectations apply; if these cannot be met boys will be prohibited from returning to future sessions. Students are also reminded that they need to arrange for pick up/travel home by 8:00pm.

Upcoming Year 12 Night Study Session schedule 

Science Centre from 5:00pm-8:00pm 

In addition, the Art rooms will also be open as a study space on Wednesday 3 August, Thursday 4 August and Monday 8 August from 3:20pm-7:00pm. Thank you to Mrs Larson for offering this opportunity to all Year 12 students.

Well done to the 2022 Academic Captains for developing this initiative for the cohort. Also, thank you to the staff who have given up their time to allow boys this additional study opportunity.

Year 12 Week 4 Exam Block

The IA3 Internal Exam Block is scheduled to run from Monday 1 August - Wednesday 3 August (Week 4). The Exam Block Schedule was released to Year 12 students and parents last week. As with previous exam blocks, Year 12 students only need to attend school if they have a scheduled exam. Students are to use the displayed QR codes to ‘sign in’ and ‘sign out’ when they arrive and depart from campus. These QR codes are located at The Tower, Student Administration, the Champagnat Centre and the Cyprian. Rolls will also be taken in the exam rooms. For students without phones, normal sign-in and sign-out procedures via The Tower will apply.

During Exam Block all normal school rules apply and extra expectations are put in place to ensure safety and the efficient and effective running of assessment tasks. Expectations during exam block are as follows:

• Normal College rules apply;
• Students must arrive to and from school in full school uniform (including blazers and bags);
• Students sign in as soon as they arrive on campus and sign out when leaving the campus using the QR codes;
• Students are to travel directly to and from school without congregating at shops, outside other schools or the like; 
• Students must arrive at the exam room 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time;
• Students must bring all required equipment (calculator, pens, highlighters, charged laptops and headphones etc.) in a clear plastic sleeve or container;
• Students must adhere to the exam coordinator's instructions at all times; and
• Students are to bring their student ID card and place it on their desk during their exams. 

A reminder if students have not submitted assessment or completed the task to a reasonable standard, they will be required to remain at school over this exam block to catch up. Students and parents will be contacted by Mrs Tara Franklin via email if this applies.

If a student misses an exam, please forward their medical certificate or covid registration letter to curriculum@marash.qld.edu.au. As per the exam schedule, a make-up exam will be arranged for Friday 5 August. Students are to check their emails for information about the time and location of the re-sit.

Normal timetabled classes will re-commence on Thursday 4 August with all students expected to be in attendance.

Subject Selections – Year 8-9 2023

Beginning in Week 4 or 5, our 2023 Year 8 and Year 9s (current Year 7 and 8) will be having conversations with their Heads of House in deciding their subjects for next year. Information on subject offerings can be found in the Curriculum Hub section of the Learning Portal (Moodle) under 2023 Subject Handbooks & Subject Selection. In preparation for these interviews, we encourage boys to have conversations with their parents, visit the material on the Learning Portal and contact the relevant staff if they need further information on subject offerings. Handbooks and subject selection forms will be available soon and will be communicated to parents when available.

Study Hall – All Year Levels

Every Tuesday and Thursday morning the teacher librarians in the senior library offer study hall sessions from 7:45 am to 8:30 am. These are designed to build the student’s capacity to study independently by teaching them key skills for the first 15mins of the sessions and then offering independent supported study for the remainder of the time.

Please find below the outline for the Study Hall for Term Three. 

How to access Academic Reports – Parent Lounge

Please follow these steps to access academic reports

1 - Open parent portal and click on “Parent Lounge”

2 - Academic Reports are accessible via the link of the left-hand side of the page, or at the bottom of the main screen. Click on the academic report you would like to see.

Accessing LMS for Task Specific Feedback 

At the completion of each drafting stage and final completion of assessment (both written and exam), your son will receive task specific feedback from his teachers. It is important that your son/s access this feedback, so they are aware of their strengths and limitations. Parents are also encouraged to access this information.

Please follow these steps to access task specific feedback.

1 - Open parent portal and click on “Parent Lounge”

2 - On the left-hand tab select “Curricular Activities Due” and select “view all activities” on the top right-hand side of page. 

This will take you to a screen that lists of your son/s assessment to complete, or has been completed.

3 - Click on a subject to view feedback. 

4 - Once you click on the subject you will be able to find the following information:

1. Task sheet for assessment – this will outline what your son needs to do to complete the task successfully
2. Draft due dates and due dates
3. Criteria sheet
4. Feedback
5. Result