Curriculum and Learning
Holiday Study for Years 11 and 12
With Year 12 Parent/Teacher interviews scheduled this week following the Year 12 Assessment Block and the upcoming Year 11 Assessment Block in Week 3 of next term, I strongly encourage all Years 11 and 12 students to use their time wisely over the term break and not let the time pass without having done substantial preparation for the second term assessments and the year ahead.
The term break represents a very strategic time for Year 12 students to constructively assess their progress thus far and to make the necessary adjustments and effort in preparation for a very demanding HSC year ahead. Perhaps time not only to get on top of the work but also to get ahead.
For Year 11, the term break represents a very important time to consolidate their first term’s study and prepare for the Year 11 Assessment Block.
Year 11 Assessment Block
The Year 11 Assessment Block will commence on Wednesday 14 May and will conclude on Wednesday 21 May with the following day reserved for catching up on missed assessments. The assessments may vary in type, structure, and format to written examinations.
It is the College’s expectation that all senior students conduct themselves in an exemplary and serious manner during the Assessment Block. Year 11 students are reminded to consult the document Assessment / Examination Block Rules for Senior Students on the Year 11 CANVAS page as any breach of the rules may incur a zero mark being awarded for the associated assessment.
The Assessment Block timetable has been issued to Year 11 students this week and students are reminded to become familiar with and abide by the Assessment / Examination Block Rules for Senior Students available on the Year 11 CANVAS page.
Parents/carers and students of Year 11 are reminded, that in the event of absenteeism due to illness or misadventure during the Assessment Block, a telephone call to the Year Coordinator, Mr Biviano, must be made on the morning of the assessment. Where possible, the missed assessment or a substitute will be arranged within the Assessment Block period. Immediately, on the student’s return to school, a completed illness/misadventure form, with the related medical certificate or other official supporting evidence attached, must be personally given to Mr Biviano and the relevant Head of Department.
If illness or misadventure prevents a student from attending or submitting an assessment or affects their performance in an assessment, it is the student’s responsibility to complete and submit an illness/misadventure application, not a parent/carer or relative, unless the student is physically unable to do so.
It is important to note that illness/misadventure applications are for cases where an illness or misadventure:
occurred immediately before or during an assessment
was unexpected
was beyond the student’s control and prevented them from attending or diminished their performance in the assessment.
The College will not consider illness or misadventure applications for:
difficulty preparing or lost preparation time
alleged deficiencies in teaching
misreading the Assessment Block timetable
misreading assessment instructions
attempting the wrong assessment
long-term illness (e.g., glandular fever, asthma, or epilepsy), unless the student has suffered a flare-up of the condition during the assessment
conditions for which the student has been granted disability provisions, unless they have further unexpected difficulties
conditions for which a student should have applied for disability provisions
other commitments such as participation in work, sporting event, holiday, or attendance at tests conducted by other organisations.
Illness/misadventure applications must include advice or evidence from a relevant independent expert, not a parent/carer or relative, on the same day, either immediately before or after each assessment for the student. The medical certificate must be written by a practising medical doctor who is not a parent/carer or relative. A certificate from a dentist to cover an appointment will not be accepted unless sudden urgent or emergency treatment was required.
The student must provide documentation that is current, specific to the date and time of the assessment, and submitted with the illness/misadventure form. A medical certificate that merely states “illness” and/or “unfit for work/study” is unacceptable and the College will not consider an illness/misadventure application without sufficient evidence supporting a genuine reason.
Year 10 Academic Attainment Test and the Year 10 Minimum Standards Tests
As per the College Calendar and Diary, the Academic Attainment Test for Year 10 (10AAT) is scheduled for Tuesday 13 May.
The purpose of the 10AAT is to provide the College with externally determined independent assessment data that will inform prospective Year 11 students and their parents/carers making appropriate subject selection choices for the senior years of secondary schooling.
The 10AAT is administered by Academic Assessment Services (AAS), who are nationally renowned independent consultants specialising in the assessment and analysis of educational performance and progress.
It is important to note that the data from the 10AAT will contribute significantly to subject selection recommendations for Year 11 in 2026 along with the results from Year 10 assessments undertaken and the NESA HSC Minimum Standards Tests which will be conducted on Monday 12 May.
Michael Cutrupi
Director of Curriculum
Artificial Intelligence
Since its mainstream launch, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has had a significant impact across all areas of society. In many ways, this technology has and will continue to have multiple benefits for us all, but it has also created many challenges - some of which may never be completely overcome.
When AI first began to embed itself into our daily lives, education facilities responded in one of two ways: a complete ban approach or a blind embrace, with little consideration for the long-term effects on students’ cognitive development in using this technology too much or too early.
We now know that outright bans are ineffective - not only because the Australian Curriculum mandates education in this area under the Australian Framework Generative Artificial Intelligence AI Schools and Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum, but also because it is impossible to completely block use of a technology that is now in all Microsoft Office (via co-pilot) or in Apple’s iOS 18 and Sequoia under Apple Intelligence.
A complete ban is also impossible to enforce, as AI Detectors are unable to reliably determine AI-refined or AI-generated work and that produced by a human. For example, if a student is prone to using, however, overall, and moreover, or uses semicolons and writes in simple and compound sentences, then the AI detectors may assume that the words they write are AI written work - even when they are not.
This is due to the fact that AI is essentially built on identifying, learning and mimicking language patterns. However, humans, much like our thinking processes, tend to be unique and write without complete consistency. Texts with too much consistency may be flagged by an AI Detector as written by a computer.
Between outright banning and blind embracing, there is a wide spectrum between - and this is where SPC is focusing its efforts, lighting the way forward.
An SPC AI Task Scale
This will be achieved by implementing an AI Task Scale from Term 2, that covers all tasks including classwork and homework. The colour scale provides simple instructions on when, how and what form of AI may be used in a task. This guide will help:
maintain academic integrity
support learning objectives and
provide consistency in expectations across subjects.
Students who do not adhere to the AI usage requirements for an assessment task may be subject to academic malpractice consequences, and in class-based work or homework will be followed up under Shining the St Patrick’s Way.
It is essential that teachers know what their students are able to achieve on their own, so I would ask for your support in helping remove the temptation away from the easy AI submission and help your sons follow the guidelines of each task.
An SPC AI Continuum
Continuums in education are used for many learning skills from literacy to ethics. They articulate clear learning goals at each stage and/or year of education. In 2025, fifteen teachers across all stages and leadership levels of the College will collaborate to build an AI Stage 3 to 6 Continuum. It will form a frame of reference for teachers, students and parents/carers on what students should be able to do unaided by AI technology, and what they should be able to do with technology at every learning stage. Noting that progressing too quickly with AI will, in fact, create long-term learning gaps in a student and mask learning needs. Therefore, some AIs should not be used by students until they have not only learned a skill but have also mastered it to the point where it becomes second nature. The aim of the learning continuum will prioritise the cognitive development of our students while still equipping them with the skills and understanding of how to use AI meaningfully and ethically.
Gillian Carpenter
Director of Learning and Innovation