Learning and Teaching News
Mr Adam Knight and Mrs Leigh Jackson
NAPLAN
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests for Years 7 and 9 will take place in Weeks 7 and 8 of this term. These assessments are an important way of tracking your child's academic progress and identifying areas for improvement. To help ensure your child feels confident and well-prepared, we encourage them to take part in practice sessions. The public demonstration site (https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/public-demonstration-site) offers valuable resources where students can access practice questions and familiarise themselves with the test format. Our students will also continue engaging in literacy and numeracy initiatives during their classes to support their preparation for the upcoming tests.
In Week 4, students in Year 7 and 9 participated in NAPLAN readiness testing. If your son was absent, please note that this event was primarily for system testing and for students to become familiar with the platform. He can still log on to the public demonstration site (link above) to practice and get familiar with the format.
The specific testing schedule for NAPLAN has been sent to parents of Years 7 and 9 students via email (and is also listed below).
A reminder that students will need to bring:
- A fully charged laptop
- Charger (for IT support)
- Wired headphones/earphones
- A pen
- A water bottle
If you have any questions about NAPLAN, please contact Mrs. Leigh Jackson, Assistant Head of College – Learning and Teaching – Middle Years, at jacksonl@marash.qld.edu.au
| Week 7 | Monday 9/3 | Tuesday 10/3 | Wednesday 11/3 | Thursday 12/3 | Friday 13/3 |
| Lesson 1 | Year 7 NAPLAN Device Check | Year 9 NAPLAN Device Check | Year 9 Writing | Year 9 Reading | Year 7CoL |
| Lesson 2 | Year 9 Writing | Year 9 Reading | Year 7 CoL | ||
| Lesson 3 | If required | ||||
| Break 1A | |||||
| Break 1B | |||||
| Lesson 4 | Year 7 Writing | Year 7 Reading | Year 9 CoL | ||
| Lesson 5 | Year 7 Writing | Year 7 Reading | Year 9 CoL | ||
| Break 2 | If required |
| Week 8 | Monday 16/3 | Tuesday 17/3 | Wednesday 18/3 | Thursday 19/3 |
| Lesson 1 | Year 9 Numeracy | Year 7 Numeracy | Catchups | |
| Lesson 2 | Year 9 Numeracy | Year 7 Numeracy | Catchups | |
| Lesson 3 | If required | If required | Catchups | |
| Break 1A | ||||
| Break 1B | ||||
| Lesson 4 | Catchups | Catchups | Catchups | |
| Lesson 5 | Catchups | Catchups | Catchups |
Assessment Activities and Exam Block Schedule
Assessment Activities have now been released outlining the dates of all summative assessments your sons will have throughout the term. Parents and students are encouraged to review this schedule so our boys can manage their time effectively, plan their study routines, and approach assessments with confidence.
Boys will be able to locate their Assessment Activities in their Student Café under My Activities > Curricular.
Your son is encouraged to view this schedule and transfer assessment dates to his College Diary and any home planners.
Parents can access the Assessment Activities via the Parent Orbit App. Please see below for further details.
Exam Block Schedules have also been released, and the boys will be able to locate their Exam Schedule in their Student Café under School Links > Assessment Information.
Please see below important regarding Exam Block:
- Year 5 & 6 – Formative and summative assessments will take place in normal timetabled classes.
- Year 7, 8 and 9 – Summative exam block will run from Monday 23rd – Friday 27th March.
- Year 10 and 12 – Summative exam block will run from Friday 20th – Friday 27th March.
- Year 10 will remain at school during the exam block and are not on exam block privileges.
- Year 11 will remain in normal classes as they continue work on Unit One when not sitting an exam. The end-of-unit exam block will be held in Week 5, Term 2, where there may be additional examinations during this time.
Students in Years 5-11 will all remain at school during the Exam block period. The only cohort who is granted study leave (to study at home and only come to campus for scheduled exams) is Year 12. Any Year 12 student who is not up to date with all required assessment items will not be granted study leave and will be required to remain at school. This includes modules for Certificate and Diploma courses.
A reminder that if a student is absent for an exam, a medical certificate is to be submitted. This is applicable to all year levels. Students must be prepared to sit their exams as soon as they return to school, and exams may be scheduled later in the exam block or in Week 10. Year 11 and 12 medical certificates must list the specific illness and not just state “medical condition”. Please do not arrange holidays during this time.
For Parents | How to access Assessment Activities via the Parent Orbit App
Old Boys Tutoring List
Please find here a list of Old Boys who are available to tutor your son outside of school hours. This list can also be located on the parent portal or via this link. Please note it is the parent’s responsibility to organise and liaise tutoring times with the Old Boys.
Marist Subject Support
Marist Subject Support Tutoring is Off and Running
Please see an updated schedule for Term 1.
Tutoring is offered by Old Boys and takes place in the Senior Library from 7:30am to 8:30am and also 3:30pm to 4:30pm Tuesday to Thursday each week.
Study Tip
