Middle School

Year 10 Exams

With Year 10 exams just five weeks away, now is a great time to start thinking about how to best support your daughter's revision and preparation. These exams are an important milestone, setting the foundation for their future studies.  As your daughter’s teacher are finalising topics and beginning revision with their classes, here are a few ways you can help them at home to navigate this period successfully: 

1. Create a Study Schedule:  Encourage your daughter to break down her subjects into manageable chunks and set daily or weekly goals. A consistent study routine will reduce last-minute stress. 

2. Provide a Quiet Study Space:  A calm, organised environment without distractions is crucial for effective revision.  Ensure she has everything she needs within reach, like stationery and resources. 

3. Encourage Breaks and Balance:  While hard work is essential, regular breaks and downtime will prevent burnout.  Encourage a balanced approach, mixing study with relaxation and physical activity. 

4. Offer Emotional Support:  Exams can be stressful and it’s important your daughter feels supported.  Regularly check in with her to ensure she’s not feeling overwhelmed and remind her that it’s okay to ask for help. 

5. Help with Practice Papers:  Encourage her to complete practice exams or past papers under timed conditions.  This not only familiarises her with the exam format but also boosts confidence.  With your support and encouragement, your daughter can feel prepared and confident heading into the exam period. 

Thank you for your continued involvement in your daughter's education.  As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your daughter’s Mentor Teacher, Classroom Teachers or Wellbeing Leader if you have any questions. 

Ms Amelia Bongetti 

Year 10 Wellbeing Leader

Celebrating Our Year 10 Journalist's Success!

We are thrilled to announce that Indiana Donnelly of Year 10 Green was accepted into a highly competitive internship at Australian Catholics magazine.  This prestigious opportunity is a testament to her dedication, hard work and passion for writing.  She spent an intensive week at the magazine honing her journalistic skills, learning from professionals in the field and contributing her unique voice to a publication that reaches a national audience.  

We are incredibly proud to share that her articles have been published in the magazine’s summer edition, which has just been released.  Her insightful and thought-provoking pieces, one being on Year 10 Community Action at Academy, reflect not only her talent, but also the values and education she has received here at our school. 

This is an inspiring example for all our students, particularly those in Year 9 who may be considering applying for this opportunity next year.  We strongly encourage our Year 9 students to start thinking about their interests for Work Experience, as opportunities like this can be transformative, providing invaluable experience and helping to shape future careers.  

We commend Indiana for her remarkable accomplishment and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.  Let's celebrate her achievement and look forward to more of our students following in her footsteps!

Ms Hannah Hale

Learning Leader Religious Education

Year 9 English - Letters to the Editor

Recently, our Year 9 English students took on the challenge of presenting Point of View presentations on issues they are passionate about.  These topics ranged widely, reflecting the diverse interests and concerns of the class. 

To continue fostering their engagement with the world and ensure their voices are heard, the presentations were transformed into Letters to the Editor.  This process not only empowered the students but also helped them see the value of their opinions in shaping discussions in the media. 

The experience encouraged them to be active, thoughtful participants in the world around them.  Here are three samples of what our Year 9 Barak students wrote: 

Dear Editor,

I am writing to express my concerns about the invasion of privacy children face when oblivious parents post their pictures online without consent.  I am glad that we are raising awareness to this pressing concern that nonconsensual posts of children by parents exposes youth to exploitation, cyberbullying, and predation.  From my experience, to find out you have been exposed online makes you feel vulnerable and stressed and when I asked my parents to take it down and my choice was being heard I felt respected.  This is how we should feel in our family, respected and safe knowing that you shouldn’t fear having photos posted on your birthday to be in another person’s hands and taken to be used out of context or for people at school to bully you.  Especially in today’s landscape with the increased use of AI in this ever evolving generation, it can be threatening to the people of our future.  Don’t allow parents to publicly parade personal photos online, choose safety over online validation and reconsider your sharing habits today!

Yr 9 student from The Academy of Mary Immaculate.

Dear Editor,

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the ethical implications of using animals for medical research.  While animal testing has historically contributed to medical advancements, it raises significant moral questions about the treatment of living beings. The welfare of these animals must be prioritized, and the development of alternatives should be accelerated.

Animals used in laboratory experiments often endure pain, suffering, and death. Proponents argue that such research is vital for medical progress, but we must question: at what cost?  The practice fails to acknowledge the intrinsic worth of animal life and does not sufficiently justify the suffering they endure for human benefit.

Moreover, animal testing is increasingly seen as unreliable.  The National Institutes of Health reports that 95% of drugs deemed safe and effective in animal trials fail in human testing.  Fortunately, advanced technologies—such as in vitro testing, computer modeling, and organ-on-a-chip systems offer ethical and effective alternatives for studying human biology.

Animals are conscious beings capable of feeling pain.  Their rights and welfare are often compromised in research settings.  It is time to reconsider our approach to medical research and advocate for solutions that reflect compassion and respect for all living creatures.

Thank you for considering this important issue.

Yr 9 student from The Academy of Mary Immaculate.

Dear Editor,

I am writing to express my opinion on the issue that children 12 years or younger should not be allowed to watch violent movies and video games.  Children’s minds are simply not mature enough to comprehend violent movies and video games.  At 12 or under, a child is unable to process what they are watching.  They have an inability to differentiate between reality and fantasy.  Dr Natalie Scalon, a clinical psychologist agrees stating that we should ‘Spare [children] any of the gory details, violence, blood, guts… ready to see those images and not think they are real.’  If we allow children to watch violence they will imitate what they see.  When children are constantly surrounded by something or someone, such as parents, TV or video game characters, they copy their actions.  Children are almost always surrounded by movies and video games that promote violence like Hunger Games or Minecraft.  We can address this overarching issue about violent media by organizing educational seminars for primary school students that teach them about violence.  These seminars will show students the realities of violence and that it is not as glorious as it is portrayed on TV.  Choose safety over violence.

Yr 9 student from The Academy of Mary Immaculate.

Dear Editor,

Jordan, Ronaldo, Nidal, Cripps and Titmas, these names we have ALL heard of, because through their sheer hardwork, discipline, dedication and motivation, they train to become the best of the best.  Millions of people around the world are so strongly influenced by these athletes which also encourages us to live a healthier lifestyle and stay fit,

with many encouraged to become as extraordinary as these athletes.  Therefore, I believe these athletes deserve their pay!  Sport is something that is so strongly desired as it is exciting and inspiring, which is why on average an Australian spends 3 hours per week watching sport.  This benefits the economy and contributes to athletes' pay.  They make a significant amount of money through brands that sponsor them, Steph Curry, earns 50 million dollars due to his many endorsements; people like Steph are so influential that people proceed to purchase things that he has endorsed, thus gaining profit for the brands.  It is a misconception that you can become a professional athlete with only talent, these elite professionals put in work and ultimately defy the odds to become pro athletes. Therefore, our professional athletes should be rewarded for the hard work they put in and for inspiring our future generations.

Yr 9 student from The Academy of Mary Immaculate.

Ms Natalie Patuto