Assistant Principal 

As the cold weather begins to set in, I wanted to draw attention to the need for students to take extra care to look after their health. Increased school pressures and the beginning of the cold and flu season place additional demands upon our bodies.  With exams for year 11 students scheduled over the next few weeks and assessments for units one and three coming to a close, for some of us, this can be a time of high stress. It is important to remember that we can do small things to support our health and wellbeing during such times. Eating healthy foods and getting a good night’s rest are a great place to start. A regular exercise routine can also support a healthy immune system and contribute to better academic performance and a positive state of well-being.

Homework demands during the year 11 and 12 of school increase substantially with the expectation of three hours after school on most weeknights and then some time over the weekend. This time should be used to complete tasks set from class, revise including completing Edrolo quizzes including watching their content videos to extend understanding of concepts and to complete revision materials to prepare for approaching school assessments and building summaries for the end of the year examinations.

  A reminder of the approaching General Achievement Test. All year 12 students will be required to sit this on Tuesday the 17th of June. During the GAT, Victorian senior secondary students will have their literacy and numeracy skills measured against set standards. These standards will indicate whether students have demonstrated the literacy and numeracy skills typically expected of someone completing their secondary schooling giving another indication of their readiness to move onto further education, training or employment. Results will be provided to all students with the release of final VCE results in November. The GAT will be split into two sections:

Section A will assess literacy and numeracy skills, Section B will assess skills in mathematics, science, technology, the arts and humanities, with an increased focus on critical and creative thinking skills

All students enrolled in one or more VCE or scored VCE VM Unit 3 –4 sequence will be required to sit Sections A and B. Senior VM students will sit Section A.  There will be an assembly for year 12 students to explaining the requirements for the GAT and an opportunity to practice completing some practice questions. Students can also find examples of past GAT questions in the VCAA website and senior school office. 

On Wednesday the 14 th May our year 11 students attended the Careers expo at Flemington racecourse. Students were provided with an opportunity to visit display booths from a variety of tertiary providers and universities, and to ask specific questions about requirements and prerequisites for entry into specific fields. Thank you to our Careers Counseller, Ms Jade Charalambous for her organisation of this excursion and ensuring our students could make the most of their visit.

Best wishes, 

Laura Forster.