Learning and Teaching News

Key Dates for Term 4 2024

As we enter the last term of the year, please take note of the upcoming key academic dates –

• Tuesday 8 October – Year 12 Masterclasses continue
• Friday 11 October – Year 11 Unit 2 Academic Reports released to parents
• Monday 14 October – Awards Night at QPAC. Please ensure you have booked tickets via email sent late last week.
• Monday 21 October – Tuesday 12 November – Year 12 External Exam Block
• Wednesday 20-27 November – Year 7 -11 Exam Block
• Friday 6 December – Year 5 -10 Academic Reports released to parents 

Year 11 Academic interviews with Unit 1 and 2 ATAR estimations will begin in Week 4. Further information will be emailed to parents in the coming weeks.

Year 12 Masterclasses 

Our Year 12 students continue their General and Skills Masterclasses this week. It has been really great to see the engagement and motivation for our Year 12 cohort as we edge closer to the start of external exams. 

General Subject Masterclasses

A reminder that students have enrolled in three Masterclasses per General subjects studied (e.g. three English Masterclasses). Each of these sessions covers different preparation topics. 

Over the next 2 weeks there are two Masterclass sessions per day, one starting at 9:00am (period 1) and the other at 12:20pm (period 4). Students are only required to attend these classes (not Pastoral Group) and can leave once their class has finished. For students who complete less than six General subjects, this will mean they may leave the campus after the morning session or not arrive onto campus until the afternoon session.

For all Masterclasses, students will need to be dressed in full school uniform (including blazer and College bag) and ensure they have all required equipment for their subjects (e.g. calculators). College grooming expectations still apply – especially with shaving and hair. 

Please be aware that it is a college expectation that when not in Masterclasses, boys are at home studying or making use of small group study sessions with students in similar classes with similar study habits. Boys should not be socialising outside Masterclass times during the school day. 

The External Exam block runs from Monday 21 October to Tuesday 12 November 2024 and is available on the QCAA site and via the Parent Portal. 

For students who do not complete General subjects

For boys who are not enrolled in any General classes, the College is running Skills Masterclasses across Weeks 1-3 of Term 4. These classes are designed around the concept of life skills required after school.

For the Skills Masterclasses, boys will need to meet each morning at 9am. Classes will run from 9:00-11:00am. 

For all Skills Masterclasses students will need to be dressed in full school uniform (including blazer and College bag).

Year 12 External Exam Equipment

A reminder to now ensure that your son has the correct equipment necessary for External exams. The list of prescribed equipment can be found here - External assessment equipment list (qcaa.qld.edu.au).

Nominations now open for the myQCE Student Reference Group

The Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) is recruiting new members for the myQCE Student Reference Group in 2025. The group gives students the chance to have their say about the QCE system processes and senior schooling. 

Queensland students who will be in Years 10, 11 or 12 in 2025 are eligible to apply. The group meets four times per year and membership is ongoing until students graduate from Year 12. 

Nominations close on Friday 25 October 2024 — for more information and to nominate, visit the myQCE website.

End of Term 3 Feedback

Student results and feedback for assessment items can be accessed at any time by parents on Parent Lounge. Term 3 assessment results and feedback for students in Year 5-10 are available on Parent Lounge. Please follow the steps below that highlight how to access your son’s results and 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 the 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 

Year 12 Night Study Sessions 

The Night Study Sessions are weekly study times available to Year 12 students who wish to work in collaboration with their peers for assessment, complete revision, revisit classwork or work on external exam preparation.

When: Every Wednesday during term time from 5:00pm-8:00pm

Where: Senior Library 

Who: 2024 Year 12s only

Requirements:

• Current ID card is to be presented on arrival
• All students must sign in and out of the library
• All standard library rules are to be followed (including no eating)
• Normal student behaviour expectations apply; if these cannot be met, boys will be prohibited from returning to future sessions
• Students are free to wear full College uniform or plain clothes
• Students are free to arrive and leave as they see fit. Supervision is only provided in the library between 5:00pm-8:00pm.
• Students are to be in the library only. This is not a time for sport or social gatherings.

A supervisor will be on duty from 5:00pm-8:00pm to assist if required; however, these are not tutoring sessions. 

Term 4 Assessment Schedules

The Term 4 Assessment Schedules for each year level will be released to students later this week. This can be located in Student Café. Your son is encouraged to download this schedule and transfer assessment dates to his College Diary.

We encourage our boys to best prepare for these assessments by studying each day. The College Diary outlines the minimum expectations for homework, revision, and study across Years 5-12:

• Year 5: 40 minutes inclusive of reading
• Year 6: 40-60 minutes inclusive of reading
• Year 7: 60 – 80 minutes
• Year 8: 60 – 90 minutes
• Year 9: 90 – 120 minutes
• Year 10: 120 – 150 minutes
• Year 11 and 12: 180 – 240 minutes

Students are encouraged to create a study and homework schedule each week, so that this time is managed effectively. 

Old Boys Maths Tutoring

Old Boy Math tutoring begins again this week and runs until Week 9 of the Term. It is available to students on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons in the Senior library from 3:10-5:00pm. All students are welcome. 

Old Boys Tutoring List

Please find here a list of Old Boys available to tutor your son outside of school. 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.

Tutoring at the College 

Tutoring is available for all students, and outlined below are faculties where you can receive assistance:

*Other faculties by appointment with the classroom teacher.

Request for Leave – Unapproved Leave Over Assessment Periods

Please know that if leave has not been approved for missing assessment (assignments and exams), that a summative mark of NA will appear on the End of Semester Report for the relevant subject. This is in line with QCAA policies in regard to leave and missing assessment and includes events such as family holidays. Students will still sit the assessment on return to school and no assessment will be sat earlier. Students will continue to receive formative feedback; however, the result will not be counted towards the summative result at the end of the semester for the following reasons:

• Deadlines for reporting not being met
• Conservation of academic integrity
• Workload of teachers and staff around marking and reporting times
• The validity of the mark completed in timelines given for the assessment

Please note that this does not apply to leave that has been granted for approved reasons (Illness, etc.) as per QCAA policies.

Study Tip