SECONDARY NEWS 

From the Assistant Principal 

Catholic Schools Week

Catholic Schools Week is always a highlight on our calendar, giving us a chance to celebrate our vibrant community, our faith, and the unique spirit that makes our school so special.

The Magic of 'Buddy Reading' (K–11)

One of the highlights of the week is always our whole-school 'Buddy Reading' initiative. On Monday afternoon, from Kindergarten right through to Year 11, students paired up to share the simple joy of reading together.

It was great to see our senior students being fantastic role models, patiently guiding our youngest, and reading aloud to the "big kids." 

Family Picnic

Thank you to all the parents, grandparents, and family members who took time out of their busy schedules to pack a lunch and join us today for our CSW Family Picnic.

State of Origin Supporter Colours

Secondary students can wear their supporter colours on Wednesday with their school uniform.

SAVE THE DATE:

YEAR 11 2027 

SUBJECT SELECTION INFORMATION NIGHT 

TUESDAY 9 JUNE IN THE SCHOOL HALL

Year 10 into Year 11 Subject Taster Sessions

As our Year 10 students begin the exciting journey of planning their transition into Senior Studies for Year 11, we are providing them with practical, hands-on opportunities to explore their academic and vocational options.

Throughout Weeks 5, 6, and 7, students are participating in Subject Taster Sessions.

During these interactive blocks, students are divided into small groups to experience 15-minute "snapshots" of different senior courses. They are hearing directly from teachers and current Year 11 students, giving them a realistic look at the expectations, workloads, and exciting content of various subjects.

In addition to these elective tasters, our core faculties (English, Mathematics, and Religious Education) are running dedicated discussions during regular lessons to help students understand which senior pathways and strands best suit their strengths and future goals.

How You Can Support Your Child

Subject selection is a significant milestone, and we encourage you to start having these conversations at home.

• Ask them about the taster sessions they have attended so far. Which subjects sparked their interest?
• Encourage them to approach their teachers outside of class time if they have additional questions about specific courses.
• Keep an eye out for the Senior Studies Handbook, which will be distributed to students in Week 6.

Important Dates 

• Tuesday 9 June (Week 8): Subject Selection Information Night
• Wednesday 10 June: Online Subject Selections Open
• Friday 26 June (Week 10): Online Subject Selections Close

We look forward to partnering with you and your child as they shape their senior schooling pathway.

Transition to Stage 6 Upcoming Events

SECONDARY ASSESSMENTS

Most students have completed their assessments for the term; however, some tasks remain to be completed in the coming weeks. Reports will be completed over the next few weeks and distributed to parents in the last week of the term. If there are any concerns or queries regarding this matter, please contact the school.

What to do if you miss a lesson?

Students will be reminded this term of their responsibilities if they miss a lesson. We ask that you also have this conversation with your children if they are absent from school for any reason, including school events.

UNIFORM REMINDER

Winter uniform is compulsory from Monday 1 June (Week 7). All students are required to be in full winter uniform by next Monday. Many students are already wearing the winter uniform and deserve congratulations for dressing according to the uniform policy. If students are not correctly attired, they are required to present a note to their Pastoral Care teacher and to remedy the situation as soon as practicable.

UNE Voyager Visit

What's been happening...

It has been an incredibly busy and successful time for our students across a huge range of sports and extra-curricular activities. We are proud of everyone who has travelled, and represented our school with pride across a number of different events.

⚽ Soccer Success & The Bill Turner Cup

• ACS Soccer Carnival: Congratulations to all students who participated. A special congratulations goes to our Year 10 Girls Team, who played exceptionally well and will now be progressing to the next round in Coffs Harbour!
• Bill Turner Cup: Good luck to our Bill Turner Cup team, who will be taking on Armidale Secondary College in the next round on Tuesday 2 June at the Complex. It’s a home game, so please come along and show your support!

🏃‍♂️ ACS Cross Country & Tennis

Last week, several students travelled to Armidale for the ACS Cross Country and Tennis events. Well done to everyone who competed.

🏉 Week 7: Upcoming Rugby League & League Tag 

Next Wednesday is shaping up to be a big day for our football codes:

• Cochrane Cup: Our Under 14s Rugby League team will play other ACS teams in games at Kamilaroi.
• League Tag Gala Day: Our Under 14s and Under 16s Girls League Tag teams will also play against other schools in the diocese.

🐂 Casino Beef Week

Good luck to the Holy Trinity Show Team, who are representing the school this week at Casino Beef Week. We know how much hard work goes into preparing the cattle and competing, and we wish you all the best for another successful show.

Lunchtime House Competitions Heat Up in the Term 2 Trinity Olympics

The SRC and House Captains have been running our lunchtime Trinity Olympic events. Students have been joining in and showing great house spirit and earning valuable points.

The events so far:

• Week 4: Touch Football 🏉
• Week 5: Volleyball 🏐
• This Week: Capture the Flag 🚩
• Week 7: Dodgeball 🔴

A big thank you to our SRC and House Captains for organising and refereeing these events, and to all students who have jumped in to play or cheer.

🧠 SRC Trivia Night

The SRC is hosting a Secondary Trivia Night for students instead of a social this term to raise money for the Vinnies Winter Appeal.

Details:

• 📅 When: Thursday, Week 7 (June 4) from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
• 📍 Where: The School Hall
• 💰 Cost: $10 per person (This includes entry plus 3 large pizzas for your table!)
• 👥 Team Size: Gather a group of 8 people to fill a table.

🎭 Dress to Impress!

Pick a theme for your table of 8 - think your favourite cartoon characters, superheroes, your favourite sports team, or even the characters from Cluedo. 

🎉 Games, Snacks & Prizes

It’s not just trivia! The night will feature:

• 5 rounds of fast-paced trivia
• A high-energy Just Dance competition
• Heads and Tails and other fun mini-games
• The Canteen will be open to purchase drinks and lollies throughout the night.

📝 How to Sign Up

A Google Form will be sent out to students this week to nominate your team. Start organising your table, lock in your costume theme, and get ready for an awesome night out for a great cause. 

GOOGLE CLASSROOM GUARDIAN SUMMARIES

Google Classroom allows teachers to create classes, distribute paperless assignments, post announcements and class questions, and provide feedback, all through an intuitive, student-friendly interface.

PLEASE NOTE THAT GOOGLE CLASSROOM IS ONLY ONE METHOD OF LESSON DELIVERY.

STUDENTS ALSO USE OTHER PLATFORMS, TEXTS AND WORKBOOKS TO COMPLETE LEARNING TASKS, AND THE CONTENT DELIVERY METHOD VARIES BETWEEN SUBJECTS.

The flyer and link below provide you with more information about Guardian Summaries. Please contact Miss Bailey if you have any further questions or issues.

STUDY SKILLS TIP

MAKING THE MOST OF FEEDBACK

Throughout the year, you will have been receiving feedback from your teachers about your assessments. But are you making the most of this feedback? Many students are too focused on what mark they received and neglect to make the most of the feedback they are given.

It’s not just about what you did wrong, either! The feedback is a chance to celebrate what you did right, what you understood and the skills and learning you demonstrated.

However, it is also a chance to address areas you found difficult or did not perform as well in.

Below are some questions you can ask yourself when an assessment is returned to make the most of the feedback you are given.

When a test or exam is returned:

• What specific feedback did your teacher give you, and how should you use that feedback?
• Will you be tested on these topics again, or are they important for overall understanding in this subject?
• Which areas do you need to ask for help on as you still don’t understand?
• Which questions from your test paper should you re-do? Re-do them!
• Should you re-write any questions or essays and re-submit?
• Was there any revision work you did not complete before the test?
• What topic areas do you need to review and revise, what should you do to address these?
• Are there topics you still need to finalise study notes on?
• Are there sections of your study notes that you need to re-do?
• Did you plan ahead to give yourself enough time to revise?
• What changes do you need to make in the way you study for that subject next time?
• Are there students who did really well that you can talk with to find out what they did differently?

For other types of assessments:

• What parts of the assessment did you do really well?
• What did you enjoy about the assessment?
• What can you learn from the feedback you were given?
• Is there any part of the feedback you don’t understand that you need to discuss with your teacher?
• Can you ask a student who did really well if you can look at their assessment so you can see what is needed to get top marks?
• What could you have done differently?
• Do you understand what you need to do to improve, or do you need to ask your teacher for more guidance?

Years 7 - 9 Assessment Handbook

Years 10 - 11 Curriculum Handbook (including Assessment Policy)

Please note this also applies to Year 9 Elective Subjects.

https://sites.google.com/arm.catholic.edu.au/htsstudentcurriculumhandbook/home

Ready2Learn

Pastoral Care teachers will be checking in with the students in their class each morning to ensure that they are Ready2Learn. All students have received the information below and were encouraged to show their families and discuss how to be Ready2Learn each day. Pastoral Care teachers will be able to help students start the day in a positive way. Please ask your child about this and support them to be Ready2Learn.

Students are being asked to ensure that they understand these elements and have all their equipment and uniforms by the start of Week 6. The infographic also outlines what to do if there is a problem with doing this and who you can go to for assistance.

Pastoral Care Teachers

 Year 7:    

7J – Mr Jack Jeffery

7M – Mrs Veronica McCormick

7R – Mrs Katrina Richardson

7W – Miss Lisa Wilson

Year 8:  

8K - Miss Kristina Majetic

8M – Mr Ricky Muggleton 

8T- Mrs Jane Taylor

8W – Mr Sam White 

Year 9:    

9C – Mrs Claudia Marshall

9E – Mr Jeremy East

9G – Miss Lauren Green

9M – Mrs Christine McLachlan

Year 10:  

10E – Mr Peter Ehsman

10G – Mrs Hannah Graham/Mrs Nicole Simpson

10S – Mrs Kristen Smith

10U – Mr Blake Uebergang.

Students and parents are encouraged to approach the relevant Pastoral Care teacher for assistance.

Contacting Staff

We ask that all correspondence with staff is via the Compass portal.

Living Well, Learning Well 

Student Wellbeing

Check In Tuesday with the Pulse Wellbeing App

Pulse is a tool for measuring the week-to-week wellbeing and engagement of all our students. It tracks the wellbeing of an individual so that the school can respond if needed. It also tracks engagement with the school so we can make intervene if necessary.