SECONDARY NEWS
From the Assistant Principal

Miss Kim Bailey
kbailey@arm.catholic.edu.au

Congratulations...

Community Service

Last term, Year 10 students assisted with Legacy Fundraising.

Award Winners

Congratulations to all participants, in particular Year 7 student Bethany Pearse who achieved a Distinction in this prestigious competition.

Congratulations to all participants, in particular Year 9 student Dustin Uebergang who received a Credit.

Chess

Congratulations to the chess players.

Socktober - Best 'Socked' Year Group Winners

Special mention goes to Jed Emery who also won the overall prize.

Stage 5 Elective Choices 2024

Students in Years 8 & 9 received their Stage 5 Elective Booklets last week. Students are encouraged to discuss their options with parents, teachers and students who are currently studying the subjects. Miss Bailey will be asking students to make their choices via email in the next week or so. It is important that students submit their choices in order of preference as this helps determine the demand for subjects. Students will be advised of their subjects before the end of the term.

The Stage 5 Elective Booklet is attached below and has also been shared via Compass. Please contact Miss Bailey if you have any questions.

Stage 5 Elective Choices 2024.pdf

Sun Safe

The weather has been heating up rapidly, and students are reminded that they should have a hat for all outside activities. Sunscreen is also available for Sport, PDHPE and other outside lessons; however, the best protection is provided with the combined use of a hat and sunscreen. School caps are available from the Uniform Shop. Please ensure that your child has the correct school uniform cap or hat.

Semester Exams

Students will be sitting end-of-year exams in many of their subjects next week. Classes have been given study guides and outlines of the material being assessed.

If a student is absent on a scheduled exam day, they will complete the missed exams at the first available opportunity. If known in advance, exams may be completed before the absence.

It is also important to note that exams are only one of the methods of assessment. The semester report will include a variety of formative and summative assessment tasks completed over the course of the semester.

To optimise performance, students need to be well-rested. They also need to ensure that they have the necessary equipment, for example, spare pens, a calculator and geometrical instruments for Mathematics and Science. Please advise staff of any issues regarding the completion of exams.

Exam timetables have been distributed to students and are also visible on Compass for all year groups and parents.

STUDENT Semester 2 Exam Timetable 2023 .pdf

PREPARING FOR BLOCKS OF EXAMS

For many students, a block of examinations can be daunting. Some students have no idea where to start and what they should work on. The first thing to do if you have examinations approaching in the next few months is to find out what topics will be tested. Even a simple question to teachers can get you started such as ‘Are we being tested on the whole year’s work or just this semester?’. Once you know what topics will be covered, organize all of your learning materials and make sure nothing is missing, and you have everything you need to review those topics. The next step is to make study notes on these topics if you haven’t been doing this throughout the year (hopefully you have!).

Next, it is time to start learning the notes (testing yourself on them over and over) and doing practice questions to make sure you can apply your knowledge to different types of questions.

If you have a number of weeks prior to the examinations, it is a good idea to make a plan in your diary or phone or on a whiteboard of what subjects you will study and when. Try and allocate each subject once or twice each week, depending on the number of examinations you have.

MAKE GREAT STUDY NOTES

With exam time approaching, it is time to seriously think about making study notes – especially if you haven’t been doing them regularly throughout the year. Find out what topics will be tested, make a quick mind map of each topic so you can see an overview of what you need to learn, and then start making point-form notes about what you need to learn and remember for the exam. You want to make your study notes as soon as possible so you have ample time to learn them and to do lots of practice questions.

Top 5 Tips to Improve Your Notes:

POINTS: Avoid long sentences and condense content into key points.
TABLES: Use tables wherever you can to create structure and make the content easier to learn.
KEYWORDS: Pull out keywords and capitalise them (as shown in this list).
HIGHLIGHT: Make sure the main content stands out (but don’t go crazy with colour).
FEEDBACK: Show your notes to teachers, parents and friends so they can suggest ways to improve them.

Last Minute Study

What do you do if you have left your study until the last minute?

In an ideal world, it would be great if all students paid attention, focused and participated in all classes, completed all homework and assessments thoroughly, asked for help throughout the year on anything they didn’t understand, made regular summaries of the work covered in class (preferably at the end of each topic or section) and did their best to learn as they go throughout the year.

But in reality, this doesn’t always happen for every student and every subject.

So what can you do if you have left your study for tests and exams to the last minute?

5 TIPS FOR LAST-MINUTE STUDY

FIND OUT FAST: Be very clear about what you need to learn and what will be tested. It is impossible to start your study until you are sure what you have to know. Find out as much as you can about the exam format and the style of questions. Don’t be afraid to ask your teacher. For each subject, write a list of exactly what topics and areas you need to review.
GATHER MATERIALS: Do you have notes, materials, and textbooks on everything you need to learn? If not, is there a friend who will let you photocopy the work you have misplaced? Is there an online portal where material from classes is stored? Can you borrow additional books or textbooks from the library on the topics you need to learn? Are past examination papers available?
MAKE A PLAN: You only have limited time left, so you need to make the most of it. Draw up a grid that shows how much time you have left before your exams to study. Decide if you will spend equal time on each subject or if certain subjects need more time. Allocate subjects to the timeslots you have, then decide exactly what you will do to prepare for each subject. For each subject, make a list of what sort of study you should do to prepare for that subject. Brainstorm your ideas on how to prepare, ask your parents and teachers for feedback and share ideas with your friends.
CREATE STUDY NOTES: Target your notes to what will be tested. It is best for learning and memory to make your study notes yourself, but if you have run out of time, there are options. See if any of your class materials or textbooks have summarised the sections you need. See if there are study guides available in the library on the topics to learn or make targeted notes on the key areas you must memorise. You could also see if there is a friend with whom you could split the topics between yourself and share the notes you make. Don’t spend too long on this stage; it needs to be completed as quickly as possible.
STUDY! What does study actually mean? It means memorising the material you need to know so you can recall it in the exams and practising the skills of the subject so you know how to do the types of questions you will have in the exam. To memorise your notes, you need to test yourself over and over on them. You could read a section, see what you can write down without looking then check. Then review the things you didn’t know again. Or you could do the same approach by reading things out loud and then seeing what you can repeat out loud. Doing questions, practise essays, and past exam questions will also help you understand what you know and what you need to spend more time on.

The key is to get started. No more procrastination, no more excuses.

Start today!

What do you do in the few days before an examination?

At least a few days before the exam, make sure you do the following:

Plan out how much time you should spend on each section of the test.
By looking at past papers, get a feel for the types of instructions that will be on your paper.
Do some exercise so you can burn off the pent-up stress that can come before exams.
Look after your body – lots of water to juice up your brain, healthy food, and decent sleep.
To calm your nerves, make mental pictures of yourself sitting down and doing well in the test.
Purchase any equipment you may need, extra calculator batteries, pens, rulers etc.
Ensure you know what equipment is allowed in the test or exam.
Focus on reviewing the key points, perhaps a condensed version of your summaries.
Practise as many past test papers as you can get your hands on.
Check the timetable to ensure you have a clear picture of when each exam is being held.

The night before the test or exam:

Pack your bag with everything you will need for the next day, ensuring you have all the necessary equipment.
Plan what time you need to leave to ensure you have plenty of time for unexpected delays.
Don’t go to bed too late – you need to make sure your brain is fresh and alert.
Don’t ring friends and discuss your preparation or the examination.
Just before you go to sleep, look through your notes briefly.
If you have a number of exams, check the timetable to doubly confirm the exam's date, time and location.

The morning of the test or exam:

Visualise success. Before you get out of bed, close your eyes and picture yourself going into the exam, doing well and coming out pleased with your efforts.
Review your notes. You are not doing intense study at this stage; just looking through and reminding yourself of the main things you want to remember.
Eat breakfast. Your brain needs fuel, so eat a hearty breakfast so you can focus and concentrate in the exam.
Be on time. Make sure you leave enough time for contingencies so you won’t be late.
Avoid negativity. Don’t stand around in the group discussing what you did and didn’t study.

Google Classroom Guardian Summaries

Remember to accept the invitation to sign up for Google Classroom Guardian Summaries. Please contact Miss Bailey if you have any questions or problems.