Curriculum News

Thank you and well done to the boys for their efforts during at-home learning again last week. Your engagement with the curriculum and communication with your teachers was great. Thank you to the parents and carers for supporting the boys through this time. It is wonderful to have the vast majority of students back on campus and into face-to-face lessons.

Year 12 Exam Block

Congratulations to the Year 12 students who have now finished their IA3 exam block. After being rescheduled twice, it was great to see the boys enter into their exams with positive attitudes. Now, for students completing General subjects, the focus shifts to preparation for their External Exams. These exams will commence on Monday 25 October and run through until Tuesday 16 November. This exam block can be accessed on our school portal or at https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/assessment/external-assessment/timetable .

Academic Award Recipients

During our virtual assembly last week, we acknowledged the Outstanding Academic Achievement and Head of College Awards to students in Years 7-10.  Below is the list of these award recipients. 

Although we celebrated these student’s success and diligence towards their studies, it is equally important to congratulate those boys in our community who have demonstrated growth and progress across Terms 1 and 2. 

Congratulations to all of these students. You are encouraged to maintain this level of commitment and engagement throughout Semester 2. If you missed out on an award in Semester 1, remember to set goals and take small, realistic steps to achieve these. 

Year 11 and 12 Optimus Awards will be presented at Assembly in Week 6.

Active Study – Note-taking

In amongst the transition between school, home and blended learning, it is important that our students are maintaining a schedule of revision and active study – particularly at this stage of the term. Exams for the majority of boys will be kicking into gear in just 3-4 short weeks!

Study, as well as being planned and scheduled, should also be active and involve producing something ‘visual’ (eg. notes, mind-mapping, transferring from pictures/graphs to paragraphs, etc.). Note-taking from the material presented in and after class is an important skill that boys need to master. Research has found it to be a highly effective way of learning and committing information to memory. Note-taking during study can follow the “6 Rs”:

• Record the notes from class notes, textbooks, teacher lectures on a page and look for connections
• Reduce the essential ideas by reviewing these notes a day later, and rephrase the ideas as questions
• Recite the answers to these questions aloud whilst making sure all the recorded notes are covered
• Reflect by asking oneself about how well it is understood, and devise clarifying questions for teachers to bring to school
• Review in subsequent study times
• Recapitulate main ideas by summarising again.

The Academic Care office is here for all boys who would like any extra help and guidance in his exam preparation. Happy exam preparation!

Adam Knight - Secondary Learning Leader (Acting)