Secondary School News

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

I hope you have had a rested break. I would like to take the opportunity to welcome you to what promises to be another busy term. Secondary staff and I look forward to welcoming students back on Tuesday 4 October.

We have a number of new students starting this term in the Secondary School in Years 8 and 10. We welcome these students and their families to the Clayfield College Community and wish them the very best for the journey ahead.

Staffing

We welcome back Ms. Madeleine Jones as she returns from maternity leave.

We welcome as Head of Academic Performance and Pathways, Mr. Brett Steeples. Brett received his honours degree in Chemistry from Manchester University where he also studied for his PhD. After receiving his Certificate in Education, he worked at the National Foundation for Educational Research, UK. Brett began his Australian teaching career at Ormiston College where he taught Chemistry and Science for 7 years. Following this he taught at Brisbane Girls’ Grammar School and All Hallows’ School. For the last 3 years he has been the Head of Science at Ipswich Girls’ Grammar School, and this year also performed in the role of Acting Dean of Studies. Brett has worked as a Chemistry panellist, Panel Chair, State Panellist, Syllabus Writer, Lead Confirmer and External Exam Instrument Writer for the QCAA. He has co-authored a series of Chemistry books for the new QCE system and authored an external exam study guide. Brett will commence at Clayfield College in Week 4 of Term 4. 

We also welcome as teacher of English, Sian Graham. Sian has completed a Bachelor of Journalism from QUT, a Bachelor of Arts from UQ and a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education from UQ.  Sian’s areas of teaching are English and History, and she has taught at Toowoomba Grammar School, Anglican Church Grammar School and St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace. Sian is also an External Exam marker for English. Sian will commence at Clayfield College from Week 1 of Term 4. 

Year 12 Arrangements

In the lead up to the ATAR External Exams, our Year 12 students have been working hard, with many of them engaging in Trial Exams over the second week of the holidays. I applaud those students who availed themselves of this additional opportunity to practise their content knowledge and skills and receive valuable feedback. 

Tuesday 4 to Tuesday 11 October will be regular timetabled lessons for Year 12 students when they will receive feedback from teachers on both the Mock and Trial Exams. Wednesday 12 to Friday 21 October are study weeks. During this time, students will have the opportunity to engage in opt- in tutorials with their teachers. The schedule for the tutorials is shown below:

The External Exams commence on Monday 24 October. You can view the External Exam timetable using the button below. We wish our Year 12 students the very best as they enter the upcoming assessment period.

Co-Curricular Photos 

Wednesday 5 October 

As previously communicated in the Clayfield Collective and on the CC App, Clayfield College, Co-Curricular Photos will be held in Week 1, Wednesday 5/10.  Please see attached Schedule and Group Listings and note the following: 

Parents are asked to check the attached schedule/group listings to confirm which photographs students are to attend. 

All students appearing in photos must have the correct uniform to appear within their group photo on the day (see schedule for Uniform/Instrument requirements).

Uniform Requirements 

In the latter half of Term 3, secondary students transitioned to wearing the summer uniform and will continue with this in Term 4. I draw your attention to the following uniform requirements which all students need to adhere to. Infringements and detentions will be applied if consideration is not given to appropriate uniform requirements.

• One silver/gold stud or sleeper in each ear lobe if students have pierced ears
• If hair length exceeds the collar, it should be tied up with a green ribbon or  scrunchie only
• PE uniform is not to be worn to and from school
• Hats must be worn during break times and whilst travelling to and from school 

Mobile Phone Policy

As a reminder, students in Years 7 to 12 who bring their mobile phone to school, are to store their phone in their locker for the school day. The exception to this are students in Years 10 to 12 who require their phone for HPE lessons. It is then their responsibility to collect their phone from the locker before the lesson and return it back to the locker after the HPE lesson. Mobile phones will be confiscated, and infringements applied if students contravene the above.

Parent Lounge Details

It is a school’s legal requirement that all family details are up to date on Parent Lounge. If any parent/caregiver details have changed pertaining to email, address, phone numbers or medical details, please make the appropriate changes on Parent Lounge.

Academic Queries

For any academic queries or concerns in Years 7 to 12 you are encouraged to contact your daughter’s classroom teacher in the first instance. Following this, if you require further assistance, please contact the relevant Head of Department. Our teaching staff and Heads of Department are committed to working with you and your daughters to provide the best academic support and outcomes for every student.

Years 7 to 12 Academic Procedures and Policies Document

The Years 7 to 12 Academic Procedures and Policies Document gives an overview of all procedures and protocols that need to be adhered to by staff, students and parents with regards to 

1.  Academic integrity
2.  Assessment
3.  Drafting, scaffolding, conferencing and feedback
4.  Subject changes, and
5.  AARA 

You can access the document through the button below. It is also available in Parent Lounge and Student Café under Links: Assessment and Reporting. 

I would like to draw attention to an area of particular concern: assignment drafting and submission. 

Please be aware of the following with regards to assignments: 

• If a task provides opportunity for a draft to be submitted, it is mandatory for students to submit a draft on the specified date to receive feedback, and to evidence progress 
• Assignments submitted after the due date will not be marked unless the student can provide:
  • a medical certificate (for students in Years 10 to 12)
  • written notification from parent/caregiver (for students in Years 7 to 9) 
• In the case when an assignment is not submitted on the due date, the draft or any progressive development of work sighted or collected by the teacher will be marked in lieu of the assignment 
• Where an assignment is not handed in or completed on the due date and there is no evidence of the work in progress sighted or collected, the student will receive a ‘Not-Rated’ and no standard will be recorded for that piece of assessment. In circumstances where a student response is judged as NR, the student will not meet the requirements for that subject. In Years 11 and 12 the student will not be awarded a satisfactory completion of unit for that subject, which could jeopardise their QCE and/or ATAR

I urge you to discuss the above protocols with your daughters as these will be closely followed by HODs and teachers. 

Key Dates - Term 4

I look forward to a wonderful term with you all.