Assistant Principal's Report

Assemblies

Generally each second Monday morning students are involved in an assembly. Assemblies are an opportunity to provide information to a larger group of students at once as well as recognize and celebrate the efforts and achievements of our students.

Please check Compass for schedule of Assembly dates and locations.

Exams

Exams for students in Year 10 -11 will begin from Tuesday 8 June. There are particular requirements for each year level – please check the timetable and letter explaining the requirements.

The scheduled exams are designed to assess students learning over the semester. Exams will be conducted in exam conditions similar to VCAA (Year 12) exams to ensure students are prepared for these exams in the future. Our aim is for all students to build their confidence in sitting exams as well as develop appropriate skills in preparation for exams to ensure they can achieve their best.

10 Exam Tips for Students

Prior to the exam period students are encouraged to follow this tips to ensure they are prepared with minimal stress.

Before the Exam

1. Develop an exam study timetable

Once you have your exam timetable, plan when you will study for each exam. You will need to take into consideration all of your other activities (sport, work, family duties etc.). Don’t cram for exams – some people will claim they work best by cramming; however this can cause increase stress levels on the body and this stress could be carried through to your exam; where you are more like to make errors through a lack of concentration.

2. Ensure there is a balance between studying and breaks

Study in sessions for about 1 hour, then take a break. For a break, get up out of your sit, move around the room/house, get a drink or something to eat and return to studying.

3. Organise a Study Space

Set aside a space in your house/room where you can study. A study with a desk and chair is ideal; however kitchen table might have to do. Studying on your bed is not conducive to studying. Make sure you have enough space to spread your textbooks and notes. Ensure there is enough lighting and your seated position is comfortable. The space should be quiet, if this is not possible wear ear plugs.

4. Eat Well and Drink Plenty of Water

It is very important to ensure you are eating nutritious food and having a balanced diet. A well balanced diet can assist transform a nutritionally imbalanced student into a healthy one. It is important to remain hydrated – water is the best for this. Drink plenty of water during exam revision and on the day of the exam.

A poor diet can impact on your blood sugar levels and effect your concentration.

5. Avoid Distractions

If you don’t need your computer, iPad/table, phone etc. to study then remove them so you can concentrate. If you can place your computer, iPad/table, phone etc. in another room then you should do this. Screens can stimulate the brain resulting in your focus being on the screen and associated applications rather than the task at hand. If you need to access your device to assist with your study, it is encouraged that you only have the applications your require open eg: turn off notifications, messenger etc.

6. Avoid too much caffeine

Some people think that drinking caffeine drinks (coffee, cola) and high energy drinks (V, Mother, Red Bull) can help stimulate the brain and keep you up so you can study for longer. These drinks are designed to stimulate the brain and body and therefore can affect the body’s natural rhythm so when it is time for the brain to relax and sleep it has difficulty doing this. This can make you feel tired the next day and your brain and body may not get the rest it requires for optimal performance.

7. Sleep

Staying up late the night before an exam is worst thing you can do. There will come a point where your productivity will decline. The body needs time to rest and recover after a hard day of studying to ensure it is refreshed for the exam ahead.

On the Day of the Exam

8. Eat Breakfast

Ensure that you eat breakfast on the day of the exam. For some exams, you will be sitting for 1½ hours up to 3+ hours for the GAT. It is important to be concentrating on your responses rather than your stomach.

9. Be Prepared

Ensure that you have the required materials for each of the exams eg: pens, pencils, ruler, eraser, and calculator (make sure that is it working) etc. Be aware of what materials you are allowed and not allowed to take into the exam room. Eg: calculators, mobile phone, specific materials etc.

Arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the start time of the exam. It is better to be early and waiting rather than arriving just on time or late and stressing about it.

10. Use Reading Time Productively and Read Questions Carefully

For all exams there is a period of time allocated for reading. This time is set for you to settle down and begin to understand what you are about to undertake. You should read all of the instructions of the exam and then begin to skim over the questions preparing yourself for what is about to occur. For essay base exams (English etc.) it is a good time to mentally prepare what you are going to write etc. opening paragraph, body text, etc. It is also important to read questions carefully as this is important in understanding the key terms and what the question is asking of you.

Student Assessment and Reports

Students / families will receive their end of semester report on the last day of Term 2 via Compass. As we have moved to providing feedback on Learning Tasks throughout the semester reports will look slightly different to previous years. The report will have the collection of the Common Assessment Tasks (CATs) completed throughout the semester as well as assessment in specific areas such as Victorian Curriculum (Years 7-10) or VCE / VCAL (Years 11 and 12).

With all reports they provide students, teachers and parents / carers with a clear and concise picture of a student’s achievement and progress at a point in time. Teachers make informed and consistent decisions about student progress against the Victorian Curriculum achievement standards (Years 7-10) or VCE/VCAL outcomes (Year 11 & 12).

I encourage parents / carers to read the report and have a discussion with your child. It is great to read the positives in the report on what your child has achieved. It is also important to looks for ways to improve and make the most of the educational opportunities. Students are encouraged to set goals for the remainder of the year and continue to focus on their growth.

Early Dismissal Friday 25 June

Students will be dismissed on Friday 25 June at 2:30pm. Periods 1-4 will run at normal times; however period 5 will be shortened to accommodate the early dismissal.

Information Nights

Planning for 2022 has begun. To ensure parents are well informed we will be holding Information Nights early Term 3.

Please see the dates below:

Year 11 and 12 2022 (current Year 10 and Year 11 students) – Tuesday 27 July

Year 9 and 10 2022 (current Year 8 and Year 9 students) – Tuesday 3 August

Please be aware that subject selection forms will be due shortly after the information nights.

As with previous years, students will be required to submit $100 towards the materials cost of the subjects they select.

Good luck!

Mr Chris Knight

Assistant Principal

The Score

Issue 5 · 28 May 2021

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