Learning  

Dear Parents /Guardians,

As we move into the last few weeks of term, it is a busy period in terms of assessment. Year 7 – 9 will be completing end of Semester assessments, Year 12s will be finishing Unit 3 which involves completing folios and many SACs, Year 11 students are in the middle of their exams and Year 10s start their first set of exams next week. 

During this time, students are likely to feel heightened levels of stress and this can present in different ways. Therefore we remind you, and students, that a certain level of stress is usual and can be beneficial as it can help performance under assessment conditions. 

Here are some tips to help students cope with the pressures of assessment and exams: 

• Sleep is important; students should prioritise sleep over trying to stay up late to study;
• Maintain healthy habits; eat healthily, drink water and exercise regularly;
• Schedule breaks in between study;
• Practise mindfulness activities such as breathing exercises, colouring, exercise or meditation. Students should endeavour to practise these techniques when they are not under pressure too so they can rely on them when necessary.

There are many tips in school planner or you can read more in the informative article by Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, a leading child and adolescent psychologist. 

Some students will be very pleased with their results and others may be less happy, it is important that we see this not as the end result but rather part of the learning process. Students should reflect on their approach towards revision and preparation as well as how they managed the assessment and exam period and identify what they did well and what didn’t work as well then work on refining and improving on these strategies in the future. 

I wish you and the students the best of luck as you negotiate the last few weeks of the term.

Ms Lucy Neil

Deputy Principal, Learning & Teaching