SECONDARY NEWS 

From the Assistant Principal 

Family Conferences

Thanks to the parents and students who attended the conferences in Weeks 4 & 5.

Productive discussions were had and we are appreciative of the efforts made by so many to attend. 

If you have any further questions or concerns please call Miss Bailey to arrange follow-up 

interviews.

Year 10 Work Experience

Work Experience is scheduled for Year 10 in Week 10; 21 - 25 September. Under current CSO guidelines, it is still possible for this valuable experience to go ahead.

However, there may be increasing difficulty for students to find placements due to COVID-19 restrictions in different industries and resulting changes in workplaces.

PROVISION OF A COVID-19 SAFETY PLAN

In addition to the usual paperwork and assurances provided by the employer, the school must also be provided with a copy of their COVID-19 Safety Plan.

Work Experience will not be allowed to go ahead at businesses where a COVID-19 Safety Plan cannot be provided by the employer.

The deadline for returning Work Experience paperwork is Monday 14 September.

Students who have not yet made any attempt to find a placement will need to do so immediately.

As always, the responsibility for finding a work experience placement lies with the individual student, however, under these unprecedented circumstances the school may be able to assist.

Please contact Mrs McLachlan or Miss Bailey is you have any further questions or require assistance.

Father's Day Stall

Secondary students will have the opportunity to purchase items from the stall next Friday 4 September.

Uniform

It is pleasing to note that most students are wearing the correct school uniform. It would be appreciated if these positive efforts were maintained. 

Students are reminded to check the lost property bin. There are a number of jackets and other pieces of clothing unclaimed from last term. Please clearly label all clothing with student’s names – this would enable items to be returned promptly. 

If students are not correctly attired they are required to present a note to their Pastoral Care teacher and to remedy the situation as soon as possible.

Practical Classes and Appropriate Footwear

It is essential that students have the correct footwear at all times for practical classes in specialist rooms. This includes classes held in the Industrial Technology Workshop, the Food Technology Room and the Science Labs. The school uniform policy states that students are required to wear enclosed black leather or strong vinyl school shoes.

Acceptable Black School Shoes

 Shoes should have substantial soles (a substantial sole should be able to tread on a thumb tack and not cause injury to the wearer). Shoes should have laces or a buckle or similar mechanism. Slip on shoes are not permitted and ballet style shoes and black volleys are not acceptable. 

 It is imperative that, as per WH&S regulations, students adhere to this rule.

If a Technology class is on a Thursday the students are expected to bring their black leather school shoes to change into for that lesson. Students will not be permitted to enter the workshop if they have incorrect footwear.

Year 10 Transition

Year 10 students have visited both high schools and are now in the process of making subject selections for next year. 

They have been encouraged to seek advice from their teachers at Holy Trinity, Mr Ryan at Macintyre High School or Mr Dal Santo at Inverell High School. Please contact Miss Bailey if you require assistance regarding this matter. 

SUBJECT SPECIFIC ADVICE

If you are finding a particular subject difficult, the first place you should seek help should be your classroom teacher.  Firstly ask questions in class as problems arise. If you find you have too many questions to ask in class (as you’d end up disturbing the class) then ask your teacher if you can make a time to see them before or after class or during lunch or after school. Teachers are happy to help students who do their best and are keen to improve. Other places you might be able to find help are: books or extra textbooks in the school or local library, other students in the class, students in older years, other teachers at the school, family members, family friends. If you try all of these options and are still having problems, then you might consider looking for a tutor. Often ex-students from your school who in Years 11 or 12 might be interested in doing some tutoring or even teachers at other schools. 

SKILLS AND THRILLS DIGITAL PARENTS SHOWCASE

The Skills and Thrills Digital Parents Showcase is an engaging and informative 20 minute video created to highlight Vocational Education and Training (VET) and the success stories that emanate from VET pathways.  The Digital Parents Showcase will help parents better understand vocational pathways, including apprenticeships/traineeships and school-based apprenticeships/traineeships, and gives parents the knowledge they need to help their children make informed career choices post-high school. 

SkillsOne has created a free video that parents can access to learn about the following;

• Apprenticeships and Traineeships
• TAFE/ Private Training Providers
• Industry trends
• Covid-19 impacts on industry
• Funding options available (Smart and Skilled)
• Vocational Education and Training (VET) Options: School -delivered VET, SBATs and EVET
• Where to find information
• Resources and support services

Supporting this video, SkillsOne will be holding a live-streamed Q&A panel discussion on the SkillsOne Facebook page on August 26 2020. Industry and education professionals will be available to answer parents’ pre-submitted questions. 

HOW PARENTS CAN ACCESS THE CONTENT:

• Content will only be available for a four week period from August 10 to September 4 2020. Content cannot be downloaded or saved, so must be watched during this time.
• To participate, parents need to pre-register their interest to receive viewing information and updates at https://www.skillsone.com.au/
• Content will be free for parents
• Live Q&A Panel discussion on August 26 (evening) on SkillsOne Facebook
• Parents can pre-submit any questions to do with careers/ industry to info@skillsone.com.au

Pastoral Care and Wellbeing 

COVID -19 

Students are reminded to follow the directions of staff with regard to COVID-19 protocols. The support from parents in ensuring that students remain vigilant and do not become complacent is greatly appreciated.

The protocols in place are as follows:

• Wash your hands with soap before eating
• Use sanitiser when entering and leaving the school/classroom
• Use a tissue when sneezing/coughing followed by washing your hands or use sanitiser
• Refill your water bottle only at the bubblers
• Do not touch the belongings of others or share food
• Keep your distance from others; hands off
• Obey the social distance markings
• Stay home if you are unwell.

STUDY SKILLS

Making the Most of Your Learning.

Learning is not just what you do in the classroom. Study is not just what you do the night before a test. Both of these are ongoing activities that are enhanced by the correct pre and post activities. See which of these 5 Ps you do.

PREPARE: This is the stage where you ensure you have all of the materials you need for learning and have completed any pre-tasks such as reading sections of your textbook in advance or any other activities your teacher asks you to complete prior to the class.

PARTICIPATE:  Engaging in your learning is the best way to start to embed it in your memory and ensure you understand. Having the opportunity to discuss and interact and complete different styles of learning activities really helps your brain to process what you are learning.

PLAN: Take the time to look at the assessments for the course and plan when you will start, work on and complete tasks. Anytime you are asked to complete work for class, plan when you will do it and even better write your plan into your diary or online planner.

PRACTISE: One of the best ways to learn is to do practise questions. When you apply what you have learnt to actual questions, you will engage retrieval and cognitive pathways in the brain and reinforce your learning and uncover areas that need extra study.

PINPOINT: After a test or assessment is returned to you, celebrate your successes but also use it to pinpoint areas of weakness. This allows you to then spend time building your strengths in these areas without the pressure of an exam looming.

Staff Email Addresses

The email addresses for Secondary staff members are listed should you need to make contact.