NAPLAN

Year 7 and 9 Students will sit for the National Assessment Program- Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) online on Tuesday 14 May to Thursday 16 May. It is important all students attend school on these days. However, if absence is medically unavoidable, please notify the College office immediately. Students are encouraged to simply do their best.

This will be McCarthy’s second year participating through the online platform. NESA have published the following information for parents wanting to know more about NAPLAN online, and for access to translated materials:

'Parents and carers of students doing NAPLAN Online for the first time often want to know more about online testing and in particular, tailored testing. The ACARA information brochure for parents and carers addresses common questions about NAPLAN testing including tailored testing

Information brochures available in other languages. Translations of ACARA’s parent and carer information brochure are now available on the NAP website resources page in Arabic, Bosnian, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Hindi, Khmer, Persian, Samoan, Serbian, Sinhalese, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Turkish, Vietnamese.'

YEAR 12 Parent Teacher Student Conferences:

Yesterday, Year 12 students and parents met with teachers to discuss their progress to date. These nights are important. I would encourage all Year 12 students to take on board the advice and integrate the suggested strategies into their study routine.

Thank you to the parents and teachers of Year 12 for your ongoing commitment and support of these young men and women.

HSC Timetable

NESA have released the 2019 Higher School Certificate Exam Timetable. Students are able to access their personalised timetable via Students Online. All students in Years 10, 11 and 12 have been guided through the process of activating their account; it is very important students update their details (including the use of a non-school email) so they can download their ROSA grades and HSC results.

Whilst Mr McManus is away, Mrs Heather Burke and I will be working together on all matters of Teaching and Learning along with our Leaders of Learning. I thank Heather for accepting the challenge and be assured, we are available to assist students and parents with any questions they may have regarding curriculum and learning.

STUDY SKILLS TIP FOR MAY: BARRIERS TO DEVELOPING A GOOD MEMORY

Many students say ‘I don’t have a good memory’ but many barriers to developing a good memory can be overcome. Here are the top 3:

1. NEGATIVE MINDSET / ATTITUDE

Henry Ford once famously said, “whether you believe you can, or you can't, you are right”. This refers to your mindset or mental attitude, and the concept that your mind is powerful enough to enable your thoughts to create your reality. If you have a negative attitude to memory, it will likely reduce your chance of developing and maintaining a good memory. There are some simple steps you can take to start making changes. Be aware that negative thoughts are just a habit, and habits can be changed with a little effort. Awareness is the key to changing a habit, as you need to consciously be aware of the current habit before you can change it – so start catching yourself in the act of making negative statements. Affirm your intention to improve the way you think. Then correct the negative statement, and make it into a more positive one.

2. ABSENTMINDEDNESS / NOT PAYING ATTENTION

The first stage of the memory process is encoding information to be remembered – thus the brain uses senses and emotions to process the information and form a memory. Here are some ways in which you can be less absent minded:

- Setting an intention to become more attentive.

- Sitting up front where there are less things to distract you, especially if you have difficulty paying attention in class.

-Taking notes in class to ensure you listen.

3. STRESS / ANXIETY

Stress will increase the likelihood of being distracted, meaning that information may not be encoded accurately – and thus cannot be later retrieved. Stress may also result in mental blanks. For example, if you’re stressed before an exam, you may not be able to think clearly and access and retrieve the information you need. The best thing to do is to take ten deep breaths and calm down to allow your mind to focus.

Learn more at the Brain and Memory unit of www.studyskillshandbook.com.au.

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Mrs Raelene Maxworthy - Acting Assistant Principal Curriculum

McCarthy Parents and Friends Association