HOLY TRINITY SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

SECONDARY NEWS 

From the Assistant Principal 

Family Conferences

Years 7 and 8 interviews will be held on Monday 23 March and Years 9 and 10 on Wednesday 25 March.

Notes with more information will be distributed this week.

VALID Results

Results of the VALID Science test sat by Year 8 in late 2019 have been given to students today to take home to parents and caregivers.

HSC Minimum Standard Literacy and Numeracy Tests

Literacy and numeracy skills are essential for success in learning and life after school. This is why students are required to show they have met a minimum standard of literacy and numeracy to receive the Higher School Certificate from 2020.

 

There will be multiple opportunities for your child to show they meet the HSC minimum standard by passing online tests of basic reading, writing and numeracy skills. These tests can be taken when your child is ready – be that this year, in Year 11 or 12 or after the HSC.

 

For more information, and flyers about the online tests and what they involve, visit the NESA website: https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/hsc/hsc-minimum-standard.

 

We will be undertaking these tests at school over the next few weeks before the end of the term. If you DO NOT wish your child to sit the trial online tests please return the slip on the note that was sent home with students.

Science and Engineering Challenge

This Friday students from Years 9 & 10 will compete in the annual Inverell Science and Engineering Challenge organised by the local Rotary Club.

 

The Science and Engineering Challenge is a day-long competition designed to provide Year 9 & 10 students with a positive experience of science and engineering. A maximum of 8 schools per day compete against each other at one venue. Good luck to Mr Gaias and our school team.

Stage 5 Assessment Guidelines

Over the next week Year 9 and 10 students will receive their assessment booklets, which outline the assessment guidelines for the year. This important document contains vital information regarding the RoSA, Record of School Achievement. It would be appreciated if parents could read the information contained in the booklet and discuss the issues raised with their children. Please return the slip to school indicating that you have received a copy of the booklet.

 

The assessment process is similar to that which the students will encounter in Stage 6 as they prepare for their Higher School Certificate.

BUILDING CONCENTRATION SKILLS

Many students find it difficult to concentrate and stay focused when they are doing their schoolwork at home. So what can we do to improve concentration levels? Try these top tips:

  1. IMPROVE THE ENVIRONMENT: Have a good hard look at the environment you are trying to concentrate in. Is it noisy? Are there more exciting things happening around you? Is it too hot? Too cold? Are you uncomfortable? Too comfortable? What can you do to make the space more conducive to concentration?
  2. BLOCKS OF TIME: If you are someone who finds it difficult to concentrate at home don’t try and study for too long at a time. Instead, tell yourself you will work for 20-30 minutes then you can have a break. If you know it is only 20-30 minutes it is much easier to concentrate than if it was for an indefinite period of time.
  3. ANCHOR TO THE PRESENT: Create a focus word that brings you back on task. We all daydream. The key is to start to pay more attention to when you are doing it and then immediately take action. If your keyword, for example, was ‘orange’ when you notice you are day-dreaming say ‘orange orange orange’ to refocus your attention to your work.
  4. RESET THE BRAIN: Sometimes you just need a time-out from what you are doing in order to be able to concentrate again. If your attention is constantly wandering, then get up and have a drink, walk outside, kick a ball – just take 5 to 10 minutes to clear your head so you can come back fresh to your work.
  5. WORK OUT PEAK TIMES: Start to pay attention to what time of the day you are most focused. That’s when you need to do the harder work or the work that requires the greatest concentration. If you know you get tired after dinner, don’t leave the difficult work until then.
  6. CARROT AND STICK: Some people are motivated by working towards rewards, others by avoiding punishments. Give yourself a target time to focus with a little reward at the end if you achieve it – or maybe a little punishment if you don’t!

HOTmaths

All students in the secondary department have a subscription to HOTmaths for 2020. Each student will soon have an individual log in, enabling them to complete set work or revise content they need assistance with. It also allows their teacher to set work and track progress.

What is HOTmaths? It is an interactive online maths teaching and learning program for students based on the NSW curriculum.

In a few words HOTmaths is:

  • Connecting students, parents and teachers with each other and the world
  • Making maths more meaningful and engaging
  • Building confidence through success in learning
  • Providing curriculum-based teaching, learning and assessment material
  • A first-rate learning management system
  • An effective and inexpensive home tutoring system
  • An online resource accessible 24 hours a day

Students in Years 7 to 10 are encouraged to use their HOTmaths subscription. The program is a very effective tool for revision and consolidation of lessons taught in the classroom. We encourage all students to utilise their subscription and hopefully gain greater confidence in this subject. If parents have any queries regarding this they will be able to discuss the matter with their child’s Mathematics teacher at the Parent/Teacher meetings.

Big Write

Improving the writing skills of our students has been a long-term goal of Holy Trinity. This year students from K - 9 are continuing to undertake the Big Write and VCOP program as a means of enhancing the standard of writing across the school.

 

Big Write and VCOP is a methodology for raising the standards in writing across all ages and ability levels. It seeks to address the reasons why there are falling standards in writing. Based on the premise that ‘if they can’t say it, they can’t write it’, learning is scaffolded to allow children to become articulate thinkers and speakers, who will then become articulate writers.

 

The program is designed to bring the enjoyment back into writing by engaging students in writing and continuously challenging them throughout their writing journey. Through games, activities, writing tasks, conversations and discussions, students will learn not only where their abilities lie in a fun and engaging way, but also the steps they need to take, in order to continue to improve.

 

In Years 7-9 ‘Big Writes’ are a component of assessment in English where the focus is on individual improvement and self-reflection; instead of marks and grades. Written tasks are done on a regular basis in the classroom during the course of a unit and work is then evaluated in a ‘Breakdown Buddy’ session. Students reflect on their performance in the task, celebrating achievements and then setting clear goals for future improvement.

 

What does VCOP stand for? (see the diagram below)

Vocabulary: Ambitious vocabulary, WOW words.

Connectives: A wide range of words and phrases for connecting thoughts, ideas and sentences.

Openers: Effective opening words and phrases to begin a sentence.

Punctuation: A wide range of punctuation, including power punctuation.

 

Do students still have homework in English?

YES - students are required to prepare for their writing tasks by researching and practicing their writing, but most importantly, talking to others. By orally discussing their knowledge and understanding of a particular issue, they are preparing for their upcoming ‘Big Write’.

 

Is my child’s writing still marked by a teacher?

All written work is closely monitored by their classroom teacher on a regular basis. Relevant and meaningful feedback is used by students to improve their next written task. On five occasions each year students complete a ‘Cold Write’ (equivalent to an English writing exam) that is moderated by at least two English teachers. This determines a student’s grade and is tracked on a student progress wall.

 

The ‘Big Write’ is an exciting project in the Secondary - already we are seeing significant improvements in student writing across all grades.

 

For further information please contact your child’s English teacher or Mrs Watchirs.