Learning and Teaching 

In the next few weeks, all students will be completing their final assessment tasks for the Semester. Our Year 10 and 11 students are about to undertake their mid-year exams.  All this assessment and testing can be quite stressful for students.  We know our students want to achieve their best and this can often result in them putting a lot of pressure on themselves. So what can our students do to relieve some of the pressure and cope with the increase in stress? 

Here are a few ideas:

1. Get enough sleep.  We all know the allure of the next episode on a streaming service, but if you resist and go to sleep instead, you will help decrease your stress;
2. Exercise regularly.  A walk around the block, a bike ride with friends or a kick of the football can all help in relieving stress and help keep our minds healthy and ready for more learning;
3. Mindful meditation.  Apps like Smiling Minds are great for helping us clear our minds, focus on the here and now and de-stress.  It only takes 5 minutes practised regularly to bring about amazing results for our minds and wellbeing;
4. Listen to music.  There are not many of us who don’t enjoy some time listening to our favourite musicians. This is such an easy and highly effective way to decrease our stress;
5. Eat a healthy diet.  The foods we eat can affect our mood.  They can either boost our brain power or sap away our energy.  By eating well, you can not only de-stress, but also help your brain be ready for more study and learning;
6. Organise yourself.  Sometimes our stress comes about because we have so much we need to do.  By organising ourselves and our spaces, we can better manage our long to-do lists, and find the time to fit in our study, part-time jobs, leisure, family and friends.

As our students prepare well, try their best and manage their stress levels, they will be able to perform their best in their final assessment tasks and exams and do so in a way that is good for their mental health.

Year 10 Exams

• All exams are 90-minute exams (10 minutes of reading time and 80 minutes of writing time). 
• Exams will take place in the Middle School Hub (Rooms 22-25).
• Students are expected to be at school for the entire day. Supervised Study spaces will be provided for students who do not have an Exam.
• Normal classes will run on Wednesday 7th June. There are no exams due to TAFE and SSV Sport.

Year 11 Exams

• Exams will be held in SS9,10 and 11.
• The English Exam is 10 minutes of reading time and 140 minutes of writing time.
• The Maths Methods Exam 1 is 10 minutes of reading time and 60 minutes of writing time.
• All other exams are 10 minutes of reading time and 80 minutes of writing time. 
• Normal classes will run on Wednesday 7th June. There are no exams due to TAFE and SSV Sport.

Students who do not have a scheduled exam are not required at School. If parents are not able to provide supervision at home, or students are not able to get home, the College will provide a supervised study venue for any students at school without an Exam. Parents are asked to please respond to the PAM notification for Year 11 Exams.

Year 11 VCE – VM students will continue with their Structured Workplace Learning (SWL) placements. 

VCE Subject Changes

Students wishing to change subjects for Unit 2 need to speak with the Senior School Team to collect a subject change form. Subject change forms need to be submitted to Ms Connell via the office by Friday 2nd June.

General Achievement Test (GAT) 2023

What is the GAT? 

The General Achievement Test (GAT) is a test of general knowledge and skills including communication, mathematics, science and technology, the arts, humanities, and social sciences taken by students in the course of completing their senior secondary studies.

Sitting the GAT is an opportunity to demonstrate literacy and numeracy skills – essential skills that show students are ready to move on to further study, training, or employment. 

GAT results are also important for checking that VCE external assessments and school-based assessments have been accurately and fairly assessed and can be used if you have a Derived Examination Score (DES) approved. 

The GAT will take place on Thursday 15 June in two parts:

• Section A assesses skills in literacy (reading and writing) and numeracy.
• Section B assesses general knowledge and skills in mathematics, science, technology, the arts and humanities.

Who is required to sit the GAT? 

• Scored and non-scored Unit 3/4 VCE students must sit Part A & B of the GAT

• Senior VCAL students must sit Part A of the GAT
• Scored Unit 3/4 VET students must sit Part A & B of the GAT

What should students bring? 

• Students sitting the GAT may take an English and/or bilingual printed dictionary into both sections of the GAT, but not a thesaurus or a combined thesaurus dictionary. 
• Electronic dictionaries are not permitted. A scientific calculator is permitted in both sections of the GAT. 
• Students will need pens, pencils and an eraser to complete the GAT

How can students prepare for the GAT?

There is no need to do any specific revision to prepare for the GAT. The questions on the GAT are based on areas of academics that have already been covered in previous classes or through lived experiences. 

There are some sample questions and past GAT papers available at: 

https://vcaa.vic.edu.au/assessment/vce-assessment/general-achievement-test/Pages/index.aspx?Redirect=1

For any general questions, concerns surrounding additional support, or queries regarding special examination arrangements, please contact Ms. Laura Higgins. 

There will be no Year 11 or 12 classes running on Thursday 15th June. Students in Year 11 not involved in the GAT are not required to be at school. Supervised study will be available if required. 

Year 10 Work Experience

Forms were due back to the office at the end of Term One. We still have a number of students looking for placement. If you are able to help by placing a student in the week of Monday 19th June to Friday 23rd June, please let Mrs. Damon know via email on jdamon@mmcrc.catholic.edu.au

Elevate Education Parent Webinar Seminars

Elevate Education are continuing to provide parents of Mary MacKillop Catholic Regional Student College exclusive access to their Parent Webinar Series for Term 2, 2023.

To reserve your spot, you can register for free below,

Wednesday 7th June @ 6:30pm  

How to Help Your Child Prepare for Exams

Click here to register for free

In this webinar, we will be discussing:

✅ High Priority Work: The kinds of work students should be focusing on in the build-up to exams to maximise marks

✅ Time Management: How to ensure your child has enough time to prepare for their exams

✅ Practice Papers: How to prepare effectively using past questions and practice papers

Other upcoming sessions

Wednesday 21st June                         Exam Room Skills

The webinars are run live online from 6.30pm – 7.30pm (AEST) where the presenter will share Elevates key research and skills, and will conduct a live Q&A so you can ask them questions directly. If you are unable to make the webinar, don't worry! If you sign up to attend, you'll receive the webinar recording on Thursday morning.

Should you have questions or would like to contact Elevate directly, their details are listed below.📞 1300 667 945

✉️ auscoaching@elevateeducation.com 

💻 https://au.elevateeducation.com

👍 https://www.facebook.com/ElevateEd/