Senior School

Welcome Back

Welcome back to what is a critical and very busy time of year for our senior school students.

YEAR 12 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER HOLIDAY EXAMS

I would like to thank all students and parents for the overwhelming support for the Year 12 exams which were held over the September/October holiday period. This program was an outstanding success, and I hope it is a valuable learning experience for students in terms of perfecting exam techniques and time management. It is now important for students to act on the feedback which has been provided by their teachers to further improve their learning outcomes and examination performance.

I would also like to thank the supervisors who assisted with the exams, in particular Mrs Bev Valentine, who worked tirelessly to ensure the exams ran efficiently and under VCAA guidelines. I would also like to acknowledge the extra work and dedication of our Year 12 teachers in the setting and marking of these exams.

YEAR 11 CENTRAL AUSTRALIA TOUR

Another successful tour of Central Australia and the Northern Territory has arrived home safely with students and staff reporting on a memorable and enjoyable trip. Congratulations to the students who were excellent ambassadors for Frankston High School. I am sure they gained an invaluable appreciation of Australian culture and will have life-long memories of this tour. Thank you to the staff involved, under the leadership of Mrs Adrienne Shepard, who gave of their personal time and worked tirelessly to ensure the success of the trip – their commitment and dedication is outstanding. Thank you also to Mrs Anne Thomson for her excellent organisation of the trip.

PREPARING FOR EXAMINATIONS

We have now reached the most critical time of year. Year 12 students have less than one week of class time left and Year 11 students have four weeks before their exams. All students should have implemented a comprehensive study plan/timetable to prepare for their examinations.

Some useful hints for exam preparation:

Prepare summaries in your own words and use pictures, tables and graphs to help you remember the theory.
Highlight the key words that you need to remember and create the theory.
Work with a study partner and ask each other questions about the notes or explain the concepts to another person (parents come in handy here!).
Study in blocks of time, eg. 50 minute blocks followed by a 10 minute break.
Practise as many past exam papers as possible so you get used to the timing and types of questions examiners ask.
Don’t cram before exams; a bit each day is a much more effective way to learn.
Establish a regular routine in studying, eating, exercising and sleeping.
Study and sit previous years’ exam papers at home at the same time as timetabled for the end of year exam.
Don’t stay up all night; it’s not an effective way to learn.

I would like to remind parents and students of the Elevate presentations where the importance of completing past exam papers was stressed. The presenters stated that a critical component of student success in Year 12 is completing past exam papers under timed conditions and receiving feedback from teachers on their answers. As a minimum, 5-6 practice exam papers should be completed per subject; based on research the top students in each study are completing 20-30 practice exam papers and meeting with their teachers to receive feedback. Students should also be reading the Assessment Reports on past exam papers which are available at www.vcaa.vic.edu.au

The Frankston High School Resource Centre has resources to help... see attachement below.

Preparing for Exams.pdf

PERFORMANCE AND ORAL EXAMINATIONS

Students in studies with a performance or oral component have been given a timetable for these examinations. Any student who has not received a timetable should see Mrs Carolyn McIver in the front office of the Senior Campus immediately. The examination period begins on Monday 9 October and ends on Sunday 5 November. Students should arrive at their examination half an hour before the scheduled start time and must have photo identification with them.

Good luck to all students involved.

YEAR 12 VALEDICTORY DINNER

The Year 12 Valedictory Dinner will be held on Wednesday 25 October (Week 3 of Term 4) at the Sofitel Melbourne on Collins, Melbourne. Students should have finalised their tickets as catering numbers need to be confirmed. I would like to thank Ms Nicole Filippou and Ms Kelly Mitchell for their excellent organisation of this night. I look forward to seeing Year 12 parents and students at this important event.

Important Dates

End of Year 12 Arrangements

Wednesday October 25

Normal classes run Periods 0, 1 & 2

Students allowed to get changed into costumes and sign shirts from Recess

Celebration Activities and BBQ commence Period 3

Year 12 students leave the Senior Campus by 12.30pm infull school uniform (including a clean shirt/dress that hasn’t been signed)

Valedictory Dinner starts 6:30pm (Sofitel Melbourne).

Year 12 Examinations

Begin on Wednesday 1 November and conclude on Wednesday 22 November.

Year 11 students are not required to attend school on Wednesday 1 November due to the Year 12 English Examination taking place on this day.

Year 11 Examinations

Begin on Monday 20 November and conclude on Friday 1 December.

The results from these Year 11 examinations are very important and determine subject selection and promotion to Year 12.

The final submission date for all work for senior school students is Friday 3 November.

Early commencement program will run from Monday 3 December to Friday 8 December.

Attendance is compulsory for all 2018 Year 11 and Year 12 students.

I wish all senior school students the very best for their upcoming exams.

Scholarships

FEDERATION UNIVERSITY YEAR 12 SCHOLARSHIP

Twelve scholarships, valued at $5,000 each, are awarded to students completing Year 12 in 2017 who enrol at Federation University Australia in 2018. The scholarship will be awarded based on a student’s overall academic potential, and contribution to their school and community, with a supporting statement from the School Principal, to students who seek to study at Federation University in 2018.

For the application form and further information please click HERE

Applications close TODAY, Friday 20 October

If you have any questions please contact the Federation University Scholarships, Bursaries and Grants Office on:

(03) 5327 9340 or scholarships@federation.edu.au

THE MARGARET SCHOFIELD MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

Applications for this annual scholarship are invited from government school students of VCE Music-Solo Performance. The selection panel will consider applicants who can demonstrate a commitment to music in recent years and to a future career in music performance. The students’ study scores for VCE Music-Solo Performance will be taken into consideration. This scholarship was established by the family of the late Margaret Schofield in recognition of her achievements as a musician and her commitment to music education, and is coordinated by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority(VCAA). The annual scholarship will contribute towards the cost of tertiary education in music performance.

Applications for the Margaret Schofield Memorial Scholarships 2018 opened on Friday 8 September 2017 and close on Friday 10 November 2017.

More information is available on the VCAA Website.

The 2018 Charles Allan Seymour (C.A.S.) HAWKER SCHOLARSHIP

The 2018 C.A.S. Hawker Scholarships open on Monday 4 December 2017 and close on Friday 5 January 2018 and are open to Year 12 students. Information about the scholarship and an application form are available at www.hawkerscholarship.org.

Selection is largely based on personal qualities and demonstrated leadership, as well as academic ability.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING (DET) STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS

There are a number of scholarships available to students that the DET advertises but does not administer. This includes scholarships available to Year 12 students which can be applied for once their end of year results have been finalised. All scholarships can now be viewed via the DET link:

www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/scholarships

Best Wishes to the Class of 2017

As this is the final newsletter for our Year 12 students before they embark on their final examinations, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere best wishes for their examinations and their future goals and ambitions. I wish them every success in the future and I would like to thank them for their excellent contribution to Frankston High School. They have been an absolute pleasure to work with. I would also like to congratulate and thank the excellent work and leadership of our school captains Lizette Gerryts and Jack Green.

Mr Simon Cameron

Acting Senior Campus Principal