Teaching and Learning
VCE Unit 3&4 Sept/Oct Practice Examinations
The VCE staff at the College are very mindful that one of the most effective study tools when revising for end-of-year examinations is to practise past papers. Considering this, we have devised a September/October Practice Examination Timetable that will take place on the last day of Term 3 and in the first week of Term 4. This schedule will give students the opportunity to sit a practice written examination paper in each of their subject areas using the same conditions and timeframe that they will experience in their final examinations.
The practice examinations will take place within the school day, with the exception of Monday 3rd October. Whilst this is a student-free day from classes, we ask that all students enrolled in Unit 3&4 Further, Methods, Specialist Mathematics or Physical Education attend school at the times specified for these practice exams.
VCE staff will mark these examinations and will use the practice paper to inform students of their progress, elicit exemplar responses for classroom sharing and promote further revision strategies leading into the final examination period.
Please read the September/October Practice Examination Timetable attached to this newsletter and monitor that your son/daughter is working hard on a revision schedule at home over the coming weeks, including throughout the Term 3 break. Your son/daughter has received a VCAA Examination schedule. Final exams commence on Wednesday 26th October with the first being the state-wide English and EAL examinations.
Mrs Davina McClure
Mathematics Faculty News - Yr 10 Deakin Mathematics Challenge Adventure!!
On Friday the 26th of August, 10 keen mathletes went to Geelong to compete in the annual Deakin Maths Competition.
We had two teams of five students, with the first team being made up of Nyah Bester, Alec Jagger, Tim Gilling, Claire Dempsey and Kyle Herbertson and the second consisting of Kelly Ferguson, Niamh Jones, Fitzroy Maclean, Sami Zehir and Katya Finnegan.
The group, accompanied by Mr. Budenberg and Mr. Jones, left early Friday morning. With the intention of finishing off some homework, we all fell asleep shortly after leaving as it was still dark outside. Arriving at the Geelong Deakin University Campus at 8:50am, we eagerly tried to enter the building, however we were held up by trying to go through the wrong door. Our rivals were feeling confident in our stupidity and we meekly followed them into the nerd gym. Both teams took their seats and began to work on the Group Challenge. Despite confidence in their abilities, no team in the contest was able to answer all 10 questions correctly. Both College teams finished the round equal first with 115 out of a possible 150. Next was the Snap Quiz round. Buzzers sounded, voices cried, and wrong answers were shouted throughout the room with ever-increasing urgency as the time ran out. Team College 1 led their lesser counterparts College 2 by two points leading into the third round, both teams coming in at 3rd and 4th respectively. The pressure of the third round, the Solo Round, was too much for some but Nyah Bester and Niamh Jones each got 10 out of 10. With College 1 slightly ahead of College 2, we went into the Relay Round. Despite heroic efforts from Tim Gilling and me (!), College 1 was marginally less successful than College 2, who only got one question wrong out of 20, giving them the edge they needed to pull away. In the end, College 2 came away with 5th overall; College 1 was slightly less successful, finishing in 9th place, but we were still happy with the top 10 finish. Outstanding individual results came from Niamh Jones, who finished 2nd overall in the individual championship, and Timothy Gilling who placed 9th. Overall it was a fabulous day, and well worth the 6 hours total driving time to complete algebraic equations against sweaty nerds. A special thank you goes out to Mr. Budenberg and Mr. Jones, without whom the trip would not have been possible.
Alec Jagger