Curriculum
The Holidays and the Year 12 Trial HSC Examinations
Year 12 students are encouraged to use the upcoming holidays wisely and not to let the time pass without having done substantial preparation for the Trial HSC examinations which begin Monday 3 August, i.e., the third week back next term.
With just under six weeks to the Trial HSC examination, the following is important information for Year 12 students and their parents.
HSC Examination Marking Feedback and Sample Answers
Marking guidelines and sample answers for most HSC subjects from past examinations are available on the NESA website.
Parents of Year 12 ought to know that such resources are available and should encourage their sons to use them as part of their preparation for the Trial and HSC written examinations.
It is important to note that the sample answers provided are not student responses from the examinations nor are they intended to be exemplary or even complete answers or responses. Nonetheless, they are a most valuable resource for HSC students.
NESA publishes this information to assist teachers and students in understanding how the marking guidelines were implemented.
The Sydney Morning Herald 2019 HSC Study Guide
Each year NESA works with Fairfax Media to publish the HSC Study Guide. It is currently unavailable but last year’s guide would still be of great use and value - view here.
The Guide has an excellent range of NESA endorsed resources.
Michael Cutrupi
Director of Curriculum
Year 10 Minimum Standards Testing
Students in Year 10 will complete the NESA Minimum Standards Tests in Reading, Writing and Numeracy on Friday 24 July. Students have received information today in their PCP about the tests, and additional information and supports are available in their Year 10 Pastoral Course. Students must attain a Level 3 or 4 result in each test to be eligible for their HSC in 2022, but they have multiple opportunities to attempt the tests and support will be available at school for those not reaching Minimum Standards on their first attempt. Further information for students and parents is available on the NESA website.
Denise Lombardo
Director of Learning and Innovation
Year 8 Languages Day
On Wednesday 17 June, all of Year 8 participated in the annual Year 8 Languages Day. The boys engaged in a variety of rotating activities allowing them to learn about and appreciate Italian music, create an Italian skit, play bocce, and use Italian to cheer on their friends in penalty shootouts. A virtual reality experience allowed the boys to “go on a holiday” to Italy, see the sights and write a postcard about what they experienced. While the rain did put a damper on our outdoor activities, it allowed some groups to practise common Italian hand gestures, always useful for those times when words are simply not enough.
As all Year 8 students are currently studying Italian, the day focused predominantly on Italian language and culture. Throughout the day however, there was an opportunity for the boys to appreciate other languages and cultures, and the impact that these have on our lives and communities. The boys dabbled in French, Mandarin, German, Spanish, Greek, Japanese, and Indonesian using ImmerseMe, an online language learning platform. One of the activities that the boys responded to most positively however, was a quiz that was created as an introductory activity to the day. Students listened to recordings of several College teachers speaking languages other than English and were required to guess both the teacher speaking and the language being spoken. The activity sparked the students’ curiosity and helped us all to realise the wealth of backgrounds and diversity within our community.
GRAZIE MILLE to all of the Languages staff for the planning and running of the incursion, to the many other teachers who assisted with and accommodated our events and of course, to all Year 8 students who participated enthusiastically on the day.
Maria Capobianco
Languages Studies Coordinator