SECONDARY NEWS 

From the Assistant Principal 

Debating

We have a very enthusiastic group of debaters in the Secondary who Mrs Taylor is coaching. They prepare during the week, often in their breaks, and then engage in virtual debates via Zoom against other high schools in our diocese.

The teams have been successful in many of their debates so far. Congratulations to all debaters, and thanks to Mrs Taylor for coaching the team.

Year 10 Transition

Year 10 students have visited both high schools and are now in the process of making subject selections for next year. They have been encouraged to seek advice from their teachers at Holy Trinity, Mr Ryan at Macintyre High or Mr Dal Santo at Inverell High School. Please contact Miss Bailey if you require assistance regarding this matter. 

6 Tips for Choosing Your Senior School Subjects

From about August each year, young people in year 10 go through a round of interviews to close in on their subject selections for years 11 and 12.

They’re given a portfolio full of reading materials. They may also attend vibrant careers markets to get helpful information. The principal and heads of the year give presentations, and occasionally a VIP guest speaker will arrive.

Somewhere at this point, my sobbing daughter had cried: “I’m growing up too quickly!” She’d been told a complex story about ATARs, prerequisites and options for her career path, all with the solemn authority about the importance of making wise decisions.

Studies have shown students experience anxiety about choosing subjects that relate to their desired career path. Nothing as serious as this will have happened in most children’s lives before now.

What if they don’t know what they want to do? Or worse, what if they make a mistake in their subject choices?

The good news is, there is not much need to worry. Choices you make now about your subjects don’t need to have a severe impact on your future.

There are some myths about senior schooling all kids and parents need to know. Here are six of them.

Myth 1: You Need An ATAR To Go To University

There are several pathways to university — an ATAR is only one of them.

The federal education department reports there are significant intakes for courses that don’t require an ATAR. A 2020 report says the share of university offers for applicants with no ATAR or who were non-year 12 applicants was 60.5% in 2020. This was up from 60.1% in 2019.

Some courses, like engineering, normally require an ATAR of somewhere around the mid-80s. But you could also get in through having done a VET certificate or diploma. RMIT, for instance, offers up to two years of credit to transfer from TAFE into an undergraduate degree.

There are many alternative pathways described by most institutions on their websites. Curtin University has a helpful journey finder for students without a competitive ATAR.

A year 12 student, expecting not to gain an ATAR, who is not studying English or doesn’t expect to gain a 50 scaled rank for English, has at least three pathways into Curtin — sitting the Special Tertiary Admissions Test, doing a course at Curtin College, and using a portfolio for assessment.

Curtin also has a UniReady Enabling Program. This is a short course of 17 weeks. Completing the course means you will fulfil Curtin’s minimum admission criteria of a 70 ATAR. Many universities have similar types of preparatory pathways.

Myth 2: Your Senior Subjects Majorly Influence Your Career

With all the disruption we’re experiencing, technical and social, we actually don’t have any idea what types of careers will be available in the future. Industry advice bodies, like the National Skills Commission, recommend students choose subjects that suit their interests and skillsets rather than prepare for a specific future career.

Reports show today’s 15-year-olds will likely change employers 17 times and have five different careers throughout their working life. Many of their careers may have very little, if any, connection to the senior subjects they took at school.

A 2018 report by industry body Deloitte Access Economics showed 72% of employers “demanded” communication skills when hiring and that transferable skills, such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving, innovation and emotional judgement, “have become widely acknowledged as important in driving business success”.

This can include subjects like music, dance, debating, and theatre will teach the exact skills employers value the most.

Myth 3: You Should Do ‘Hard’ Subjects To Get A High ATAR

All subjects are hard if you lack interest or ability. Students are unlikely to do well if they are unhappy and unmotivated.

Research shows being motivated will improve how well you do in something. But academic performance is better associated with internal motivation (such as liking something) than external (like the drive for an ATAR).

So, if a student only values a subject for what it might get them, like a high ATAR, they’ll do better than if there was no purpose at all. But they won’t do as well as if they are internally motivated by it.

Myth 4: Your ATAR Will Stand As The Measure Of Your Ability Into The Future

The ATAR is simply a profile of achievement on a limited number of tasks over a defined period. A person at the end of school, aged 17 or 18, hasn’t reached the end of their development.

Studies show there is an interaction between gains in knowledge and expertise and losses in the speed of cognitive processing as we age (meaning we learn less as we get older, to some extent).

But these losses are offset by an older person’s access to a rich base of experience, which can inform their understanding of things and their actions. Also, the older a person is, the better developed their self-regulation and motivation.

Our abilities are shaped and reshaped by experience across our lifespan.

Myth 5: Year 12 Will Be Demanding And Stressful

Year 12 can be demanding and stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. The most common source of distress in the senior years comes from anxiety, specifically test anxiety, and the pressures that come from selecting subjects for reasons not driven by interest and ability.

These years should not be devoted to self-flagellation for a high ATAR.

Students with a range of subjects types will have variety in their day and week. They are likely to have the best experience in their senior years.

Research suggests a balanced life underscores success and general achievement and setting the tone is vital during these formative years.

Myth 6: Taking A VET Subject In Year 11 Or 12 Will Affect Your ATAR

Taking a VET subject reduces the opportunity to take another ATAR subject. It could be argued this puts greater pressure on achievement in the remaining ATAR subjects. But taking a VET subject also reduces the ATAR subjects on your dance card, so they may well be easier to manage.

Including a VET subject is also likely to provide a balanced education in senior years, which may actually improve a student’s chances for a high ATAR.

So here’s what you should think about when making your subject choices:

• what do you like?
• What comes easily to you?
• Will the selection give you variety in your day?
• In which subjects will you have the most fun?

Written by Nan Bahr, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Students), Southern Cross University

SUBJECT SPECIFIC ADVICE

If you are finding a particular subject difficult, the first place you should seek help should be your classroom teacher.  Firstly ask questions in class as problems arise. If you find you have too many questions to ask in class (as you’d end up disturbing the class), then ask your teacher if you can make a time to see them before or after class or during lunch or after school. Teachers are happy to help students who do their best and are keen to improve. Other places you might be able to find help are: books or extra textbooks in the school or local library, other students in the class, students in older years, other teachers at the school, family members, family friends. If you try all of these options and are still having problems, then you might consider looking for a tutor. Often ex-students from your school who are in Years 11 or 12 might be interested in doing some tutoring or even teachers at other schools. 

Mobile Phone Procedures

• Mobile phones are to be used ONLY after teacher permission is given.
• 7 - 10 students can ONLY use devices outside of the staffroom and Room 7 (after permission has been given).
• Mobile phones SHOULD NOT be out on the playground or in classrooms.
• If a mobile phone is seen, it will be CONFISCATED by the teacher until the end of the day and stored in Miss Bailey’s office - this is where it is to be collected at 3.20.
• iPADs and LAPTOPS are to be used in learning environments ONLY under the direction of teachers. INAPPROPRIATE USE will result in CONFISCATION as per mobile phones.
• HEADPHONES should NOT be worn outside of the classroom. INAPPROPRIATE USE will result in CONFISCATION as per mobile phones/iPads/laptops.
• Social media is NOT permitted at school.
• Taking photos and filming others without permission is NOT PERMITTED.
• SMART WATCHES are treated the same as mobile devices.
• These rules APPLY to sporting events and excursions.
• Mobile device use is allowed after 3.20 for AFTER SCHOOL ARRANGEMENTS ONLY (social media, filming and photos, watching videos and listening to music are not allowed until you have left the school grounds).

If a phone is confiscated, the details are recorded. If students have their devices taken off them more than once, parents will be contacted. If there is a next time, parents will have to collect devices from Miss Bailey, Mrs Rainger or the Front Office.

Digital Distraction and Study Skills Toolkit.

The following PDF has some great tips for students about managing 'digital distraction'.

How To Stay Positive About Your Schoolwork

It can be difficult to stay positive at all times about your schoolwork, particularly if you have challenges, whether they be personal or whether you are grappling with something like online learning. When we allow pressure and stress to build, we can get into bad habits and let go of good habits. As a result, students can feel even more drained and exhausted.

The key to being positive and managing negative emotions such as anxiety and feeling down and depressed in any pressure situation, including schoolwork and exams, is to “fuel up”. “Fuelling Up” is about boosting wellbeing factors in your life. You need to boost the wellbeing factors in your BODY, MIND and EMOTIONS.

BODY: Here are some things you can do to boost the energy in your BODY

• Get better sleep.

Feeling good all starts with getting the right amount and type of sleep. Start with a good night-time routine. Stop anything that stimulates you, such as caffeine or TV or computer, iPad or phone screens etc. Try a warm drink such as chamomile tea and use essential oils such as lavender oil. Having a soothing bath or shower can also help along with gentle stretching of tight or tense muscles. If you still feel you are not getting a “good” sleep, be sure to see your doctor.

• Eat in Moderation

Never skip a meal, especially breakfast. Breakfast replenishes your body and helps you start your day full of energy. Eat three main meals and two to three snack meals a day. Eating five to six times in a day keeps your blood sugar levels balanced, giving you an overall sense of well-being needed for focusing on your tasks and responsibilities.

• Exercise Regularly

Regular exercise, at least three times per week for a minimum of 30 minute sessions, can virtually “soak up” stress chemicals in your body and help you to relax and even sleep better. Brisk walking, aerobic classes, swimming, bike riding, or jogging are great exercises to release stress buildup and relax your body and mind to either start or end your day right.

MIND: Here are some things you can do to THINK more positive

• Change your thinking and perceptions

Write down your top 5 fears and worries. What’s the worst thing that can happen? Then ask yourself, “IS THAT TRUE”? Usually, fears and worries are not based on reality but on imagined scenarios that have little to no evidence. If it’s something that can’t be changed, bring acceptance to it. It is what it is for now!

• Change your focus

Have you noticed that what we worry about, we make bigger and keep closer to us by the way we think and focus? Try this…make your fears and worries SMALL in size (5 cm in height) DARK in brightness and as far away as possible in DISTANCE. When we change the size, brightness and distance of the things that upset us in our minds, it reduces the intensity of the emotion.

EMOTIONS: Here are some things you can do to FEEL more positive

• Acts of kindness

Make a list of 5 acts of kindness you can do every day. Make them simple acts of kindness that are easy to do, such as saying thank you etc. Do these 5 acts of kindness every day for 6 weeks. The research shows that people that do this and think of 3 good things in their life (as above) have a dramatic positive boost in their mood.

• 3 good things exercise

Every day at the start and end of your day, think of 3 good things that happened. Write them down. Then think about either WHY those good things happened or how it MADE YOU FEEL when those good things happened.

• Start ticking things off your list.

Pick something small and achievable to start with that you need to do for school and get it done. You will feel much more positive when you start doing things. Do a few more easy things to get your confidence up, then tackle a more challenging task.