Year 12 ATAR students’ workshop

Succeeding in Senior and Maximising ATAR

All Year 12 ATAR students (those doing 4 General Subjects) are strongly encouraged to attend a workshop next Wednesday 4 March from 3:15 to 4:45pm in the top floor of the library. This session on "How to succeed in Senior and Maximise ATAR scores" is offered as a means of improving the tertiary pathways of our students. Steve McCabe from Mighty Minds will present the session. All ATAR eligible students are expected to attend if possible at this late notice. Non ATAR students studying General subjects are welcome but not required to attend.

Assessment

• Assessment Calendars for Years 10, 11 and 12 have been uploaded to the school website. Click on the curriculum tab and then under testing and assessment. Students can also download this information from the student drive on the school’s network. This information will be useful for parents and students when planning their study timetable.
• The Year 11 exam timetable has also been loaded on the school website. Year 11 students do not have a shutdown this term and are required to attend school every day. All Year 11 assessment will be finalised in Week 7 and 8 of Term 1. Year 11 students will commence new work in Weeks 8 and 9 of this term. Students need to ensure that they appropriately managing their time and do not leave study and assignments to the last minute as they will have numerous assessment items due in week 7 and 8.
• Parents are reminded that exams will be in Week 10 at the end of each term for Years 10 and 12. Please see school website for a published schedule of assessment for 10s, 11s and 12s. This assessment schedule has been published in school newsletters, assemblies, information nights, social media and daily notices on numerous occasions since mid-2019. As per the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority guidelines and handbooks, family holidays are not grounds for missing assessment or exams. 
• All students and parents need to be aware of the Assessment Policy at the school to coincide with the new QCE system. The policy has been published on the school website. As per the previous policy assessment such as assignments etc. are due at 9:00 am on the due date and teachers must make a decision on the evidence which has been submitted at that time. Late assignments will not be accepted. Students requiring extensions need to apply to the relevant Head of Department at least 48 hours before the due date. This policy has some changes in regards to special provision which has had a terminology change to Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments (AARA); please refer to the published document for more detailed information.

Year 10

• Year 10 students are again reminded that their results in Semester 1 will determine their pathway and subject availability in Years 11 and 12. To study an ATAR pathway students need to be achieving at least a B level in English and Maths. If students wish to study senior Science subjects they also need to be achieving at least a B level in Year 10 Science, (Academic Excellence students will have slightly different cut offs).
• Year 10s are also reminded that they can commence School based apprenticeships and traineeships (SATS) in Year 10. These courses provide students with paid employment and work skills, up to 8 QCE points (equivalent of 2 subjects) and a Certificate 3 qualification which may provide tertiary options.

Year 11 students

• Year 11 students will need to have very good time management in 2019 as the units for each subject are only 7 weeks in length including assessment.
• In the new QCE unit credits are banked into each students learning account at the end of each unit as opposed to the end of Year 12 in the old system. The implication for this is that students who are not engaged in learning and perform poorly in a number of subjects could find themselves ineligible for the QCE as early as week as Week 5 Term 2 (20 May). Students have been repeatedly reminded of this and will need to ensure that they are actively engaged in all classes at all times.
• Many students will have completed traineeships and higher VET certificates before they sit external exams in November of 2021. This will provide students with extra QCE points and help ensure that they get the QCE even if they have a poor external exam. Please see Ms Shreeve in Y block to register for a traineeship.
• Any current Year 11 student wishing to commence a Diploma of Business course on a Wednesday afternoon should contact Mr McDougall.

Useful websites

• The Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority has created a new website. This is a great source of information on the new Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE), Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), Senior Education Training (SET) Plan, future pathways, subjects and assessment.
• The Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre has released a new tertiary course search engine. This is a new National higher education admissions platform which will be useful for students researching nationwide tertiary options.
• Griffith University has updated their admissions pathways. This document highlights the large range of courses that students can apply for a Griffith University with VET qualifications such as Certificate III, IV or Diploma in 2020.