Welcome back to our Senior Secondary community as we return to normality with our newsletter schedule post-COVID interruptions. In what has been certainly a challenging time for everyone, it is a true to pleasure to report that our Senior students have returned with vigour, and seemingly a new appreciation for the routine, social benefits and challenges that Year 10, 11 and 12 can bring. In what truly are strange circumstances, we are now only a few weeks away from our Semester break as all students hurriedly finalise Semester 1 (Year 10), Unit 1 (Year 11) and Unit 3 (Year 12) assessment.

We are hopeful of a further relaxation in COVID restrictions as we progress toward Term 3. We are committed to forging ahead with a range of opportunities/events in Term 3 including: weekly year-level assemblies, Year 10 Subject Selection Process (SETP), Year 12 Pathways Information Evening and Year 9-10 Subject Information Evening. We will then be in a position to confirm details surrounding Year 12 Graduation and Formal, Academic Awards and our Excellence Award Evenings. 

Please be aware of the following notices that impact your young persons academic studies: 

All Senior Secondary

• The updated Year 11 and 12 Assessment Policy has been added to the school website under Curriculum - Testing and Assessment. This policy provides information for teachers, students and parents/caregivers about roles, responsibilities, processes and procedures to ensure the integrity of assessment that contributes to the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). The framework for the policy is developed from the QCE and QCIA policy and procedures handbook available from the QCAA website.
• The updated Key Dates Document for Year 11 and 12 have been uploaded to the website under ‘Assessment Dates Block’. This document will tell you when there are blocks of assessment but does not provide due dates for assignments, presentations, and others forms of assessment that may be due outside of the exam block period.
• Students are reminded that they must wear full and correct formal uniform every day, including to exams. Our Uniform Policy states that it applies: “…for all school periods, including Exam Shutdown for Senior Secondary students. Should a breach of the Uniform Policy occur during Shutdown without a note from home provided to the relevant Year Coordinator, behaviour management processes (including detentions) will apply”.

 Year 12

• Year 12 students have commenced Unit 4 summative work. Due to the decrease in assessment items across Year 12 as a response to the COVID-19 crisis there is no Year 12 shutdown this term and students are expected to attend normal classes up to the end of term, Friday 26 June 26.
• All Year 12 students should by now have logged onto their QCAA learning account in the QCAA student portal. This is accessed via the myQCE website. All students were sent emails regarding the details of logging into the account at the start of the year. Student results are published by the QCAA directly into their learning account.
• ATAR-eligible Year 12 students have this week met with their Senior Secondary academic mentor to discuss university pathways and their progress towards meeting their goals for 2021 and beyond.
• Year 12 Unit 3 reports should have been emailed home this week.

 Year 11

• Year 11 students are currently finalising Unit 1. They have scheduled exams this week for selected subjects. The exam timetable has been published on the school website under curriculum/testing and assessment. The majority of subjects do not have scheduled exams and all classes are timetabled as per usual.
• Year 11 subject changes will be open during Week 8 and any students interested in changing classes for Unit 2 will need to attend Y block during first break on Thursday or Friday 11 and 12 June. All subject changes are limited by timetable availability.
• Year 11 Unit 1 reports should be emailed home on the last day of term, 26 June.

 Year 10

• Year 10 students will have timetabled exams in the last 3 days of school this term. This will be a shutdown timetable and students will only have to attend for timetabled exams. The Year 10 shutdown timetable is available on the school website.
• Year 10 students are again reminded that their academic performance in Semester 1 Year 10 will determine which pathway students will be allocated to in Years 11 and 12. Parents and Students have received indicative cut offs in an earlier email from Mr Hughes.
• Year 10 Semester 1 reports will be finalised and emailed home in the week commencing Monday 27 July.

Safe Travel Home from School

Our entire PBC community should be reminded that at 3:05pm every given day we can have up to 2600 students departing our school at once. For students leaving school grounds, there are only two pedestrian crossings:

• Traffic lights & pedestrian crossing Thrower Drive (accessing Thrower Drive eastbound, GC Highway north & Sarawak Avenue). Manned by Teacher on playground duty.
• Pedestrian crossing connecting bike racks and Salk Oval

Students should only be using these two crossings to vacate the school premises. There will be an increased police presence within our school zone targeting speeding drivers and students not using these crossings. This presence may result in fines in an attempt to keep our community safe from traffic incidents.