Part of PBC’s decision to introduce the CARE program involved developing and strengthening the relational culture of our students. Throughout the year students will work on understanding the benefits of creating positive peer relationships, which are critical to not only forming high standards of behaviour, through skills which are transferable as they develop into adults in our local community. I would like to highlight the importance of these high standards of behaviour when visible in our local community. As our students make their way to and from school, they need to be mindful of the fact that they are representing PBC and influence our reputation. We receive numerous phone calls from members of our community throughout the school year to report student behaviours, and we would like to ensure these remain a positive experience for all involved. We encourage all students to wear their school uniform with pride and respect the values of what it means to be a PBC student. We have recently received concerns from members of the community around student behaviour on bikes. Please have a conversation with your child about the importance of wearing a helmet, abiding by road rules and riding with common sense when in and around pedestrians on footpaths.

With the school year well and truly underway, I would encourage all parents to regularly engage in conversations with their student about ‘How are they progressing/performing at school?' This discussion may take lots of different twists from academic concerns and homework due, through to friendship issues and what events are coming up. All of the resulting conversations are positive in that it builds relationships with the student, parent and school community. If we can support you and your student in making school a positive experience and assist in them achieving their goals, then please contact PBC to engage the relevant support.

Education Queensland developed the ‘Everyday Counts’ initiative to highlight the importance of attending school every day. PBC recognises this, and will actively monitor the attendance of every student. You can assist by encouraging your student to attend school every day and be vigilant in contacting school when absences occur so our record keeping is up to date.

We wish you all the best for the year ahead.

Study Skills Strategies

The Retrieval effect

Students may see an inability to remember information as an obstacle but they should be encouraged to understand that this is an opportunity for learning to take place. The more difficult the retrieval practice, the better it can be for long-term learning.

Engaging with quick, regular, low-stakes questioning or quizzes that exercise memory, along with practice problems and writing prompts, can dramatically improve student learning.

Year 12 students

All Year 12 students should be in the process of finalising their Problem Solving Modelling Task for their Maths subjects.

Year 12 students that have not yet completed their First Aid qualifications have recently been emailed a letter regarding an opportunity to complete a First Aid and Safety course which will enable them to attain 2 QCE points. Please check your emails for more information.

Year 12 students on an ATAR pathway are again reminded that they must pass an English subject for Unit 3 and 4 to attain an ATAR.

Year 12 exam shutdown timetable should be published on the school website by the end of this week. Students are reminded that they must be up to date in their VET certificates at the end of this term. If they are behind they will be required to complete catch up sessions during shutdown.

Year 11 students

Year 11 students should be very busy completing assignments and revising for upcoming assessment.

In the QCE unit credits are banked into each students learning account at the end of each unit. 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 5 term 2 (21 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 2022. 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.

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 10 exam shutdown timetable should be published on the school website by the end of this week.

Assessment

Assessment Calendars for Years 10, 11 and 12 have been uploaded to the school website https://pbc-shs.eq.edu.au. 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 uploaded 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 (8-16 March). Year 11 students will commence new work in Weeks 8 and 9 of this term. Students need to ensure that they are 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 scheduled 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. 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 Senior School Assessment policy. The policy is published on the school website (https://pbc-shs.eq.edu.au/ ), under the Curriculum/Testing and Assessment tab. Assignments and presentations etc. are due at 9:00am 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. Students requiring special provision should note the new terminology of Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments (AARA); please refer to the published document for more detailed information.

Useful Websites

The Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority has created a new website   ( https://myqce.qcaa.qld.edu.au/index.html). 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 https://www.courseseeker.edu.au/. 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 https://www.griffith.edu.au/apply/admission-pathways/vet. 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 2021.