Acting Deputy Principal and Senior School Report

by Acting Deputy Principal and Director of the Senior School, Mr Hamish McCrum

Some of our Year 12s have finished exams and others will go through until next Tuesday.  In 2021, some of the VCAA exams have appeared to have been more difficult than other years.  While an exam that is too hard or too easy is not ideal, it is important to remember in each case the results a student receives is related to how they performed in the exam, relative to everybody else in that subject.  So if an exam was hard relative to previous years, it was hard for everybody, so it will be OK.

Our Year 11s are today finishing up exams and will be commencing Head Start next week.  They will have seven days of classes making a start on their 2022 Year Unit 3 content.  They will also receive some work to complete over the Christmas break.  Beginning well is half the battle.  Getting the homework done each night through Head Start, getting the English novels read over the summer and tidying up other small tasks that are set is what is required if students are to begin well.  The content covered in Head Start will be assessed in 2022 without being re-taught.

Our Year 7 to 10s will have exams in the week beginning November 29.  Year 7 to 9 will have classes between exams.  Our Year 10s will have supervised study when they do not have exams.  Unlike in previous years, the Year 10s will not be able to attend school for their exams and then leave again, they will be required to check in to allocated Study Rooms, and remain at school for the whole of the day.

It is important at Years 7 to 10 students practice more than sitting down and doing the exams.  By going through the process of revising their work for the semester, they consolidate the learning that has occurred. And by revising and completing practice questions they develop exam preparation skills.  Students who perform well in high pressure Year 12 exams do so in part because they took exams seriously in earlier years.  Their first high stakes run of exams were not the first ones in which they had tested themselves.

Special thanks to Daniel Irvin, Campbell Gladman, Guy Ripley, Mitch Collins and Zenon Czulij who led the College in our Remembrance Day Service yesterday.

Mr Hamish McCrum