Year 12

Congratulations 

It was wonderful to see many students and parents at the IB information evening on Tuesday night, and I am looking forward to the HSC information evening tonight also. These are great opportunities to clarify expectations, deadlines and pathways for support for students. To supplement these evenings, our Careers Advisor, Simone Salier, will be running a meeting on Monday 10 February (at 6.40pm for Yr 12) for parents, to provide information on university applications, university visits, the careers trip during the April school holidays and much more. Students do not need to attend but are welcome. As part of the Careers program, students will be given an introduction to the Bridge U program to enable students to access information about university options around the world during Tutor next week.

Science Olympiad

The Australian Science Olympiads are a national program for top performing secondary Science students that culminate in the International Science Olympiads. The program is a rewarding opportunity for Yrs 10-12 students to extend themselves beyond school science through challenging exams, stimulating residential programs and international competitions.

The Australian Science Olympiad is run by ASI, who provide information on their website. They also run Olympiads Online – which is a great online resource to help you prepare.

Olympiad Qualifying Exams will take place in August. You can come to whichever subject(s) you like. The sessions will be a mixture of subject content, problem solving and troubleshooting.

Science Club

Science Club encompasses a number of the already existing activities offered by the Science faculty, such as Engineering Club and Titration Club, and expands to take in more opportunities with possibilities including Sleek Geek and the Young Scientist Competitions, as well as being a way of disseminating information about external Science based events for interested students. Science Club meets on Tuesday lunchtimes in R2.1.

Some students have already signed up for the Engineering or Titration Club and this is part of the Science Club. The Science Club will focus on particular events at different times. All students are welcome and we would like to hear their ideas of what interests them.

Careers and Study Skills

Working in conjunction with this, we are focussing on developing students’ study plans. I encourage all students to reflect on the Approaches to Learning (Effort) Grades from Term 4 and to consider setting and developing three goals for this term using the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound) Framework. It is useful to have one of these as a holistic goal, looking at study habits and organisation, as well as one for a relative area of weakness and one for an area where growth is desired. Below are some tips from Prue Salter for better organisation. You can find more at www.studyskillshandbook.com.au.

Simplify Your Organisation System

Every student has an organisation system. True, the definition of “organisation” may be looser for some students than others, but everyone has a way they stay organised (or attempt to). One of the biggest difference-makers this year is your organisation system. Few things will save time and improve academic performance the way an effective organisation system will. The fewer decisions you need to make, the more your thoughts and energy can focus on things that matter. Consider these four questions to determine how simple your organisation system is right now:

• Do you have good systems in place to manage and organise both the paper and digital resources for school?
• Do you have a system to make sure that all assignments and due dates are marked on your calendar / planner?
• Do you have a system to focus on what needs to be done today and not just what’s due tomorrow?

When you can answer each of these questions without thinking, you’ll know that your organisation system is simple enough to be a major asset this year.

School TV Special Report: Surviving the Final Year

It’s no secret that the end of school can be a huge source of anxiety for both students and parents alike. Studies have shown that over 40% of final year students suffer from high-level anxiety or stress, with some even suffering from depression. 

In this Special Report, parents and care givers will be presented with a number of strategies on how best to support their child during the final year at school. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Ms Rachel Wilson
Yr 12 Assistant Year Advisor
raswilson@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9800