It’s been a busy but smooth start to Term 3!

The Trial HSC exams were held during the first three weeks of this term and have run smoothly, with our students having taken these exams very seriously.  Year 12 students have been back into school routine from the start of this week. The post-trial period is vital for our students as it is during this time where valuable feedback, revision and refinement of all major works and practicals can take place. Attendance at school during this period is mandatory and experience has demonstrated a very positive correlation between regular attendance at school during the post-trial period and enhanced final HSC results. A rigorous and diligent home study programme is equally important to ensure students are well prepared for the Higher School Certificate written examinations commencing on Tuesday 15 October.

For many of our Year 12 students the practical HSC examinations commence this month with HSC Dance Practical examinations having already taken place this week from 12-16 August. HSC Drama Practicals will be examined on 2 – 4 September (Week 7) and HSC Music exams take place in Week 8. The French Continuers students will be doing their HSC Oral exam on Saturday 17 August.

Over the next few weeks, Year 12 will exhibit their major works and HSC performances and we extend an invitation to our community to attend these evenings. The Textiles and Design exhibition will be in the Studio Theatre on Wednesday 21 August from 6.00pm. English Extension 2 students will present excerpts from their major works in the library starting at 5pm and the Visual Arts exhibition will be open from 6pm in St George’s Hall on Wednesday 28 August.  Finally, Design and Technology exhibition and HSC Music Soiree Evening will be on Tuesday 3 September.

To provide parents an opportunity to view the HSC Drama works that our Year 12 cohort have produced as part of their HSC course, three HSC Drama Trial Open Examination nights were held on Tuesday 6 August to Thursday 8 August. This was a wonderful showcase of the talents of our Year 12 students and a chance for all members of the school community to enjoy the HSC performances that our students have worked so diligently on throughout the year.

We wish every Year 12 student the very best of luck as they enter the final stages of their secondary schooling.

SUBJECT SELECTION

Term 3 is an important term for many of our year groups as it involves selecting subjects for 2025. In Week 2, Year 8 students attended an elective course information session and following this, students met with their Curriculum Advisers on Friday 9 August to choose their 2025 Year 9 electives. All relevant information including the Elective subject information booklets were emailed to Year 8 parents earlier so that they could assist their child in making the right choices.

On Tuesday 20 August our current Year 11 students will attend an HSC information session which will be held during Period 4. This session will provide students with information about extension courses offered as well as the requirements of the HSC. This presentation will be shared with parents. Following this, on 26 August, Year 11 students will have their course pattern of study interviews. Students will get to meet with their curriculum advisers who will help them think through choices of picking up extension courses or dropping subjects for their final HSC year.

Our annual Careers Expo is on Thursday 22 August. Years 10, 11 and 12 parents are invited to attend the relevant sessions on the day. Along with the Careers Expo there will also be talks for students and parents, given by the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) on what to consider before selecting subjects. This day will give parents and students the opportunity to discuss career options and pathways with many tertiary institutions, and gather information from UAC. This will allow for informed decisions to be made in regard to students’ pattern of study for Years 11, 12 and beyond. As part of the Careers Expo, Year 10 students and their parents will also be attending a Year 11 2025 course information afternoon. This presentation will involve finding out about the many courses we offer in senior school as well as understand the HSC requirements. On Wednesday 28 August, Year 10 students along with our new Year 11 students for 2025, will meet with the curriculum advisers for their course selection interviews to discuss their Preliminary and HSC pattern of study.

YEAR 9 LEADERSHIP CAMP

The Year 9 students travelled to “The Great Aussie Bush Camp” at Tea Gardens to participate in the 3-day Leadership camp on 7 to 9 August. At camp, the students participated in activities such as abseiling, pioneering, archery, power fan and rock climbing. The students were highly engaged and motivated over the three days. The staff who attended were impressed with our students and recognised the leadership potential evident amongst the students. Thank you to Ms Di Camillo for her organisation of the camp and to all staff who attended.

On Thursday 15 August, at the Year 8/11 Presentation Assembly, Ryan Nguyen blew us away with his performance of an excerpt from 'Weber's Romance' for trombone. 

The piece was technically challenging, and Ryan's execution was beautiful! 

Well done, Ryan!

Year 9 Camp 2024 was many things!

Some of these things I know were planned, some not so much and all of varying excellence. 

To start with the basics, I ate about 10 bananas, 12 muesli bars, 3 cups of cordial (2 of which were through snow cones) and almost 200 grams of dried fruit. The cabins were of 10 and the teachers were very kind to put us all with our friends. The bathrooms were really a world of grime on their own and much time was spent by the communal logs. 

I really enjoyed the activities. My group had a legend of an instructor Toa, who was very relaxed, tolerant and clear; and another - not so much of a legend - fresh out of training guy Lachlan, who was still clingy to camp rules. 

Day 1, we had fencing and archery, which are quite relaxed activities, until you are given the opportunity to push your instructors into the lake if you got 3 (for the annoying one) and 5 (for the more experienced one who didn't really agree to this) bullseyes. My group multi handedly got all 5 bullseyes and I, as one of the great shots, was able to push Toa into the small lake. 

The next day we heard other camp instructors were following suit on this motive and also underestimating (willingly?) their students' skills. We started off strong with the Power Fan which is the not at all instinctive act of stepping off a 12.5m pole only connected to a harness and controlled rope. This was followed by Rock Climbing and Pioneering. My group made 'stretchers' by tying down two girls to planks of wood with rope and running them around a course (thanks Kaija and Natalie). Final activity was High Ropes which I believe was a crowd favourite and particularly pretty to see the sun slithering to your eyes in the treetops.

Mornings were cold and sleep was scarce but we all got up (mostly through instructors blasting music) and got packed up to leave. Our group finished up with Initiatives and Abseiling, which is in short badly doing team building activities and descending from a pretty view on a tall wall assisted by 2 ropes.

By the time we could see our buses parked, people were ready to hop in and head home, exhausted and dirty. The warm sun and beautiful environment was still a lovely place to reflect on the new and changed friendships I had experienced in the past 3 days (even with screaming teenagers in the back of my ears).

Year 9 camp 2024 was many many things and I'm grateful I got to be there for some of them.

Mei Baynes Year 9