Welcome back to Term 4! I hope all our students and families had a relaxing and restful break and are ready for the final term of the year.

As we approach the end of the year, it is important to remind ourselves of the goals we have set along the way. Holidays are a great opportunity to reflect and reset before getting back in to the swing of things. I encourage all students to take the opportunity to remind themselves of not only their short-term goals (Term 4 results) but also their long term goals (what they want to achieve by the end of year 12) and continue to work towards these. As you reflect on your recent results, determine the steps you need to take to help you move from where you are to where you want to be. Author of Atomic Habits, James Clear, provides the following insight in order to keep ourselves focussed on our goals.

"When you're doing something hard, focus on the fun part. Many people make a subtle mistake, which is they emphasize how difficult it is to do something. They tell themselves writing is hard or running is hard or math is hard. And so on. The dominant thought in their mind is that this is hard to do. And it is true these things (and many others in life) can be challenging. Meanwhile, people who thrive in a given area are often emphasizing a completely different aspect of the experience. They are thinking about how it feels good to move their body rather than telling themselves exercise is hard. Or, perhaps, they aren't really thinking much at all. They may slip into a trance during their run, a meditative rhythm. But what they are almost certainly not doing is repeating a mental story about how hard it is to do the thing. Their dominant thought is about some element of the experience they enjoy. They are working hard, but with the fun part in mind."

As both our year 11 and 12 students head towards their exam block period, it is important for them to not lose sight of the end goal they are trying to achieve while working through the study and revision period. We wish our students the best in this season and know they will put their best effort in for this final push. 

YEAR 12 EXTERNAL EXAM BLOCK

With our first graduating cohort of year 12 students, we also encounter our first ever External Exam block. This exam block starts on Monday 21st October and runs until Tuesday 12th November. The schedule of all exams can be found on the QCAA website and students will be provided with an individual copy of their exams early next week. 

The following information is important to note as it may differ from previous exam sessions:

• Year 12 students are only required to attend school for scheduled exams or VET catch up sessions.
• Students must arrive at least 15 minutes prior to beginning of the exam session and are to wear correct uniform.
• When students have completed their scheduled exam, they are able to leave the exam session.
• Year 12 students at school at any time other than an exam session or lunch break, will be working in the designated study classroom. The study room is a supervised room and attendance recorded each lesson. The expectation is that students work quietly and independently.
• Any students with outstanding VET modules of work will be required to attend VET catch up sessions during the exam block. Students will be required to attend these sessions until all required work is completed and marked as competent.

YEAR 11 EXAM BLOCK

With the start of October, we have now only a few short weeks left with our year 11 students before they start their exams for Unit 2. Year 11 exam block will be held from Monday 21st to Friday 25th October. All year 11 students will receive their exam timetable by email at the start of week 2. To help assist students and ensure that the exam block runs smoothly, we ask that parents please take note of the following information:

• Year 11 students are only required to attend school for scheduled exams or VET catch up sessions.
• Students must arrive at the beginning of the exam session and are to wear correct uniform.
• When required for a scheduled exam session, students must remain in the designated exam room for the entire scheduled session with their teacher.
• Year 11 students at school at any time other than an exam session or lunch break, will be working in the designated study classroom. The study room is a supervised room and a roll will be marked each lesson. The expectation is that students work quietly and independently.
• Any students with outstanding VET modules of work will be required to attend VET catch up sessions during the exam block. Students will be required to attend these sessions until all required work is completed.