Nossal News SAVE THE DATES!
Nossal News October 17, 2014 Edward Chhim photo to the right SAVE THE DATES! Japan Tour 2014 see pages 8-10 Avidu Colambage photo below VCAA Exam dates are itemised at the back of this newsletter ________________ NOSSAL HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL YEAR 12 VALEDICTORY DINNER, Thursday 20th November, 6:30 pm Victory Room, Etihad Stadium * Year 12 Students, Parents and Families * Tickets available—www.trybooking.com/ PRINCIPAL NEWS - Mr Roger Page FEDX ________________ Dear Parents, NOSSAL HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL Farewell, Congratulations and Good Luck to the Year 12 class of 2014 SPEECH NIGHT, (Student attendance compulsory) Tuesday 2nd December, 7:00pm Robert Blackwood Hall, Monash University Clayton * All parents welcome * Tickets free of charge For more information regarding Nossal events, see the ‘Coming Events’ tab on our webpage. It is very hard to believe that our Year 12 students have almost finished their secondary education journey, have now completed their final classes (ever) and will be quickly involved in Swot Vac, then final VCE exams, and then the anxious wait for results, then the anxious wait for University offers, and then …a big break, before the anxious wait for University to start etc. etc. The cycle does continue and we know that Nossal students are generally very well prepared and will be highly successful, both in the short and longer terms. We also know that for all VCE students in Year 12 it can be very stressful time as the students feel that there is so much riding on their exam performance over the next few weeks. Throughout the years we have given them many hints, advice and links about looking after themselves and how they can best prepare and support themselves and others through the next month. Please refer back to the Michael Carr-Gregg advice on managing stress, work-life balance, health, sleep and relationships for a timely reminder before becoming buried in exams. It might be worth visiting “Smiling Mind” (Smiling Mind.com.au) for a mindfulness meditation program or “Reach Out” (Reach Out.com) who have a range of stress reducing resources and a recently added series of presentations by prominent Australians talking about life after Year 12. It can be a very stressful time of year for all students (and staff and families) as the final exams and assessments loom, and I urge all families to be very conscious of this, and to use the community and school support services if any concerns or CONTINUED>>>> Sir Gustav Nossal Boulevard, Monash University, 100 Clyde Road, Berwick, VIC 3806 PO Box 1036, Narre Warren VIC 3805 Phone: 03 8762 4600 Email: nossal.hs@edumail.vic.gov.au www.nossalhs.vic.edu.au Nossal News IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES Oct 20 Last day for Yr12 classes Oct 21 Yr12 Celebration Day Oct 22-28 Yr12 SWOT VAC Oct 22 FareShare excursion Oct 23 Multi Faith Network meeting 6-10pm Oct 24 Yr9 Boys Vaccinations Oct 26 Fossils Rehearsal & Performance 2-4pm Oct 27 Science Talent Search Oct 29-Nov 21 VCAA Exams Oct 31 Dark Zone & Indoor Sports excursion Nov 3 Yr9 Big History excursion Early finish-1:20pm Nov 4 Student Free Day-Melbourne Cup Day NOV 17-21 Yr9-11 Exam Week Nov 20 Valedictory Dinner Nov 24-25 Yr 9-11 Exam Feedback Nov 24-28 Yr9 Bogong Leadership Camp Nov 26-28 Early Commencement of 2015 classes Nov 28 Yr 10 Final Assembly Yr 11 Final Assembly Dec 1 2015 New Yr9 Orientation Day Term 3 Term 4 2014 SCHOOL TERM DATES July 14– September 19 Oct 6– Year Level Dependant Jan 30 Feb 2 2015 SCHOOL TERM 1 DATES Yr 9 & 12 & new students start All year levels return September 19, 2014 <<<<CONTINUED... problems emerge. Nossal is a very supportive community and we are much stronger when we work together and speak about and share our problems, recognise and address our stressors, and look after ourselves as well as our friends. You will have heard it from me before and will keep hearing it – but let me repeat this again. “Success” is not necessarily measured by an ATAR ranking, nor is long term success or happiness. An ATAR will not define you, and is really only important for as long as the tertiary selections take, and only measures a narrow range of performance at a single point in time. What we want to see from each Nossal student is growth, improvement, progress, participation, confidence, initiative, passion, inquisitiveness, resilience, courage, creativity, empathy, happiness…..and many other things that are not necessarily obviously reflected in VCE scores or rankings. We want all our students to be highly successful in the long term, and the definition of “success” should be an individual one and may be different for each student. Having said that – I know our Year 12 (Class of 2014) will perform at a very high level and will be highly successful. I wish them all well and will be exceptionally proud of what each of them achieve. It has been an honour to share a part of their educational journey, and I look forward to hearing of their long term progress as they move into tertiary studies and beyond. Alumni - ‘Old Nossalonians’ It has been gratifying to meet up with members of the Class of 2013 who have maintained close relationships with the school since leaving us. Their feedback has been very positive and it is wonderful that they wish to assist the current Year 12 students with mentoring advice and assistance to help them maximise their results and to ease the transition into university. Nossal already has a very strong presence at Melbourne and Monash Universities, and in many others around the country so as the school grows and the alumni grows there will be greater opportunities for mentoring and support beyond Nossal. ….and in the years to come when Nossal alumni are running the country, and in charge of the big companies, the old Nossalonians network will provide even more support and opportunities for our much larger community. Year 12 Celebrations It is both a sad and joyous occasion as a graduating group moves out of the school and there are a number of rituals and traditions that exist in all schools. Even though Nossal has a very short history, we have some “traditional” Nossal celebrations planned for this week and next as we farewell the class of 2014. On Friday Monash will host a luncheon for the Year 12 group; this will be followed by a full school assembly organised by the Year 12 students (which is guaranteed to be highly entertaining and not very serious). That afternoon and evening the students have arranged to have a film CONTINUED>>>> Nossal News October 17, 2014 <<<<CONTINUED... night at the school, and the following Tuesday is the final big Celebration Day event for Year 12. Staff will cook a breakfast, and students will sign shirts, and have the chance to take part some sporting challenges, or the less challenging jumping castles, slushie machines and other student organised entertainment. The morning culminates in a colour fight on the soccer pitch, between the teachers and students. This marks the end of classes and their secondary schooling, and the start of the Swot Vac and exam period. Please note that this is a controlled, organised and joyful celebration for the Year 12 group and staff only. I am pleased to see that the notion of a “Muck-Up Day” has now all but disappeared within the wider community after some very disappointing and disturbing incidents in previous years at some very well regarded schools. As always we have high expectations of all our students and the seniors in particular who will continue to set an exemplary example for subsequent cohorts. Sadly we have been witness to many examples over the years of young people being involved in risky behaviours at this time of the year, and combination of alcohol, cars, parties and celebrations in the lead up to the end of the year has resulted in some tragic events in the past. The Nossal students were addressed by the police this week who are keen to make sure that they are conscious of the “Party Safe” message and all end the year on a high note. I am looking forward to celebrating their VCE results in late December and we will of course have a formal farewell and acknowledgements at the 2014 Speech Night and Valedictory Dinner next month. Welcome to Renee Tuck I am very pleased to welcome our newest staff member to Nossal. Ms Renee Tuck joins Mr Candy as part of our wellbeing team, and will be based in the old Careers office opposite the main staffroom on the top floor. An experienced counsellor and youth worker, Renee will be available to work individually with students and families. Renee will be assisting with a number of wellbeing and support programs, participating in school events and the co-curricular programs. Year 9 Information Night The Information evening for the 2015 Year 9 cohort was very well attended last week with two very full sessions offered. My thanks to the PFA for their usual excellent support and attendance on the evening; to Mr Cheong Koo for his input and organisation; to Jynx and Dimithi for the School Captains addresses; to Nathan Dalton, and to “The Dagobar System” – Will Campbell, Rounak Dalal and Tanvir Singh for their trademark brilliant performances; and in particular to the five current Year 9 students Ceenan, Abel, Krystal, Aria and Thomas who were outstanding and highly articulate ambassadors for the school. I intend to say very little next year and the consensus among the senior staff who were presenting on the evening was that we were pretty much redundant and the students are more than capable of presenting the whole session. The students each prepared their own presentations and I intend to make copies of these to share with others to demonstrate the calibre of Nossal students, and as very powerful evidence of the positive and effective culture that we have been developing with these wonderful young adults. I may also use their words as evidence in my own performance review as they exemplify what we have been striving to create, and the students descriptions were powerful, passionate and exceptionally positive. Wonderful Donations I was humbled, impressed and hugely grateful to one of our families who recently contacted me to offer a cash donation to the school. They have made an exceptionally generous $10,000 contribution and indicated that they would like some of the funds to go towards assisting needy students within the school, and perhaps to provide some services or equipment that would benefit all students. School Council will examine the best use of this contribution and I offer sincere thanks to the parents for this wonderful gesture. Similarly – I offer sincere thanks to another family who have been long term generous benefactors to the school and have again this year offered to anonymously support a number of our students and their families who, due to financial constraints, may not otherwise have been able to attend the Valedictory Dinner. CONTINUED>>>> Nossal News October 17, 2014 <<<<CONTINUED... I acknowledge and pay tribute to the generosity and integrity of these members of our community who have such a strong social conscience and are willing to support others with no expectation of public acknowledgement or recognition. Roger Page Dafydd Lewis Trust Scholarships • The Dafydd Lewis Trust Scholarships support Year 12 male students to undertake tertiary studies. • Under the terms of the Trust, scholarships are available to Year 12 male students who have attended a Victorian government school for the last five years, and who intend to enrol in a full-time course at a Victorian university in 2015. • The scholarships are valued at $15,000 per annum and are available for the duration of the student’s undergraduate course. • The Dafydd Lewis Scholarships identify a permissible financial threshold as an eligibility criterion. All applicants are subject to a personal and parental income test. Actions Required • Application forms are available at: www.lewisscholarships.org.au Critical Dates • Applications open on 2 September 2014. • Applications close on 12 December 2014. Additional Information • Year 12 female students may apply for the Mary Lewis Scholarship. • Information about the Mary Lewis Scholarships Foundation and the Dafydd Lewis Trust Scholarships can be found at: www.lewisscholarships.org.au ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL NEWS - Ms Sue Harrap Nossal High School End of Year Exams for students in Years 9, 10 and 11 Students in Years 9 to 11 will be sitting their Nossal Examinations in the week November 17 – 21st. During this week: • Year 9s can expect an exam in all of their Core Subjects on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Normal Classes on Monday and Tuesday. • Year 10s can expect an exam in most subjects. • Year 11s can expect an exam in all subjects, although their Unit ¾ VCAA exam will generally be held at another time. There are special provisions for students with VCAA exams throughout the Nossal Exam week. These have been outlined to students and parents via a letter from Ms Katherine Warriner (Director of VCE) and are elaborated on later in my report. CONTINUED>>>> Nossal News October 17, 2014 <<<<CONTINUED... In the week prior to exams each year level will be informed of the requirements of exam conditions and materials. Teachers will also provide revision opportunities and materials for students to develop and refine their study habits. Yr 10s and 11s are only expected here at Nossal when they have exams; they may arrive late and leave early. Year 9s will undertake normal lessons on Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th November 2014. They will follow a Week B timetable and will undertake revision with their classroom teachers. Their end of year exams will begin on Wednesday 19th November 2014. Students will be expected to attend school from half an hour before the beginning of their first exam and may leave at the end of their last exam for the day, in line with the expectations for senior students. A timetable indicating when the exams occur will be distributed to students shortly. All students are expected to be in full academic uniform and should ensure they have all required materials for each exam. Class teachers will provide this information. Examination Supervisor Volunteers I once again call for volunteers to supervise our Nossal Exams. Whilst Nossal staff take charge of each exam, it is extremely helpful to the school to have volunteer supervisors assisting. This allows staff to mark student exams so that they get quick feedback to students before commencing 2015 work, and it allows staff to work together to prepare materials for 2015. The greatest advantage is to the students who become accustomed to having outside supervisors, as is the case in their final, Year 12 VCAA exams. If you’re interested in providing support to the school, the details can be found at the back of this newsletter. I encourage you to sign up so that you can see firsthand how capable and responsible our students are. Finishing Unit 2 Well Students in Year 11 are encouraged to work hard to maximise their learning in their unit 2 studies and finish these unit off well. Some students make the mistake of focussing all of their energies on their unit ¾ subject(s), neglecting their unit 2 studies in the last term. Doing so is narrow sighted and only results in short term gains. Unit 2 studies are invariably strong preparation for unit 3 and 4 studies. Neglecting unit 2 studies now means that the workload and difficulty of your Year 12 studies are exacerbated. The school makes a generous allowance for special attendance arrangements for students doing a VCAA unit 3 and 4 exam, by allowing them to stay at home on the day immediately prior to the exam (but not where exams follow a weekend or public holiday). We do not want, nor condone, students taking additional time. The strict attendance rules required to pass unit 2 are still in place. We do not want students to jeopardise passing their unit 2s. We ask parents to support the school in making these expectations clear to students. New School Reports in 2015 Following our review of school reports with staff, students and parents we have now settled on a new format for 2015. The changes we have made are designed to better cater for highly able and gifted students. Some of the significant changes you can look forward to are: • • • • • More regular reporting; students will now receive detailed reports each term. Each report compares student progress to the previous term. Both teachers and students will make ratings against the reporting criteria. No graded assessments on the report; students receive detailed feedback and grades on assessment pieces. Reports will be distributed and constantly accessible electronically via Compass More details will be distributed early in term one 2015, along with video support materials for parents to view. The video support will outline why we have made the changes and how to interpret the reports. We feel satisfied our thorough review and consultation will mean that our reporting program better meets the needs of parents, students and staff. CONTINUED>>>> Nossal News October 17, 2014 <<<<CONTINUED... Early Commencement of 2015 subjects: In the week following our Nossal Exams, 24 – 28th November students will receive their exam papers back, along with valuable feedback about how to improve exam technique, and they will also be exposed to a two hour introductory session to their 2015 studies. During this time each class will cover the course outline, what to expect, have access to resources and a small amount of holiday homework to be completed before returning to school at the beginning of next year. Compass Access The login details you were sent for Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences are unique to you and provide you with ongoing parent access to Compass. Compass can not only give you access to Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences it can also: • • • • • show you your child’s daily schedule allow you to provide consent for excursions online (no more missing notes!!) allow you access your child’s Career Action Plan and comment on it. update your address, email and other contact details make some school payments In the future you will be able to monitor your child’s attendance from home and access their school reports. Keep the login for ongoing use; DO NOT SHARE IT WITH YOUR CHILD or change your password by logging in and doing so in the right hand cog icon. If you have lost your login details, contact Jane Petty at jane.petty@nossalhs.vic.edu.au. Farewell to our 2014 Year 12 students I too could write with about the pride we have in, and the mix of the excitement and sadness we feel at saying farewell to our Yr12s, but I don’t want to repeat what Mr Page and Mr Haworth have said. Suffice to say, Yr12: It has been my pleasure getting to know you, teaching you, and seeing you grow and mature. I know you will experience success in your chosen pathways. I wish you all the best, and hope that you return to visit us regularly from now on, because we will miss your smiling faces. Best Wishes. ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL NEWS - Mr Wayne Haworth Strategic Review Our work with the school Strategic Review continues. Parent, student and teacher Forums continue as we reflect on the structures, processes and programs at Nossal. In order to facilitate further work with staff, on Monday 3rd November we will have a shortened teaching day. Students will be dismissed at 1.20pm. Central Australian Tour 2015- Parent information evening Next year we plan to conduct a school tour to Central Australia in June. Last Thursday, a short presentation was made to the students in Year 9 and 10. Next Tuesday 21st October an extended presentation will be available to both parents and students. The information session will commence at 7pm in the Meath Auditorium. I hope to see you there. Final days for Year 12 Last Friday, a number of Old Nossalonians (members of our Alumni) provided a surprise ‘pop- up’ party for the Class of 2014. It was a wonderful and kind gesture from members of last years’ Year 12 to celebrate almost the end of Year 12, and to wish the Class of 2014 well with the upcoming exams. CONTINUED>>>> Nossal News October 17, 2014 <<<<CONTINUED... As the number of formal classes for Year 12 diminishes, emotions of students can start to run high. The feelings from students can be mixed, for some, a sense of relief, perhaps a sense of heightened anxiety as the exams are almost here, and for many a sense of loss as secondary school is almost over, and life will be very different next year. I encourage all Year 12 students to take the advice of students who have travelled this road before. Preparation is one of the keys to controlling stress. Usually the more prepared one is the less stress one can become. I constantly encourage students to be the best that they can be. If you have completed your best, then your best is good enough. It is important to remember pathways. There are many paths to a chosen course or occupation. If you do not obtain the desired ATAR it is not the end. If you are determined and passionate about achieving your goals, you will get there. This coming Friday Year 12 students will enjoy a special lunch courtesy of Monash University, Berwick Campus. The Final Year 12 assembly will follow. A time to reflect, celebrate and acknowledge all of hard work and commitment not only during the past twelve months but over the past thirteen years. On Tuesday 21st as part of the Year Celebration Day Year 12 students will enjoy a cooked breakfast and a variety of fun activities. To all Year 12 students congratulations on your work so far however there is still some unfinished business to attend to. I wish each and every one of you every success that you are striving for. Thank you Thank you to Ms Rackham and other many staff who have spent significant time at school and over the holiday’s meeting with Year 12 students and offering supporting statements for the SEAS applications. Official opening of Insight School for the visually impaired Many thanks to our talented music students who volunteered their time to assist with the official opening of the Insight School. They were again wonderful ambassadors for Nossal. Many significant guests including members of Parliament commented on the amazing musical talent of our students. Thank you to Soyeon An, Nathan Dalton, Yong See Foo, Natalie Grimmett, Yanliang Liu, Kathy Nguyen, Nelson Phan, Charis Yang and Kathryn Yu. Below: Ms Shute, Mr Page and Mr Haworth at the Insight opening. Photo above and right: NHS Students playing at the opening of Insight. Mr Wayne Haworth, Assistant Principal Nossal News October 17, 2014 MATHEMATICS COMPETITION - Mr Ian Pegram The University of Melbourne - School Mathematics Competition 2014 Awards Ceremony On Saturday 11th of October it was my privilege to attend the Melbourne University Maths competition awards ceremony at the three Nossal students were presented with awards for outstanding achievements. The recipients were: • Yong See Foo – Top performer in the Intermediate Division (First Prize) and winner of the prestigious Sir Thomas Cherry Prize. Pictured top right • Ashan Wimalaratne – Certificate of Merit Winner in the Intermediate Division • Riley Baird – Outstanding Award Winner in the Senior Division. Pictured right The quality of the students at the ceremony was incredible and for three of our students to achieve awards was a stunning achievement. I was also noticed a mutual respect and camaraderie as our students mixed happily with the students from other schools and it reminded me of one of the core values of Nossal High school. That being that at Nossal outstanding students are able to mix readily with students of similar abilities. There were three speakers at the ceremony, one of whom was Lily Serna, pictured on left who some may recall as the mathematical guru on the SBS television program Numbers and Letters. Lily spoke of her passion for the environment and how she could use mathematics to assist her. Each of the speakers reinforced the importance of Mathematics in the world and encouraged the assembled students to pursue careers involving mathematics. Mr Ian Pegram JAPAN TOUR 2014 - Ms Shelley Warner Inthe last weeks of Term 3 and throughout the holidays our second biannual Japan Tour took place. Hopefully you have all taken the time to view the Japan Tour Blog: www.nhsjapan.blogspot.com.au which outlines the details, learning and fun experienced on the trip. Another way to tell you about the Tour is to ask our participants to reflect on their experience of the Tour and to choose some photos they wish to share. The reflections and photos follow on the next page. Nossal News October 17, 2014 Avidu Colambage Reflection: The Japan Tour was a sensational experience. It was a trip filled with delicious food, busy transport, magnificent sites, relentless stairs, cutting-edge technology and incredible people. I went in full of excitement and hope, and came out uplifted and fulfilled. Grishm Ganatra My name is Grishm Ganatra and I am a year 9 student. I went on the Japan trip with 3 other year 9’s. The best part about the Japan tour was probably the host family and Tokyo. The host family were extremely kind and warm. My host brother was very polite and friendly. He was also very smart. Our time in Tokyo was very fun. We went to places like Asakusa, Harajuku, Shibuya and others. Tokyo was very lively and exciting. We also saw the cultural side of Japan by going to Koyasan. Koyasan is a regional town were Buddhist monks go and study. We also went to temples and shrines in Kyoto and experienced Japanese culture. Overall the Japan trip was a really fun experience and I would love to go again. Amy Shao Spanning two weeks and numerous prefectures, the Japan Tour was an incredibly rewarding taste of Japan’s rich culture. The experiences we had in Japan were exciting and immensely valuable and will remain with us for a long time to come. Thanks Ms. Warner! Casey Do Going on the Japan Tour was the best decision of my life as it has allowed me to experience so many new foods, activities and meet amazing people. Having the chance to attend a Japanese school and be hosted by Karin and her family is something that I will never forget. Edward Chhim Japan was a very fun trip where I gained lots of knowledge and had great fun attempting to speak Japanese even with my limited knowledge. The highlight of the trip would be the city of anime and electronics: Akihabara. Going to maid cafes, spending money on arcades, and buying anime posters made this a memorable trip. Lachlan Boldt Out of all the choices I’ve made in my life, going on the Japan tour was among the best. There are just some things you can’t experience at home – you haven’t lived until you’ve tried to half-mime your way through buying lunch just to leave your giant bag of Japanese lollies at the counter. With new friends from Australia and overseas, an expanded taste palette, a vast collection of amazing experiences and a few stories to share, it was definitely worth the 10 hour plane flight and the slave labour I’ll have to do to pay off my parents. Long story short – If you have the opportunity to go overseas, take it. Nossal News October 17, 2014 <<<<CONTINUED... Lauren Richardson Going to Japan with the school was an experience I will never forget. I’ve learnt and grown as a person, and my motivation to learn a foreign language has increased exponentially. I found that the Home Stay was the most rewarding thing that we did. Staying in my family’s house and sharing their day really gave me insight into how different our cultures live. They were beyond generous and it was sad to have to say goodbye, even though we’d only had three days together. I’m looking forward to returning to Japan at some point in the future. Hopefully in two years’ time when the school does another tour. Austin Leong The best way for me to summarise my trip to Japan would be to say it was an experience, one which was completely different to any country I’ve been to (naturally). From our travelling, the thing which separates it from other countries of Asia, is how easily it is to shift from city to countryside. It took only about an hour from Tokyo to get to Chiba. Then again, we were on a shinkansen fast train, so maybe that doesn’t really count. I liked the sense of spiritualism you get when walking through a shrine or temple complex. Fushimi-Inari was just grand. And even the graveyards in Koyasan…’Namudaishi hengo kongo’… so quiet and enchanting, despite the slight morbidity of that. But urban Japan is also interesting, in its own way. Never have I visited a café that’s inhabited by cats, for the purpose of interacting with them…until visiting Japan (it doesn’t matter if they’re uninterested since they were cute sleeping too). My host family, the Kimuras, in Chiba, were very welcoming, and I’m grateful for that. They even forgave my sometimes terrible Japanese – for some reason, actually speaking a language seems to challenge my memory of what I have learned… Kenta, my host brother, also taught me something to remember the directions: Dou, zai, nan, boku. East, west, south, north. The festival they took me to was also very lovely. I don’t believe Australia really holds those sort of cultural celebrations at night time, so it was something unique. And I enjoyed Odaiba because I managed to acquire a paperboy’s cap. Very consumerist, but aesthetics draw me. James Chanty Visiting Japan was one of the most amazing things I’ve experienced in my life. It was a great opportunity to be able to see and experience the different culture and lifestyles of Japan. All of the traditional temples and shrines in Kyoto and Nagoya were beautiful. Getting to spend time in Tokyo and especially Akihabara was extremely fun. The home stay and time spent at Chosei were both challenging and enjoyable experiences. A personal highlight of the trip was getting to visit a Japanese maid cafe and eating omelette rice. Overall, the tour to Japan was amazing, I made some great new friends and I only wish I could have spent more time there. Adam Wang Out of all the places we went to, in my opinion Odaiba was the best city. I enjoyed Odaiba because there was a nice hotel, lots of free time and also had a great environment overall. The photo is of us in a Hawaiian restaurant in Odaiba on the last day of the tour. Nossal News October 17, 2014 ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES - Mrs Leanne Ansalde Dear Parents and the school community, Currently we are reviewing our attendance procedures. We would like to remind all parents and guardians that non year 12 students need parental permission in advance to sign out and leave the school early. We understand that some of our students will have appointments arise during the school day that cannot be avoided, however we will not be allowing students to sign out unless we have either written permission or a phone call has been made from parents or guardians prior to the event. This can be done by phoning our attendance hotline on 03 87624625 or by providing your student with a written note presented to the attendance officer at the beginning of the day. Thank you for your support with this matter. Kind regards, Leanne Ansalde Director of House NOSSAL HIGH SCHOOL EXAM SUPERVISOR VOLUNTEERS WANTED We are seeking volunteers for a full day (with break times) to assist us in the supervision of exams. Dates:Monday 17th to Friday 21st November 2014 Who can do it? Anyone with a current Working With Children’s Check or an application pending. Application forms are available at Post Offices and they are free for volunteers. What do volunteer supervisors do? Work with the coordinating teacher to supervise exams to ensure that students comply with exam requirements. Patrol amongst the rows of students sitting exams. Assist students with questions and escort them to the toilet Collect exam papers at the end. We run training sessions for new volunteers. TRAINING SESSION 7th November,2014 10-11:30am at Nossal High School How do you sign up? • Email Jane Petty (jane.petty@nossalhs.vic.edu.au ) your details including your phone number and the day(s) that you are available. • Phone the school for more details on 87624600 • Someone will contact you closer to the date to confirm the days you have been allocated to supervision and organise a time for training. What do volunteers get for offering their time? • Food during meal breaks throughout the day. • A letter of thanks • The opportunity to see and understand the pressures on our students and how impressive our students are. • Experience in and understanding of VCAA exam conditions, rules and processes • A good feeling When you sign up for supervision we are relying on you to fulfil your commitment. Many thanks for your assistance, Sue Harrap (Assistant Principal) Roger Page (Principal) 2014 VCAA VCE Examinations The following table details what exams are being held at Nossal High School. Please note the venue of your exams Date Wednesday 29/10 9:00 – 12:15 29/10 9:00 – 12:15 Thursday 30/10 9:00 – 11:45 30/10 3:00 – 5:15 Friday 31/10 9:00 – 11:45 31/10 3:00 – 4:45 Monday 3/11 9:00 – 10:45 3/11 11:45 – 2:00 Wednesday 5/11 9:00 – 10:15 5/11 3:00 – 5:15 Thursday 6/11 3:00 – 5:15 Friday 7/11 9:00 – 10:45 7/11 3:00 – 5:15 Monday 10/11 11:45 – 2:00 10/11 3:00 – 5:15 10/11 3:00 – 5:15 Tuesday 11/11 9:00 – 11:45 11/11 3:00 – 5:15 Wednesday 12/11 9:00 – 11:45 Thursday 13/11 9:00 - 10:45 13/11 11:45 – 2:00 Friday 14/11 9:00 – 10:45 14/11 11:45 – 1:30 14/11 3:00 – 5:15 14/11 3:00 – 5:15 Monday 17/11 11:45 – 2:00 17/11 11:45 – 2:00 Tuesday 18/11 11:45 – 2:00 18/11 3:00 – 5:15 19/11 11:45 – 2:00 19/11 3:00 – 5:15 19/11 3:00 – 5:15 Exam English Venue Theatre English as Additional Language Psychology Theatre Theatre Economics Biology Theatre Theatre Further Maths Exam 1 Further Maths Exam 2 Theatre Theatre Business Management Math Methods CAS Exam 1 Theatre Gymnasium Health & Human Devpt Math Methods CAS Exam 2 Gymnasium Gymnasium Specialist Maths Exam 1 Theatre Literature Accounting Theatre Theatre Specialist Maths Exam 2 History: Revolutions Chemistry Theatre Theatre Gymnasium Legal Studies Physics Theatre Theatre Art Theatre English Language Food and Technology Theatre Jean Russell Centre Music Performance IT – Software Development Philosophy German Jean Russell Centre Jean Russell Centre Jean Russell Centre Jean Russell Centre Japanese as a Second Language Vietnamese Jean Russell Centre Jean Russell Centre French Indonesian as a Second Language Chinese as a Second Language Chinese as a Second Language (Advanced) Jean Russell Centre Jean Russell Centre Jean Russell Centre 1 Jean Russell Centre 2 VCE exam advice for Class of 2014 October 29 2014 English Jacqueline Huang received a perfect VCE English score last year. Here’s her advice on how to do the same. My name is… Jacqueline Yuyen Huang I went to… Westbourne Grammar School In VCE ENGLISH I received a score of 50 The thing I liked best about doing this subject was: With English being my second language I disliked the subject. However in retrospect, I really enjoyed writing essays for Context. I had a lot of fun creating a personal voice and being able to be more creative/unconventional with my writing. This year I am doing… Bachelor of Biomedicine The best advice I can give the Class of 2014 about this specific exam is… Don’t over complicate and over think. For Language Analysis: At the start of the year, I really struggled with this section of English. I was never able to finish a timed essay and felt as though my essay was poorly constructed. For me, it became a very formulaic piece of writing when I stopped thinking too much, and just identified the most relevant techniques that I knew I’ve had plenty of practice analysing. Don’t think too much and just paragraph according to the points the author makes. Always remember to really dig and analyse. Don’t write fluffy sentences. I find it to be the easiest format that ensures you are analysing straight forwardly without having to worry about essay structure etc. Also, it really helps to have a few adjectives and verbs that describe the author’s tone and what he or she is doing up your sleeves. Spend some time writing good sentence patterns for an analysis because you start to see that you can re-use a lot of things you’ve written in the past. Paragraphs for language analysis are essentially: “point, evidence, analyse”. Don’t try to over-do your language. When I did VCE I was always amazed by the fancy words and impressive sentence structures that were evident in the sample essays. Keep in mind those aren’t the only good essays. Keep your language simple and straight forward. Practice is key: the more you do now the easier it is for you to prepare later. Throughout the year I put in a lot of effort into each and every one of my homework essays. On top of that, i would often write individual paragraphs for some random idea – a theme, a character etc that I hadn’t covered or had time to write a full essay on. The more quality essays I wrote that covered a broad range of topics, the easier it became when it came to assessments. I was able to recycle a few of my many paragraphs I had already written and form them into a cohesive essay. It made things a lot easier. The best advice I got from my teacher about this exam was… There wasn’t specific advice that was directed particularly at the exam (apart from her suggestion of starting the Language Analysis first and to be more creative with our Context pieces in order to stand out). However I am really grateful for a very supportive and hardworking teacher. Our school’s English department is also very well resourced with some excellent English teachers that really taught us the best approaches to essay writing. I also appreciate how my school gave us only an hour to do our assessed essays at school under exam conditions. I think that really prepared me in terms of time management. In the month before this VCE exam, I… collected every essay I had written and improved upon them (fixing up my expressions and adding in extra information or ideas). I also wrote separate paragraphs for all three sections of the exam. I went through my texts to familiarise myself with it more. After the exam, I… went home and took a couple of hours’ break. I felt like I did really well since I was lucky enough to have been able to write all of my best paragraphs for the exam. This feeling made me more motivated to study for my other exams which were only days after the English one. The best exam advice I received from my parents, siblings or family member was… I didn’t receive anything exam related, but I thank my parents for believing in me and they never gave me any pressure. I also thank my friends who reminded me not to doubt my capabilities. I didn’t work a part-time job during year 12 because… my parents felt as though it would interfere with my studies. I didn’t have a study schedule at all. I would sit down to write when I had an idea and leave it when I couldn’t write anything decent. I recorded myself reading out the paragraphs/ essays and listened to them. I also revised all my essays. On exam day, I prepared myself by… I felt like I couldn’t recall anything that I had memorised. However I quickly reminded myself not to think about anything else: didn’t even try to recite any memorised essays, I just read everything over and over again just before entering the exam room. It helped keep me calm on my way to the exam. For more tips like this and for advice about looking after yourself during VCE exams, please visit www.education.vic.gov.au/school/ students/Pages/vce.aspx VCE exam advice for Class of 2014 October 30 and November 3 2014 Further Maths Samuel Goh received a perfect VCE Further Mathematics score last year. Here’s his advice on how to do the same. My name is Samuel Goh I went to… Rowville Secondary College. In VCE Further Maths I received a score of… 50 The thing I liked best about doing this subject was: Studying a wide range of topics due to the different modules available. Doing maths that could actually be a little useful in the future. This year I am doing… Year 12 The best advice I can give the Class of 2014 about this specific exam is… Get to know your calculators well: For both exams you can use a CAS calculator AND a scientific calculator. The better you are with the calculator, the less time you may spend fiddling around and the more time you have to solve problems. Make a bound reference, but don’t go overboard: A bound reference in the exam can be really handy for quickly confirming some knowledge, but there is no need for hundreds of pages. In the real exam there isn’t enough time to look through all your notes. Remember that the exam also comes with a formula sheet which covers MOST of the formulas you need to know. Also, when constructing your bound reference make sure to look at the Study Design from the VCAA website which outlines everything you need to know for the exam. Underline important information: There are often worded questions in exams with lots of information to introduce the question. Underline the most important pieces of information which you can use in your calculations such as angles, dates or prices. If you have time, double check your answers and find a way to make sure you’re correct! This could mean eliminating other multiple choice answers, taking a different approach to the calculations or re-doing calculations on your CAS to make sure you didn’t type anything incorrectly. The best advice I got from my teacher about this exam was… Take your time: If you’ve done a lot of practice, you may start to recognise similar questions showing up on exam papers. Sometimes it’s good to avoid rushing and slowing down, really taking in the details of the question and asking yourself: ‘Is this really the same question I’ve done before? Or is there something different about it?’ It’s a little bit about speed versus accuracy. In the exam it’s good to have a balance. Show working out and make it clear: There are often working marks allocated for longer questions. When tackling them, make sure your working out is clear and follows a logical order. The examiners need to understand what you’re doing so they can see that you know the content. It also makes it easier for you to spot any errors if you have time to check through your exam. In the month before this VCE exam, I… worked through different practice exam papers, trying to get as much exposure to different types of questions so I was well prepared for anything that could show up on the exam. I made sure I spent time reviewing VCAA past year papers and their assessment reports – the reports are very detailed and can be very helpful. I made sure to record any big mistakes from the practice exams in a document on my computer. In the week before this VCE exam I… continued working through practice exam papers – I think they are the best form of revision for mathematics subjects. I then finished off my bound reference by compiling all my recorded mistakes into a word document, printing that off and putting it at the front of my bound reference. All of the areas which I was weak in could easily be seen on my bound reference. On exam day, I prepared myself by… getting as much sleep possible, eating well, praying, watching videos online – I tried to stay as relaxed as possible and didn’t let the pressures of the imminent exam get to me. I already had my stationery and calculator ready the night before. I didn’t think cramming would do much on exam day for me; I had to trust that I had done all I could to prepare. After the exam, I…. made sure I didn’t discuss the exam with others as I didn’t want to think about results until results day – there was nothing I could do about the exam that I had just completed. It was a bit of a personal preference. And I also had another exam the next day, so I had to get studying for that. The best exam advice I received from my parents, siblings or family member was… simply to do my best. You can often get caught up in numbers, trying to figure out SAC scores work and how all the statistical moderation works. But the bottom line is, if you get to the end of the year having done all you can and tried your best with no regrets then there is definitely success in that. I did work a part-time job during year 12 because… I felt it was a good way to take a break from studying. In the second semester, I decreased the number of shifts I was working and when exams neared I let my supervisors know about exams and made sure I took many days off during exam period. For more tips like this and for advice about looking after yourself during VCE exams, please visit www.education.vic.gov.au/school/ students/Pages/vce.aspx VCE exam advice for Class of 2014 October 30 2014 Psychology Cherry Skinner Tarlo received a perfect Psychology score last year. Here’s her advice on how to do the same. My name is Cherry Skinner Tarlo I went to… Newhaven College, Philip Island. In VCE Psychology, I received a score of… 50 The thing I liked best about doing this subject was: Learning about how we, as humans, function and respond to our environment. I also enjoyed analysing the brain and its complex ability to create life in people. This year I am doing… Bachelor of Psychology/Criminology at RMIT University, City Campus. The best advice I can give the Class of 2014 about this specific exam is… Always use the name of the person if it is mentioned in the question (often used in examples). Use your time wisely: look at the allocated marks and structure your time accordingly. When doing practice exams, try completing the sections (multiple choice, short answer and extended response) in different orders and find out what works best for you. The best advice I got from my teacher about this exam was… Do as many accredited practice exams as possible under timed conditions in an exam-like setting. Only write as much as you need to gain the full marks. Have faith in yourself. In the month before this VCE exam, I… Devised a study plan for myself, and stuck to it, giving myself small rewards after chunks of study, such as watching a tv show or online shopping! I made cue cards and practised with friends and family, talked often with my teacher about areas I felt unsure of and explained concepts to friends/family (this really is confirmation of your knowledge when you have to teach it). I maintained a study/ life balance by remembering that it will all be okay in the long run, making plans for things I was excited about, doing regular exercise, taking time out to enjoy meals, and organising my time so I wasn’t having to stay up late at night studying. In the week before this VCE exam I… Went to as many revision lectures/ workshops as possible (run both inside and outside of school), meticulously worked through past exams with my teacher, spent time at school studying, familiarised myself with the classroom where exams were to be held, continued to do timed practice exams and worked with my teacher to figure out how I could optimise my mark. I forced myself to have breaks, do exercise every day, follow a study plan to ensure I was managing my time correctly, made posters, flash cards, notes, and stuck them all around my house, including my bedroom, the bathroom, toilet and kitchen. On exam day, I prepared myself by… Briefly reviewing my notes, but not in too much depth. I ate a good, hearty breakfast, had my bag packed the night before, left more than enough time to get there, reassured myself that everything was going to be okay and that if I didn’t go as well as I hoped, that it wasn’t the end of the world. I sought confirmation from my teacher and knew that all I could do was my best. After the exam, I…. Talked with my friends and other students about how they went, debriefed with my teacher, had a break for lunch, felt confident that I had done my best, and then began studying for another exam. The best exam advice I received from my parents, siblings or family member was… That all you can do is your best, and that if you’re unhappy with your results, it’s not the end of the world, and there are always alternative pathways. I didn’t work a part-time job during year 12 because… I found I had no spare time, and what little time I did have, I thought it was more important to create balance in my life with healthy food, exercise and time out for myself and my family, rather than earn a subsidiary income. For more tips like this and for advice about looking after yourself during VCE exams, please visit www.education.vic.gov.au/school/ students/Pages/vce.aspx VCE exam advice for Class of 2014 October 30 2014 Psychology Janet Davey received a perfect VCE Psychology score last year. Here’s her advice on how to do the same. My name is Janet Davey I went to… Ruyton Girls’ School In VCE Psychology, I received a score of… 50 The thing I liked best about doing this subject was… that not only was it interesting, but the topics – such as sleep, memory, and learning – felt relevant (unlike many other subjects) and helped me in my other subjects as well. This year I am doing… A Bachelor of Science/Asia-Pacific Studies at ANU, majoring in Physics and Chinese. The best advice I can give the Class of 2014 about this specific exam is… Word your answers carefully, and make sure you get the key terms in. Know research methods inside out, because many students neglect it. Have examples prepared beforehand and check with your teacher that they’re right. Don’t try to be really original with them, just keep them simple and nail them. The best advice I got from my teacher about this exam was… this is probably a pretty specific problem, but my wonderful teacher kept telling me to stop overthinking the questions and not waffle on in my answers. Many students don’t know this, but you can actually write your answers in dot-points, and many examiners prefer this because it’s clearer. In the month before this VCE exam, I… guess I studied Psych at least a little bit every day. I made a million tables and mind-maps summarising topics or comparing different theories and stuck them up all around my house until there were no free walls left. After reading these for months, the information stuck with me. To stay sane in the lead-up to exams I went running or cycling every afternoon and drank a lot of tea. In the week before this VCE exam I... did practice exams. But almost more important than completing practice exams is correcting them and understanding how your answer differs from the given solution. I kept a little notebook, and I’d write down every question I got wrong, what the correct answer was, and the key terms needed to get full marks. On exam day, I prepared myself by… The Psych exam started at 9:00 am, so I don’t think I did anything beforehand, other than have breakfast and read over my errors notebook. After the exam, I… went straight home. The exam was on a Friday and I didn’t have another exam until mid-way through the following week, so that afternoon I just did some ‘light’ Methods study and went for a run. The best exam advice I received from my parents, siblings or family member was…’Calm down’. I didn’t work a part-time job during year 12 because… I didn’t want to add another thing to an already stressful year, and would have struggled to find the time for it. For more tips like this and for advice about looking after yourself during VCE exams, please visit www.education.vic.gov.au/school/ students/Pages/vce.aspx
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