Term 1 Newsletter, 2022

Welcome to the Term 1 Newsletter for 2022

Principal’s News


Welcome to Term 1 2022 from the Principal

The beginning of each new year can be a new starting point for everyone, particularly in education. At ET Australia Secondary College (ETASC) we expect students to do their best. Students achieving their best usually enjoy school which in turn will foster life-long learning and help students to achieve their career goals and life aspirations.

2022 marks a fresh start for all students and especially for Year 7 students who are beginning their high school experience. In Year 8, Year 9, Year 10, and Year 11 we also welcome new students who will also be first-time ET Australia Secondary College (ETASC) students. Our school provides students with a new place to belong to.

In 2022 ET Australia will have its first ever Year 12 graduating class. Our Year 12 HSC students are our school leaders, and we will look to them to maintain the very high standard of achievement they have achieved in past years. We wish them every success in their last year of high school.

ETASC is a school model for students who will thrive in a small school environment where the teaching focus is all about preparing students for the world of work and life-long learning. The learning environment at ETASC integrates ethics and behaviour self-management skills so students can concentrate on achieving their best.

I look forward to meeting our new students and to observing our students experiencing positive progress in 2022. I hope that every student enrolled at ETASC fully utilises the opportunities available to them in our school and in the education pathways that are presented.

Tony Mylan
ET Australia Secondary College Principal

Upcoming Events


Excursions and Events

There are a number of School Events planned for Term 1.

Parents/carers will be emailed with details of each event and where permission is required, we ask that you REPLY to the email with your permission, as instructed. This will ensure that your response goes to the staff member who is responsible for that event.

Students without parent/carer consent provided cannot be included in the event. Phone calls, handwritten notes and texts are not accepted, unless a prior agreement has been made with the Assistant Principal. Some events will be limited due to transport or other considerations, so getting in early will be important, once you are notified that bookings are open.

Year 7 Camp

When: TBA
Location: Tea Gardens Great Aussie Bush Camp

Students will undertake team building, resilience, trust, initiative, and strategic thought challenges through a tailored outdoor activity program including ropes, flying fox, archery, and kayaking.

Our aim is to increase our students’ friendship groups and their sense of belonging as they begin the new year at ET Australia Secondary College.

This event was scheduled to run from the 9th February to the 11th February but ETASC has postponed the camp until later in the year due to the current COVID 19 health concerns. We will provide parents/carers with the new dates once they are confirmed.

Year 12 Incursion Student Elevation Incursion

When: 16th February
Location: ETASC

To help Year 12 students start the year with a positive mindset, students will attend a workshop run by Elevate. This workshop will help students to set goals and learn techniques for self-motivation. They will be taught the valuable skill of breaking down goals into manageable tasks and will examine the role of self-efficacy in performance.

Premiers Reading Challenge

Dates: 28th February – 18th August 2022
In 2022, students at ETASC will have the opportunity to participate in the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge.

The Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading and to enable students to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge for each student to read, to read more and to read more widely. The Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) is open to ETASC students in Years 7, 8 and 9. The challenge involves reading 20 books between March and August each year.

URL: https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html

Year 8 French Pop Concert Incursion

When: Week 9
Location: ETASC School Hall

To celebrate a term of learning French, a Pop Concert will take place at school. This concert will be a chance for students to continue to develop their listening skills and gain knowledge about French culture in an enjoyable manner. Students will be able to apply their acquired French language skills outside a classroom setting through music and songs. Students will enjoy the opportunity to sing and dance along with the performer.

Whole School News


Key Dates for Term 1 2022

Year 7 and Year 8 students will commence classes tomorrow – Tuesday 1st February 2022.

Year 9 and Year 10 students will commence classes on Wednesday 2nd February 2022.

Year 11 and Year 12 students will commence classes on Tuesday 1st February 2022.

The last day of Term 1 for all students is on Friday 8th April 2022 – this will be a half-day for all students.

Term 2 will commence on Thursday 28th April 2022.

School Starting Times and First Day of School Arrangements

    • Year 7 and Year 8 students are required to be on campus at 8:55 am for a 9:00 am start time every school day. Students enter our Years 7 to 10 campus via the school reception area located on Level 1, Imperial Shopping Centre, Gosford. Accessing the Imperial Centre via the Erina Street entrance is the most direct entry point for the school. The school hall is open for students and supervised by staff every morning from 8:30 am.
    • Year 9 and Year 10 students are required to be at school at 9:05 am for a 9:10 am start time every school day. Students enter our Years 7 to 10 campus via the school reception area located on Level 1, Imperial Shopping Centre, Gosford. Accessing the Imperial Centre via the Erina Street entrance is the most direct entry point for the school. The school hall is open for students and supervised by staff every morning from 8:30 am.
    • Year 11 and 12 students are required to be at school every school day at 8:40 am for an 8:45 am start time. Students enter via the school reception located in the driveway of 125 Donnison Street, Gosford. For those students who arrive before 8:40 am, students are welcome to use the student common area from 8:30 am.
    • If a student arrives late to school without a valid reason, they are required to surrender their mobile phone to reception for the day. Failure to do so will result in the student having to surrender their phone to the Assistant Principal every day for a period of 10 weeks.

COVID-19 Requirements 

ET Australia has reviewed our COVID-19 safety plan at the beginning of 2022 to ensure we’re able to keep students, staff, and other members of our community safe. This information is subject to change given the constantly changing government guidelines and public health orders, and we will keep parents/carers aware of changes as they occur. We hope that NSW has reached a peak in the number of positive cases but recognise that COVID-19 will continue to impact our student’s school experience for some time to come.

The NSW government has provided all students via the school with Rapid Antigen Home Tests (RAT). Every student is required, as part of the public health orders, to conduct a RAT twice a week for the first 4 weeks of Term 1. If a student returns a negative test result, they are permitted to attend school as normal. If a student returns a positive test result, this must be reported to the school as soon as possible and to the NSW government via the appropriate online app. The student will be required to follow the current isolation guidelines before returning.

Students who present flu like symptoms at school will be sent home immediately and will not be able to return to school until they return a negative PCR or rapid antigen test result.

ETASC will not be able to provide the same level of support for students in isolation as we did in 2021, but work will be made available online for students who are forced to isolate as a result of the current public health orders. Learning from home provisions and online learning will only be made available for students who have returned a positive COVID-19 PCR or RAT result or those who are identified as household contacts. All other students are required to attend face to face lessons at school. Failure to attend school will impact a student’s overall attendance, where a prolonged or frequent absence from school could result in the withdrawal of a student’s enrolment.

The following measures will continue in 2022 as per our COVID-19 safety plan:

  • All staff and students are required to complete a RAT on Monday and Wednesday mornings to determine if they can attend school. If they return a positive result, they will be required to report this information to the school and the NSW government ASAP as per the public health order and isolate for the determined period of time.
  • Per the government public health order, staff and students will continue to wear masks (unless they are in an office or room by themselves) and practice social distancing when possible.
  • All staff and students are required to have their temperature taken on arrival and clean their hands with either hand sanitiser or soap and water.
  • If students have ANY symptoms, please do not send them to school. Students who present symptoms at school will be sent home immediately and will not be allowed to return until they provide a negative PCR or RAT result. If a student returns to school without a test result, they will be sent home until a negative test result is provided.
  • Students will not be permitted to share resources, stationery items, food, drink etc in classrooms or during breaktimes.
  • If a student is a household/close contact of someone with COVID-19, please follow the directions of NSW Health and isolate at home. Please make sure students do not have symptoms and return a negative test result before returning to the school.
  • ET Australia will continue to pay for additional building cleaning and regular surface cleaning will continue.
  • ET Australia is continuing to treat each campus separately – with a reduction in staff movement between the Years 11 and 12 campus and the Years 7 to 10 campus. Essential staff who work between both campuses will conduct a rapid antigen test before moving between the campuses.

New School Management System for 2022 – COMPASS

For 2022, ETASC has implemented Compass as our new School Management System. We are introducing Compass School Manager as our Parent/Carer Portal. Using Compass Parent/Carer Portal you will be able to:

  • Access your child’s Student Progress and Semester Reports
  • Book your Parent/Carer/Student and Teacher conferences
  • View up-to-date class and school attendance information
  • Approve or enter upcoming or past absences for your child
  • Download, print details and provide permission to attend upcoming excursions
  • Complete your child’s course information
  • Update your registered email and mobile number details (used for SMS alerts)
  • Access information regarding upcoming events and news

Compass is a web-based system that is accessible on any modern web browser or by using the ‘Compass School Manager’ app available on iOS or Android. To access our Parent/Carer Portal, go to:

https://etaustralia-nsw.compass.education

We are sending out access details for Compass to every Parent/Carer.

The information you receive will have all the details you need to access Compass and log in. If you have any questions about Compass, please contact the College.

Introducing “Buddy” – Our School Support and Wellbeing Puppy

Buddy is our school support and wellbeing puppy. She was briefly introduced at the end of last year and completed a few classroom visits. The school is supported by the Dogs Connect program. This is a whole-school wellbeing program that provides the training and framework for the introduction of Buddy in our community. Our school support and wellbeing dog will become a much loved and important member of our community.

The Dogs Connect program will support us in implementing this very gradually, thoroughly, and considerately. At this stage, we encourage anyone who would like to know more about this program to look through the website link: https://dogsconnect.net.au

We have a team of staff who will lead this program. We assure the community that this program will not involve anyone who does not wish to be involved. We know that Buddy will have a really positive impact on many people in our school, and we know that the connection with Buddy will be offered on a great variety of levels.

Regular Pattern of School Attendance Required by Students

A reminder to parents/carers that for their child to continue their enrolment here at the college, students need to maintain a consistent pattern of attendance.

The New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA) requires all students to have a minimum attendance percentage of 85% throughout the year.

This means the college expects every student to attend school every day unless they are too sick to attend. In the event of absence caused by illness, the college requires an explanation of the absence within 24 hours of the student’s absence. Notification can be provided via text message, email, or phone call. In the event of three or more consecutive days off, the college can request a medical certificate to support the provided reasons. If you have other reasons for a student being absent for the day (family emergency for example) please provide the college office with an explanation so we can account for the student’s absence.

For more information on school attendance please refer to the College Handbook relevant to you:

Reporting Student Absence

It is a government requirement for parents/carers to notify and provide a reason for their child’s absence from school on every occasion. To ensure notifications are always received and recorded by the appropriate staff members, a generic email address has been introduced for absentee notifications. We request this email address be used from now on rather than emailing individual staff members. This will ensure the notification is received by reception regardless of who is working on the day. Methods for notifying the school of absences from now on are:

Email: attendance@et.makearchive.com.au

Phone: 02 4323 1233 after 8:30am

Via the COMPASS App.

When your child is absent from school and we have not been notified, an email and push notification via COMPASS will be sent to inform you of their absence which you are able to reply to.

Request for Student Leave

The Department of Education’s requirement for school attendance also affects opportunities for families to take holidays during school terms. Some schools are withdrawing the option of families taking students out of school for holidays. ETASC is flexible, but the Minister of Education requires us to ensure all student leave during term time be approved by the college Principal in advance. A Student Leave Request form is available from reception and needs to be completed 4 weeks prior to the planned absence from school.

Please contact the college office on 02 4323 1233 if you have any further queries about holidays during school terms.

ET Australia Secondary College – A Non-Smoking High School

ETASC is a non-smoking secondary college for ALL students and staff – this includes the use of vape pens and e-cigarettes.

Students who are caught smoking cigarettes, vape pens or e-cigarettes during school hours will have their cigarettes, vape pens or e-cigarettes confiscated and destroyed. Parents/carers will be contacted to inform them of this behaviour.

Advice from NSW Health clearly outlines that it is illegal to sell cigarettes, e-cigarettes and vape pens, or accessories to, or buy these products on the behalf of a person under 18 years of age.

Please visit https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/tobacco/Pages/e-cigarettes.aspx for more information from NSW Health.

Any student smoking during school hours will be in breach of school rules and will be treated the same way as any other breach of school rules. Repeat offenders will be placed on a school contract that will stipulate the behaviour required to maintain their enrolment at the college. The school contract with the student will include the provision of access to quit smoking programs and access to the college psychologist to develop strategies to use instead of smoking during the school day. Breaching the school contract will result in the student’s expulsion from the college.

Enrolments

Enrolment places are still available for the current year groups in 2022:

  • Year 7
  • Year 11
  • Year 12

Parents/carers who are interested in finding out more are encouraged to contact the Assistant Principal by calling the college office to organise an enrolment interview.

Places are not available in our other year groups and a waiting list is in place.

School Fees

A reminder to parents/carers that paying school fees is compulsory at ETASC as the contributions made provide opportunities for students to participate in a variety of different learning experiences.

It is a requirement of a student’s enrolment that school fees are paid by parents/carers and failure to pay fees will result in the student’s enrolment being withdrawn.

Scholarships are available to families who are suffering financial hardship and we encourage all parents/carers to apply for scholarships if they are struggling to pay school fees. Information regarding school fees, payment plans, and scholarships are available on the college website.

For more information on school fees please refer to the College Handbook relevant to you:

Opal Cards

The Department of Transport issues OPAL Cards and schools are no longer involved in the issue and re-issue of this free service for school children. Parents/carers are now responsible to follow up with errors or lost and stolen cards. Students are advised not to put OPAL cards near phones or other disabled cards.

For more information on OPAL Cards please refer to the College Handbook relevant to you:

Contacting Students in Class Time

Please do not phone your child during class time, they will be tempted to answer which is very disruptive to the class. Their phone should be off and out of sight. Parents/carers who need to contact their child during school hours are asked to do so by calling the college office on 4323 1233 or wait until break times.

Banned items – Reminder

Students are prohibited from bringing certain items to school:

  • Chewing gum
  • Aerosol cans – deodorant etc.
  • Knives
  • Liquid paper
  • Permanent markers
  • Laser devices
  • Metal or opaque drink bottles
  • Cigarettes
  • e-cigarettes or vape pens
  • Cigarette lighters or matches

If students bring these items to school, they will be confiscated.

If students continue to bring these items to school appropriate action will be taken in accordance with the consequences for breaches of the expected behaviours outlined at enrolment and in the Years 7 to 10 College Handbook and Years 11 and 12 College Handbook.

Medication Taken at School

Alterations have been made to our administration of student medication process.

In conjunction with our First Aid and Medications Policy, parents/carers are now required to complete an Authorisation for Administration of Student Medication form for any medication you would like your child to take at school.

Parents/carers will also be required to provide the medication in its original packaging which has the Doctor’s instructions on the label.

Please contact the school office if you would like any further information or require a form to be sent home.

For more information on medication taken at school please refer to the College Handbook relevant to you:

Free After School Tutoring

Any student who wants help after school in any subject should ask the subject teacher and arrangements will be made to provide free tutoring for most afternoons.

Weekly Timetable

Tuesday:

  • Extension Maths (Year 10 students intending to complete the HSC) 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm
  • Literacy tutoring 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm

Thursday:

  • Extension Science (Year 10 students intending to complete the HSC) 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm
  • Numeracy tutoring 2:30pm to 3:30pm
  • All extra-curricular or tutoring classes are free.

Learning Enrichment Opportunities

ETASC offers free tutoring for all students.

For students who are identified as needing extra assistance with:

  • Reading – ETASC offers two reading programs: QuickSmart and MacqLit
  • Mathematics – ETASC offers QuickSmart and consolidation of classwork and after school tutoring.
  • Writing – ETASC offers English tutoring and consolidation of classwork.

We strongly encourage all students to take advantage of our free tutoring.

Gifted and Talented Program 2022

This year at ET Secondary College the GAT program will continue to offer critical and creative learning opportunities for our students. Our aim is to provide educational opportunities that enrich and extend gifted and talented students, fostering a lifelong love of learning. Our curriculum for gifted students is specifically designed to challenge advanced learners and provide experiences that require critical thinking, problem-solving, independent study skills, communication, and persistence in the face of challenges. When engaged in high-quality gifted services, students will develop their unique abilities and maintain their passion for learning,

Lessons incorporating Maths, English, History, Social Justice, PBL (Project Based Learning), Creative Arts and STEM are offered to our students. Typically, students that fall into the category of gifted and talented following assessment at the school are presented with the opportunity to extend their thinking beyond regular classes. As well as GATS withdrawal lessons, competitions including maths Olympiad, The Big Science Competition, CSIRO computational thinking and creative writing are offered at ET Secondary College to extend our students.

ETASC’s Gifted Program does not substitute or replace the excellent classroom instruction and enrichment already provided in class. Instead, it provides options compatible with the needs, abilities, and interests of gifted learners.

School Lockers

Lockers are provided at no cost for students to store their school bags to improve security, and work, health and safety. Students are asked to clean out their lockers at the end of every term. Items left in lockers at the end of each term will be discarded. If you value the contents of your locker, please take it with you.

Students are encouraged to keep lockers locked at all times, even when empty. We are keen to prevent unauthorised access to your locker and/or to have other people placing objects in lockers that do not belong there.

Lunch Orders – Lunch Options for 2022

Students in Year 7 and Year 8 will have the following lunch order options in 2022:

  • Monday – McDonald’s
  • Tuesday – Sushi
  • Wednesday – Subway
  • Thursday – no option available due to PDHPE practical lessons
  • Friday – Chips and gravy’

Year 9, Year 10, Year 11, and Year 12 students will have permission to buy food from the food court in the Imperial Centre for the first 15 minutes of each break every day. The school staff provide student supervision in the food court during breaks.

As soon as students have received their food and drinks, they must make their way directly to Kibble Park. During breaks in Kibble Park, students are always supervised by school staff.

Students will only be permitted to enter the food court if they are purchasing food or drinks. If students go to the food court and do not purchase food or drinks, they will be banned from accessing this privilege.

Year 11 & 12 students are also permitted to go to Shop 3 Café unsupervised to buy food and drink during breaks. As soon as students have received their food and drinks, they must make their way directly to Kibble Park. During breaks in Kibble Park, students are always supervised by school staff.

Positive Behaviour Management and Rewards

ETASC’s Positive Student Behaviour Reward system includes short-term, medium-term, and long-term rewards. Reward days once a semester are the pinnacle reward of this system.

Short Term Rewards – Fortnightly Basis

Short term rewards will occur on a fortnightly basis and be awarded to one student from each class based on their behaviour in the previous two weeks. Teachers will consider the number of positive behaviour reports or in-class points awarded, the student’s attendance during this time and any noticeable changes in a student’s behaviour. Students will be informed of their positive award in a manner that is comfortable to them – during the whole school assembly, stage assembly, class time or on an individual basis.

Short term rewards including but are not limited are:

  • Chocolates
  • Free lunch – pizza etc.
  • Books
  • Trinkets, toys, stationery etc

Medium Term Rewards – Term Basis

The accumulation of positive behaviour reports over a term will earn students medium-term rewards. A schedule of rewards will be provided to the students at the beginning of each term. The accumulation of positive behaviour reports over the term will earn student rewards.

The number of positive behaviour reports required to achieve specific medium-term rewards includes:

# of Positive Behaviour Reports Reward:

  • 25 – Qualifies student to attend semester reward day
  • 30 – Listen to music during class time for one week
  • 40 – 5-minute early mark at the end of the school day for one week
  • 50 – Free lunch order to the value of $10

Long Term Rewards – Semester Basis

The long-term reward for sustained positive student behaviour is an invitation to attend the reward days held at the end of each semester. Students will be invited to attend our reward day if they have accumulated at least 25 positive behaviour reports during the semester. If a student is invited to a rewards day and engages in negative behaviour before the event, their invitation can be revoked. Reward day activities are intended to be fun days with activities that students want to participate in.

Our reward days so far have included:

  • Go-karting
  • Jet boats
  • Laser tag
  • Mini golf

In determining whether students are entitled to attend a reward day the following will be considered:

  • The number of positive and negative behaviour reports a student has received;
  • School attendance – students need to maintain a regular pattern of attendance;
  • Outstanding school fees – A student’s school fees need to be no more than 1 month in arrears to be eligible to attend reward days;
  • School Contract – if a student has been placed on a school contract, they are deemed ineligible to attend reward days. Exceptions on a case-by-case basis may be considered by the Assistant Principal but this is not negotiable.

If parents/carers have questions regarding the positive behaviour system, we welcome feedback and questions so please contact the Assistant Principal.

Duke of Edinburgh International Award

Duke of Edinburgh

ETASC will be providing students in Years 8 to 12 the opportunity to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh International Award in 2022. The Duke of Edinburgh is a non-competitive self-development program available to all young people which encourages them to set and achieve goals at a level appropriate to their needs and aspirations.

There are four sections to develop: skills, service, physical recreation, and adventurous journey. Throughout participation in this award, students develop skills in decision-making, teamwork, organisation, communication, perseverance, self-confidence, leadership, resilience, and citizenship. These are highly sought-after employability skills and great for the holistic development of young people.

An email will be sent out early in Term 1 with details on how students who are ready for a challenge can sign up to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh award. An information afternoon/night is planned for Wednesday the 23rd of February to answer further questions.

Bronze Award

This program is open to students in Year 8 or those 13 years and 9 months or over. It involves completing physical exercise, learning a skill, and volunteering service to the community over a 3-6 month period.

A number of students in 2021 participated in various hikes throughout the year. However, due to COVID-19, the overnight hikes were cancelled. Participants will complete these hikes in 2022 and we are looking forward to seeing some of these students go on to complete their Bronze award.

 Silver Duke of Edinburgh

This program is open to students 15 years and over. It involves completing physical exercise, learning a skill and volunteering service to the community over a 6-12 month period.

In 2021 participants enjoyed completing two adventurous journeys. These involved a day kayaking, two days of hiking, and two nights camping. Students grew in their resilience as they were challenged in new environments.

This will be available again in 2022. Those enrolled in the Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award will participate in a day hike, with time at the pool to check their swimming ability before heading out on their 2-night, 3-day Adventurous Journey.

Teaching Staff Changes

Michaela Thornley will join us on a full-time basis and will be teaching Years 9 and 10 HSIE.

Vonette Makedonez will be joining us on a full-time basis and will be teaching Year 11 English.

Peter MacPherson will be joining us on a full-time basis and will be teaching Years 9 and 10 PDHPE.

Suzanne Rhodes will continue at the college this year covering Sophie Gamble’s Learning Intervention position while Sophie is on maternity leave.

Contact details for all members of school staff are located in the College Handbook relevant to you:

Years 7 & 8 News


Year 7 Immunisations

Please note the following immunisations for Year 7 students:

  • Friday 4th March 2022
  • Thursday 8th September 2022

Vaccines to be given – HPV/Gardasil

If you need further information about our immunisation program, please contact the college office on 4323 1233.’

Years 7 and 8 High Resolves Program

Over the course of 2022, every Year 7 and Year 8 student will take part in the High Resolves program. The program is designed to support and nurture our learners to become future global citizens and leaders.

ET Australia Secondary College will be working in partnership with ‘High Resolves’ to facilitate our student’s ability to explore concepts that surround the topics ‘Identity and Purpose’ and ‘Just Society’.

This exciting approach will see Year 7 and Year 8 students experience an immersive ‘Peak Experience’ as well as regular lessons and group discussions throughout the year – which will be delivered across the curriculum.

Years 9 & 10 News


Year 10 Immunisations

Please note the following immunisations for Year 10 students:

  • Wednesday 8th June 2022
    Vaccines to be given – Meningococcal

If you need further information about our immunisation program, please contact the college office on 4323 1233.’

SYNC – Skills You Need Consolidating

This year ETASC has introduced a new course called SYNC for Year 9 and Year 10 students that focuses on various skills which will help them consolidate the learning they are doing in class. SYNC provides students with skills and knowledge that will be useful in life after school.

Each lesson aims to help students establish and practice the fundamental skills necessary for further education and work. Numeracy tasks are included in the 9-week program to showcase how numeracy is universal and used in a wide range of situations.

Classes include:

  • Nutrition – properly reading food labels, budgeting, planning, food wastage and cooking skills;
  • Computer Skills – using Microsoft Office and typing;
  • Careers – resume writing, cover letters, how to research jobs, skill selection, numeracy unit reviewing fundamental skills;
  • Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) project;

These units will help to round out the students’ employability skills.

Year 10 Student Assessment Handbook

The Year 10 Student Assessment Handbook is available on the school website and is an important document for Year 10 students to read to be informed about their Record of School Achievement (RoSA) requirements.

Within the handbook there is information on how to successfully complete Year 10, the grading scale for each subject, what an ‘N’ Determination Award (N Award) is and how to avoid one, study skills and who to talk to if you need help.

We encourage all Year 10 students and parents/carers to read this document thoroughly to ensure they are informed of the expectations for Year 10.

Click here to read the handbook.

Years 11 & 12 News


Curriculum 2022

Staff and students at the Year 11 & 12 campus are looking forward to welcoming the new students starting Year 11 this year. It will be a big change for them with longer hours at school, an increased workload, and the expectation to complete homework. To assist with this transition ETASC offers after school study sessions from 3 pm to 4 pm where teachers are available to help students with their homework and study.

The staff are also excited to support our first ever Year 12 students and are hoping to be able to celebrate the successful completion of their HSC with a graduation night on the 23rd of September. I hope students have rested over the holidays and are ready to diligently study their subjects, make summary notes and practise past HSC questions. Many of the Year 12 assessments will be completed in Week 5. Remember to refer to the student assessment handbook for more information on due dates. Hopefully, students will follow their study timetables and utilise the afterschool study sessions to be prepared for their examinations and assessment tasks.

Both Year 11 and Year 12 enjoy participating in a variety of programs to assist them with their studies for 15 minutes after lunch. These programs include:

Study Skills
Throughout the year students complete a study skills booklet. Doing this assists the students to set goals and create study timetables. They learn effective ways to study and write summary notes. They are also taught time management tips and methods to get organised.

Wellbeing Session
During this program, students reflect on ways to improve their mental health. They gain valuable tools to overcome procrastination, increase motivation, manage stress, reduce negative self-talk and cope with anxiety.

Roadmap
These sessions assist students to understand the meaning of key HSC verb directives such as outline, explain, analyse, and evaluate. They then practise writing short answers ensuring they are using the correct structure and terminology.

Year 11 and 12 Student Assessment Handbook
The Year 11 Student Assessment Handbook is an important document for Year 11 students to read to be informed about the Preliminary HSC course requirements.

Within the handbook, there is information on how to successfully complete Year 11, the grading scale for each subject, what an ‘N’ Determination Award (N Award) is and how to avoid one, study skills and who to talk to if you need help.

We encourage all Year 11 students and parents/carers to read this document thoroughly to ensure they are informed of the expectations for Year 11.

A link will be made available to parents/carers and students during Week 1 of term, the handbook will also be placed on our website.

Megan SilcockTerm 1 Newsletter, 2022