From the Learning Team

HSC Examinations 

Year 12 sat the majority of their exams during the month of August. It has been pleasing to see the students present well prepared and eager to demonstrate their understanding of the courses they have sat for the past 2 years. Whilst the examinations have been challenging the majority of students have been leaving happy with their responses.  

PATR and PATM 

The final catch-up tests for PAT-Reading and PAT- Mathematics took place in the first 2 weeks of this term. The Data will be examined by the College to assist in our understanding of how your son is tracking with his Literacy and Numeracy growth. This information is also used to assist in the construction of classes for 2023. 

Discovery Day 

On 18th October, St Dominic’s College hosted Year 5 students from our feeder primary schools. The day was action packed and filled with a range of hand on learning activities with a STEM focus. This included: 

• Building a bridge to sustain a heavy weight 
• Building a Lego robot to complete a race in the fastest time 
• Using a chemical indicator with acids and bases to create a rainbow of colours 
• Constructing the tallest tower that could sustain a weight 
• Field games focusing on skill and teamwork 

The Year 5 students involved had an excellent time and were very excited to be part of the day. One of the highlights for them was seeing their teachers hold fire in their hands! A thank you must go to Mr Zammit for the organization and running of the day and the many staff involved who provided fun, exciting and enriching learning activities. The day has proven to be a highlight in the College calendar and will hopefully continue for many years to come. 

Yearly Examinations 

With Year 7-10 heading towards the final assessment tasks, a number of learning assemblies have taken place to assist with their preparation. Students were spoken to about 3 study techniques to try and ensure they are most prepared for these exams. This included: 

• Have a study planner for the next few weeks. Put some study time for all their subjects that have an exam throughout the next few weeks. Multiple short sessions will be better than one long study session for each subject. 

• Study in the ratio of 25:5. That is, for every 25 minutes of study have a 5-minute brain break, sip some water do some physical like completing some star jumps and push-ups. This will allow them to refocus and pump some more blood to their brain. 
• Utilise Active Recall. This means don’t just read your study notes. Use a series prompt questions to try and remember what your notes say. After trying to remember as best as they could, then read their notes to confirm what you remembered and what you forgot. This can be done using flashcards, or digital study notes. Further information on Active Recall can be found here: https://www.brainscape.com/academy/active-recall-definition-studying/  

Best of luck to you and your family as we head towards the conclusion of the academic year. I hope your son is well prepared and experiences some success in his semester 2 report.