Dean of Studies | Mrs Julie Quinn

Exams

Today marks the final day of our exams. Many boys have managed this demanding week very well, ensuring that their revision and preparation have placed them in a position to give their very best. I hope that every boy can go on holidays knowing that irrespective of the results, they have given their best effort in the preparation and the execution of their exams. As always, it is most encouraging to witness the many conversations among the boys that include aspects relating to subject content and explanations of concepts.

Reports

Reports will be sent electronically on Friday 6 October, the final day of the first week of next term. “Bubble” reports will be included for Years 10, 11 and 12 students indicating placement within the cohort. There are no formal times set for communication with teachers around outcomes from Term 3, but the normal channels of communication still exist for conversations and feedback.

Immersion

Yesterday was the presentation evening for all the Immersion units. This program continues to challenge and inspire our boys in so many ways, from gaining new knowledge to empathy and understanding of others in the world to appreciating the gifts of one another. My thanks to our staff who make this experience possible and so rewarding. Every boy will receive a report on his involvement within the Immersion unit that he completed.

Holidays

I do hope that these holidays provide some down time for many of our boys who have worked so diligently this term. It is also a time for families to relax and enjoy each other’s company without the busy pace of term time. I would also encourage boys to spend some of this time engaged in reading books. I often quote that reading is an investment in one’s future. Not only is knowledge gained but skills in comprehension, grammar, sentence structure, punctuation and vocabulary are added. The more you read, the more words you gain exposure to and these words will inevitably make their way into your everyday vocabulary.

In our frenetic internet world, our attention is spread across many different directions at once as we multitask through every day. As quoted by the article Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body:

In a single five minute span, the average person will divide their time between working on a task, checking email, chatting with a couple of people (via gchat, skype, etc.), keeping an eye on twitter, monitoring their smartphone, and interacting with co-workers. This type of behaviour causes stress levels to rise, and lowers productivity.

Enjoy the break and I look forward to sharing our final term commencing on Tuesday 3 October .