Dean of Studies | Mrs Julie Quinn

The highlight of Week 4 was our acknowledgment at our full school assembly on Tuesday of the 325 students who were awarded medals based upon their Semester 2 results from last year.

This represents close to 25% of our community receiving medals. To receive a gold medal a student must achieve grades of A in all subjects; silver being a result of A in every subject less one and bronze in every subject less two. We often quote that it is more difficult to receive a gold medal than it is to achieve an OP score of One. A total of 91 students from Years 5 to 11 (we do not recognise Year 12 due to their graduation from the College in November) received gold medals. This assembly also recognises the student from each year level who has made significant improvement and who also exhibits a strong work ethic and is respectful of both his peers and his teachers. My congratulations to the recipients of these awards - Harvey Leach (Year 5, 2017), Charles Mills (Year 6, 2017), Arthur Arkinstall (Year 7, 2017), Dominic Cleary (Year 8, 2017) Zac Pennisi (Year 9, 2017), Patrick Meehan (Year 10, 2017) and Max Poteri (Year 11, 2017). Names of all students who were recognised at our assembly have been posted on the Parent Lounge.

My thanks to the many parents who attended our Parent Information evenings. Your continued interest and support strengthens our ability as a school to achieve the best possible outcomes for our boys. As requested, a summary of the presentations has been posted on the College App.

Last Thursday our Year 12 students were engaged in a workshop on writing skills. Our guest facilitator for this workshop was Dr Ian Hunter who is recognised internationally for his expertise in this area. Our Seniors found this workshop most valuable.

As we conclude Week 4, we are at the halfway point of our teaching, leading into exams in Weeks 9 and 10. It is most important that every student has a study plan and that the study plan is followed. It is generally around Week 4 and Week 5 when the excitement and energy around the start of the term has passed and the distance from the end of term appears to be “far away". As such, some students can experience a decrease in commitment. I encourage all boys to continue to focus on their studies. I am most encouraged by the number of students who are successfully completing their Friday roll call. This simple exercise of recalling key points, concepts and rules from the week is a very powerful tool for both recall and understanding.

A reminder to our Years 11 and 12 students that the study group operates every day of the week from 3.15 to 5.15pm.

Year 12 students engaged in Dr Hunter’s workshop