Good afternoon everyone

As we head into the final few weeks of Term 3, we are now entering a time that sees an upcoming assessment period for Years 7 through to 11, and the final weeks for Year 12 as they head towards the culmination of 13 years of schooling, Farewells, Graduation, final exams and formal later in Term 4.

A liturgy was conducted in the Library to commemorate the work of Brother Charles Howard, the first and only Australian to be elected to the position of Superior- General of the Marist Brothers between 1985 and 1993, and patron of Howard House. For the remaining three houses, the following activities were conducted:

Yr 7 - Pastoral Class activities centred around identifying individual strengths and skills

Yr 8 - Choice of activities: Meditation, quiet study, or outdoor activities

Yr 9 - Pastoral Class: Preparation for upcoming assessments tasks

Yr 10 - Pastoral Class: Preparation for upcoming assessment tasks

Yr 11 - Year Assembly: Procedures and expectations relating to upcoming Preliminary Exams and some tips on preparation and time management during the coming few weeks

Yr 12 - Year Assembly: Graduation and Formal arrangements.

Thank you to all year Coordinators, Assistants and Pastoral Advisors who arranged and supervised students during this time.

Earlier in the week we also had some other activities which provided opportunities to address a range of well-being and learning matters. These included:

• Year 10 immunisations and Year 10 PISA testing (Tuesday)
• HSC Creative Arts, Drama, Industrial Technology Timber and Design and Technology major works performances and exhibition (Tuesday)
• Yr 9 & 10 Child Studies Excursion (Thursday)
• Live Festival at the Wollongong Entertainment Centre (today). Around 60 students and 4 staff attended a whole day event which is scheduled to arrive back on site at around 9pm tonight. The festival is a Diocesan Youth Festival that features a range of workshops, music, presentations, and guest speakers that will allow students to celebrate, explore and build their faith.

Thanks to all students for their contribution and cooperation with these activities and to the staff who assisted with the planning and supervision.

A reminder that Year 11 Preliminary Exams commence Monday September 12 and continue until Tuesday September 20.

The next webinar "How to help your child get ready for the exam room" is on Wednesday, September 7 at 6.30pm (AEST) where they will cover:

• What your child should be doing in the final week before any test or assessment
• How to establish a good routine for the night before
• How to optimise exam-room performance

The webinar is run live online where the presenter will share Elevate’s research findings and skills and will conduct a live Q&A encouraging viewers to ask questions directly.

To register, please click here

Mr Simon Huntly