The Year 11 students are in the midst of a very busy and relatively ‘normal’ Term 4. With the Year 12s now focussed on exam preparation, the cohort have impressively stepped up as the new leaders of the School. At the Year 12 Leavers Service our 2021 School Co-Captains, Lucy Campbell and Clementine Newton-Brown spoke with eloquence and warmth about how the current Year 12 cohort have led by example, showing resilience, persistence and kindness while remaining positive during what has been a particularly challenging year. Our 2021 House Co-Captains stepped into their new role, taking charge of the recruitment of Public Speaking participants across Years 7-11 to represent each of the Houses at the annual House Public Speaking competition which was held on Wednesday 4 November.

The Year 11 Unit 2 exam period commences on Monday 23 November, with many of the girls also completing their first Unit 3 and 4 examinations during November. Given this, it was very timely that Ms Kristy Forrest presented a study skills session to the Year 11s recently, focussing on Deliberate Practice and Reflection.

During the session Ms Forrest outlined three key areas of revision:

1. Content knowledge and memorisation: the ‘WHAT’.
2. Problem-solving, thinking and application: the ‘HOW’.
3. Exam condition management: working under the pressure of time.

The girls were encouraged to reflect on gaps for any of the above areas and list what they need to work on. Ms Forrest emphasised that deliberate, targeted practice on specific elements of a task makes perfect.

Ms Forrest summed up the session with the following areas of focus:

1. You need content knowledge to provide the information questions require.
2. You need strategies for problem-solving in order to complete the requirements of the questions to cover the marks.
3. You need metacognition to regulate your thinking so you can problem solve and to assist with managing your time during exams.

This highly valuable session was recorded and is available on the Year 11 Portal page for the girls to revisit as they wish.

During the last week of Term 4 current Year 11 students will be involved in the Head Start program for Unit 3 and 4 subjects and VCE Interviews, both of which will be invaluable as the girls prepare for their transition into their final year at St Catherine’s.