“At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child’s success is the positive involvement of the parents.” – Jane D. Hull 

It is such a huge privilege for us as a school to partner with you to bring out the best in your child and secure a bright future for them. Thank you for the huge part you already play in your teenager’s learning journey. You have already invested so much in their education and these final years of consolidation and attainment will create the first keys to unlocking their futures.

With another group of students stepping into the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) final phases, I’d like to give a quick refresher on how it works and share some proven ways you can champion your child through Years 11 and 12.

Two Pathways

Your child may have chosen either a Vocational or an Academic pathway. If they have chosen a Vocational Pathway, they may have more Applied Subjects focused on commercial or trade skills, which may lead them to TAFE or Trade schools to further their education. If your child chose an Academic pathway, that will lead to university or other Tertiary educational opportunities. We value both pathways as we firmly believe that God has blessed people with different talents with which to bless the world.

For those following an Academic Pathway, the following information summarises what the system towards an ATAR looks like:

 QCAA in a Nutshell

Staying up to date with your child’s progress

Teenagers are renowned for saying they don’t have any homework and that they are on top of their subjects, which sometimes leads to panic stations and meltdowns just before assessments are due. Here are a few ways you can stay abreast of what is happening:

Assessment Calendars

You can stay on top of their assessment calendars and due dates by looking at the “Due Work” tab on their Gateway page. This should show you all their assessments on a calendar. Sometimes it needs a bit of tweaking with the filters to display exactly what you want. Students also receive reminders and can see it on their home pages.

Live Reporting

Once a teacher has marked a student’s work, they publish it on Gateway with a comment. This is the best way to stay abreast of their current levels of attainment, as our retrospective reports at the end of terms give a snapshot of work already done a term before, and it is usually too late to intervene at that point.

Check Date / Draft Feedback

Students submit Check Dates or Drafts so teachers can monitor progress and ensure that some work is being done. It is ideal for students to have as much done as possible when they submit these drafts, as the QCAA only allows teachers to give written feedback once. Sometimes this feedback is not available for parents to see, and you may need to ask your child to show you. The points highlighted by the teacher are sometimes disregarded by the students, and those are the elements that will actually boost their attainment.

Five powerful ways to support from home

Here are a few ways in which you can ensure that your child stays organised and engaged but not overwhelmed:

• Keep the assessment calendar visible
  Stick the schedule on the fridge or follow it with your phone. A gentle “What’s the next checkpoint?” beats last‑minute panic.
  
• Ask coaching‑style questions
  
  • “Which criteria are you strongest at in this assessment?”
    
  • “What’s your draft feedback telling you to improve?”
    
• Prioritise sleep and movement
  Research is crystal‑clear: teenagers who sleep 8 hrs and exercise 30 minutes daily consolidate memory better and manage stress more effectively. Limiting screen time at night makes a huge difference.
  
• Respect the ‘study zone’
  Create a clutter‑free workspace, limit background noise during homework blocks, and celebrate milestones.
• Leverage school support early
  If your child feels uncertain or overwhelmed, encourage them to email the subject teacher that day. Early intervention makes an enormous difference. Many teachers are spread so thin that they only see that students are struggling once the assessment is complete. If the teacher is alerted before the assessment, an intervention is much easier.

Our shared goal is that every student fulfils their God‑given purpose, graduates with confidence, and feels ready to bless the world beyond our gates. 

Please feel free to reach out at any time to subject teachers, to our Dean of Studies, Mr Rob Steffler, or myself if you have concerns or questions so that we can help your child to reach their potential.

Bert Kasselman, Head of Senior School