“I love my Dad”

I have the most amazing father and I was so pleased to celebrate Father’s Day with him last weekend. I know my father loves me and would do anything for me. He has sacrificed so much for me and I love him with all my heart.

This amazing relationship between a father and child is only a reflection of the relationship God designed for us when he created mankind in the first place. Our heavenly Father wants a personal relationship with each one of us. He loves us so much. The bible says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

QCS Exams

As I write this article, a large number of the Year 12s are sitting the Queensland Core Skills exams. The QCS Test consists of four papers — a Writing Task (of 600 words), a Short Response paper and two Multiple Choice papers. The results achieved for each of the four test papers are combined into one grade, ranging from A (the highest grade) to E (the lowest).

Those sitting the test are asked to respond to a variety of stimulus materials, such as prose passages, poetry, graphs, tables, maps, mathematical and scientific data, cartoons and artistic works.

The QCS Test does not test particular knowledge of specific Year 12 subjects. It tests the Common Curriculum Elements, a set of generic skills identified in the Queensland curriculum. The test assumes that candidates have basic levels of general knowledge and vocabulary and a Year 10 knowledge of mathematical operations.

The QCS Test contributes information for the calculation of Overall Positions (OPs) and Field Positions (FPs), which are used to rank students for tertiary entrance.

A student’s individual QCS Test result is not used on its own in the calculation of their OP — instead, group results are used as part of the statistical scaling processes. A student’s individual result on the QCS Test (from A to E) is reported on the student’s Senior Statement or Statement of Results.

Thank you

There has been a great deal of work performed to prepare the Year 12s for the QCS test. I wish to thank the staff who have helped by taking them through practise tests as well as teaching them various examination techniques. I also want to thank the Year 11 students who served breakfast to the Year 12s on both Tuesday and Wednesday to help settle the nerves of the students.

Year 11 High Achievers

Students in Year 11 who are getting a B+ average are invited to study a University subject through the University of Queensland. This is part of the Enhanced Studies Program (ESP). Students can only participate in a maximum of 1 ESP subject during first semester of Year 12. The university does not charge any fee for these courses. Please see Mrs Ferris if you want more information.

David Heyworth, Head of Senior School