The Kilmore International School Newsletter Issue 8 Friday 6 September 2019 TKIS Open Day Saturday 12 October Content Welcome School Messages 2 A warm welcome to our newsletter, with only a few weeks until the end of term 3. Year 11 & 12 Update 4 I am glad to see the weather is being kinder and the yellow wattle blossom is out! Yr 9 Wellbeing Update 6 Boarding 11 As we race to the next holiday break, our Year 12 students are busy studying for Excursions 15 their mock exams session, beginning on 16th September. Over 2 weeks, students Notice Board 29 will sit the full set of practice exams, in the same order and under the same conditions as for their final exams. This is designed to give them the experience of moving from one subject to the next, in quick succession, which will challenge Important dates September their study habits, sleeping habits and their nerves. These strategies around self- Sep 13 management in exam sessions are very important and if they are optimised, can Yr 10 Ball help students show the full extent of their knowledge when writing those exams. Sep 17 Teachers will be marking papers during the one week break before classes and Yr 9 Trip to China giving extensive feedback on each examination performance. The final 4 weeks of term 4 classes will be spent on addressing weaknesses and misunderstandings 20 Sep that have been identified from the mock exams. Term 3 Ends for Yr 3-10 Year 12s will receive a final school report by the end of week 1, term 4 which will explain their achievements over the two year Diploma Programme and their 26 Sep examination performance. This report is an important document that will be Term 3 Ends for Yr 11-12 used by some to apply for early offers into their universities of choice. Year 12 final exams begin on Tuesday 5th November with the first Physics papers 27 Sep on that afternoon. The final exams will be on Thursday 21st November, finishing Public Hioliday AFL GF with Mathematics Higher Level Paper 3. More on the website. The graduation ceremony will be that evening, when we will say congratulations and good bye to the students. This is always a wonderful night to relax and Contact: Mrs Shontel Ashurst enjoy each other’s company, after such a fine achievement as completing the IB Email: [email protected] Diploma! The Kilmore International School Of course the rest of our students are also working hard this term. We had a 40 White Street Kilmore great opportunity to talk with parents about the academic progress at our recent VIC 3764 Australia interview night. Insights were gained by both parents and teachers into how we can work together to maximise successes for the students. Tel: (03) 5782 2211 Fax: (03) 5782 2525 Further information will be given in the interim reports for Years 3 to 11, which Email: [email protected] will be distributed at the end of term, at the start the break. Of course our class work is complimented by a wide range of activities that have seen students involved in many ways, which you will see in this newsletter. For example, Year 9s went to a science-based excursion at the GTAC fungi demonstrations. There has been great success in the debating teams, with prizes for many. There have also been visitors to our school who have worked with different year groups on mental health and sports. There is a lot to celebrate. Enjoy our newsletter. Dr Judy Rutter Director of Teaching and Learning 2 | TKIS Newsletter 8 2019 Year 12 Wellbeing Update The end of Term 3 is rapidly approaching and the majority of the Internal Assessment tasks and the Core TOK Essay and Extended Essay are complete and uploaded to the IB website for external assessment. We are now entering the really busy preparation time for MOCK Examinations and ultimately the November Examination period. A copy of the MOCK Examination schedule can be found elsewhere in this Newsletter and the November 2019 examination schedule can be found on pages 104 – 107 of IBI and IBII student diary. It should be noted that the Year 12s maybe required to make alternative transport arrangements, particularly during week 2 (when all except the Year 11s are on holiday) of the MOCK Examinations as school buses will not be running. It is also important to note that whilst examinations don’t commence before 8:45AM, there are many days when the completion of the examinations will not happen until later than 3:30PM, in fact as late as 5:00PM on one day. One of the simple principles that we try to operate with during the MOCK and November Examination Periods is “Keep it formal, keep it focussed”. During both of these periods we expect students to be wearing full school uniform, including the blazer. For the last week of regular term time, we also expect all students to be present, even if they do not have an examination on a particular morning or afternoon. If for any reason students are absent from school, normal procedures still apply and we require parents/guardians to ring school and let Student Services (Reception) know about any absences. If there are also any reasons for leaving early or arriving late, students still need to be signed in at Student Services (Reception) by a parent/ guardian. In week commencing Monday 23rd September, students are not required at school if they do not have an examination, but normal sign in and sign out protocols should still be followed, so that we know who is on the school campus for accountability purposes. A few weeks ago we saw the arrival of the commemorative “Bomber Jackets”. These are currently allowed to be worn only on Fridays this term and will be allowed to be worn all of next term. The exception to this rule is during the examination periods as stated above. These jackets are a memorable keepsake, but are not officially part of school uniform and should not be worn during these formal times. Finally, the formal end to the year for our departing Year 12 group will take place in the evening of Thursday 21st November at the Park Hyatt in Melbourne. Information about the event and the booking of tickets will be made available shortly through CareMonkey. Best wishes to all for a productive examination period and a restful break ahead. Andrew Pharoah Teacher of Chemistry and Science, Wellbeing Leader Year 12 TKIS Newsletter 8 2019 | 3 4 | TKIS Newsletter 8 2019 TKIS Newsletter 8 2019 | 5 Year 11 and Year 12 news Year 11 Extended Essay Year 11 students have now been confirmed to a suitable subject and supervisor so that they can commence their research for the IBDP Extended Essay. This Core task is due in the second year of IBDP and is one of the compulsory submissions for award of diploma. Therefore, non-submission of the EE is regarded a “failing condition” in the IB General Regulations, located on the school website. Students have been advised to meet with their supervisors before the end of term to achieve the following: - Discuss and clarify their topic. This is crucial in the development of a “Research Question” for their work - Discuss ideas and their suitability to this task. This encourages development of thoughts and perspectives, promoting connection between student and supervisor, student and topic - Seek advice about research sources and styles. Supervisors are there to advise students, NOT conduct research for them. I refer students and parents to the EE Student Handbook, issued in week 1 of Term 3. This Handbook is located for parents on the school website and provides information about the task, the process, the structured timeline and the assessment of the EE. The first scheduled meeting between student and supervisor is in week 2 of term 4. At this meeting, students will be held accountable for their preliminary research and commencement of work, and submit their initial plan for the EE. They will also reflect on the way they have started; reflection is essential in the IBDP and in this Core task, it is assessed (6 marks out of the total 34). Year 12 news Year 12 students are working towards their Mock examinations, commencing Monday 16th September. Most of their IBDP submissions have been finalized and there are many preparations to be made regarding revision and motivation. Many have commented on the demanding Mock schedule for 2019: 13 days of examination papers condensed into 10 days. For this reason, students are encouraged to take care of themselves, physically and mentally. Sleep patterns, eating routines and social activities need, at this time, to be carefully considered and monitored to help facilitate effective performance in the examination room. We seek the support of families at this time to cooperate with us in helping students be at their best in the final stage of their secondary education. This includes helping them make productive and healthy choices about the use of their time. During examination weeks, students must commit to arriving at school on time for their examination sessions, bring a form of photo identification (as practice for the final examinations) and be in full school uniform for this formal assessment time. Students are reminded by the General Regulations (IBO) “3.3 Candidates are required to act in a responsible and ethical manner throughout their participation in the DP, as determined by the IB Organization at its sole discretion, which includes not engaging in academic misconduct (as defined in article 20), and must be in good standing at the school at the time of the examinations”.